New-York tribune., 1903-03-04
1o2 YEARS OLD AND SORRY.
Mrs. Cleveland Has No Desire to Live Till
Her Next Birthday.

Syracuse March (speciaD.-It is hard to realize
that any person is living who remember nine
ty-eight years ago. but Mrs. Olive Cleveland Of
Lafayette can perform this feat. Mrs Cleveland
celebrated her 1O2d birthday anniversary last Fri
day, and has lived under all the Presidents except
Washington. When she was born Napoleon Bona
parte the First Consul OF France She was
fifteen years old at the tine of the battle Of Water
loo At the time of her birth George III was still
on his throne. The furthest confines Of the terri
tory under the administration Of the United States
scarcely reached to the Mississippi River. and
Florida still under Spanish rule
Onondaga County. N Y. prImeval wilder
ness and Mrs Cleveland has city grow up
where formerly she forest through which
the Indians roamed at will. She recalls with dis
tinctness the events of the War OF 1S2. and de-
lights to tell of the training days when ali the
able bodied for miles around were turned out
to drill at Pompey Hill. her father being
among them.
Her earliest recollection dates back to her fourth
year when she was helping her grandmother to
peel potatoes in their log cabin at Pompey HILL
Her arms were barred to the elbow said Mrs
Cleveland in telling the story to Tribune corre-
spondent, land that they were very brown
I asked her why they were so brown and she told
me that they burned by the great heat OF
the oven In those days a great deal Of baking
was done in the old-fashioned. Out-of-door bake
ovens roaring fire would be started and the
bricks brought almost to a white heat, when they
cleaned out the ashes and put in the baking
and hopes that she will not see another birthday
anniversary.
''I pray the good Lord" she said. that he will
not let me live be 103 years old. have aged
4 terribly since I a hundred years old ana
people began to notice that was having BIRTH
davs When was a young woman of ninety
used to do much work as any Of them, out now
am getting 1t has been several years since
was able to read. and time passes rather slowly.
After you have lived a hundred years you nave
aches and pains you never had before You oegln
to lose your memory can't see as distinctly as
YOU used to- and you can't hear well. You forget
how your friends look and you miss the sounds OF
their voices and you seem to be in another world.
You know that there is much going on OF whicn
you are not aware. and yet you can't help it.
notwithstanding the way in which Mrs Cieve-
land speaks of her power she is remarkably vel!
| form we'll rounded. She has not the emaciat ed
Hos. o6 hunP IN RaRy and pounds
and her appetite is remarka6y g0oq; brssFasf 5n f IN
| he'd and prefers the plain country fare to Wnlcn
She has been accustomed all her life: Her mind is
gsr a and shf 56 an and Methods with approSa
realizing that there must be Progress A5nogg sb e1
! knits Two years ago when she was a hundred
years old, she was knitting palr OF SOCKS SOCK eT oe
t With knt hs s4gRs ndR YOU ook
| I am tired" was the answer but What won We
| Mrs. CEeveIand's parents were Thomas and Bet
sey Newell. whose ancestors emigrated TO the col
/ Industrious people and prospered in their new
home o % cantoH h %as 6n 70 theT Pq
! Tonnev Hill Onondaga County. making the trip
acnme Sca 0e Mrs. Norris Case and had children
the result Of this union One OF {hese homer Casg T
the Civil War. In 1s49 Mrs. Case married Merrils
and they m9gTd snds on arard sF heg
! to live Al Onondaga Valley and Lafayette.