FAR BEYOND A CENTURY. Death of Mrs. Silvia Dennis at One Hundred and Five Years. AN IX-SLAVC, FRE'D PY HE SON. Strange story of Houthara Roadaae, Inierwovaa Hitb the llaye of 'He-Acquainted With Washington's Iniuli. On a silver plate of a casket, lying In the little rear parlor of 2507 Bush siroet. It engraved the inscription! "Mr. Silvia nnis, Died December 22, 1892, Aged 105 Years and 6 Months." Mrs. Dennis, whose death occurred on Thursday night, was a colored woman and for the purlod of a ordinary llfo time the had boon a slave. She was nuulo free, however, before tho National act of mancipation, and In bar liberation there It ttory, Tbe youth and early life of Mrt. Dennis were tpent at Raleigh, N. C, her birthplace. There she married at the ago of seventeen years. While she was still very young her husband died, and toon after that time the wat taken by the owncr't family to Louisiana and later to Alabama. She was married again at Montgomery, and ubsequeutiy lived la Ylrgtna and in Goorgia. Of her eleven children the oldest boy that lived wat George, now a man of seventy years, who It numbered among the Califcrnia forty-niners. It wat this son George who eventually bought hit mother't freedom, and the way that tho opportunity occurred wat told by him yesterday. HOW FRKKDOM Wat PURCHASED. "The man who originally had possession of us was a planter named Baker. He got Into torn butinest difficulty and told ut all a Mr. Walton. Tblt wat in Georgia. After a few yeart Walton gave ut as security for a loan obtained from a promi nent gambler, ureene K. Dennis, who later came to Stn Francisco. As tbe money wasn't paid back we were all transferred to tbe Deunit plantation. It wasn't long after that. In the winter of 1848, that Dennis made up his mind to go to California, and at partners on the trip he had tome good men who will bo remembered by the old people hereAndy Mc- bo, Jim Johnson and T. J. Chambers. Yes, they are all in Lone Mountain now. ''Dennis thought be would tage me along with him and he promised that if I would go and take care of him until be and the others made 1100,000 he would set me free. We came over tbe istbinus, and during a tlx weeks' stop at Panama Dennis cleared nearly 150,000 at gambling. But mat didn't help me any. WelL we got to San Francisco In 1849, and we camped on what it now tbe site of tbe New City Hall. I remember that our landing place was where the corner of Montgomery and Clay streets now it. " McCabe. Johnson and Chambers were good friends to me, but Dennlt was a cruel and savage fellow who always wore two pistols. Dennis never intended to free me, for bit partners opened my eves. Whon 1 found out that the promise of my freedom would not bo kept I began to work in every way i could to make money. 1 determined to buy myself, and then rescue my mother, who, with the children taken from her, was then a widow of more than sixty years. A SLAV! AT THI EL DORADO. " Dennis and tbe others ran faro games at the old El Dorado Hotel, Kearny and Washington streets, and there my three friends looked out for me. They wouldn't toucn tne piles or bit-pieces, and I ofton beard one of them call: 'Here, George, take this chicken-feed away.' I got f 20 or :-)0 every day that wav, and in a few weeks gave Dennis 11,000 for mvselx. The transaction was registered in the Custom bouse and I had to assume the name of Dennis. Then I saved the money to got mv motner, ana wnen Jim jonnson went on a trip to Georgia I sent it by him. I paid su ior ner and f zsu ior her passage. She has been with me ever since." Mrs. Dennis, who also received the name whon made free, wat blind for six teen years before her death. But otherwise her senses were strong. She remembered George Washington, and was personally acquainted with his servants in Virginia. She bad also seen Thomas Jefferson, and she knew Andrew Jackson by sight. - She was in New Orleans during the war of 1812, and her stories of that time have often thrilled the scores of her descendants. After coming here she was the nurse of David S. Terry. In addition to the son who freed Mrs. Donnis, there are three daughters and another ton in the South. Her several grandsons are well known in this city, and there are six grandchildren.