Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1831-01-06

.a""s "Au roaring IN praise of himself, his
horse, and the United States Of America.
He boosted that he was born in the woods.
rocked IN sugar trough, and sucked bv
buffalo that he could tote a steamboat and
outrun a streak Of lightning; that his wife
was as handsome as pet fawn, and his
children real roarcrs. He bestowed SINH
lar cncomiums on his horse and finally a.
vowed himself friend to The United States
OF America; and then he commenced a.
gam and went over the same round, -four
ishing his rife at the time, and exerting his
lungs to their utmost. Although he often
declared that no could whip any man in the
round world, except Col. c. that he ft un-
der at New Orleans, nobody accepted the
challenge, or took offence; the whole be-
ing considered as a matter of course, and
as the natural effect Of stimulant potations
upon an illiterate man of ardent tempera-
ment, who. when duly sober, was gu hon.
est, quiet, and inofensive citizen.
Illinois Monthly Magazine.
The Bohan Upas Tree.--It is rather
singular phenomenon in the economy Of
! nature, That the Island Of Java should pro-
duce atthe same time the Mangosteen, the
most mellow and luscious Of fruits, and the
deadly Upas, the most malignant of pos-
ons. In the Journal Of botanist, lately
deceased, whom Napoleon sent to Java in
1910, 10 make collections of plants for the
imperial garden nj ST. Cloud, we find the
substance Of the following facts, which we
present to our readers. The Bohun Upas
is situated in a valley, watered by a rivulets
and encompassed by hills, at the distance
of fourteen leagues from Batavia. The
hills and mountains in its vicinage are en-
tirely barren and dcnuded, as nv verdure
can vegetate where the breeze watts the
pestilential vapors that arise from the pest
ferrous gum. of the Upas. The French
botanist, anxious on his return to France,
TO have been able to lay before the Empe-
ror correct description of the Java tree,
made at the risk of his life, tour all round
this dangerous spot, at about four leagues
distant from its deleterious influence, and
in every direction Of his circuit, he found
vegetation literally annihilatcd, and the as
pect or tho Sodntfy the most dismal and
dreary that could DO Imagined. Near the
easiest ascent of one Of the hills, abou, six-
teen miles from the station of the tree,
there resided then ar old Malayan Priest,
whose Office il was to prepare for eternity
the souls Of those who, for different crimes,
we're sent to procure the poison, which is a
commodity that yields the native govern.
ment considerable revenue. The poison
is gum which, like the camphor, issues
from the bark. Malefactors under sem
tence "f death are the only persons who
are compelled 10 gather this deadly and
baleful gum. The ministers of the native
sovereign provide them with tortoise
shell box, in which, they arc to put the pesii-
ferrous gum. These devoted criminals then,
proceed to the house Of the High Priest,
where they remain until the wind blows in
favorable direction, SO as to bear the eff
Auvia from them. AS soon as the desired
breeze arises, the priest prepares them for
their approaching fate. Al the moment Of
departure the priest puts on them long
leather cap, with two glasses before their
eyes, which comes down 10 their breast.-
Thus equipped, they set out on a journey
to that fatal &c bourne' from which but few
travellers return. The old ecclcsiastic as
sured our traveller, thar during residence
Of thirty years on this great thoroughfare Of
death, he had witnessed the departure to
the Upas of more than eight hundred I'M
happy beings, out Of whom not more than
thirty ever returned. Those who escaped
the dreadful influence Of the Upas, descri-
bed it as middling sized tree. decorated
with branches Of the most vivid verdure.
1t brOods sullenly over a rivnlet. as land
mark 81 vegetation, in the barren vale of
the wilderness, over which it waves its
poisoned foliage. =,
While our traveller remained in the ISL
and of Java, he witnessed the following
horrid instance Of the destructive Powe. OF
the Upas poison. In February 1910, he
was present at the execution Of twelve of
the Javanese kings mistresses, who were
convicted of being iaithless 10 his bed.
The fair and interesting criminals were
led into the great court Of the palace OF
Sora Charsa, where the judge passed the
sentence of death on them. After going
through many religious ceremonies, the ex-
ccutioner stripped their breasts. and then
claiming each Of the hapless delinqnents TO
a post, he proceeded to make nm incision on
the bosom with lancet poisoned eth the
Upas. The operation was performed on
them all in the space Of two minutes and
IL