The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1890-01-10
GM lrmorraf- Star
THE END OF A REMARKABLE NAN.
Ne Had Lived I23 Years, Had Five Mas
tiers and SIX wives.
Kansas City Times.

Kansas City Times.
Florida papers announce the
death of old Unka Santa Qnanta,
near Archer, Fla, at The remarka-
BILE age of 123 years. The writer
had The pleasure of an interview
with The old man sever years ago,
gong TO his hut two miles from
town III company with the village
doctor. Some distance out we Ov-
ertook all old aunly irudging along,
who turned and made ali old-time
curtsy.
The doctor asked her name and
she turned with a ~qulzzical look
and exclaimed, Laws, honey, you's
de doctor dat's come here and
hasn't heard of OF INK Quanta
yet? Use his ole CONAN. He's ole,
powerful ole is de ole man, an he
will be proud TO see de DOCTOR"
She begged a dime for 'bacca and
off she went. The old woman was
old Maum Nelly, Uncle Santa
Quanta's sixth wife, who at The o
of ~ had joined her fortunes with
an old man of 10S, and, strange TO
say, The next year she gave birth to
achild, but it only lived a week.
The old man found in his hut
making husk mats, and by means
Of a little change he was induced
10 unlOOsen his tongue and Tell his
history, which, Invested of its "gul.
ly lingo" was briefly as follows:
AT the age of 16 he was decoyed
into a boat that came up one of
the rivers on the west Afri-
a coast and was knocked down,
tied and taken to the coast, where
he was placed in a ship with 300
other unfortunate blacks. The ship
narrowly escaped capture by a
British man-of.war and reached
Charleston just before the block
ade In 1850. He was kept in a pen
with other slaves a week, and then
sold TO Georgia planter. One OF
his own tribe, called Anna, was
given to him as a wife. He did not
take kindly to The hoe, but being
bright ard of such great size he
was made an o%verseer, which posi-
ton he held under different mas
ters eighty years. His first master
died about the year 1900 and soon
afterward disturbed by the Indian
war, and by order of Gen. Jackson
his second master had to emigrale,
and while moving the master and
Santa's second wife died. He got
another wife who lived with HIM
until the year the stars fell 1888,
and his third master went the way
of all the earth about the same
time, but Santa found another mas
ter and his fourth wife.
"We lived happily together and
enjoyed life the best kind" said
Santa, "when another war came on
and my master went. He was
killed while IN Mexico and my
wife grieved so on that account
that she died. I felt powerful bad
about his death, but not that bad"
Santa'S fifth master lived until
the second year of the civil war,
when he died and Santa and his .
fifth wife passed into The hands Of
a distant relative in Alabama.
They had barely reached their new
nome when the near approach OF
Yankees caused The new master to
10 Florida, and when free
dom came ii found poor old Santa
stranded near Archer, alone. His
children were all dead. His wife
had been lost on The road between
Alabama and Florida.
lie finally fell in with Nelly,
and after a brief courtship The pair
jumped The brOomslick before wit I
nesses and by contributions from I
the white people managed TO set
housekeeping. Santa made
mats while "Maum Nelly" picked
cotton, dug pindars and did odd
Jobs. Sometimes ''bre rabbit got
.otch" in the old mans traps and
thus they managed to live. He
had a clear remembrance of his
home, ard delighted 20
dwell upon the account OF his boy
hood days.
The Interesting story of the
life was finished by the doc. :
or who accompanied the writer on
hat visit. He writes that he was
to see Old Santa, but what r
Tor Santa could not tell, as he never ]
had an ache or pain in his long life.
The doctor, however. saw at a ,
that Santa's life was near L
an end, and when the doctor told
lim SO his face frightened and he
"Tank de good Lord for dat, Pse
mos iraid he done forgot ole &
He died the next dav. =
The increase in population of
MISSlgslnni Siuoa 1890 frop, ~ =