The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-30
is lie THE OLDEST
Life Story Of Noah Raby, Aged
1913 Years.
sishtIess. But sturdy-A Sailor Before
1S12-He Saw Washington Angry
Has Taken His Whisky and To-
bacco for 118 Years.
ICopYRIGHr, 1851

| hundred and twenty-third birthday,
and no one living has knowledge of any
| facts to the contrary.
1t was about eighty-three years ago,
according to his recollection, that Noah
Raby, ordinary seaman, received his
discharge papers from the stanch frig-
ate Brandywine, which had just fin
ished a cruise of inspection of the vari-
GUS ports of the United States and was
then locked at the Brooklyn navy yard.
| The day after he lett the naval service
| he betook himself to New Jersey, where
| ne joined himself to farmer and for
money agreed to serve as hired man.
| Since that time he has never stepped
| outside the boundaries of New Jersey.
| For more than half century. with
more Or less steadiness, he followed the
occupation he had chosen. and then,
twenty-eight years ago, being full OF
years and decidedly averSe TO earning
| his own living any longer, he settled
down at the poor farm in the township
of Pascataway, not far from New
| Brunswick, and there he has since re-
manned.
To-day he is totally blind, but his
eyes, though sunken, have the sparkle
OF one who can see perfectly. His body
is bent and his shoulders are contract
ed, but the muscles of his arms and
legs are firmer than those of many a
man not yet thirty. His jaws are
toothless and his words are uttered
with whistling accompaniment, but
l. -, 4 I'LL ! L L.,
is hearty as it was century and more
ago. His long hair is white, but thick
and luxuriant, his whiskers are iron
gray, his heavy, bushy eyebrows are
still almost jet black, and he can dis
pose of solid drink of good rye whisky
with the sort of smack that betokens
the heartiest relish. Though he be-
lieves his father to have been an In
dian, his skin is white, and his fea.
lures are of a pronounced Caucasian
type.
When told him few days ago that
/ wished to write of his life for the
newspapers, he gave evidence of the
greatest delight, and when | added
that L intended to have him photo
graphed, SO that all the world might
see how the oldest man appears, he
trembled with joy.
''Oh. NAH gracious, sub" he cried, in
an accent reminiscent both of the south
and the sea, yet greatly influenced by
his long sojourn in New Jersey. Have
the folks in the big cities heard of me?
Oh, nah gracious. what a pity it is that
/ can't see no mob, SOS | could read all
about myself. Where was 1 born? In
Moth Cahlinoh, sub, in Eatontown,
Gates county, jess ovah tn Vaginny
line, two or three years before the revo-
luton. / can't remember it,sof course.
Nah mother she was South Cahlinoh
white woman, name Sarah Raby, and
nah father was a Moth American In
dian: yes, sub; yes, suh-a native OF
this country, name Andrew Bass. Nah
father and nah mother never married,
sub, and didn't have chance to get
much learning. / never went to school
at all, but I learned to read the Old
Testament and the New Testament
and the hymnbook and the newSpa-
pers l never read the newspapers much,
though. There amt anything spiritual
in 'em, sub! / never learned to write
/ can't even write my own name.
well, my mother she lived in
house made of pitch pine poles notched
at the ends and plastered with mud.
She was pore and she wanted to get
married and had to go somewhere. So
/ was bound out when | was seven
years old to an old white-headed farmer
named Mills Field, and | stayed on
his farm till / was twenty-one. Mr..
Field agreed to give me one years
schooling, but he didn't do it-too stin-
gy, may be-but he was powerful fine
man. He had big farm just over the
line in Virginia from Gates county. and
he had lots of slaves. One of his slaves
was the strongest man I ever saw; Mr..
Mills was offered lots of money for Big
Tom, but he wouldn't sell; he didn't be-
lieve in selling niggahs, sub, but he
was willing to own EN- Mr.. Mills
wasn't no professor OF religion, sub. but
he was a good man, and he always
treated everyone around him right.
Il began to smoke. sub, when | was
home with my mother, when | was
about six years old. l used TO light my
mothers pipe for her-fil it with to-
bacco, YOU know, and put a coal on it
and take a few whitfs. No, | don't
rickollect that tobacco ever made me
sick don't think it has ever hurt me.
either. and have smoked going on to
one hundred and eighteen years now,
suh-pipes, cigars and stogas, sub, but
no cigarettes. Never, sub, I've drank
whisky almost as long as I've smoked,
sub. and just as steady. But | was !
never overcome by whisky. suh-what
YOU might call drunk-but three times
in my life.
Il was about sixteen or seventeen the Z
first time-jess a boy. Well, there was /
going to be an eclipse, and some folks /
said the world was coming TO an end. !
l was poor, ignorant boy then, and +
was powerful scared and believed like 4
enough the world would all burn up.
Id know better now. but then l made .
up my mind that II the end was aeon /
ing | wouldn't know anything about /,
it. Well. sub. young Mr.. Mills and me 4
and an old niger went to town the 4
day before the eclipse. The Niger I
stole g shilling and he asked me TO 4
buy him some whisky az the tavern, !
for nobody wouldn't dare sell no
vEnnn OF MIN |