Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-08-15
IA YEARS OLD.
The Longest Lived citizen 81. Louis has
Ever Had

Inc fsOuEtSt ii'tN tfhN'h 81 s-pN'' 1900 |
Ever Had.
ist. Louis Post-Dlspatch.l IL
The last one OF Westinghouse olorcd |
body servants who died in this city |
had his toes pointing to the ceiling OF
a small room near Ninth and Gratiot
streets, one night six years ago. He
was declared to be positively the final
claimant for place in the large army
Of black men who had the honor and
Measure of administering to the wants
of the father of his country when in
the zenith of his glory. The declara-
ton that the last had been put far
enough under ground to justify
the hope that he wouldn't be heard
from again, has since proved to have
been without foundation. The gentle
m. n who edit the curiosity corners of
newspapers nowadays have in the past
few weeks trotted out several black
berry-hued freaks almost old enough
To have been grandfatheis when the
war for American independence was
begun. They may now add another
In the person Of Thomas White, II bed
ridden darky residing In II small cot
tage back of Lindell park, who can
look out from his pillow upon five gem
erations OF his children, the oldest
being his son John White, aged ninety
seven, snowy-haired, skeleton figured,
and almost ms feeble and helpless as
his father who, IL is asserted by his
grand daughter, Mrs. Charlotte Gaines,
AZ ed siXty-ive. was born In February,
i7I2, and is consequently l4l years
old.
He wuz borned,n said Mrs. Gaines.
con de plantation of Il man named
Crews. don't know muffin about de
spellin' ob his name, chile. When he
wuz ten yeah old he wuz given to Mr..
| Dalton. who had place alongside the
| Washingtons and dar he remained for
ober forty yeah. He done knowed all
de Washington family, an | often
heern him talk about Masser George,
an laugh wen anybody reeded about
what good little boy he wuz. Why
grandpa usen To say, 'Masser George
many and many Il time stoled his
fathers tohacky and KEN out under
de trees to have II quiet smoke. an he
used to tell yarns about whippin' In
Ijuns an KILN bear dat war de wust
lies that ebber pierced my ears. Den
dat cherry tree story. Ora ldpa made
mo- fun ob dat dan anytnin' else, De-
kase he said the WashingtonS nebber
had no cherries on DER land all de
time he knowed dem, and besides il
dey had and Masser George had chopt
it down wild an AK he'd q nebber
fessed it, kas he alters ruined into the
woods and made faces a. his dad wen
the old gen'lan wanted to lick him. y
The P1st-Dipdfct re porter was now
standing at the bedside of John Viii e.
the man OF Ill years. His skin tight.
ly drawn upon his face, was of Il green
ish yellow hue, and revealed
every bone beneath almost as plainly
rs if time had removed the
entire cutaneous covering. The closet
eyes were sunk back deep in theii
sockets, the nose was rs pinched and
thin as ifa clothespin had held IL in
its embrace for forty years; the tissue
paper like lips were h&lf parted, To,
ears withered and the head bald. eX.
cept for light white furze which
seemed to be springing into existence
on its surface. There was no apparent
respiration, and to the reporter, John
White looked like II very dead darky.
No other portion Of his anatomy was
exposed except his face. which was
skeleton like and death hued.
The reporter had been referred to al
old Mullanphy street doctor, who had
, attended John White from time tt
time. Being asked his opinion o
Whites age the doctor said he had n,
reason to doubt the statements mad,
by Mrs. Gaines White was undoubt
, eply the oldest man he had ever looked
upon, but he had been practically deat
for eleven years, and might as we'll b,
, buried and mourned for at once.