Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-24
CENTER MARKETS "OLD-TIMERS"
SOLVE PROBLEM OF LONGEVITY
Jacob West, So Years on
Duty, Recalls Historic
Incidents.
Sleep, Fresh Air and Regular
Hours Recipe for Long
Life, He Says.

The secret of eternal youth and per-
feet health seems to have been solved
by a group Of "old-timers" in Center
Market. who in many cases have been
doing business there over so years.
Events famous in history, and names
now recorded in the annals Of fame
have personally passed before the eyes
of these men and women, whose looks
belle the fact that many OF them v
passed the allotted span OF threeScore
and ten years.
For 63 years Jacob West has been
doing business In Washington's famous
market place. He started as an err
rand boy at SO a month. Born in
Virginia 80 years ago. West wildly re-
calls events of the Civil War, and the
battle of Bull Run was fought within
a short distance Of his home. MY
father was a farmer" he said, land
during the time the soldiers were
camped around my home, l used to
peddle milk to them. At 2 o'clock in
the morning, / would get up and milk
the cows, frequently having to help my
father at that hour when only z years
old.
II was out delivering milk in Alex
andria the day that the Southern nag
was hauled dow from the old Mar
shall House and Col. Ellsworth was
killed for doing it," .
Mr.. West was within a few hundred
yards of the spot where President Ear.
field was aSSaSSinated and states that
the crowd gathered so quickly, 1t was
impossible for him to get even a
glimpse of the President.
Personal Marketing Then.
I'm the days before automobiles
ladies did their marketing personally"
this young" old mar will tell you. and
many a time I have seen Mrs. Grant,
wife of President Grant, arrive from
the White House to do her W mar
keting. followed by a colored servant
carrying a large basket"
Tall, erect and with a mass OF white
hair, Mr.. West might easily pass for
a man Is years younger. Early to
bed and early to rise" is believed by
MIR. West to be one OF the greatest Sc
crets of good health. Believing that the
domestic problems of the present day
would be In a large part successfully
solved If the women would give more
personal time to their housekeeping,
Mr.. West remarked: SIN the days
when women did their own marketing,
one rarely heard Of such a thing as
divorce"
Born in AlSace, Charles Ebel has
also been doing business in Center Mar
ket over SO years. He wildly recalls
the days of the Franco-PrusSian War,
when the PruSsian soldiers entered
S~traSbourg, which was but q few miles
from his home. Coming to this coun-
try at an early age, he started in BUSH
ness with an uncle who had preceded
him to this country. Shortly after his
arrival, he took a job on a steam yacht,
which was making a world tour. 1t
took Is months to make the trip, which
carried them to every corner CT the
globe.
Sleep, Air and Hours.
Mr.. Ebel's prescription for good
health and a long life agrees with that
of Mr.. West in recommending plenty
of sleep, regular hours and fresh air.
IT never was out on a Saturday night
but once in my life," he said, land
that was on the last visit to Washing
ton of Sarah Bernhard. The only
| night 1 could get tickets to see her, was
on a Saturday night, and that was