The Arizona champion., 1890-10-25
OLDEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
A Negress Who Has Documents Showing
 That She Was Born in 1745.


 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 has but recently grown too old to take in washing. The cabin in which she lives is rude hovel, and yet it is kept as neat as pin. It is sur rounded by a dozen huts of the same kind, though not so we'll kept, all hud- dled together in an irregular colony. The railway people have forced their right of way with barbed wire to keep the horde of piczaninnies 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 "Ole Furginny Aunty." She sat in low chair andsmoked blue clay pipe. As she raised her face slowly and her wrinkled features were first seen the writer involuntarily asked him. self: "Is it alive?" When she spoke her tremulous and cracked voice increased his astonishment. But it was not only alive, but it smoked and talked.
 "My name is July Cole" she said. "I belonged to Col. Cole in Furginny, and he fit de Britishers wid 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 dere. My nanny was named Lucretia, and was give to Col. Cole by Gen. Washington's lady, who had many servants. I was brought to Henry county, Tennessee, and sold to Thomas Waters. had great-grandchillun den. After helped to settle Tennessee I was sold to William Rabb for Ian. Mars lief come to take me home to Tennessee, but ole man Rabb wouldn't let me go wid him. Den 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 away and followed me till dey caught him wid dogs right on de banks of de Mississippi river. Yes, sir, right dar in de bed of de river, whar de hill is and de high trees, and right down by de boat in de dark-fur he was runnin' to git on de boat wid me. But dey caught i'm and I 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.
 q doesn't know by de figgers, but l knows by happenin's," she said. She moved to an old trunk, which was GOV cred with rawhide with the hair on and tackled with big headed brass tacks. From this she drew an old letter on 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- ble portion of the writing Purports to give the date of Aunt July's birth. The only words are "was born Dec. 19, 1745,"
 The writer had heard that she was 145 years old, but of course he believed noth- ing of the kind. The appearance of the old negro and the evidence produced by her to prove her age were astonishing.
 "Dey says I is CT hundred and forty five year ole, an, honey, spec it is so."
 "What is your earliest remembrance, aunty? Do you remember Gen. Wash ton?"
 q never seed him." she said, 'but knows when he was general, and I knows when he was president, too. I heerd Mars Cole say when de tea was flung outen de Boston ship. l has seed de Tories, an my brother was wid Mars Cole when he went into de war wid de Britishers. Dat war was seven years, and Mars Cole he got shot in de arm. l members when dey fit de French an h. juns, too, sir"
 It took quite while to get all this out 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.-Cor. St. Louis Republic,