Paul Williams
PAUL WILLIAMS 102 YEARS OLD
GETS AROUND REAL WELL FOR A MAN OF HIS AGE. LIVES AT SHELBY.
There are perhaps few people who realize that Cedar Creek Township has a resident who is 102 years, but nevertheless it is a fact. Paul Williams, who makes his home with Mr. and Mrs. Silas Latta at Shelby, will have attained that age on March 24th. He was born in New York on March 24, 1826. He came west when he was a young man and for five years he was a member of the Rangers in the state of Minnesota. One of the duties of the Rangers was to look after and quell the warlike activities of the Indians in that section. He informed us while in our office one day last week that he came near meeting death a number of times at their hands.He still carries a scar on his forehead where he was struck by a tomahawk in the hands of an Indian. The nearest he came to dying at their hands was when he was captured by the red man and they had him tied to a stake, and were piling brush about him to burn hum alive. This was a favorite sport of the Indians in those days when they captured a white man. While he was tied to the stake the chief of the tribe taunted him and Mr. Williams kicked him on the shins in the hope that the Indian would split his head open with his tomahawk and kill him in that way, so that he would be spared the tortures of being burned. The chief, however, did not do this, but struck him on the foot with his tomahawk, and Mr.Williams carries these scars to this day. His life was saved, however, by an Indian for whom he had done a favor.
When his service in the Rangers ceased he came to Indiana, where he has since resided. When the Civil War broke out he enlisted in the 20th Indiana Volunteers and served with honor in that regiment until the close of the war.
Mr. Williams is a man with whom it is a pleasure to talk. He retains all his faculties and can converse intelligently on any subject. He gets around very well and comes to Lowell quite often, where he is known and respected by a large circle of friends. He enjoys visiting with his friends and gives interesting accounts of happenings that took place before many of us were born. He has seen the United States grow from a comparatively weak nation to one of the most powerful nations of the world, and he can well feel proud of the fact that he did his share in helping to make our country what it is today.
We trust that Mr. Williams will live to enjoy many years yet, and that his health will remain good.
Go to Paul Williams, "Pioneer History Index," for further information.
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