The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-28
HE HAS LIVED IN
 THREE CENTURIES
Johan Leonard Roeder Fought
 at Battle of Waterloo
SAW NAPOLEON B0NAPARTE
Never Been III. Drinks Glass of Beer Daily and Gave Up Smoking at One Hundred-Unique
 Career.

Quincy, Ill.-Probably the oldest man on this continent who has absolute proofs to bear out his age is Johan Leonard Roeder of this city. For nearly forty years the citizens have looked upon Mr. Roeder as an old man, for he retired from active life at the age of seventy. i He has just passed his 106th birthday. still in the picture of health and the amazing example of man who has lived a well rounded. active life and yet passed his three score years and ten by over a ] quarter century.
 Leonard Roeder, as he is popularly known by his friends, is still possessed of his faculties, except that of sight. Most of the centenarians heard of seldom have records to bear out their birth, but Leon ard Roeder has. Moreover he tells how he served at the battle of Waterloo, was dispatch bearer for General Butcher and saw Napoleon, in which his little war passbook also bears him out. This Is how the passbook came about:
 Soldiers Pass Book.
 In Europe all birth records are careful ly kept, and so at a certain age all youths are called upon to serve in the army and at the time each young soldier receives d passboolx in which the date of enlistment and the date of birth are recorded on the title page.
 In the passbook of Leonard Roeder is set forth in very fine German script that Johann. Leonard Roeder was born at Wanderbuch (Wurtemburg) an der Dau- Der, Germany, January 2i, 1S00." This little book, which Is about five by three es,., and with simple pasteboard back, served MT. Roeder all through his garrison life and was stamped at the different towns whenever he made a change or the army moved. There were also pages for the officials to add remarks and specifica- tions. The Identification in the book is marked thus: Stature, five feet eight inches; face, oval; nose, straight; hair. | black; eyes, gray Several times the date of birth is referred to.
 Thus MT. Roeder has lived in three cen- turies. He saw the eighteenth pass away, l lived all through the nineteenth and eX- l poets to see quite bit more of the twen- tieth century. He has never been i'll, says he Is In good health now and has an appetite that kings might envy. Of his soldier life he says:
 T was born in Wurtemburg As a young man I learned the shoemaker s trade but about this time I was called, with other young men, 10 serve our King in the army. My three years service came just at the time when Napoleon was fighting all Europe.
 At Waterloo.
 At Waterloo the lieutenant under
 whom I served was commanded by Gen.
 eral Butcher, and it was my duty for a
 while to carry war messages It was or l one of these tours that l carried mes sage from General Butcher to the Duke of Wellington, and saw Napoleon on my l return It was a wonderful day, but Ma l poleon did not win. l was very young al the time, but go over 1t again and again 1 in my mind"
 When asked If he has lived any fixed l life in order to promote longevity, Mir l Roeder answered: 'I lived simlpy as oth- CT men. l never had a doctor, and have l one tooth left, for I never had a dentist 1 In Germany we smoked great deal, but I after I was 100 years old gave 1t up. Il 1 Is a useless habit"
 1 The only real luxury the old gentleman resorts to is his daily glass of beer about 1 4 o'clock in the afternoon. This habit 1 he rig1dly holds to, and his beverage Is l brought to him promptly at that hour | but only one glass. He is also fond oi | milk, and the family knows of no food l that he cannot add to his menu. He never | complains and is never sick.