The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-04-12
WONDERFUL LONGEVITY.
An Indiana Woman Hale and Hearty a
100 Years Of Age.

An Indiana Woman Hale aud Hearty al
1O2 Years of Age.
There resides with her daughter, Mrs.
Mary Atkins, al Grcencastle, a natures
nOblewoman - Mrs. Catherine Mcmahon,
who was born in County Clare, Parish Of Kill
fOrney, ireland, November II, 1855. a CORE
spondent for the indianapolis Journal spent
an hour in her company one DAY recently,
listening 70 her own account OF her long
and worthy life, which IS substantially as
follows:
She was one Of several children born to
Daniel CoOncy and Marian Flanagan, who
died, the former AZ sixty-tw0 and the latter
AZ eightV-two years Of age Two brothers,
Martin and James COOney, died In Dubuque,
Ia, in 1SI3 the former lacking but five days
Of rounding up his first century. The lat
ter was in his ninety-eighth year. Another
brother, Thomas CoOnev, elder IN James,
wandered Of 70 Australia in early life ard
his last end is unknown Ia 1889, by the
death Of her husband, Michael Mcmahon, 70
whom she was married in 1915, she was left
q tenant OF a one hundred-acre farm in
County Clare, the property Of Thomas and
John Cahill. Her rental was forty pounds
sterling annually. Besides were King,
Queen, county, road and various other taxes
children were dependent on her, though
two sons helped greatly in the farm
work. She was hard worker
herself and withal a sk,llful man
ager. She attended fairs aud markets
to dispose II her farm products, and battled
bravely for her family's sake for fourteen
years, three Of which were years OF terrible
famine, ending az last with the harvcsts Of
In
toward America, the land Of plenty and Do
tatoes, settling first ia New Albany, Ind,
thence in ls6l removing to Dubuque, Ia,
thence in 1851 10 Bedford, and two years
later 10 Grccncasuc In company with q
granddaugh;er. Miss Maggie Atkins, she
Travelled a day ana a night on the cars in
her nineiy-eishth year III returning from
Dubuque. She is avrrSc 90 the cars, and
afterward walked two miles 90 the Green
castle June ION. without even a walking stick,
rather than ride ON a tram. She has seen six
generations Of her kin. though unable TO
state the number Of grand and great-grand-
children. She has three great great grand
children, the children % Michael Higgins,
now Of Jackson. Miss. Miss Maggie Higgins,
Of that place. a great graudchild. Is twenty
six years old or her children there are liv-
ing James. aged sixty-four, and John, aged
siXty-one, both Of Bedford, Ind; also q
second daughter, Mrs Catherine Mccain,
Of Dubuque, Ia 10 her prime she was I've
feet seven inches high and weighed from
$50 to 100 pounds. Sue is now q1ite stopped,
though remarkably free from the infirmities
Of age Her weight Is, perhaps, be-
tween 90 and 100 pounds. She is quite
spry, and gets around the house and yard
with the aid Of a slender walking stick. Her
hair Is black and abundant as in youth Her
features are round and compact. She has
retained all her teeth but two, losing the
first IN her one-hundrcdth year, the other
recently. She enjoys perfect second sight
and sews and lnits without glasses. She
even makes her bed and performs other
tasks, more or less Light, when permitted
A few days ago, when taken with pain
near the heart from which she has since
been confined 20 bed, she was inspecting q
walk constructing IN front OF the premises.
She eats with impunity any kind Of food
Her daughter keeps boarders, Of whom she
IL one. she reports al each meal and eats
heartily. She also enjoys . smoke. She re-
tires early and is a sound sleeper. She
loves to talk and speaks readily in English
and Irish. She also sings occasionally
snatches OF Irish melodies learned In her
girlhood She has IN abundant fund Of an
ecdote concerning troublous times and prom
inent men, betrayiHg intelligent observa-
ton and wonderful memory. She sayE but
little about Emmett, but is enthusiastic over
OiCOnnell, who was elected 70 Parliament
when her youngest son was four years old.
With the hght-heertedness Of youth 70 q
wonderful degree, she has Little Of the
querulousness Of age, though possessed Of
marked preferences among her Younger de-
scendants. for one Of whom she Is knitting
q pair Of hose. No special alarm is felt over
her condition She has been exceptionally
free from disease all her life, and Il Is
thought she viii die more from natural
vy-aarirc q nlrf than dfaaaza