The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-08-28
STRANGE NARRATIVE.
Freak OF the Late Storm.-it Olsen.
tombs a Skeleton.

w Oiip Ioc iollOWluS lTOIu tuo
Miami, Ohio, Democrat of Piqua.
Without occupying much of your
valuable space, beg leave TO detail
an accident connected with the terri.
BILE hurricane that passed over the
Miami Valley, on the eve of the
GLORIOUS Fourth"
On the we'll known old Anderson
Farm whose fertile acres extended
into the banks of the historic Miami,
stands, or rather stood fine old oak
grove. A fortnight since the large
trees stood erect and intact, but now
two thirds of them are lying on the
ground hurled about by the relent.
less fury of the last great storm.
Little did the storm demon think
when he set upon his mission of des-
tructiOn that he was destined to rob
tree of secre. which it has scrupu.
lously kept for eighty.two years.
have the facts of this storm acci-
dent from the lips of Mr.. Rogers, the
present occupant of the farm referred
to, and man of proverbial veraci-
ty.
Upon the morning subsequent to
the storm, on Satul day, Mr.. Rogers
in company with hired man pro.
ceeded to inquire into the extent of
the damages inflicted upon the prem
ises, and the first object point was
the ruined grove. The center tree
of the plat was noble oak, the king
over his fellows, and a tree which
had stood the ravages of time seem
ingly unscathed for several centu.
ries. This tree had been snapped
and fallen by the storm. Upon ex.
amining the fallen giant for the pur-
pose of ascertaining its worth as rail
timber, Mr.. Rogers made startling
discovery.
This was nothing less than that
the tree in falling had disgorged a
skeleton.
The bones were disconnected, vel
low as gold with age, and scattered
promiscuously over several feet of
pasturage. The skull was almost in
tact all the teeth save two-molars,
were still in their places, and there
was a scar on the left parietal bone
which looked like the memento of
some fierce cavalry charge. The
humerus of the right arm was shat
tered, and save the three defects just
mentioned the skeleton when put to.
gether was without blemish.
The tree in falling, / should have
mentioned, was rent asunder-a task
not difficult of accomplishment when
/ refer to the fact that An examina-
ton showed that the very heart of the
oak had been cleft by lightning. From
spot twenty feet from the ground
upward to the first great fork-a dis
tance of ten feet hollow extended,
and from this cavity the skeleton
had been hurled. "If we but knew
who he was," thought my informant,
Mr.. Rogers, and strange to say a
few moments after the twain discov-
cred that the tree had disclosed q
thrilling history.
An old fashioned leather pocket.
book or memorandum-book lay in a
remarkable state of preservation
which had no doubt been dropped
into the rent made by lightning, and
thus been preserved while its master
decayed. A few brass buttons of
an old and unique pattern were found
near the memorandum, but with the
latter we have to deal. This old
leather purse, entirely moneyless,
contained sundry papers covered
with rude penoilings, quite difficult
to trace, as they were written on the
backs of army passes and military
consignments which dated as far
back as 1880. NO. .t..tAaf
Mr.. Rogers conveyed the bones to
his house and set about reading the
memorandum of the captive of the
tree. But owing to his failing eye-
sight he could decipher but little,
and this little conglomerated mass
of .denunciations. But still he read
enough to learn that the eyes tina,
once shone in the now orbless sock.
cts had often looked upon Washing.
ton in the heat of battle, amid the
SHOWS OF Valley Forge, and the skel.
eton arm when, covered with flesh
and muscle had struck many stal.
wart blows for our. country. ~ yffs,
! The mans name as gathered from
! the papers was Robert Vanderburg,
/ native of Lancaster, Pa, and cap.
tain in the Revolutionary Army. lie
| was an aid to Washington during the
retreat across the Jerseys, and serv-
ed a time in Arnold's head quarters
| at West Point. In l79l he marched
with st. Clair against the north west
ern Indians, and in that famous de.
| feat Of that General on the Wa.
bash, Nov. sd, of the year jast writ.
| ten, be was wounded and captured.
But while being conveyed to the In.
dian town of Uppes' Piqua-a histor
ioal place well known to our read ders
l-he elected his escape, and found
himself hard pressed by the savage
foes. .a 49,. rairinp5s
/ He saw the hollow in the oak, and
and despite the mangled arm. and
| with the aid of o. beach ) that grew
beside the giant then, he gained the