Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-07-27
Indian Longevity.

II. ii. describes The Present Condi-
ton of the Mission Indians of Southern
California in the August Century, and
speaks as follows of two aged San Gabriel
women: "A few rods from the old mis-
sion church of San Gabriel, i'm hut made
OF bundles of the tule reeds dashed to syca-
more poles, as the San Gabriel Indians
made them hundred years ago, live two
old Indian women, Laura and Beniamina
Laura is one hundred and two wears old
Benjamin. one hundred and seventeen
The record of their baptism is still to be
seen in the church books; so there can be
no dispute rs to their age. 1t seems not
at all Incredible. however III had been
told that Benjamina was three-thousand
year-old Nile mummy. resuscitated by
some mysterious process, | should not
have demurred much at the tale. The
first time saw them, the two were
crouchipg over a fire on the ground. I'M
der sort of booth porch. in front of their
howell. Laura was making q feint of
grinding acorn meal in a stone bowl ::
Beniamina was raking the ashes, with
her claw-like old fingers, for hot Goals to
start the fire afresh her skin was like an
ELEPHANTS, shriveled, black. hanging in
folds and welts on her neck and breast
and bonv arms; it was not like anything
human her sunken eyes bright as beads
peering out from under thickets of coarse
grizzled gray hair. Laura wore a white
cloth band around her head. tied on with
a strip Of scarlet flannel; above that, a
tattered black shawl, which gave her the
pots. old pans. old stone mortars and
nosf1oc hraEan t,foc
straw. boxes. legless chairs.-in short all
conceivable rubbish-were strewn about or
piled upin the place. making the weirdest
backgrounds for the aged crones' figures
Inside the hut were two bedsteads and few
boxes. baskets. and nets; and drying
grapes and peppers hung on the walls a
few feet away was another hut, only trifie
better than this -four generations were iiv-
ing in the two. Benjaaina's step-daugh-
Ter. age 80. was fine creature. With a
white hand straight around her forehead
close TO the eyebrows and a gay paid
handkerchief thrown on above It. falling
squarely each side OF her face, she looked
like an old Bedouin sheik.
"Our Mexican friend remembered Laura
as she was so years ago. She was then,
even at SO, celebrated as one of the swift
est runners and best ball-players in all the
San Gabriel games. She was q singer,
too, in the choir. Coaxing her up on her
feet, patting her shoulders, entreaiing and
caressing her as one would child. he
succeeded in persuading her to chant for
us the Lords Prayer and part of the
ftanies. as she had been wont to do il in
the old days. 1t was grotesque and in
credible sight. The more she stirred and
sang and lifted her arms, the less alive
she looked. We asked the step-daughter
if they were happy and wished to live.
Laughing, she repeated the question to
them. oh. yes, we wish to live forever
they replied. They were greatly terrified,
the daughter said, when the railway cars
first ran through San Gabriel. They
thought it was the devil bringing fire to
burn up the world. Their chief solace is
tobacco. To beg it, Benjamin. will creep