The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-20


ter concerning reported centenarians IL
contained in the census bureaus latest
annual mortality statistics report pre-
pared BY chief statistician. d.. Cressy
L. wilbur Of the division Of vital sta
tistics.
Tho report affirms that It il un-
doubtedly true that the age Of 100
years II occasionally attained. It
suggests that II II perhaps doubtful
whether. - shown BY incontrovertible
evidence the ago Of ITO has ever been
reached or exceeded. This would, It II
stated, ret the possible longevity Of
man or the extreme span Of human
life somewhere between 100 and ITO
years.
DR.. Wilbur declares that II would be
q fact Of vast interest to humanity II
II were true that . human being could
1--we 160 or 40. or 100 years, or even
40. or 40 years, as established by ex-
act observation. The capability Of the
bodily mechanism would be tested and
Il might be inferred that, with better
hygiene. superior eugenics, and proper
methods of living the extreme limit OF
life might more frequently be attained
and that after many generations the
average age of humanity might per-
haps approximate to this limit
Tho report goes on to show that up
to very recent times the most incredi-
BILE reports, the most inaccurate state
ments. and the most uncritical meth
DDS Of study have been believed. Since
Thoms' Investigations in 1873 great
skeptieism has arisen in the minds Of
many In regard to the reputed ages Of
centenarians and. the report declares,
some have even stated that there were
no actual cases Of centenarians on re-
cord in spite Of the official returns Of
population and deaths to that effect
As an example Of tho uncertainty at
taching to Individual statements Of ex-
treme longevity, the case Of the Oldest
reported decedent Is cited. The death
was that az Noah Raby. known as the
oldest man in the country" and 1t oc-
CURED in the year 1904. Reference to
the census office transcript which was
returned by the state registrar of New
Jersey, shows that the original death
certificate related to the death Of Noah
Raby, stated to have occurred In Mid
dlesex county on March /, 1904. at the
age Of 131 years and II months. The
conjugal condition Of the decedent was
not stated; the birthplace OF the dece-
dent and the birthplace of his mother
were given a. ~. s." The birthplace
OF father was not stated; and the
cause Of death was given az "senility"
AN entirely unsatisfactory statement
In this case.
index catalogue Of the library of the
surgeon generals office, United States
army, second series. Volume TX, under
the title Of Longevity" may be found
the following reference: "Centenarians
and more: Sophia Cab, aged 100; Noah
Raby, 1871 years IL months) Med. Reec..
NJ Y. 1904. LXv, 3S4." The issue Of
the New York Medical Record of March
5. 1904. contained the following item:
"Centenarians and more Sophia
Cab. probably the oldest woman In Chi
cago, died there last week. She was
supposed to be. 100 years old. Born a
slave, she spent most Of her life on a
plantation near Richmond, Va. When
released from slavery during the civil
war she was 81 years old. A still more
remarkable story of longevity is con.
tanned In the notice of the death OF
Noah Raby In New Brunswick. N. j.,
on March I. It Is asserted. with much
circumstantiality. that he was born In
Gates county. North Carolina, on April
llsignificant date), 1772. 80 that had
he lived one month longer he would
have been 1872 years old. He entered
the United States navy about as soor
- the United States had . navy. and
after serving for . number OF years
was honorably discharged in 1909. He
never married. but had smoked and
chewed tobacco for 122 years and had
1t one time been heavy drinker."
Search was made of the record Of
the navy department and report wa,
made by Surgeon r. L. Pleadwell of the
bureau of medicine and surgery, thai
- Noah Raby has been found on the
rolls of the Constitution In 1889. wheL
that ship was under the command Of
captain Bolton. SO It Is possible thai
the report Of his discharge from thu
navy as being 1900 II pure legend
There may have been Of course two
Noah Rabys."
The census report then goes on tt
state that the enumerators' returns ol
the twelfth census. June 1. 1900. show
that MIR. Raby was then an inmate o.
the Piscataway township almshouse
and his age at last birthday 1913 years
and the month and year Of birth April
1772. n given In these returns CORES
pond with the age subsequently stated
upon his certificate Of death. His birth
place, ~ well as that OF his father and
Of his mother, IL given as North Caro-
lima: his conjugal condition AZ single
ana under the head Of education It I!
stated that he could read but could mo-
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