The Portland daily press., 1894-01-22
YOUNG AT NINETY.
Mr.. Charles Roberts of Westbrook Cele-
brates His Ninetieth Birthday-A
Remarkable Man.

To the Editor of the Press.
Young at so - That is what
Mr.. Charles Roberts of Saco
street, Westbrook, is today, in
everything but years. We, who are grow
ing old, delight to contemplate others
who are long way ahead of US in years;
particularly if they are well, active and
happy in their old age. Mr.. Roberts has
resided all his life within a few rods of
where he was born, January goth, 1904,
about mile from Saccarappa on the
Saco road; and although he has never
moved, he has lived in two states and
three towns: Falmouth, Mass, and
Stroudwater and Westbrook, Maine. His
first presidential vote was for Andrew
jackson in 1928, but he has not been
voting for him since he died, as some of
Old Hickory's admirers are said to have
done. He was two or three months too
young to vote when J. @. Adams was
elected, but has voted at every presiden-
tial election since then, and at every
election for governor since Maine has
been state. There are many more men
ninety years old now than there were
in the good old rum times" but very
few of them retain all their faculties
unimpaired at that age Mr.. Roberts is
certainly wonderful man. Tt is doubt
full if there is another one in the state
who retains the mental and physical
vigor and elasticity of youth, to such
degree as he does. He does "a mans
work" every day. There are few men of
fifty who accomplish more in the way of
business and labor in year than he
does. His farm consists of about 300
acres, field, pasture and forest; having
between three and four miles of fence to
be kept in repair, the most OF which he
has always attended to personally. ANY
farmer who has fence field and pasture
against cattle, with board fence, can
appreciate the labor that involves He
works as many hours day in the hay
field as any of his men, in addition to
the chores" required in keeping stock
OF cattle. He builds the loads of haydn
the field, and slows it awayn in the
barn. He has driven his moving
machine thirty-fo years almost entire
~. One Of his men rode the machine part
OF last hay season, but it was too rough
work for him, and SO Mr.. Roberts took
his place and finished the moving him
ne frequently took contracts building
town and county roads, and section of
the Cumberland and Oxford canal, do
ing the work at intervals of the farm
work When fifteen years old he drove
TOUR and SIX OK teams carting boards
from Saccarap to Portland Pier" for
Mr.. Warren, grandfather of the Warrens
a + bav, a;c
years old hesa~sworked in the logging
swamp in the winter. He is an EXPERT
axeman, and used to cut, split and pile
up three cords Of wood tour feet long in
a day. The father of Senator Frye, Gen.
John M. Frye, who was native of West
brook. was one of his boyhood "chums."
among their pranks he relates horse
back ride. They captured one of his
fathers horses, and mounted him in the
pasture. without the usual equipments
and started. The pasture was rough and
the horse, while at his best speed, stepped
INTO hole, nearly turning a somersault,
and horse and bog s picked themselvessup
all In fairly good condition.
Mr.. 10 erts, although he was strong
and robust from a child, attributes his
present wonderful health and strength in
a great measure, to his temperate habits.
While working in the woods or fields,
uHcH ouHeI AcH got tnlfSGy ana took
their customary teddy, he would saw
Water is good enough for me when I am
dry" He is an advocate of temperance
IN everything, eating as well as drink
ing. He claims that man has no ex-
ecuse for being bilious any more than he
has for being drunk
1t IS not rare now tor him to take his |
OK team, go into the woods, load a load |
OF mill logs and drive to the saw mill |
and home, involving a walk of at least |
seven miles in one day in addition to the |
usual work about the barn. He reads |
the Portland PRESS, New York |
Tribune, Maine Farmer and Portland I
Transcript without spectacles; though he
says he can see to read with glasses, but
not SO well as without. To observe him
now about his every day vocation, no |
one can see why he may hot be able to
attend to his business ten years hence as
we'll as he does now or did ten years ago
He and his estimable wife have lived
together in the same house sixty-two
years, and it is the hope of their numer-
Gus friends that they still have MANY
years of the enjoyment Of each Others