The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-06-09
SHE MET COLUMBUS.

COLUMBUS, COOhED FOR WASHINGTON
WAS WELL ACQUAINTED WITH CAPT
JOHN SMITH, AND WAS ONE OF THE FA
NOUS BOSTON TEA PARTY-oR AN AM
SHERIDAN N. Y, REPORTER IS A MoNU'
MENTAL AND PICTURESQUE LIAR.
The Amsterdam News bids fair to rival
the renowned Baron Munchausen, as
may be seen from the following:
Probably the Oldest person in the
world is Mary Kane, who lives about
three miles back of-Amsterdam. She
was born April II, 1476, at Donegal, Ire
land, and is therefore 416 years old, and
at the time Columbus discovered Amer
lea was evidently buxom lassie of six
teen summers. Mrs. Kane does not look
day over 10 years of age and is in pos
session of all her faculties to remark
able degree.
Her voice is remarkably we'll preserved
and she sings many of the old-time airs,
as well as some of recent times, with a
charming vlvacity that strikes a listener
with wonder.
Her eyesight is good for her age; she
has, in fact, her thru sight. In 1850, at
the age of 204, her eyesight began to
fail and she became nearly blind; bnt in
1902 at the age of 226 years, she got her
second sight which remained unimpaired
till 1916, when her eyes grew dim again,
but in 1860 her third sight came, from
which times he has had an eye like an
eagle.
But the most remarkable thing about
this woman is her memory. She remem-
bers distinctly all the events of her ca
reer from the age of four years or since
14SU. She was born in Ireland, as we
said before, in the reign of Edward w.
In 1883, when King Edward V visited
Ireland, she was one of company of
school children that scattered flowers in
his path. Until the age of 10 she lived
in Donegal enjoying the wild free life
of those times, occasionally going to
wakes and digging potatoes in the
fall.
On Saturday, August II, 1901, she went
on fishing smack with her father on a
pleasure trip. A great storm arose in
the east and drove the frail bark out of
sight of land. The wind continued to
blow gale for twenty-six days and
nights continually, driving the boat into
the wild unknown mysteries of the
boundless waste of waters. The 14th
day out, her father, wild with hunger,
jumped into the sea, and was lost; leav.
ing the poor girl tossing alone in frail
bark on the wild and leaping pillows.
Thoughts of home and of the fate of her
father filled her with grief and horror,
and she sank into stupOr from which
she awoke nine days later, or on the 9th
day September as her boat quietly lay
near the shore of a beautiful tropical is
la,,A. wi 81, ha Ct,hcnnnnnfltr So, q
the island of San Salvatore. An Indian,
a native of the island took her ashore
when kind savages hastily prepared her
food. After eating she began to enquire
about the strange land and the people
position of the north star that she was
far south of her native land. The ma
tives of the island could give her no in
formation on such points, as they were
innocent or the astronomical science.
On October ~, 1902, at 720 a. m, Mary
stood gazing out to sea, toward her far
off island home, when sight met her
eyes that made her heart leap with ioy.
She saw three ships anchored about hal
mile from shore, from which small
boats loaded with brilliantly uniformed
men with banners waving were coming
toward the shore. She ran down toward
the edge of the water and when Column
bus stepped ashore and planted the ban
ner OF CASTLE and Leon on the shores of
new world she ran forward and en-
6raced the great discoverer as her de.
liverer. After the ceremonies of taking
possession of the new world in the name
of Ferdinand and Isabella were com
pleted she left the island and settled at
Schenectady, and there opened the first
millinery establishment in the new
world. She subsequently moved to
Sharon hill, and taught school there
having as one of her pupils Jay Hare OF
this city.
In 1908 she moved to jamestown, Va.
While there she became intimately ac-
quainted with Capt. John Smith, he gave
her his photograph taken at the time.
She still has in her possession.
She subsequently moved to Boston, and
was one of the party that threw the tea
overheard in Boston harbor December
16, 1913. When Washington came to
Boston to take charge of the Continen-
tai army, he staid at Miss Kane's house,
paid four dollars week for his board
and washing, which in those days was
considered high price to pay. On a
visit TO Boston Washington engaged
Miss Kane to go to his headquarters at
Newburgh as cook. AS times were poor
in Boston, she accepted the offer and
went to Newburg and later to Cahaio
harie, where she officiated as cook for
w. J. Arkell and family.
When the Continental army was dis
banded in i7S3, she moved to West Point
and about 1890 she moved to her present
abode, where she has since resided.
She went to New York during Column
bian week to take part in the Columbus
parade, and she made an address to the
assembled multitude, describing how the
new world looked during the colonial
ton period.
If she lives, which she undoubtedly
will, she will go to Chicago June 8, 1898,
and exhibit herself and show some of her
articles of dress, ETC., which Columbus
gave her October II, 1492
MAN OR WOMAN. GHOST OR Hill