The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-15

NEW YORK, Nov. 15.-Noah Raby, an
inmate of the poorhouse of Piscata.v way
township, near PlainfeId, n J., is 113
years old. AMI what is yet more wonder
suI- in the suii enjoyment OF al his facul-
ties, save of sight. Raby Is said 10 lie The
eldest man in America, if not in the world.
lie has been for thirty years an inmate OF
D.. New Jersey institution, is contented
With his lat, smokes and drlnzs whenever
he feels So inclined dweIis wi.h interest
upon the enc affair Of the heart u which
he confesses. and looks forward to several
more years IN the land Of the living.
Noah Raby was born in Eaton On, Cases
| county, " c., in 1913. His me-. Ner WIS
4 native Of North Carolina. but MS fat Ter,
Andrew Bass. was an Indian Though the
blood of the aborigine is in his veins.
Roby's skin is perfectly white
When a reporter called at the poor
farm Uncle Noah, as he is Familiarity
called. w2s in his accustomed place IN the
sitting room. quietly doing in large
high rocker, where he always sleeps Re
never goes TO bed, fearing rush OF blood
TO his head might prove fatal. He is al
most totally blind, but is in full posses
| sion of his other faculties and seems 10
enjoy life
Uncle Noah smokes almost inces-
sanity On pleasant days in the summer
months he gFopes his away about the door
yard and naingles with the male inmates
His thin gray, also snow white. hair and
| his bent figure denote his great age,
| though his muscles are firm and he aP
pears quite active. He has remarkably
/ clear intellect. and his mind IS retentive
| on nearly all subjects The most noticea-
| bic thing about the old man is his slight
/ frame he is quite thin, weighing less
| than hundred pounds
| When the reporter was shown into the
| sitting room and introduced Mr. RabF ex-
| tended his hand in cordial greeting. HIS
| grip was firm and testified to the vigor
which his splendid constitution has al
| lowed him TO retain so long
4 distinctly remember NY mother. said
/ Uncle Noah" We lived in a little hut
| built on poles, way down in Carolina
| shall always remember that home. for IL
was there that first learned 10 read But
I am sorry to say I failed to even learn to
! write my own name. When / was about
| seven years old my mother married again.
| and soon after I was compelled to shift
! for myself Later I was bound out TO q
man named Field, who owned many slaves.
! I stayed with Mr.. Field until was twenty
one, when I struck out for myself l got
| a job with Widow Penelope Parker. who
gave me work about her place. and she
paid NE $500 a year l stayed FIVE years,
| when 1 left and obtained work with her
| daughter-in-law, Sarah Parker
| Here Uncle Noah stopped and appeared
| TO reflect He shifted uneasily in his chair
! and rocked for g few moments. Then he
| frightened up and continued: Il was in
| love once Yes, I fell in love with Miss
I Parker, but I was too bashfuI to press
my suit, and / lost her. I thought maybe
I could marry her and have the big plan
! tation with all the slaves She was the
prettiest woman 1 ever saw At the time
| I felt very bad. but since I have been glad
| / didn't pop the question. I never told her
| until it was too late. Cne day my half
| brother came 10 ne and noticing that some
| thing was wrong, advised me to take a sea
voyage Without waiting 10 collect my
wages or bidding any one good-by I ship
| ped to sea and was gone several months
when I got back to North Carolina I
| called to see Miss Parker. She asked me
Why hal left so suddenly without my pay,
and aftsr some hesitation I confessed that
| it was because had been IN love with her
What do you suppose she said? Noah,
faint heart never won fair lady But 1t
was then too late. She had married her
new oyerseer two weeks before my return.
Perhaps 1 wouldn't have lived SO long had
l married.
Uncle Noah said he had smoked fer
more than 100 years, and had been fond Of
/ liquor during the same period. He refer
| red TO the recent election, but said he had
not voted because he had not been able to
pay the poll tax He belonged 10 the
sIacksonian Democracy and had voted that
| ticket ever since the u organization of the
| Democratic party b E1s unable to read,
/ he had not kept posi- 81 in late years. and
| had taken little interest in political affairs