Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-18
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 Years-An Iron OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Sick but Few Months In Her I.ife-A
Tour of the Farming Country.
Sylvia Dubois. the famous negress, is dead |
at last, saws 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 hid died during the blizzard,
having persisted in the storm. This was a
mistake. She survived the great snowstorm
and lived through the spring and summer.
but that tremendous vitality that carried
the woman through century and quarter
OF existence began giving out and few days
ago she died She had just passed her la5th
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 lie In detail has been published sew
era times. She was born in Hunterdon
county, Nd, on the very range of hills where
she eventually died She was the slave of a
a man named Dubois, and kept that name all
Ner life, She had number Of children, but
NY were all Legitimate. While mere
Shhd she was taken by her master TO Great
oead, Pa, where she was reared.
KNOCKED OUT TIE PuGMIsrs.
ihe tales of her proves are many. She
"asa lighter all her ger days, and in fact
-cut every pugilist she encountered From
the time she was 10 years of age she was
hard drinker, brandy being her favorite bev-
erage. Liquor never seemed to affect
her. She always said the brandy she drank
preserved her. It 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
Ne great attraction, owing to her tremen-
Gus strength and feats of endurance and
dring. She was as rufane as she was pow
cru, and hor biography, which she dedi-
-sdted some years ago to school teacher in
this state, and which was published literally,
abounded with oaths.
When she was about 25 years of age she
got angry at her mistre and nearly killed
her. Before she could be caught she
snatched up her baby and rowed across the
Susquehanna as3a ran into the woods. There
she accomplished what few women in history
hare even attempted. She made her way
day and night down through Pennsylvania
and upper New Jersey, caring for the child
the way until she got back to her old
On 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, a number Of children, but only the
youngest survived. She lived with her
mother up to the day of her death. Her
name is Elizabeth. and she is over so years
old. She is her mother over again. There
is not q man on the mountains that can
whip her. Her pugiistlc feats are almost as
numerous as her mothers, but she never
made such a 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 to enable her t
read to her mother. They were always poor
but managed to beg enough to keep then
comfortable. Twice year the mother anC
daughter would tramp down the mountain
and make tour of the farming country be
low Everybody knew them and everybod,
gave them something The two womeI
would load themselves down with provisions
coal and clothing and then climb the noun
tain with their burdens. Sylvia Away
asked for newspapers and books, and Their
were few women better posted on the genera
events Of the day. This long and tiresom
tramp never seemed TO injure the old woman
She took her last trip last spring
Sylvia never made but two public exhibi
tons Of herself She was witness in a mur
der trial at Pennington a number of year
ago, and her opinions Of lawyers, court
and people generally growing out Of her e2
perience IN court were given in her bioS
raphy. They were decidedly sensational an
emphatic. Her second appearance was at tn
state fair at Waveriy, a year ago. She re
csived money enough for sitting in tent 70
four days to last her until death. Her eye
sight grew poor toward the end, but be
tongue was as sharp and her memory as kee
as ever II one could stand the string c
oaths that were part of her conversation
the anecdotes that she gave and her recollet
tions Of past events were decidedly interest
ing
Sylvia Dubois drank hard and smoked
strong pipe all her life pretty nearly Sh
said she was better for both rum and Tobacco
She had no religion to speak of, and was III
questionably one of the oldest and most il
teresting characters that the Nineteenth eel
tury has produced