Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-12-24
LIVED OVER A CENTURY.
Bazille Suprenent. Aged 100
" Years, Died In this City
Wednesday Night. s
he WAS I'LL BUT 4 FEW DAYS.
A Short Sketch Of his Long
and Interesting Life, Given
by Himself.

The oldest citizen Of Morrison
county. and perhaps the oldest In tn
state, died in this city We'lnes sday
His name Is Bazille Suprencnt AND
has been an inmate Of st. Gahrtrl'e
hOspita since j D8nuarv, 1894. Ourcitt
zens will remember him ~ the little
withered man, who was frequently
seen on the streets in tho summer,
and Wea ing Il linen kuit anu Il tall
hat. th. latter being almost as an
cient in appearance az ils wearer. Z
Though, claiming to be 100 years Ol
age, and there Ii hut little doubt
that he. was of that age. he was
hale and hearty until few days be-
fore his death. Dr.. FOrtier. who at
tended him In his last illness. said
that he had been troubled with
bronchitis for several years, bnt 1t
was old uge and not this desease
thut caused his death, which &C.
Cured at st. G.brlel's hospital
wednesday night. NJ
BnziIle Suprenent was a Canadian
Fpnchman, and could speak hut lit
tie English. About two years "gu
a representative OF the Transcript,
with the aid nf an interpreter, secured
tr"m him quite lengthy history OF
bis life, which was published together
with picture OF him ns he appeared
ut that time. At that time his
memory was wonderfully clear and
SO Of the events of his eerly
life. III
Bazille Suprenent was born in st.
nee, near Montreal, Canada.
In March. 17SS. Hts father and
mother lived on farm, and Bnz'lla
grew up a farmer. He was ths
second child 81 his parents, and had
three brothers and four sisters. all Ot
whom are now dead. His parent
were large, strong people. The
father died at the age Of 9S; the
mother, 81. "
Suprenent worked on his fathers
farm In summer and in the woods in
the winter. He remembered a time
when provisions ran low. AMI the
men had to subsist on horse meat.
which he said did not agree with
him. ST. working the years went
on till 1872. tn. time of the second
md last war between Great Britain
and the United States. Baz'lle was
enrolled among the Canadian con-
tingent OF British soldiers. but wing
to a. goitre in the throat. was re-
ected. and went back to his life on
the farm and in the. wOuds.
In 1923 he was married at st. Chry!
,ostome to FRANCHISE Bisaillon, who
lied IL years after the marriage.
She gave him two children-a little
girls who died in infancy, and son.
,amed Theophile. The hoy grew up,
ollow the carpenters trade. went
70 New York and was los sight Of
" his father some time before JS41.
,urprenent never married again. and
,aid that during his widOwer's extst-
nee of 81 years, he has never cared
20.
In 1896 Surprenent was drafted to-
Ierve against Papineau's rebels. He
vas enrolled, but one day he escaped
% the woods, not wishing to fight
,is countrymen. He hid in a hollow
rec, and was undiscovered:
Towards evening he reach the river.
rossed the st. Lawrence on a log
md escaped to America. and stayed
here till the troubles were over. He
Papinean we'll. and de-
cribes him as a handsome man. He
llso recalled Lafontaine, Dorion,
md other celebrated political leaders
i those times. He remembers the
,urning of the parliament house in
Montreal (then the capital) about
sa7. "
He left Canada forever about 1S41,
md came to Chicago, then q enter
,rising frontier city. From there he
vent to Wisconsin, then to Minne-
ota, then to Kansas, where he lived
or many years, then to st. Paul,
hen to CrOOkston in this state,
yhere he lived ~ years, and ended
lie wanderings in Little Falls IL
anuary, 1894, since which time he
las been al inmate OF st. Gabrfel's
onvent. .. ..as-s
Tho Sunopa1 aarviceA were held at