The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-07-21
ASTOUNDING VILLAINY.
A Michigan Fruit Orchard Destroyed
Fifteen Hundred Trees GirdIed in
Night ST 500 Reward Offered for
the Discovery of the Perpetrators.

Our excellent and valuable adjacent
community in the fruit regions of ST.
Joseph has been thrown into state of
excitement by an act of astounding
villainy, perpetrated few nights since,
which for boldness and breadth of the
nefarious design, and what must have
been the laborious industry of its con-
summation, deserves to stand atthe
head of its department of the criminal
list. In a single night, 1,500 fruit
trees of all varieties, many of them in
high bearing condition, and all of the
choicest stock, were girdled by some
internal agency, for whose throats the
Spanish garotte would be too mild a
girdle. Our fellow-citizen, Martin
Green, Esq, an enterprising contrac-
tor ON the canal and harder work is
among those of Chicago residents who
early saw the noble promise of st.
Joseph region for fruit culture. For
some years, with the most liberal and
generous skill, he has been beautify
ing and creating an orchard paradise
at benton Harbor, adjoining st. Jo-
seph, and his extensive grounds had
reached the condition of being full of
trees of the choicest description of
peaches. plums, appricots, cherries,
pears and apples.
1t is estimated that the value of his
premises could not have been less
than $4,000. In a single night this
promise has been blasted, and on the
morning following it was discovered,
by actual count, 1000 of his choicest
trees had been hacked and girdled-
this statement beng at once indicative
OF the extent of the noble orchard and
the bulk of the enormous knavery that
sought this met 'hod of revenge. Evi-
IDENTIFY no one singly could have done
the work, for it was thoroughly done !;
the bark of the tree, after having been
carefully cut, WAS hacked and drawn
back, with the evident determination
that the malice should not fail in it's
object.
While the local authorities and citi-
zens at once entered upon measures to
offer rewards for the arrest of the vii
lains, creating fund of 81 800 for
that purpose, a force of the most eX-
perienced orchardists, with their assis-
tants, went into sanitary commission
effort to-succor and save as far as could
be. Some of the trees, it was seen in
stantly, were beyond help, but an in
l-r=.4ss5,rr>sso ssonzyyas made and measures
taken to rescue, if possible, from one
thousand to twelve hundred of the
trees by processes which at this sea-
son of the brisk flow of sap, needed to
be speedy to be effectual. The whole
region was laid under contribution for
rags and grating wax.
The grafting-wax was heated in
large kettles; women and children
and dipped the rags, the tree
surgeons tenderly closed the gaps in
the ragged and torn bark, and closed
the orifices closely with bandages, af
ter painting the whole literally with
the hot wax to exclude the air and pro-
tect the repairs that must be left to ma
ture, whether on the trunks of trees or
the limbs of men. 1t will be among
the most interesting and important of
all the problems of fruit culture ever:
reached, the solution of this matter of I
Martin Green's ravaged orchards, and
fruit culturists in all sections of the
country await with eagerness the re-
suit of the field hospital operations
among these Benton Harbor victims
Of one of the most remarkable and afro
ciOus outrages it has ever been ORR
province to record. The value of the
trees thus visited could not be estimat- |
Ell at less than $20,000