Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-14
Daily X eagle
A WONDERFUL WOMAN.
SAID TO Be.THE OLDEST PERSON
IN AMERICA WHEN SHE DIED.

IN AMERICA WHEN SHE DIED.
Drinking Rum and Smoking Tobacco for
ITO fears-An Iron OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Sick but Few Months In Her Lite-A
Tour Of the Farming Country.
Sylvia Dubois. the famous negress, is dead
at last, says The Philadelphia Times. Her
death was reported last spring, because the
news that came from Sourland mountain,
where Sylvia lived, Was to the effect that the
ancient negress had died during the blizzard,
having persisted in the storm. This was
mistake. She survived the great snowstorm
and lived through the spring and summer.
But that rependous vitality that carried
the woman through century and quarter
OF existence began giving out and a few days
ago she died she had just passed her I25th
birthday.
There is no doubt Sylvia Dubois was not
only the oldest woman, but the Oldest person
In America Her memory and the records
she had at hand proved this fact. The story
Of her life in detail has been published sew
.ral times She was born il Huuterdon
county, n. j., on the very range Of hills where
she eventually died. She was the slave Of
man named Dubois, and kept that name all
her life. She had number Of children, but
they were al Legitimate. While a mere
child she was taken by her master TO Great
Bend, Pa, where she was reared
KNOCKED OUT THE PUGuIsTs.
The tales Of her proves are many. She
was fighter all her younger days, and in fact
until she was 100 years old She knocked
out every puglist she encountered. From
the time she was Is years Of age she was a
hard drinker, brandy being her favorite bev-
erage. Liquor never seemed to affect
her. She always said the brandy she drank
preserved her. Il Is certain she was never
sick until few months previous to her
death. At the tavern at Great Bend, OF
which her master was the landlord, she was
the great attraction, owing to her trench
dous strength and feats Of endurance and
daring. She was as profane as she YVES pow
erful, and her biography, which she dedi-
Gated some years ago to school teacher in
this state and which was published literally,
ebounded with oaths-
When she was about 25 years Of age she
got angry at her mistress and nearly killed
her. Before she could be caught she
matched up her baby and rowed across the
SusquehanDa and ran into the woods. There
she accomplished what few women in history
have even attempted. She made her way
day and night down through Pennsylvania
and upper New Jersey, caring for the child
all the way until she got back to her old
home in Sourland mountain. Her mistress
recovered, but no attempt was made to ar
rest or capture Sylvia. On Sourland noun
tain she built hut, where she spent the last
century of her existence. She had, as already
related, q number Of children, but only the
youngest survived. She lived with her
mother up to the day or her death. Her
name is Elizabeth, and she Is over 50 years
old She is her mother over again There
is not a man on the mountains that can
whip her. Her pugilistic feats are almost as
numerous as her mothers, but she never
made such business Of prize fighting.
FoRAGISG TRIPS TWICE YEAR
In the little hut on Sourland Sylvia lived
through all the cold ard stormy winters
She learned to read little and her daughter
got enough education 70 enable her to
read TO her mother. They were always poor,
but managed to beg enough 10 keep them
comfortable. Twice year the mother and
daughter would tramp down the mountain
and make a tour Of the farming country be .
low. Everybody knew them and everybody
gave them something. The two women
would load themselves down with provisions,
coal and clothing and then climb the noun
tain with their burdens. Sylvia always
asked for newspapers and books, and theu
were few women better posted on the general
events Of the day. This long and tircsoa,s
tramp never seemed to injure the old woman
She took her last trip last spring.
Sylvia never made but two public exhibit
tons Of herself She was witness in a muir
der trial at Pennington number of years
ago, and her opinions Of lawyers, C urts
and people generally growing out of her ex-
perience in court were given in her biog-
raphy. They were decidedly sensational and
emphatic Her second appearance was at the
state fair at Waverly, a year ago. She re-
csived money enough for sitting il q tent for
four days to last her until death. Her eve +
sight grew poor toward the end. but her
tongue was as sharp and her memory as keen
as ever. II one could stand the string OF
oaths that we're part Of her conversation,
the anecdotes that she gave and her recoliec- I
lions Of past events were decidedly interest
ing.
Sylvia Dubois drank hard and smoked
strong pipe all her life pretty nearly. She .
said she was better for both rum and tobacco. /
She had no religion 70 speak of, and was IN
ouestionably one of the oldest and most in .
teresting characters that the Nineteenth cen +
fury has produced