St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-30
END OF a REMARKABL E Man.
He Had Lived 1913 years, Had Five
Masters aud Six Wives.

Kansas City Times.
Florida papers announce the recent
death of old Unka Santa Quanta, near
Archer, Fla, at the remarkable age of
123 years. The writer had the pleasure
of an interview with the old man seven
years ago, going to hut two miles from
town in company with the village doc
tor. Some distance out we overlook an ola
aunty trudging along. who turned and
made an old-time eurtsy. The doctor
asked her name, and she turued with a
QuiZZicaI look and exclaimed: Laws,
honey. you'S de doctor OATS come here
and hasn't heard of OF INK Quanta yet.
Use his ole 'Ooman. He's ole. powerful
ole is de ole man, an he will be proud
to see de DOCTOR" She begged a dime for
'bacea and off she went. The old woman
was old Maum Nelly, Uncle Santa
Quanta'S sixth wife, who at the age of
fOrty-two had joined her fortunes with
an old man of 10S, and, strange to say,
the next year she gave birth to q child,
but 1t only lived 4 week.
The old man was found in his hut
making huSk mats. and by means Of a
little change he was induced to unloosen
his tongue and tell his history, which,
Invested of it's gully lingo" was briefly
as follows: AT the age of sixteen he
was decOyed into a boat that came
up one of the rivers on the W eS
African coast. and was knocked down
tied, and taken to the coast, where he
was placed in a ship with 500 other I'M
fortunate blacks. The ship narrowly
escaped capture by British man-of-
war, and reached Charleston just be-
fore the blockade in 17So. He was kept
in a pen with other slaves week
and then sold to Georgia
planter. One of his own tribe.
called Anna, was given to him as a
wife. He did not take kindly to the
hoe, but being bright and of such great
size he was soon made an overseer,
which position he held under different
masters eighty years. His first master
died about the year lSU0, and soon after
ward his wife also died, but he married
again. The country was soon afteFward
disturbed by the Indian war, and by
order of Gen. Jackson his second master
had to emigrate, and while moving the
master and Santa'S second wife died.
He got another wife who lived with him
until the year the stars fell GS33). and
his third master went the way of all the
earth about the same time, but Santa
found another master and his fourth
wife.
I'VE lived happily together and en-
loved life the best kind" said Santa,
'.when another war came and my mas
ter went. He was killed while in Mex
leo, and my wife grieved so on that de-
count that SHE died. / felt powerful
bad about his death, but not that bad"
Santa's fifth master lived until the
second year of the civil war. when he
died, and his fifth wife passed into he
hands of a distant relelative in Ala
bama. They had barely reached their
new home when the near approach of
the Yankees caused the new mas
ter to remove TO Florida, and when
freedom came it found poor old Santa
stranded near Archer. alone. his chit
dren were all dead. His wife had been
lost on the road between Alabama
and Florida. He finally fell in with
''Maum Nelly" and after brief court
ship the pair jumped the broOmstick
before witnesses, and by means of con-
tributions from the white people man.
mats while "Maum Nelly" picked cot
ton, dug pindars, and did odd jobs.
Sometimes "brer' rabbit got coteh" in
the old mans traps and they thus man
aged to live. He had a clear remem-
brance of his African home, and he de-
lighted to dwell upon the account of his
bOyhOOd days.
The interesting story of the slaves life
was finished by the doctor who accom-
panied the writer OH that visit. He
writes that he was called to see Old
Santa. but what for Santa could not tell,
as he never had an ache OF pain in HIS
long life. The doctor, however, saw at
a glance that Santa'S life was near an
end, and when the doctor told him so
his face frightened. and he said:
Tank de good Lord for dat. Use
bin mos 'fraid He done forgot ole
Santa"
He died the next day.