, 1890-04-05
OLDEST WOMAN IN the woRLo.
A NegresI Who Has Documents showing
That She Was Born In I745.

A SeGres' Who Has Documents showing
That She Was Born In I745.
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 has but recently grown too
old to take in washing. The cabin in
which she lives is a rude hovel, and vet
it is kept as neat as a pin. 1t 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 harbed wire to keep
the horde of pickaninnies off the track,
but in vain. They crawl through the
fangs of the fence and gather upon the
road in such numbers that the cautious
engineer finds it necessary on passing
through Freedmantown to use both bell
and whistle.
After the train had passed the other
day The Republic man crawled through
the wire fence, and with difficulty found
the cabin Of the sole Furginny Aunty."
She sat in n low chair andsmoked a blue
clay pipe. As she raised her face slowly
and her wrinkled features were first
seen the writer Involuntary asked him
self: as it alive:" When she spoke her
tremulous and cracked voice increased
his establishment. But 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; right
on de sea. My NANNY come from de
Cape in Afriky, and my daddy went
back deere. My NANNY was named
Lucretia, and was give TO Col. Cole by
Gen. Washington's lady, who had many
servants. | was brought 10 Henry
county, Tennessee, and sold to Thomas
Waters. had great-grandchillun den.
After 1 helped TO settle Tennessee l was
sold to William Rabb for Ian. Mars
JET come 10 take me home to Tennessee,
but ole nan Rabb wouldn't let me go
wild him. Don l lived on Rabb's Creek,
below La Grange, Tex. | was took away
from my husband and two chillun in
Tennessee, and my ole man he run way
and followed me till dey caught him wild
dogs right on de banks OF de Mississippi
river. Yes, sir, right dar in dc bed Of
de river, whar de hill Is and de high
trees, and right down by de boat in dc
dark-fur he was runnin' to git on de
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 rise slowly, holding, in the
meantime, to the chair for support.
Il doesn't know by de figgers, but l
knows by Happenings" she said. She
moved TO an old trunk, which WAS COW
cred with rawhide with the hair on and
tackled with big headed brass tacks.
From this she drew an old letter OH blue
paper, which she SAYS was ''de paper
given to Mars Waters by Mars Cole when
she was sold. Only the lower half of the
sheet remains, the other having evidently
been taken off by time, and the only legi-
bic portion Of the writing purports to give
the date Of Aunt July's birth. The only
words are was born Dec. 10, 1915"
The writer had heard that she was 145
years old, but of course he believed moth
ing of the kind. The appearance of the
old negro and the evidence produced by
her to prove her age were astonishing.
'Dey says l is er hundred and forty
five year ole, an, honey, / spec it is So"
what ia our earliest remembrance,
aunty; Do you remember Gen. Wash
toni
Il never seed him" she said. "but |
knows when le was general, and | knows
when he was president, too. | heerd
Mars Cole say when de tea was flung
outen de Boston ship. / has seed de
Tories, an my brother was wild Mars
Cole when he went into de war wild de
Britishers. Dat war was seven years,
and Mars Cole he got ghnt in do nrp, r