Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-03-04
A TRIO OF DRlEO-Up SHE'S.
TlE OLDEST WOMEN ~ the
WHOLE WORLD.
Three san Diego Female Indians
whose Ages Foot Up Three Hun
dred ANA Forty-isight Yenra-iI Con
temporary OF Washington.

"Yes. slr," said citizen Of San
Diego. Cal, the jumpng-om place of
Southwestern territory, I'VE do have
good deal to say about our climate.
You see, confidentially. the whole OF
southern California is "A great natural
sanatarium, and cath individual town
claims to be the beet place, and no
doubt the people think 50; but between
ourselves, san Diego is The best.
I'm fact" continued the local patriot
TO a Philadelphia Times correspondent.
'lt is so very healthy that I'm afraid
there will be trouble in the long run.
Suppose now mat our climate Keeps
avery one alive; that people grow old,
lose their faculties In ninety or a
hundred years, then refuse TO die, and
become burden upon the city. This
would result IN Il great expense, and
1t would look bad for the city to have
the largest poor farm in the United
States. 1t would create the impression
that there was something wrong in our
commercial life and that our people
were paupers. when, in fact, the
marvellous lifc-giVing climate kept
them alive so long that they We're
simply incapaciIted for active work
you may think this u fish story.
but permit me to give you living
example" and the San Diegan led me
over TO a row of houses and into Il
room where l was presented to proba
bly, three of the Oldest inhabitants in
Americu--three indian women, 50 dried
up and shrivelled that ] intuitively
glanced at the window, where the soft
wind was blowing in, to see II Il would
not wait one or all OF these old women
away and scatter them over the mesa.
1t is unfortunate" said my compan-
ion, that we have no interpreter, or
we could have a talk about old times
that would astonish-you. Their names
are Rosa, aged 126; Maria Antonio. 106,
and Juana. ZIG years. To give you a
clear idea OF Rosa's age and the events
which have occurred. IT, as l say, the
country had been built up So that there
had been communication with the east,
she could tell marvellous story.
AS an example. she could have re-
membered the Boston tea party as
she was six years old when 1t took
place. and she was seven when the bat
tel OF Lexington was fought. in li15.
II Rosa had lived IN the east she might
have witnessed the battle of Bunker
take command of his army of 1900
men. She was 3 years old when the
Declaration Of Independence was
signed. She might have visited Wash
ington's camp at Valley Forge and well
remembered the event. as she was .
years old when the Father Of His Coun-
try was in camp. She might have seen
Franklin before he went on his mis-
sion to France.
Rosa was 10 when Benedict Ar
nold's plot was discovered, and she was
In the prime of her girlhood when the
Constitutional Convention met at Phila-
delphia, and she might. as young
girl, have stood in the throng and seen
Washington preside Rosa was proba-
- a
when he was chosen first president.
Think OF 1t! Talking 10 woman who
lived through all the war OF the Revo-
luton! When Washington retired In
1897, she was nearly 30
she might have seen John Adams in
augurated. and could have told you all
about the fight OF the Constellation
and IL she had gone abroad she could
tell you how Napoleon looked, as when
he overthrow the French government
she was woman of 81 She was all
most forty when Burr and Hamilton
fought their duel She might have
seen Jefferson, Madison and others in
auguratod and when the war Of 1872
broke ont she was "a.
There are few, II any. persons liy-
ing who remember the firth president OF
the United States, James Monroe,
but Rosa might have watched his in
auguratlon. She might have known,
had she been in the east, every presi-
dent from Washington down To CleVe-
land. But these events OF great nation-
al importance are a blank to her She
was born in the mountains OF South
| ern California In l76s and has lived
here ever since. She was born In the
year the Frauclscans took possession
OF the missions In California She pro-
! badly saw Father JuniverO. and was a
/ BABY t0ddling about when POrtOla went