The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-28
THE OLDEST PERSONS.
NOAH RABY AND HARRIET M'MUR-
RAY HAVE THAT DISTINCTION.
saw George Washfngfon-The Old
Woman Gives Vivid and Interest,"
ing "Reminiscences of gen. Jack
From the New YORK Herald.

From the New York Herald.
Is Noah Raby Of the Piscataway poor
farm. New Jersey, the oldest man in the
world? II the story OF his life which ne
tells be true, he has passed his 123d birth
day.
1t was about eigthy-three years ago.
according TO his recollection. that Noah
Raby, ordinary seaman. received his dis
charge papers from the stanch frigate
Brandywine. which had inst finished a
cruise Of inspection OF the various ports
OF the United States and was then locked
at the Brooklyn navy yard The day
after he left the naval service he betook
himself 10 New Jersey. where he Joined
himself to a farmer and for money agreed
10 serve as hired man. Since that time
he has never stepped outside the bounda-
ries Of New Jersey For more than half
a century. with more or less steadiness.
he followed the occupation he had chosen,
and then. twenty-eight years age. being
fun OF years aud decidedly
averse to earning his own
living any longer. he settled down
at the poor farm in the township of Pts
Getaway, not far from New Brunswick
and there he has since remained.
To-day he is totally blind. but his eyes
though sunken, have the sparkle of one
VINO can see perfectly. His body is bent
ana his shoulders are contracted. but the
muscles Of MS arms and legs are frmer
IMAM those OF many man not yet thirty.
His jaws are tOothless and mis- words are
uttered with a Whistling accompaniment,
put has voice is strong and full and his
laugh IS hearty as II was century and
more ago. His long hair is white, but
thick and luXuriant; his whiskers are
IRON gray. his heavy, bushy eyebrows are
sun almost Jet black. and he can dispose
of a solid drink of good rye whisky with
a sort OF a smack that betokens the heart
lest relish. Though he believes his father
to have been an Indian, his skin Is white,
and his features are of pronounced eau
casian type.
When Raby was twenty-one he got away
from Mr.. Mills Fields plantation, in
Gates county, n. c. where he was born,
and started out 20 find employment.
Il hired out to the widow Penelope"
said Raby. ito be her overseer, for 5000 a
year. / stayed there almost five years.
and then left to work for her daughter
in-law, the Widow Sarah Parker. She was
well OF. too, but not like the old widow.
When the young widow wanted me TO be
her overseer, the old widow offered me
$50 year more to remain on her farm.
but you see, thought maybe | could mar
ny the young widow, If ! was smart, and
then her plantation and the niggers and
the big house and the tar kilns would be
mine. Well, my plan would have worked.
yes, sub, If l hadn't fallen in love. No, not
with anybody else, but with the widow
herself, l was all tangled up, heels over
head in love with her. Why, the ground
where she stood looked crooked, sub, and
1 got afraid of her No, sub, didn't have
the brass to tell her was in love with her
/ could not have told her sure. My half
brother was in the navy. and says he to
me-
amt but one thing to do, and that is to
come with US and go on a cruise
80 l got right out that very night,
without settling up or saying anything to
1T was at Portsmouth and Norfolk,
sub. that I shipped" the old man con-
I N 10
tion-the Constellation. sub. She had
been a great vessel once but then she
was old and used for a receiving ship.
Well, | worked for a year on the Constltu-
ton, going up and down the ratlines to
the top on the mast, but no further. /
never got to be anything more than an
able seaman. / didn't want to go higher mp
the mast than the top That was as near
heaven as l ever wanted to go till my time
AFTER ia been on the Constitution a
year ! went on the Brandywine, on the
Inspection cruise. Do | remember the
captains name? You bet l do. II was
Farragut. He was a fine, portly, good
looking man. sub, and another man of
the same name was a big captain after
ward. No, was never fiogSed. but I've
seen lots of others punished once l come
near being, but it was just because l
tried to get away when some one else
was being punished Which of the ports
we visited did like the best? All OF
'em, suh--all of EN-. l could have shore
i'm port. and we could always find ways
of having good times-there was always
bright eyes to shine on Jack Tar IN them
cid DAYS, suh-certain.'
Ii was while he was a Norfolk and
Portsmouth that Raby says he heard Gen.
Washington make a speech. Raby IS not
certain what the general was talking
about, but there is no doubt in the old
est mans mind that the father of his
Yes. sun" said Raby. Il saw the old
gineral and l heard him talk. He was
pretty mad, toO-oh, gracious, yes! snall
never forget one thing he said-tt has
stuck to me most a hundred years now:
d" Go right on, fellow citizens, as you
have been going on, and assure you that
we shall have the devil TO pay IN th-s
republic and no pitch pott
"Whiie | was in Brooklyn navy yard
got leave one day and went out to see
Greenwood, they call 1t now, l hear. A
man who came to see me two or three
years ago told me that they bury lot
Of folks every day there now-that the
bodies go to that burytng ground Just
like an everlasting stream of water. on,
my gracious what Oh pig cues tbat Nf fye DIX
Il left the navy because was airalu
there'd be war and didn't want to fight.
Well, there was a war, but didn't sec no
fghting only on the sea, and then l was
on land and a good ways off. I've lost
my discharge papers and I'm sorry. Ii
/ had EN- maybe could get q, pens19 hl
and, ANYWAY, l could prove my age by
them
Previous to the recent municipal cleo
ton at Wichita Kan, Mrs Harriet NC
Murray, a colored woman. appeared be-
fore the city clerk and desired to be reg
tstered
What is your age, Auntie?' asked the
head clerk of the registration depart
Law me. Cap'nl AK me sump'm easy"
calculated the old lady. IAN l kin tell
you, sab, lis dat l wuz in the resolution
airy wah. My ole massa's Bible was dun
burned up by de fab befo' he sold nanny
and me and Sophy to dat dab Runnel Rob-
fson."
The clerk listened with curiosity and
viewed the old lady skeptscally.
Il want ter vote for Massab Cox, con-
tinued Aunt Harriet, for he dun Glib Dick.
my daughter Cha'ity's man, work in de
streets when de poo niggah needed IT.
The mathematicians and historians OF
the registration bureau piled the old Iady
with questions, and finally gathered
enough data to put her down at ll5 years
of age.
81 spec l be that ole, anyway" said
Aunt Harriet, and maybe mo-
Ten days afterward "Auntie Harriet
rode down 70 the polls in Alderman Mel
hnger's carriage, bearing herself as proud
~ as a peacock. And she voted. She was
arrayed in the fashionable bric-a-brac OF
century. She wore a shawl that her old
''missus'' gave her In Tennessee three
quarters OF a century ago; a quafnt-look-
In ~ "a Of