The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-10-12
HERMIT LIVES
NINETY YEARS
Missouri Woman Had Never Rid
den on a Railroad or Visited
a Large Town.
HAD SIMPLE RULES OF LIFE
"Have Something to Interest You and
Keep GoIng-Learn to Go to
Sleep Easily and Don't
Borrow Trouble"

Macon, Mo.-Ninety years in the
back country of Missouri without ever
having ridden in a railroad train or
visited a town larger than Moberly,
Huntsville or Macon, was the record
Of "Aunt Betty" Elliott whose death
occurred recently at the home Of her
sister, Mrs. S. B. Rice, six miles
west of Jacksonville
Miss Elliot was one of very in
teresting trio, the other two being her
brothers, Perry and Jordan Elliot,
who died few years ago. All their
lives they had lived upon the land
which was taken up by their father,
William Elliot, when he came from
Kentucky to northern Missouri in
1916. After the death of their parents
and the marriage of the younger chill
dren, Miss Elliot and her two broth
ers lived on the old homestead, car
rying on their farming operations and
duties about the house in the same
primitive manner as conducted by
their parents in the pioneer days.
Had One Ride in Motor Car.
Miss Elliot once enjoyed the expe
rience of riding in motor car. She
said she got as far as College Mound
when something about it went dead
and they had to hitch on a couple Of
mules to haul them back home She
never cared much for motor cars since
then.
The Elliot brothers developed the
estate until it comprised about 1900
acres, and, although in the heart of
the very richest growing section of
Missouri, much Of it was rough pas
ture land. For great many years
the farm was inclosed with rail fences
which as time went by sank far into
the ground The fencing around this
farm marks almost the last of the
old rail fences in northern Missouri.
None of the three had found time
in their busy lives to go to school, but
they knew the value of stock and
grain and were as shrewd in their
deals as anybody. Underneath large
part OF their land are valuable beds of
coal.
Eight shy of doctors and medicine.
Have something to interest you and
keep going. Learn to so to sleep east
ly, and don't borrow trouble Get out
in the air and raise turkeys, ducks
and chickens. Eat hearty and go to
bed early"
That was the rule of "Aunt Betsy
Scorned Luxury for Simple Life.
Fourteen years ago a correspondent
visited the Elliot trio and spent a
day with "the children of nature" who
scorned luxuries to live the simple life
of their parents, pioneers of Missouri. !
There the correspondent found
Ieaky house, built by their parents a
part of which was begun the year after |
the Civil war and never had been |
and three children all |
more than seventy, who never had |
had time to even think about marriage. |
The only thing modern on the farm
was nice-looking range in the kitch-
ed which the boys had purchased for
Aunt Betty
Late in the evening the two boys"
to the house. All talk In
gentle, quiet tones. In brief they out
ined their lives as follows:
Never too old to work.
Never had quarrel with anybody.
Never snapped horse.
Never owned a dog.
Never use tobacco in any form.
Never belonged to a church, but be-
ieved in God.
Never were In n lawsuit.
Never knew the extent Of their
wealth.
Kept their accounts with pins or
hingIes.
What was good enough for their
orefathers was good enough for them.
: nEAaf1N lIRAnN l