Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-01-19
NINE SCORE YEARS oLp.
An Astounding Story That Leads One
TO Think That Adam and Eve
MAY be Still Alive.
San Ffnncllco Chrohicle.


quis In which / discovered the most |
remarka le cases OF long life. They |
are called the WakOyas and COMPRISE |
one hundred end fitty people, males |
and femalts. OF these there are only |
ABOUT seventy children. about sixty !
niddle-aSed persous, and the rest in.
clnde at least fifieen centenuarians.
They do not intermipgle
with the rowing bands Of
savsges, preferring fixed habita.
ton IN their little village in the valley
of the Chausaka river, one of the hum
dreds OF small streams tributary to the
Colorado. They dwell ia Stone houses
or huts, engage In agricultural pur-
suits TO limited extent aud enjoy
many OF the arts OF civilization
They are, nevertheless, very secluded
in their little punch.bowl OF valley.
'Our visit To the plsce was made
about six weeks ago. The chief proved
to be Of an Obllging disposition aud
showed us all about the village We
we're followed by q crowd OF young
Wakoyas, and were preceded by the
chief, while around us barked aud
howled number Of dogs, with which
the village abouuded. After proceed
ing shoit distance we paused before
the door Of a low stone hut, GOV, red
with "A skin rO0f the cracks in the
walls being filled with brown adobe.
Our leader entered without going
through the ceremony Of knocking
'Muskee! Muskeep we heard him
shout repeatedly from within. But
| Muskee was evidently not ut home,
and the chief came back with a disap,
poin ed look on his dark face. We
met the object 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 astonishment was nothing
| compared to ours MS we gazed AZ his
strange and unnatural form. His
shoulders and limbs were clothed with
deerskin r. bes, aud his ftce, which
seemed 20 be barren OF flesh, WAS GOV.
cred with dry, wTinkled skin; his
fingers were extremely long ana his
palms and wriss were withered aud
shrunken, while his whole body,
which was much attenuated, was b-nt
over until his back assumed the shape
Of a hRlf-circle. had never seen such
specimen Of aged humanity before -
did you discover his age?" inquired
the interviewer,
"Our Moqui guide, who spoke Eng.
lish almost perfectly and whose vtrAc
ity we had tested on previous coca.
sions, told us, after maxi TX the neces.
sAry inquiry. that the man was Ia
years old. and have not the slightest
doubt, nor would anyone have after
seeing the ancient Wakoya, that such
was indeed his age, After looking al
us for some few moments, during
which he rested his chin heavily upoI
the long staff which he clutched witt
one OF his dried-up hands, he mum
hled a few words Ia answer 10 ques
tions put by the chief and our inter
prefer, and then, raihing his head ant
stretching out his limbs, he shamhle,
Off toward his hut at tOlerably smar
pace for "A man l75 years old.
but the greatest surprise Was yet {
come We were ushered into Tudely
constructed stone building of create
dimensions than those before visited Il
the village, IL was almost dark inside
and the room WAS ill-smellinR an
close. When our eyes became accu,
TONED to hedim light we saw skin
clad figure kneeling in one corner q
the room and engaged In breakin
light sticks of wood into small faggott
We were told that IL WAS a woma
whom the chief had brought us {
see, and hat she had not noticed on
approach, being blind and deaf Tn
chief placed hrs hand on her shoulder
and she slowly turned around.
could not see quite plainly, and was "A
once struck with feeling q
! responsiveness almost akin "a th
horror one feels toward vision
: seen in nightmare, when. her hideou
: face, and blank, eunken eyes met M
D gaze Her face was OF gTeenish
: yellow color, and what little there wa
left Of flesh or skin chung to her bone
: as though 3 uck there by some abb,
7 sive compound. IL bore o parcheC
Q desiccated appearance, like .he cute
+ flesh OF mummy. The lorer Law
i wnich WAS devoid of teeth, obtrude
r considerably beyond the angle OF he
n sharp, hooked nose Her arms ap
. peared TO be almost bare Of any flesh
d Tissue, and ths skin covering them wa
d dry and hard She 10 1872 years ole
}, fhls PLACES her two years beyond th
= repuied age OF the patriarch Isaac d
Il the time Of his death, and shp mui
o have first seen the Hight Ia 1902, q
seventy-fonr years before the slgnin
L OF the ID clsratiOn OF Independence.
0 "Did you learn her name?'
u 1.-THE peoI e " the village call he
Watsuma. She has only one liviu
o relative. q great-grandson, who II
u eers Of age
y "How las the record Of her yea
G been kept?"
. "In the ifnmemorial fashion Of tn
q trlbe--by punching small round hOl,
d ia piece of smf othlS polished hor
3 at the end Of each twelve month
. * prefse desire TO zee the record I
. WAtsuma's age. At first she was ver
c Jack ward about producing 1t, bt
}, finally directed her young attendaI
I in q slow, hoaree speech 10 20 an
d bring It 10 her, which was done, All
. fhen, without allowing us to take
u from her bony iingera, she held Il u
2 for inspection. the 1872 holes wei
o counted by our wondering party, an
l. The ancient relic was replaced Ia \
i position In an inner recess In the wa
1 Of the hOvfl.n
T. ------