The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-15

as crystal but the taste was bitter. We could not use 1t for drinking This spring was pointed out to me as the fountain of perpetual youth by the old bag who explained to me that to renew my youth l must lie in the waters of the spring all night, from sun to sun. l followed her direction that night and next morn ing arose from the pool the young man you see to tonight. That was S67 years ago and no change has been worked in my physical being except few slight scars received in some of the greatest battles that have been waged in that period I have seen more than a dozen generations of the human race come and go. have witnessed revolutions and changes in the affairs of men and in the physical face of the globe but my self have changed not except in soul, mind and experience.
 The First Century
 "The first century of my new exist ence was a jolly dream though crowded with many dangers and adversitles in the unexplored wilds of America. loved adventure, however, and was satisfied.
 .'As l turned into the second century of my life however. I began to tire of
  ous and by degrees I came to look on death as a priceless boon to suffering humanity. yet that inborn instinct that causes us all to cling to life under al- most all circumstances has held me in it's bonds.
 During that first century l visited every known country on the globe. Since that time the earth has been my rlay- ground until every corner of it is as familiar to me as the county in which one lives for years. The world has be- come insignificant and small to me. There are no new countries and the fickle affairs of men have become stale and uninterestng. l have ived long enough to learn that the world is void of every virtue that could bring eternal happiness to man. My singular experience has taught me that the greatest calamity that could befall any man is eternal life in flesh Without prospect of death I have grown miserable and dlscontent. ed
 Fought in Fifty Wars.
 "To relieve the monotony of my life I have sought the thickest of the con- flicts of the world am have fought in nearly all the famous battles on my time in the wars of nearly every nation on the globe. I have fought in the thlckest of more than a thousand battles In more. than fifty wars and am almost free of any scars to tell the story of my experiences. It seems that Providence has conspred to infiict me the pun ishment of everlasting existence on earth in retrbution of my early conspiracy against death and the encroachments of old age.
 True, have gained some satisfaction in my wide scope of knowledge and ex- perience. but let nae tell you, there is a limit to the happiness that knowledge brings. Much Knowledge has it's pecu- liar misery.
 "I helped to fight for the independ- ence of the American colonies and then helped America to whip the Philippines into submission and bring them under our imperial government. I have lived long enough to witness some of the in- constituencies of men and nations.
 Tt would be impossible for me to give you detailed account of all my adventures and experiences in nearly all the nations of the world, civilized and savage. For the past two centuries l have wandered over the earth trying to amuse myself and covertly planning some means of ending it all honorably. Life has become almost unbearable in it's nonotony I have sought dangers and have gloried in the possibilities or pat tie, storm and volcano. 1 have played with the clements in anger as a child toys with the wasp of which he is g- norant.
 .. Was at St. Pierre.
 Il was in St. Pierre. Martinique. May 8, 1902 when the eruption of Mt. PePlec brought death to 5000 unwilling souls was preserved in my misery.
 Tn my long experience l have fol- lowed nearly every trade and profession known to man and have graduated with honors from nearly all the wofld-famous universities under one name and another. In nnpa .have I found tha eatisfaction