Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1888-12-08
A WONDERFUL OLD WOMAN
Dying Mt l43 After Drinking Eum
and smoking Tobacco for 10

DyIn. at 10 Altcr 1)ffnRin. isutn
and smoking Tobacco for no
Years.
sylvia Dubois, the famous negress, Is dead
at last, saws the Philadelphia T,mes. Her
death was reported last spring, because the
news that came IRON Sourland mountain,
where 5 ,lvia lived, was to the effect That TIE
ancient negress had ell during the blizzard,
having rerished in the STERN. This WAS a
mistake. She Scr~ived The great snOw-stOrm
and lived through the spring and summer.
But that Tremendous vitality that carried the
woman through 4 century aud quarter Of ex-
istence began giving out and few days age
she died. She had just passed her l2jth birth.
day,
There is no doubt Sylvia Dubois lsas 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
nf her life in detail has been published sever
al times. she was born In Hunterdon county,
on the very range % hills where she evidently
died. She was the slave o. man named
nubos. ard kept that name all her lie. rhe
had nuEiser Of children, but they were ali
ilicgit mate. Mhic mere child she was
taken by her master to Great Bend. Pa. where
she was reared. The tales OF her prO7Tecs arc
many. She was fighter all her younger DAYS,
and in fact. unt she was 100 years Old. She
knocked ont c-ery rugiiist she encountered.
From tiit time she was - years OF are she
was a h.,f ,!rnller, brandy being her tayorite
beverage. Liquor never seemed 10 Affect her.
She alwai, said the brandy she drank pre-
served her. 1t is certain she was never sick
until FEW months prev Gus TO her death. At
III. tavern at Great Bend, of which her mas
ter was tic landlord, she was great attrac-
tion owing 70 her tremendous strength and
feats Of endurance aGd daring. She was as
proiane as she was powerful, and her biOg-
raphy, which she dedicated some years ago 10
a schuO, teacher in ihls's.ate and which was
published iiitera iy, aeounded with oaths.
When she was about - years OF age she
got angry at her mistress and nearly killed
her. Before she could be ,ught she snatch
ed up her baby and rowcd across the Sus-
quehauna aud ran into the woods. There
she accomplished what few women in history
have ever attempted. She made her way
day and night down through Pennsylvania
anu upper New Jersey, caring for the child
all the way until she got back to her Old
home in Sourlard mountain. Her mistress
recovered, but no attempt was made to arrest
or capture Sylvia. Ga Sourlanl mountain
she built n hut, where she spent the last CEN
tury Of her eX steuca. She had as alreadf
related, q number Of childrfn, but only the
youngest survived She lived with her moth
er uD To the day OF her death. Her name is
Elizabeth, and she is over ~ years Old. She
is her mother over again. There Is not man
on the mOuntG.ns that can whip her. Her
pugili,tic feats are aIGcst as numerous as
her mothers, but she never made such
business OF prZe-iirhilnr.
In the little hut on S1urland Sylvia lived
through all the stormy winters. She learned
TO read a little and her daughter got enough
education to enable her 10 read to her moi her.
They were alwa Ioor but managed 10 beg
puOiUb ECpD ti,pm pliulOrtal a
year the mother and daughter would tramp
down 'he mountain and make q tour of the
farming country below. Every body gave
them something. The two women would load
themselves down with provisions, coal, and
clothing and then climb the mountain with
their bnrdens. SILVIA always asked for news
papers and books, and there were few women
better posted on the events OF the day. This
long aud tiresomc tram never seemed 10
iniure the Old woman. She took her last trip
last spring.
Sylvia never made but two public eyhibi-
bitions of herself. She was witness in q
murder trial 1T Pennington number of years
ago, aud her opinions of lawyers, courts and
people generally growing out OF her ex-
pcrlence in cour. were given in her bogra-
phv. They were decidedly sensational and
emphatic. Her second appearance was at
the state fair at Waver!y YEAR ago She re-
ceved money enough foe sitting in a tent for
four days to Last her until death. Her eye
sight grew poor toward the end, but her
tongue was as sharp and her memory rs keen
as ever. II one could stand the string of
oatbs that were part of her conversation, the
anecdotes that she gave and her recollections
of past events were decidedly interesting.
sylvia Dubois drank hard aud smoked a
strong pipe ell Ter life pretty nearly. She
said she was better for both rum and tobacco
She had 10 religion To speak OF, and was un-
qucstionably one of the oldest and most
Interesting characters that the nineteenth
century has produced.