The evening world., 1890-04-22
THE OLDEST WOMAN ON EARTH
She Lives in Texas and Is Said to
Be l45 Years Old.
She Never Saw Washington, but Re-
members the "Boston Tea Party"

In the northeastern portion Of Dallas.
Tex. between Bryan aud Live Oak streets.
and fronting the Houston and ToSas Cen.
trail Railway. lives Aunt July Cole who,
has but recently grown too oidfe rake in
washing, says a correspondent of the ST.
Louis Republic. stl,
The cabin in which she lives is asfpdey
hovel, and vet it is kept rs neat as a pin,
II is surrounded BY a dozen huts Of the
same kind, though not so we'll kept, all
huddled together in an irregular colony.
The railway people have forced their
right of way with barbed wire to keAp
the horde OF ~pickaninnies of the track,
but in vain. They crawl through the
fangs of the fence and gather upon, tho
rOad in such numbers that the cautious
engineer finds II necessary on passipg
through Freemantown 10 use both bell
and whistle.
After the train had passed the other
day. the RcpubliC man crnwled ~throuehthe
wire fence. and with difficulty found the
cabin OF "Ole Furginny Aunty." She
sat in a low chair and smoked a blue clay
pipe. As she raised her face slowly. aud
her wrinkled features were first seen, the
writer inyolunlarily asked himself. "ls
II alivef" When she spoke her tremulous
and cracked voice increased his astouiSh-
mrnt. But II was not only alive. but IL
smoked and talk.
My name is July Co'e, " she said. ~
belonged to Col. Cole in Furg and
he fit de Britishers wild Gen. Washing.
ton. Norfolk was my home. sir right
on de sea. My NANNY come from dc
Cape in Atriky, and my daddy went back
dere:.
My nanny was named Lucretia, and
was give to Col. Cole by Gen. Wpshiug.
toms lady, who had many servants. | wa
brought to Henry County, Tenn, aud
sold to Thomas Waters had great.
grandchildren den.
After | helped to settle Tennessee I
was sold to william Rabb for Ian. Mars
JEFF come to take me home to Tennessee,
but ole man RRbb wouldn't let me 90 wid
him. Den lived on Rabb's Greek. be-
low La Grange. Tex.
was took away from my husband
and two chlllun in Tennessee. and my
dey caught him wild dogs right on de
banks OF de Mississippi River. Yes. sir.
right dar in do bed Of do river, whar do
hill 10. and de high trees. and right down
iy de boat in do dark-fur he was run
MIN to git on de boat wild mo. But dey
caught i'm and l never saw i'm any
more"
On being asked her age the old woman
began TO rise slowly, holding. in the
mean time. to the chair for support.
IL doesn't know by de tiggers. but /
knows by Happenings" she said. She
moved to an old trunk which was COW
cred with rawhide with the hair on aud
tackled with big headed brass tacks.
From this she drew an old letter OF blue
paper, which she says was de paper "
given to Mars Waters by Mars Cole when
She was sold. Only the lower ha,t of the
sheet remains, the other having evidently
been taken off By time, n the only legi-
BILE portion of the writing uurports to give
tie date Of Aunt July's birth. The only
words are was born Dec. 10, lT45."
The writer had heard tina. she was Ii5
years old, but of course he believed moth
ing of the kind. The appearance OF the
old nesress and the evidence produced by
her to prove her age were astonishing.
"Dey says I is er hundred aud forty.
Eve year ole. an, honey. | spec II is SO. -
VIVA is your earliest remembrance.
aunty? Do you remember Gen. Wash.
ingtonf 2" ,.,,
knows when he was General, and | knows
when he was President. 90. | heerd
Mars Cole say when de tea was flung
outeu de Boston ship. ! has seed do
Tories, an my brother was wild Mars Colo
when he went into de war wild de British
ers. Dat war was seven years. and Mars
Cole he got shot in de arm. | members
when dey fit de French an %lnjuns, too.
SIR"
1t took quite a while to get all this oft
of the aged creature, who is very feeble.
She had only one want-smoking. TOBACCO
and that was supplied. after which the
writer left her at her low, hairy trunk
putting away her documents.