The times., 1897-07-11
AUNT PATSY'S III YEARS
Oldest Person in the District an
AImShOuse Inmate.
She Remembers the Red Coats Of
1872 and Has Had Fifteen =
Head" Of Children.

In the city alInshouse, patiently waiting
day after day for the white wings that
shall bear her safely Ger land aud DER
sea- sits poor old black Patsy Marshal,
the Oldest living woman in TIE District II
Columbia.
Patsy, OF Aunt Patsy" as she loves
10 be called, -, she SAYS, 4 hU;Gre,i aa1
seventeen years old, and looks as If she
might be more ancient still.
As black and nearly as wTiEkIed as d
poorly cured tobacco leaf, she locks Q ypJ
with her glazed old eyes and asks in treu-
ulous, questioning tones when spoken to-
'-Marm?"
Poor DID Patsy OLD and forsaken, home
less and fTiendIeSS, hearing sight and n.ind
almost gone. sire sits hour after heur, day
after dav. month after month, doing moth
ing apparently, hut gazing into space,
while every now and then her withered
Old head goes down oT her arm AMI Patsy
sObs as if her heart would break
When questioned by the attendants as
TO her grief she gently answers ''Marulc''
What disjOiEted dreams aud fancieS are
passing through what was once an active
brain2 What scenes Of horror and carnage
from two wars are iudeIibly impressed
upon even the remnants Of her memory
What Eeart-breakins episodes when her
children were taken from her one by one
and sold on the block?
Happily these days are over and there
are but few Aunt Patsys Ieft-
Where did you come from, A unit Patsy
asked The Times reporter
''Marm?" came back the answer in
suppl licaung, quest iOuing tone. Again
aud again the question was asked and
finally she answered: In de haT-wa ascn,
missy and the matrOH explained that
the wagon referred 20 was TIE hospital
ambulance from Freedmaas Hospital.
which conveyed Aunt Patsy t. the aims
house and which has small shutters on
the side, Which Aunt Patsy called bars
In an attempt to find out ner ase, the
reporter said. Patsy, what kind of coats
did the soldiers wear when you We're q
little girI?''
''Marm?'' and poor cid Patsy was again
in the land of yesterday IN which she
revels during the last Wee hours of her
life
After considerable work on the part ,.f
the matron ami reporter Aunt Patsy was
once more brought To dwell in the land
of today and finally answered the ques-
! ton by answering:
Red coats, HIiss-miSSyi'' That settled
IT. Despite the doubt which existed in the
minds of many u to whether she was
really a hundred OF not, the reporter was
| satisfied with the test. for the horror
| stricken loo ON the wrinkled old face when
/ the word red coat was uttered would
| have convinced the most s6nguine.
How many children had you, Aunty2''
/ More work by tthe matrOn kept her from
| again reaching tthe land OF dreams, and
| she said, Fifteen head, honey,"a as il they
were so many cattle Inquiry proved that
| this was true, and the oldest living child
| is herself a cotton head, comfortable old
it;randmothsr, nearly eighty.
| Aunt Patsy was born in Virginia in
| 1880, and was the property of wealthy
| slave owner Of Richmond county. At the
| liberation Of the slaves Aunt Patsy and
her fa mily walked al the way to Washing
| tou
she never seems to awaken except at
neal time or when the weekly allowance
of tobacco is given, but she VIII sit COR
| tentedly with small piece OF ''baccy," :"
as she terms it, for hours at a time. blink
ing cOntentedly at visitors or attendant