The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-01-30
ONE HUNDRED AND NINE.
A South Carolina Woman who has
Reached a Good Old Age on Tobacco.

ONE HUNDRED AND NINE.
A South Carolina Woman who has
Reached Good Old Age on Tobacco.
(From the Atlanta Journal.>
sI'm one hundred an nine years old,
sonny, but I'm still alive and dom fine
ly."
So said Mrs. Priscilla Scoggins to q
Journal reporter this morning. She was
q wrinkled faced, sunken eyed, toothless
old woman.
She sat in the gentlemen's waiting
room st the union depot, surrounded by
q number of her children and grand,
children. One of the former was q
daughter seventy-nine years old.
s.I'm South Karlina gal, an if l am
old, continued Mrs. Scoggins, 'lm still
able to crawl about an let my tongue do
the runnin' for me. bin ivin' IN Grimes
vile tor twenty year, but I'm gwine
over ter Alabamrner to end my days
thar"
"Mar does little house work, put
in the daughter, "such as washln' the
dishes and sech ike"
can she Ky ards cotton an looks after
the chickens, interrupted the grandson,
man of forty.
"When and where were you born,
Granny" asked the reporter.
"On the Catawba River, near Larcas-
ter. in the year, lemme see, theyea, Wuz
1880"
Chow far back do you remember?"
81 remembers the old war bout 1872,
but then I haint been warrin oman.
"How many times have you been mar
ried?'
"I haint been married but oncst, an
I never expect to be married agln, and
the old woman laughed at her own wit
and chucked the reporter under the chin
with her bony hand.
"How many children have you?"
s.I don't for the life of me know, SON.
ny. I've been the mother of twelve. but
1 don't know where but three of them
air."
Chow many grandchildren have
you?"
claw, sonny" exclaimed the old wo-
man holding up both her hands. 'I've
got mora ov them than you could count
tween tE:s and sunup, if ye air q eddi-
Gated man."
you've got the advantage of most OF
US in years?"
eyes, I've bin here 110 next 1lth day
of March if the gobbleuns don't git me
twixt now an then. I have been q
Methodist for bout ninety years, an
I'm nuther ashamed ter live nur afeeared
ter die. My ole daddy raised me up in
the fear ov the Lord, an when he went
away he left a shoutin, an when go
I'm a gwinter clap my hands an shout
glory be ter God, if I kin raise these
old withered arms above my head and
bring EN- tergether agin. bleeve we'll
all know our frens over yonder, don't
you?
The reporter acquiesced in her belief,
after which she turned to her grandson
and said:
"John, whar's that air pipe ov mine?"
"Here it is, granny"
s.Do you smoker" inquired the report
er.
ssI hev smoked oncst this mornin', tor
was putty nigh dead fer Whit at my
pipe" .
ssHow long have you been smoking?"
ssOh, I useter smoke little fore [ wuz
married, and that's been nigh onto ninety
years. or sech q matter"
As the reporter arose to leave, thinking
as he looked on this shriveled old woman
how strange it was that people would
continue to use tobacco in spite of such
warning shown in this old slave to the
weed, the old woman clasped his hand
and said: Sonny, don't fergit to re-
member an unworthy old critter in your
unworthy prars an she'll do the same by
you.