Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-05
AGED 90, CLINGS
TO SIMPLE LIFE
ACnt Betty Distrusts Auto and
Wants to Take Along
Mules.

Mules.
KANSAS CITY, Dec. 5.--If yoE had
Jt't'n born in the heart of a great
Wilderness. and had lived on that
same spot for eighty-siX years, with
gerry little change in your immediate
surroundings, and somebody were to
.uine TO you and tell you stories Of
-.iiiroads and trolleys. steamboats,,
Ships, skYscraper buildings. theatres,
gardens and parks, would 1t excite
sour curiosity?
Most likel" not.
AUNT Betty" Elliott, who has lived
N such a place as described, and who
well along toward ninety, had that
IDENTICAL proposition put up to her
recently, says the Star She was told
If all the wonderful things she might
see in q great city, and of the sur
orising journey there on the steam
sars, and all these marvcls would not
cost her one cent; that a man who
wanted to see her enjoy herself would
DOT the bill and bring her home safe
ind sound.
The old lady smiled kindly, her eyes
snarliled bit and this is what she
sad
Il wouldn't mind riding few miles
On the steam cars just to say | had,
nut to 20 to one o them big cities and
Get jostled round, | reckon not. I'd
rather be here where there's room."
Miss Elliott (she was never mar
Sied) did take an automobile ride last
summer.
wanted to ''Fetch Mules"
Il told 'em something would happen
f we started out in that thing, and
wanted 'em to fetch the mules
along" she said, but they only
'aughed at me, Well, l got in and it
vent along all right until we got
about ten miles out of the village,
When there was funny noise for a
minute or two and we stopped The
man said the engine went dead. When
! said he ought've fetched the mules
ne didn't laugh any more, but said
he wished we had. We got towed into
town and I got out, and 1 amt never
going to ride in one of them things
again. But I'd like to ride on the
steam cars-just once" and there was
a wistful expression on the kindly old
face.
Jordan Elliott, a brother. ninety
Two years old lives with Miss Elliott
on the farm on Gun Creek, west of
Jacksonville, Md. Perry Elliott, who
was few years younger than Jor-
dan, committed suicide in June, 1911,
BECAUSE ne Iell iliiiiScll p0ySlCdilJ
failing, and thought he oughtn't to
live If he didn't work. Neither of the
three had ever been married. They
we're the older children of William
Elliott's large family. and upon them
seemed to devolve the care of the
farm and seeing that the younger
children were properly brought up
and married.
BY the time their responsibility end
i 41,14,- ats.f
Betty, felt they had in each other all
the family that was necessary and
they worked and lived on the old
home place just as they had when
Youngsters. The land and other prop
arty now belonging to them would
easily bring 100000 as their farm
now comprises 1000 acres, a great
deal of it timber and coal land.
Lived Like Pioneers.
Until very recently the Elliotts
lived just as they did in the pioneer
days-fenced their land with rails.
made their barns out of logs and
poles, threw fiat rocks on the roofs to
keep the wind from blowing the
boards and shingles away and lived
the simple life as perfectly as did
their parents, who came from Ken
lucky in the early days.
An old mission bell near the house
summons Jordan and the hired man
to dinner. Near by are a lot OF
smooth, fiat stones Jordan and Perry
brought up from the creek bed in the
'10s to build a well, but somehow they
never got to it, and all the water
used comes from a spring some quar-
ter mile back in the forest
Here lately the house has been re-
paired and fixed a bit so it won't
leak, but the trees and brush are al
lowed to come almost up to it. The
front yard is carpeted with chips that
have been accommodating for more
than half a century.
The Elliotts are clean, honest God
tearing people, much like other farm
sr folk of the neighborhood, the only
difference being that they have not
taken to the improvements and
changes that have gone on around
them. They are living by pretty
much the same method they did when
children, seeing no particular reason
Tor changes. Neither of them has
sver spoken through telephone.
Once or twice Jordan has made short
Grips on railroads. Both are sus-
picious of the automobile
Never Had "Fuss."
In speaking about the family, Jor-
dan said
"Maybe some folks might think our
way of living was funny but / can
say this: We never had a fuss with
anybody, never cheated in boss
trade don't keep a dog, never had
lawsuit, don't owe any man cent"
When asked her age Miss Elliott
eandidly replied:
"I'm sure eighty-siX. but can't
remember the date was born, there
was SO many of us. No, don't use
specs got pair once, but couldn't
see through 'em. Never took no med
icine to amount to anything; none
of us did, that's why we all kept well
so long. ] wouldn't let no doctor
come around me with his bottles and
pills--no. sir, When I'm sick ! know
what TO take better than he does.
To live long? Well. that's one way.
Then you must be busy at something
ALL the time !"