Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-02-17
$50 YEARS OLD.


- an Astounding Age
Or. Levi George, in his account of
life amoRg the M0qui Indians. SAYS:
The particular tribe of the Moouis in
which / discovered the most remarkable
cases Of long life are called the Wakovas,
and comprise &bout $50 people, males
and females. OF these there are only
about seventy children, about sixty mid
dle-aged persons, and the rest include at
least fifteen centenarians. They do not
intsrmingIe with the rowing lands of
savages, prcferring fixed hakitation in
their little village in the valley of the
Chausaka river, one of the hundreds of
small streams tributary to tho Colorado.
They dwell in stone houses or huts, en-
gage in agricultural pursuits &c limited
extent and enjoy many of the arts of
civilization The chief proved to be of
~ obliging disposition and showed US
all about the village. We were followed
by q crowd of young Wakoyas and a
number of dogs, with which the village
abounded.
After proceeding q short distance we
paused before the door Of q low stone
hut, covered with skin roof, the cracks
in the wall being filed up with brown
adobe. Our leader entered without going
through the ceremony OF knocking.
''Muskeei Muskee re we heard him shout
repeatedly from within. But Muskee
was evidently not at home, and the chief
came back with q disappointed look on
his dark face. We met the OBJ oct of our
search about twenty yards from his door
and were presented to him in Indian
fashion. He appeared to marvel at our
unexpected appearance, but his astonish-
ment was nothing as compared to
ours as We gazed at his strange and un.
natural form. His shoulders and limbs
were clothed with deerskin robes, and
his face, which seemed to be barren of
flesh, was covered with dry, wrinkled
skin; his fingers were extremely long.
and his palms and wrists were withered
and shrunkcn, while his whole body,
which was much aktenuated, was bent
over until his back assumed the shape of
. half circle. had never seen such a
specimen of aged humanity before. Our
Moqui guide, who spoke English per-
fectly and whose vefaclty we had tested
on previous occasions, told us, after
making the necessary inquiry, that the
man was 175 years old, and have not the
slightest doubt, nor would anyone have
after seeing the ancient Wakoya, that
such was indeed his aga. After looking
at us for some few moments, during
which he rested his chin heav-
lily upon the long staff which he clutched
with one of his dried-up hands, he
mumbled Few words in answer to
questions put by the chief and our inter
prefer, and then, raising his head and
stretching out his limbs, he sharnbled off
toward his hut at a tolerably smart pace
for man 175 years old. i
But the greatest surprise was yet to
come. We were ushered into a rudely
constructed stone building of greater di-
mansions than those before visited in the
village. When our eyes became accus-
toned to the dim light we saw a skin
clad figure kneeling in one corner of the
room and engaged in breaking light
sticks of wood into small fagots We
were told it was a women whom the |
chief had broHght US to sec and that she
had not noticed our approach, being
blind and deaf. The chief placed his |
hand on her shoulder and she slowly |
turned around. could now sec quite |
plainly and was at once struck with q |
feeling Of repulsivenes5 almost akin to |
the horror one feels toward visions seen |
in q nightmare, when her hidecIs face
and blank, sunken eyes met my gaze. Her |
face was d greenish-ye.low color and
whatever was left offlesA or skin chung to |
her bones az though stuck there BY some !
adhesive compound. 1t bore parched,
desiccated appearance, like the outer |
flesh Of mummy. The lower jaw, |
which was devoid of teeth. obtruded |
considerably beyond tho angie Of her
sharp, hooked nose. Her arms appeared !
70 be almost bare OF any fieshy tissue |
and the skin covering them was dry and |
hard. She iss1S2 years CID This places !
her two years beyond the repused age OF |
The patriarch Isaac at the time of his !
death, and she must hare first seen the
light in 1903. or seventy-fcur years be- !
fore the signing Of she Declaration of j
Independence
The immensorial fashion Of this tribe
Of keeping record of ages is By punching
small, round holes ina piece 81 Smoothly
polished horn at the end OF each twelve
month I expressed q desire to see the
record of Walsuma's Aqss. AZ frat she
was very backward about producing 1t,
but finally directed her young attendant
In 4 slow, hoape speech to bring it to
her, which Yves done. anil then, wtth0uf
allowing lis 10 take 1t from her bony
fingers, she held it UP for inspection.
The 1S2 holes were coun2ed hy oar won-
dering party, and the ancient relic was
replaced In is position I'M an SBnes recess
n the walls os the hOvcl