The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-17
An Aged Chinaman Who Has
Passed the Century Mark.
BUTTE'S OLDEST RESIDENT
A Drled-Up Monaghan Is Janitor OF the
Sacred Joss-He Came to Butte's
Vicinity Before the White
Settlers.

the name of any other than China
man. Wong is a common name among
the chattering population of Butte's
Chinatown; Chung is just as common,
but Ken is a rather uncommon name;
in fact, it appears but once on the great
register in the joss house. The name
is as uncommon and unique as the
leather-skinned, wrinkled-faced charac-
ter who answers it annually when the
big scroll in the joss house is opened
on New Years day and the roll is cal!eo
by the keeper of the sacred tablet
Ken is a character about whom little
has ever been heard by the people OF
Butte Ken is the recognized name OF
the man who is registered in the JOSS
house as Wong Ken Chung. His form
is bent under the weight of lo' years.
He seldom leaves the sacred precincts
of the idolized joss. He is the janitor
of the heather house of worship, ana
there he sleeps, eats and chants ms
praises of the silent, immoVable image.
He prepares his rice and tea in dlngy
room in the rear of the throne room.
Here are his pipe and pipe dreams, his
solitary comfort. his all here on earth.
In his lonely hours he is happiest. linen
he chants a weird song-not song,
it's cultural sound produced by
commingling Of rheumatic grunts and
a short breath. His long, coarse mus
tache falls far below his sharp chin
and its ends taper in symmetrical con-
sonance with his long. thin chin beard,
the sum total resembling three-tned
pitchfork The eyes are set far back IN
darkened sockets, over which project
pair of muddy colored, shaggy brows.
Years and years ago the last tooth part
ed company with the angular jaws
over which is stretched until it shines
in its tenseness a dry skin the color of
a crushed boiled Chilli bean. His hands,
nervous hands. dangle from balloon
sleeves just enough exposed to show
wrists OF bone. The finger nails ara
unusually long. even considering the
Chinese fashion in manicure; the
smoked hair which covers the backs OF
the hands gives those members an I'M
canny semblance to the paws of
starved bear. Ken clings to the rocker
soled shoes Of his country and he adopts
high-water pants. Under these condi-
tions ankles, sans stockings, rise in
stern Tigidness from exposed heels
which if seen all alone in truck gar
den might be mistaken for turnips
which had lain partly exposed all sum-
mer under a. blistering sun. Aside from
the extremities noted coarse duck and
flannel cover the body of the ultra-cen-
tenarian.
This Cantonese does not visit the
meek and lowly of his countrymen,
neither does he toady to the wealth and
fashion Of Noodle alley. He is a recluse,
probably from inclination and prob
ably on account of a law governing the
keeper of the key to the situation in
the joss house.
OF all those persons who visit the
joss house on Chinese New Year, prob
ably there are none aware of the fact
that old Ken very seldom leaves the
joss house. The visitors admire joss
and his makeup, wonder at things and
guess more or less, and pay little at
tention to the aged ianitor whose sole
duty and only inclination is to be pres
ent at all times to minister to the
craven image of Confucius' suspect.
They cannot fail to notice the contrast
between Ken and the other Cinnamon,
but maybe they note his striking pecu-
liarities and concern themselves no fur
Their in regard to him.
Ken has a histoTy--a career, he's
man with an elongated past. He was 7
years old when George Washington
died. He is an incessant user of to-
bacco and has been for more than 80
Years. He has taken on an average of
three drinks of whiskey q day for
century. He never was drunk and
knows not the taste Of opium. For
more than 100 years he has retired
promptly at 10 o'clock and at daybreak
he arises. He tried popular brand
of soap 81 years ago and has not used
any other since.
All OF the above facts were CLEANED
during a rather tiresome and tedious
interview o Standard reporter had with
the subject through an Interpreter. By
the merest accident it was learned the
other day that there lived in Butte a
man who is 107 years old. So an inter-
view with the venerable Cantonese was
sought. In company with the interpre-
ter the reporter went to the joss house
The abode of the mOgul was in dark
ness. Winn, the interpreter, led the
way up the narrow stairway and into
the room occupied by joss. Not even a
punk flickered a ray of light, the color
of the atmosphere surrounding the
presence of the idol suggested moldy
ozone and bedbug skeletons. Winn
struck a match and lighted a taper he
cautiously plucked from the wing of a
b fairy goblin doing picket duty at the
feet of the joss. Aided by this dim light
a hole was bored through the darkness
of long, narrow passageway leading
aft. The ceiling was low. A short
flight of steps led the two wanderers
down into court into which opened a
. half dozen doors. Through one of these
the interpreter led the way. Pausing
for an instant in the hope Of catching
a breath of pure air, the reporter caught
glimpse of a flame struggling at the
end of a candle in one corner Of the
room.
Ing kla mooney yeh," muttered the
interpreter.
100 we fah," replied the host, who
reclined on cot at whose head the
candle fiickered.
Winn explained that he had asked
Ken how they were coming and that
the reply was "out of sight" After a
few tnterchanges of Monaghan courte-
sizes, which the layman might have mis-
80 taken for pass of words Immediately
preceding duel, the old janitor lighted
an oil lamp. which put the trio in a
scrutiniZing mood. The centenarian
looked al the intruders, one of whom
he had probably never seen before, and
the latter made mental picture of the
old man. The formalities were neces-
sarily brief, so the work of the night
began without delay.
II am 1O7 years old" said the Can
tonese. 81 was born in December, 1892