The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
ONE SECRET OF OLD AGE.
IF YOU'RE a oENTENARIAN, SAYS
THIS MAN, DON'T TELL OF IT.

Was brought About by Sudden Fame
Erect OF Noto~istv Upon ouiet Lives.
~ eco that my old,friend Philo Goyt OF May
willie 10 dead, ~ said u New York travelling man.
sand his death adds frmnoss TO my determi-
nation. II I should 1.-Two to be n centenarlan,
or n nonarenArian. or oven an octogonarian, to
keep that fact to myself.
some years ago I became seized with q fad
for hunting up very old people, particularly
ceutenariaps. 1t began with my meeting
with Michael Grenuell, who lived near tho VII
lARe OF Prompton. Pa, and wac within q few
days of 100 years old whom I met him. He
wns q well-to-do farmer. and asounder man,
mentally or physically. I never talked with.
He didn't seem Tn mo to be more than 20, and
his great age seemed to be aHmatter calling for
no particular expression Of surprise from him
self. his family. or his neiRhbors.
why tho old gentleman said to mo, I
won't begin TO think OF being old for ten years
yot. I feel like n youth when l think Of Sally
Benjamin. up in Mount Pleasant. Sally was
ia years old last Novemb Der. and she's spryer
than l am
at was winter, and the snow waadeep, but
drove the seventeen long and hilly miles that
lay between Prom pton and Mount Pleasant. 10
have n look at Sally BENJAMIN. I found her q
bright, cherry active woman, at her wheel,
spinninEl Spinning yarn from wool that
she hnd not only carded herself. but which she
nau SnenTeu nCfSclI. the tchSOn DClOTe, l-OHl
the sheep on which It grew! Spinning q yarn
as fine. almost, as linen thread. and with no
spectatcles on to aid her sight. l have since
then known and talked with people OF nEes
ranging from 90 to III years, but Sarah Bon
Jamin was the most interesting. wonderful
specimen Of ANTIQUE humanity l ever gazed
upon or listened TO.
she had been three times a widow. and was
the widow Of two soldiers of the Revolution
rvtnt- pal -ha ,,.,a l. I l,,rsru fhn saw
and Aaron Osborne. who survived 1t. Her
third husband was John Bonjamln. and she had
boon his widow nearly forty years. She had
descendants to the fifth generation. She was
80 years old when the Indian. Brandt. with
his bloody warriors swept down on the border
settlements Of Orange county. and was one of
these who escaped the tomahavk at tho his
toric Minisink massacre. She accompanied
her second husband when he enlisted in the
American army. Joining in the marches, act
ing as nurse to the wounded and sick. and as
camp cook. and sometimes standing guard.
When the army was engaged in embarkine
heavy ordnance NJ Kings Bridge. ostensibly to
attack New York. then in the hands of tho
British. It was necessary to do II in the night.
and TO place sentries around TO prevent discov-
cry and surprise. Her husband was a sentinel.
and to enable him to aid in the loading of tho
heavy artillery she took her rlace as guard.
Washington himself made tho rounds to ex-
anime the outposts.a and noticing a woman stand
in g rs a sentinel. he exclaimed:
WHO PLACED you here?'
Them that had n right to. sir! was tho
prompt reply she made to the commander.
Washington. apparently well uleased with
her courage and patriotism, passed on. Mrs.
benjamin. then Mrs. Osborne. went with tho
army to Virginia, and vas at the siege of York
town and saw the surrender of CORVALLIS.
During the battle of yorktown she was in the
thiokest Of the fight. carrying water to the SOL
diers and ministering to the wounded. Amid
living bullets and bursting shells she met
Washington again.
Young woman said he, arc you not
afraid among these death-dealing bullets?'
ITO which she replied, with grim humor:
" Bullets never cheat the gellows, SIR
This marvellous woman's memory went
back for more than no years. and she remem-
bered recent happenings as well as the first
Impressions Of her childhood and the events Of
her youth and later womnnhood. n mental "a
pacity of which / think there is no similar
record. She had never been sick a day in hor
life. She had a rare and rollicking humor,
and declared that MT fer fifty years had she
felt more active in mind or body. She had
yet to detect any positive symptom Of sickness
or of the inflrmitics or entertainments of age.
II ANYTHING sho-ld have called me to that
place again five years or more from that time.
I should have confidently expected to find Mrs.
Benjamin still living and sound. And I verify
believe that she would have been, 100, II 1t
hadn't seen for me.
mo matter where I went about the country
after this. | sought for centenarians and per-
cons whose years were approaching the CEN
fury mark. Aud my contact with su,h was so
frequent that II was surprising. l made the ac-
Quaiutauce Of 81 many people Of Sound mind who
had reached The age Of 100 and over that I
can . 10 look on persons who were but &C rs
qnite youthful. Many OF these aged folks were
Of enhancing interest, because of their viriii-
ty and intelligence. but y majority of them
were quite the contrary, either on account nf
their Ignorance. Ugly disposition. or physical
helplessness. Among the intcresting ones l
met was George La Barre OF the I''ocono Noun
chopplns cordwood len miles from home. with
in his pocket: and he had passed his iloth
birthday; This rare old wo0dsma1 had lived
bered things that had happened, more than a
century before. He had chewed and smoked
Key for more than ninety. At 20 years Of age
he had gone nfoot through the wilderness that
ieye. with the intention OF settling on the
OHIO, but had immediately turned and tramped
n nos' n Se"' Where e% Ii eei MrTe no of Hiiir. u When aca'i I
cav this mountain veteran. although he was
bent somewhat. moro by a cenInry's toll than
bro wed like en- Indian. lie swung his axe with
oaks @ hsar pna ' pInss among n"a (WHICH WHICH lis i Si biads awo ike
the ringing echoes.
Then there was Cook ST. John of Walton,
Delaware county. this State. He was lO2 wears
old. and remembered his mothers carrying
u lin in his arms when tho British captured
Norwich, Conn. dun ing the Revolutionary war.
Sand flying with him TO the woods TO escapc
tNlem. He remembered when Greenwich
Street was the water front or the North Rive,
<and lie worked on the wharves along that street
when lie was a hoy. No ono would have be-
lie-cd, Judging from his appe or action,
that he was other !han a remarke bly, well pre-
served man OF seventy.
sNnn fhA nRnnGtnn a 4 nv nFal mnntinU Will
Mr.. 81. John ! found, some miles further M
the Delaware Valley, in Schoharie county,
Samuel Down, who was two years older than
81. John. He WAS feeble In, both mind and
body, and had been SO for eight years.
Lewis Rock we'll OF Pike county was an
other. AID when / saw him, in his Tooth year,
he was preparing to walk fifteen miles 20 the
county seat. although he had been nearly
blind for years. TO act as tipstaff in court, "A
journey he had made fou: times a year ever