The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-08
NOAH RABY YOUNG AT 1875.
HALF WHITE, HALF INDIAN, BORN
IN TAR-HEEL HAMLET.

He Has Used Tobacco and whisky
All These Years, and Had "A Few
"Jags" - BashfuIness Cost Him n
wife and n PIantntiOn-Took Sick
ness and Religion Together.
From the New York Sun.
New Brunswick, N. j., March S1.-Noah
Raby, an inmate of the poor farm of Pisca-
taway township, three miles from this city,
will be 1875 years old tomorrow, If his
reckoning is correct. He has been at the
poor farm thirty years and is totally blind
His skin is perfectly white. though. so he
says his father was an Indian. The old
man tells this story of life:
Il was born in North Carolina, Gates
county, In a little village called Eatontown.
My mother was native Of North Carroll
ma, while my father was North Ameri-
can Indian named Andrew Bass, 1 think
They never sent me to school. did learn
own name.
Il have smoked for 100 years. started
by smoking my mothers pipe when 1 was
child. 1t never made me sick. I've
drunk whisky as long as / have smoked,
and never felt the worse for it. did get
drunk two or three times, though; once
when about II years old, when / was in
Virginia. / went to town and got some
whisky for an old negro. / suppose 1
drank as much OF it as he did, and had TO
be taken home in an OK cart. 1t took
me week to get over the effects of il. The
next time that | drank too much was in
New Brunswick. A young fellow per-
suaded me TO drink with him. took
more than was good for me and he had to
carry me home.
My mother lived in little hut built on
poles. When l was years old she got
married, and had TO go. 1 was bound to
a Mr.. Fields then. He owned lots of
slaves, but would never sell any of them,
because he did not believe In H. When /
was q 1 struck out to get job for myself
Widow Penelope Parker gave me work
about her place. was with her five years,
and she paid me 500 year. Then / left
her to work for her daughter-in-iaw, Sa-
rah Parker. thought that might possi-
bly, marry her, and all her slaves and big
plantations would be mine. 1t would have
been all right IL hadn't fallen In love with
her and became too bashful TO ask her to
marry me. l knew an old darby, called
Uncle Mingo. / told him of my trouble.
and he said he would bewitch her so she
would have me. i didn't like that idea,
though, and woudn't let him. She was
the prettiest woman / ever saw. / never
told her that / loved her until 1t was too
late.
zone day my half brother came to see
me, and saw that something was wrong.
He asked me II / were in love. / said /
was. He advised a sea trip to cure IL. 1
took his advice, leaving my beloved with
out receiving what was due me. Later /
got leave of absence from the ship was
on and went back to her. She paid me In
full and asked why left so suddenly.
guess / did not care so much for her
then, for told her that II was because /
loved her. What do you think she said?
Faint hear never won fair lady II was
too late then, however, for she had mar
fied her new oyerseer two weeks before
I was sorry then, but am not now. Per-
haps / wouldn't have lived so long II I'd
married her.
when ] was In Norfolk I heard Gen.
Washington speak. ! am not sure what he
was talking about. but 1 know he was
very angry. shall never forget one thing
he said. II has stuck in my mind almost a
hundred years. Go right on, fellow citi-
zens, as you have been going on, and L
can assure you we shall have the devil to
pay In this republic, and no mistake
Those are just his own words.
Il left the navy because / didn't want
to so to war. I'm sorry that l lost my
discharge papers, because they'd help to
prove my age.
1--WE been a member of the Elizabeth
Baptist church for forty years. 1 believe
the Baptist church is all right, but don't
think that being a Baptist is all that's
necessary. There's got to be a change of
heart to go to heaven. and that is what /
got down in old Virginia. / was taken
sick and one night l began to feel
strangely happy. / got up and went
about the house shouting glory hallelujah
mo. I've nothing 10 complain OF. I've
had plenty TO eat all my life and had a
good time, too. ought to know some
thing about politics, hadn't /, for I'm
older than the country Is. Well. I've been
democrat ever since they have had a
party. They won't let me vote now. for
I can't pay poll tax. I've only one thing
TO regret That Is. that I didn't learn 10
written my name. However. / suppose II I
had / couldn't see TO write Il now
Uncle Noah" spends nearly all his time
in Cversecr Runners sitting room. He
sleeps sitting IN a chair, for he fears a
rush OF blood 10 his head. He makes a
TOUR Of the uQOrhouea grounds quarry dav