Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-10-09
London Telegraph.

London Telegraph.
At last the Oldest inhabitant has turn
Cd up. There is no doubt about the
harness OF his claim to this title, and no
chance that a rival will soon appear. for
TINS venerable persons age exceeds by
half century even that OF old Parr. who
is perfectly well known to have beaten
every other patriarch since the antedi.
luvian days. 1t is, perhaps, drawback
that the newly-discovered centenarian or
rather quo.centenarian, is an American.
One is inclined to grudge that pushing
and somewhat "stuckup" continent the
possession of all the biggest, oldest, and
Oldest, as well as newest things. But
there Is no help for it in this case. We
must bow to antiquity in the person Of
the very old fellow who has been de.
scribed by the correspondent of Ger
man paper. He resides in the Repub-
lie OF Columbia--a state whose chief
products seem to be tobacco, straw hats.
monks, volcanoes, and earthquakes
chiefly the !ast,-and he is n half-caste,
Miguel Soils by name. AT recent con-
ference Of physicians in Bogota, DIR.
Luis Hermandes told how he had inter-
viewed the patriarch. Soils, it appears, is
modest enough to claim an age of no
more than $50 years, but his neighbors,
all of whom, of course, have known
him from infancy, repudiate the notion
that he Is such youngster, and loudly
assert that he has overpassed his second
century. The evidence on this point. il
must in candor be admitted, is not quite
conclusive. The Oldest inhabitants told
DIR. Hermandes that when they were
boys Soils had the reputation of being
more than century old, and confirma-
ton ofthis is said to be afforded by the
fact that signature which Soils recog-
nlzes as his own appears among the
list OF contributors to the cost Of erect
ing the convent of San Sebastian in 1912,
when he was sprightly infant of so or
Whereabouts. But, unfortunately, us no
witness of this interesting signature can
be found in the natural course of things,
the attestation turns upon Old Soils
good faith or his memory, and, without
being uncharitable, we may fear That
one or the other may be defective. For
the rest, the aged curiosity is interest
ing enough. DR.. Hernandez found him
in good health and ut work in his gar
den. "His skin resembled parchment,
and his long snow-white hair was wound
about his head in turban fashion. His
eyes cleaned SO tixedlyy as to make
his visitor feel uncomfortable when
looking ut him. He attributed the length
of his life to regular and moderate diet.
He eats only one meal u day, but that
consists OF "strong and healthy food"
to which he devotes himself assiduous-
ly for more than half IN hour at n
stretch, having discovered that no man
can eat moro in half IN hour than he
can digest in twenty-four hours. Blu,
this is not all, for he fasts two whole
days every month, and then reireshe'
himself by copious draughts OF cold wa
ter, which is probably more stimulating
diet in those regions than it is in Eu
rope. Finally, he always lets his foot
get cold before partaking Of it, and h.
considers that this precaution has had
n great deal to 90 with the prolongatior
of his life. On the whole, however, one
would like to know more about this
parchmcnt-skinned and weired- looking
hermit Of the Columbian wilds before
crediting the statement that he came
into the world just as Cromwell was
leaving it, and that he was an octogena.
RAN Mt the time of Culloden. The old
fellow may be practical joker, and
may eve his highly-eflective makeup
to the monks Of San Sebastian, who
would be sure to enter into the fun oil
the thing.