Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 April 1896 — OVER A CENTURY OLD. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OVER A CENTURY OLD.

VENERABLE MEN AND WOMEN OF INDIANA. James Sullivan Born in 1791, and Martin 1 Rafferty, Who la 101 Xearspf Age—Hoosier Ladies Who Are Close to Five Score. V- . Indiana a Great Health Resort. Southern Indiana is noted for the longevity of Its people., Within a five-njile radius of the thinly settled district; of Leopold there are not less than fifty people who have already passed the allotted three score and ten. Octogenarians are eommon. There seems to be something in the air that-promotes long life. It is not unusual to see men of 70 and 80 swinging -the ax or following the plow. There, is James Sullivan, who but the •other day celebrated his 105th birthday anniversary. Mr. Sullivan was born in County Kerry, Ireland, married at the, age of 45, and with bis wife set sail for the land of the free live years later—in 1841. Mr. Sullivan'always was and still

is of very abstemious- habits. Soon after landing in Philadelphia Sullivan became foreman for a railway contractor engaged in the Lehigh Valley or other parts of Pennsylvania. It was there he acquired a sufficiency to place him “above distress, beiow envy,” but the rough element with which his work brought him in contact was never relished, and he removed tp Perry County, Indiana, where he invested money in lands, and settled upon the farm which he still owns. In the prime of life the old gentleman was a practiced athlete, standing 5 feet 10 inches, Pleasuring 43 inches around the chest and weighing 200 pounds. He is not so tall or heavy now, but the deep chest and powerful frame bespeak the robust constitution. The old gentleman furnished two sons for the late rebellion, and would have enlisted himself, but was turned away on account of his age. Mr. Sullivan is a devout Catholic and attends church in Leopold, to which he occasionally walks at seasons when the road is good, a distance of three miles, and is as light of foot as the ordinary octogenarian. He has been a Democrat ever since his first vote. Another old Indianan is Martin Rafferty, also a native of the old sod, from the County Galway. Mr. Rafferty celebrated his IMst birthday on April 1. He jokingly remarked that he was sent as an April fool present to his mother in the year

1795; that he was so small he could have been rocked in a slipper and so weak big life was despaired of and his coffin prepared, Mr. Rafferty came to America in the year 1839. He spent upward of twenty years in New York, plying his trade—that of a shoemaker. Two years were spent in Pittsburg. Thence he went to Parkersburg, W. Vii., then to Louisville, Ky., whence he moved to Perry County, Indiana, twenty-eight years ago. Mr. Raffefty furnished one son to the “lost cause.” and two of them helped rout the queen’s own in the memorable fiasco of 18(59. His own sentiments flowed in the same channel, but he remembered the* advice given by the bishop to the shoemaker, “Shoemaker, stick to your last,” and stuck. Mr. Rafferty spent nearly all the past winter abed with the grip, and his death was dally expected, but he is now apparently recovered, and with care, as he says, “May April fool them a few times more.” Like Mr. Sullivan, with whose family Mr. Rafferty's is connected by marriage, Mr. Rafferty was a practiced athlete of

t c same deep-chested; expsnsive tnrild, out is only 5 feet 7 Inches high. Unlike Mr. Sullivan, he is an incessant snuff user, though he uses tobacco-in no other form. He enjoys a social glass, and credits good brandy with helping him to rise from his late illness, but never drank excessively. His hair is almost ns black as at 21, and ha 3 close-clipped whiskers, which he always wore as in the picture (the only one he ever had taken), which represents him in his doth year. His deep blue eyes require no glasses, and his teeth are firm and white.

-J r * -■* Mrs. Catherine Dupnqoier is now in her « 97th year: -'Mrs. Dnpnqnieris a native of Faria, Franco, but came to New Orlpans at the age sos li with.'Her pa rents. She was bereft of life’s pnrtner thirty -years ago, but bad acquired a competency by mercantile bfisineSs and has lived at ease since her widbwnood among her children. Mrs: Dupaquier can Spea-k barely enough English to be understdbd by -her American neighbors. Mrs. Louise Perrot will celebrate, her centennial anniversary next October. This old lady is also a native of France and arrived on these shores with a large family in 1802, her husband preceding her a year. She set out from New* Orleans to meet her husband at Vicksburg, Miss., bnt reached there only in time to see his corpse prepared hastily for burial,. he. having fallen a victim to the yellow fever. Mrs. Perrot, like her neighbor, Mrs. Dupaquier; never, learned to speak English, Her home is upon the fiirtn purchased in 1852, where she has lived ever since. Death of “Billy” Williams. William Williams died at the home of his son in Warsaw Wednesday. • “Billy” Williams, as he was familiarly called, lilted a prominent part in th.* political history of the State of Indiana. He came do Warsaw in 1836, was admitted to the practiced law in 1841. In 1854 he was nominated by the Whig party as a candidate for Governor of the State. During the canvass he held joint discussions with his opponent, Ashbel P. Willard, in sixtyfive counties the State. He was defeated, but ran far ahead of his ticket. Mr. Williams took an active part in securing the location of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad through Warsaw' and was for some years one of the directors of the road. In 1859 he was elected one of the directors of the northern Indiana prison at Michigan City. In 1863 he was appointed commander of Camp Allen at Fort Wayne, with authority to raise troops. Within six weeks he bad - four'Tul 1 regiments in the fielcl. He was then appointed paymaster for volunteer troops, with headquarters at Louisville, Ky., where he remained to the close of the war. In 1866 he was elected by the Republican party to the Fortieth Congress, re-elected as member of the Fortyfirst and Forty-second Congresses, and in 1872 was elected as member from the State at tyrge of the Forty-third Congress. He was*appointed by President Garfield as minister to Paraguay and Uruguay, South America, his commission being da teTLfhe day President Garfield was shot by Guiteau, which position he held for several years.

. Will Give Up Their Pastor. The spring meeting of the Indianapolis Presbytery was held at Indianapolis and during the session Elder Vinson Carter of the Tabernacle Church presented the question of the dissolution of the pastoral relations existing between Dr. Rondthaler and the church. He said that the membership was loath to give up the pastor, but believed that it was best, hik'd joined with him in asking that the relations which have existed for more than eleven years be dissolved. The petition was granted and a number of ministers took occasion to say a few words in parting with him. The most extended talk was made by Dr. Milburn of the Second Church, who said: “I first feel a personal regret that he is going away and then a feeling of felicity, a great joy that he is going to a sphere where he will be of high use. He wkl be missed fully as much by the city of Indianapolis as by his own church. But it may be a good thing for him that he goes. In this age, that is so versatile and mercurial, we want changes in pastors occasionally. He is going to k great city, where light and help are needed. It is a place where they need his bustling spirit.” ' . i • Watches and Cash in a Bag Bair. Fletcher High ley, a fanner living near Liberty, received several hundred dollars the other day from the sale of some stock and placed the money in his wife’s rag hag for safe keeping fearing that thieves might find it if it were known to be abouF the house. The repository seemed such a safe' oh' that he' added vhls gold watch and one belonging to his wife., Saturday he was away from home, and, a peddler calling, Mrs. Highley sold the rags for half a cent a pound, and received a tin saucepan valued at 20 cents. When Mr. Highley returned in the evening and was about to deposit a few more dollars in the rag bag he found it empty and his wife reported the sale of the rags, and showed the saucepan wit-- the expectation of haring her shrewdness complimented. Mrs. Highley was horrified to learn that the bag contained S6OO, and her and her husband’s watches. Mr. Highley started after the peddler and found him near Richmond. He professed to know nothing of the money and the watch and said thnt the rags had been shipped to an Eastern rag firm. Mr. Highley wired the firm. ' Wanted to Keep the Children, Henry Osborne, manager of the Nicklood’ian Theater at lndinnapulis, was held under bonds for conspiracy to kidnap Arizona and Ilosa Wilson, aged 7 and 9 years, of Danville, 111. The children came to Indianapolis some days ago, and, ‘it is said, nnVe been spirited away by Mamie'Quintette, an attache of the theater. Witnesses testified to conversations between Osborne and the Quintette woman, and Osborne’s partner testified that he had said that he proposed to get possession of the girls and bring them up for his show. The parents of the children were in court during the preliminary trial.

JAMES SULLIVAN AT 100.

MARTIN RAFFERTY AT 60.

MRS. DUPAOUIER AT 91.