Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-06-06
OLDEST woMAn IN TIE WORLD.
4 Segress who Has Documents Showing
That She Was Eoan In 1745.

1
That She Was Born In 1745.
In the northeastern portion OF Dallas,
Tex, between Bryan and Live Oak
streets, and fronting the Houston and
Texas Central railway, lives Aunt July
Cole. who las but recently grown too
Did TO take in washing. The cabin In
which she ii7es ID a rude hovel, ard yet
It is kept as neat as q pin. It Is sur
rounded by a dozen huts of the same
kind, though not 50 well kept, all hud-
died together in an irregular colony.
The railway people have forced their
right Of way with barbed wire to keep
the herde Of pickaninnies of the track,
but in vain. They crawl through the
fsrgs Of the fence and gather upon the
road in such numbers that the cautious
engineer finds it necessary on passing
through Ffeedmaptown to use both bell
and whistle.
After the train had passed the other
day Tie Republic man crawled through
the wire fence, and with difficulty found
the cabin Of the "0le Furginny Aunty.p
She Cd. in low chair and gmokeIi blue
clay pipe. Az she raised her + re slowly
ard her wrinkied features were first
seen the writer involuntariiy asked him
self: = Is it aiive3' When she spoke her
tremuions and cracked voice increased
his establishment. Bat it was not only
alive, but it smoked and talked.
\ "My name is July Cole she said. 81
belonged to Col. Cole in Furginny, and
he fit de Britishers wild Gen. Washing.
ton. Norfolk was my home, sir: righl
on de sea Ny nanny come from ds
Cape in Afriky, and my daddy wen
back dere. by NANNY was nameS
Lucretia, and was give to Col. Cole b;
Gen. Washington's lady, who had man,
servants. / was brought to Henri
county, Tennessee. and sold TO Thomai
Waters. had great-grandchillan den
After helped to settle Tennessee wa
void to William Rabb for Ian. Mar
JEFF come to take me home to Tennessee
but ole man Rabb wouldn't let me gt
wid him. Den lived on Rabb's Creek
below La Grange, Tex. | was took away
from my husband and two chillun il
tennessee, and my ole man he run away
and followed me till dey caught him wid
dogs right on de banks of de Missiasipp
river. Yes, sir. right dar in de bed o.
de river, wbar de Hill is and de higi
trees, and right down by de boat in dc
dark-fur he was runnin' to git on ds
boat wild me. But dey caught i'm and
never saw i'm any more"
On being asked her age the old woman
began to ii-e slowly, holding, in th'
meantime, to the chair for support.
II doesn't know by de figgers, but
knows by Happenings" she said. Sh.
moved to an old trunk, which was GOV
, cred with rawhide with the hair on ans
tackled with big headed brass tacks
From this she drew an old letter on blu
|: paper, which she says was ''de paper
. given to Mars Waters by Mars Cole whel
she was scld. Only the lower half of til
: sheet remains. the other having evidentl
J been taken OF by time, and the only legi
] bic portion OF the writing Furports to Civ
? the date Of Aunt July's birth. The onl
| words are ''was born Dec. 10, 1T45.
] Tie writer had heard that she was Il
r years old. but of course he believed notl
t Ing of the kind. The appearance Of til
old negro and the evidence produced b
2 her to prove her age were astonishing.
= "Dey says l is er hundred and forty
b Eve year ole, an, honey, I spec it is 50.
: "What is your earliest remembrance
e auntyf Do you remember Gen. VAST
ton?'
al never seed him, she said. but
knows when he was general. and I know
' when he was president, too. l heer
e Mars Cole say when de tea was fun
: outen de Boston ship. I has seed d
g Tories, an my brother was wild MAJ
= Cole when lie went into de war wild q
g BFitishers. Dat war was seven year
e and Mars Cole he got shot in de arm.
J. members when dev it de French an Il
:. juns. too, sir"
i 1t took quite a while TO get all this OF
n Of the aged creature. who is very feebl
o She had only one wanr--snoking tobacc
y" and that was supplied, after which ii
t writer left her at her low, hairy trun
7 putting away her docGments.--Cor. S
Louis Republic.