The San Francisco call., 1896-09-13

| the continent from sea to sea in some
thing over four months, and yet this tour
lst, albeit older and little more worn
than on the day he started out, is SEEM
lngly fitted for more miles ana years and
is as sound as his mineral namesake
But at a second and a closer glance
much over that time has gone by since
Mr.. Diamond walked away from his
birthplace. Just 300 times four months
with over four months yet to add will
nearer mark the fight OF time from that
long ago first O. May" Washington
was going out of his second Presidential
term and Tennessee was entering the
Union or States. TIE name Democrat"
had just been applied by the Fed eTalists
to the Republican party as a term of con-
tempt. The first census had been taken
and the subject of article was one of about
4.OOO,O 900, and by coincidence the reve-
nues OF the young republic was about the
same number Of dollars
This is a leaf from the contemporaneous
history of g. Z. d. Diamonds birth, over
1900 months ago.
In 8l7, being just 81, he voted for
James Monroe, in 1926 for John Quincy
Adams, in 1929 for Jackson and in I841 for
General Harrison. In 1889 he voted for
the second Harrison. He continued to
cast his ballot for victorious Presidential
candidates till he got down to 1860, when
he voted for Breckinridge. However, he
supported Honest Abe" the next time
and never again failed to go to the polls
every fourth year with Republican ticket
in his hand. The next one will bear the
name Of Mckinley.
Mr.. Diamond was scout and dispatch
bearer in Mexico during the invasion by
the United States forces, and was attached
to both Scott's and Tayior's commands.
During the rebellion he was Chief Govern
ment Agent, located at ST. Louis. From
bis remarkable resem blance to tue noted
rebel guerrilla cuief, General Poindex ter,
he was often taken for that much sought
Tor person. Once he was fired at by a
whole regiment of United States troops
from the distance of about 500 yards. The
bullets spattered into the treetops above
his head, and the leaves and twigs came
down on him in shower.
Il didn't wait for the next volley." said
he, NOR to say good-by to my friends who
We're banging away at me, but plunged
into the black-bass thicket in a hurry
When asked to what he attributed his
longevity he stated that he never drank
intoxicating liquors nor used tobacco. He
does not drink tea nor coffee nor eat
meat.
IL have always been well and strong"
said he yesterday, because l have lived
healthfully. l came from q temperate and
long-iived race. My father died in Ala
oama at the age of IO6 and my grand
iather at considerable over 1U0 years.
I'm well and l believe tha / shall mount
lar up in my second century before l
round out my period"
Inc l0O-year- old looks so hale and hearty
that one instinctively feels that he will
break the record of his race. The old man
never married and thereby hangs a tale.
de does not go into details. A romance
OF which he was part lived and died in
tne dim long ago. There is girls grave
under the dust of the years, and-and the
old man never married.
u. 4. ID. Diamond comes from no un-
known stock, for his grandmother on his
mother's side was one of the Cotton fam
lIy OF Mayfower and Massachusetts fame
Colonel Ethan Allen, who took Ticon.
deroga and Its 300 British soldiers with
eighty men and by the authority of Jeho-
vaa and the Continental Congress- was
MS granduncie. Judge w. W. Allen and
minister of the same name in this State
are related to the same family.
MT. Diamond is now engaged in can
vasslng for several books, one being the
LIE OF William Mckinley, the coming
PRESIDENT of the United States.