The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-06-26
THE DEVIL TREE.
A Cannibal Plant Discovered I'm the jun
giles of mudagascRr-TheI mmoIatIon
of Female Victim.

Botanists and naturalists have hard
ly promulgated to suffering humanity
| the curative and medicinal properties of
the Eucalyptus and it's atmospheric,
malaria-counteracting qualities, than
we are told of an African tree, which
is its exact counterpart, since it draws
its existence from living animal life,
and, like an anaconda, feasts upon the
blood of its poor victims. The story
is most extraordinary one, and we
| give 1t for the benefit of our readers, as
we lind 1T in a German magazine, only
IN more condensed form and in less
enthusiastic light than is scientific dis
coverer has portrayed it.
For nearly century botanists have
believed In a theory of their own re-
gerding the existence of carnivorous
plants, which they argued were anoma-
lies In the vegetable kingdom, and
which, departing from the general laws
OF nature, instead of supplying food
and nourlshment to animal life, yield
ing medicinal qualities or clothing the
| earth with beauty and orn ,ment, were
not only destructive to life, but fed and
existed upon it. Until the present year
this theory has not received positive
confirmation, but now, according to
Herr Karl Leche, an eminent German
botanlst, all doubts regarding the exis-
tence OF c2rnlvOrOus or flesh eating
| plants are set at rest. A recent num-
| Der of CRETE and Walthe's magazine,
| published in the city of Carlsrude, con
! talns portion of letter from Karl
Leche, from Madagascar, to his friend
and scientific colleague and cO-Worker,
DIR. Freidlousky, of that city, wherein
he depicts the wonder of a new discov-
cry made by him of carnivorous tree,
called "Devil Tree" by the natives, and
named CGrinOidG DGjeeana by himself.
In Yankee vulgate, Herr Leche must
| have had carnivoroBs vegetable re-
| search on the brain, since for many
years he has devoted his time, thought,
money and labor to this sole object, and
now that he finds it crowned with sue
cess, his enthusiasm equals that of DR..
Sehlelmann, the arch@ologist, in the
supposed discovery of the site of an
cient Troy, and the jewels of the tickle
! and false Mrs. Helen Menalaus, who
caused the Grecians such a world of
trouble, aud the Trojans their lives and
the destruction of their capital.
In 1869, Herr Leche heard that man
eating trees existed in the dense pine
forests of North Carolina Sin the
| United States of Americ4," and thither
he proceeded, but our readers may rest
assured that, aside from the tough corn
dodgers, he found no life-destroyirg
vegetation in the remarkable state
which is now busy in bringing forth a
volcano, and was the adopted homo of
the Siamese twins. Disguised with
the State of North Carolina in the
| United States" he accepted a cordial
Invitation from the Grant medical col
lege, of Bombay, to examine, under its
patronage, the fauna and flora of India
and Southern Asia. There other emil
nent botanists bad preceded him, and,
as no carnlvorOus plants had been found
by them, he concluded, after some re-
search, that they did not exist in Asia,
and began to turn his attention toward
Africa, that mysterious land, which,
next to the Polar regions, offers the
best field to pioneer research, explora-
ton, and tlavel. DR.. Dajee, learned
physician of Bombay, who in youth had
| visited Madagascar with trading expe-
dltiOn, advised him that upon that ex-
tens1ve island he would find new and
untrodden field for his Investigations,
and proposed to furnish the pecuniary
| II.
proposal Herr Leche accepted ioyfully,
and for the last two years he has been
there pursuing his search for carnivo-
rous plants, to be rewarded at last by
| success.
In the jungles of Madagascar, his At
rlcan guide described the existence of a
singular tree which fed upon animal
life, and IN Ter his leadership Herr
Leche proceeded to the LAND of the
Mikados, a tribe of dwarfs, of a savage,
warlike nation, who formed no family
ties, dwelt amid forests and caverns,
constructing no habitations and having
no other religious belief than a rever-
ence for the cannibal tree, TO which
they offered human victims and accorded
most absolute idolatry and worship.
One morning among the dense shades
OF tropical jungle, they came suddenly
upon one of these trees, to which their
attention was attracted by large crowd
of natives, shrieking wildly and scream
ing IN shrill voices, which his guide ex-
planned as the preliminary ceremonies
OF human sacrifice they were about to
offer to the "Devil Tree"
From a distance they watched their
proceedings, and while doing SO Herr
Leche wrote a scientific botanical des-
criptlOn of this wonderful tree, which
we will endeavor to analyze into COLO
| QuIal parlance. It's shape is like pine
apple, and its leaves, when not taking
their unnatural nourishment, are of a
dark, dlngy brown color, eight in num-
Der, which hang toward the ground, are
two feet thick, three feet wide, twelve
feet long, taper to a harp point, are
covered with thorny projecting hooks,
and IN shape resemble the century
plant. The apex of the truncated cone
from which the leaves grow is two feet
in diameter, while its color is white, its
form round, and appears like small
plate set III larger one, from which q
series of long green tendrils, seven or
eight feet in length, stretch horizontal
ward in every direction. From this
fpex exudes clear, sirup-like liquid,
possessing highly Intoxicating and So
porific qualities. The shrieks of the
natives grew louder and more fierce as
they approached the tree, and present
ly they gathered around a woman of
their number, and with pointed javelins
forced her towards it, and with look
of despair and submission she began
to climb the stalk, whose height was
| about eight feet, and as she reached the
apex OF the cone, the pendant tendrils
of the tree raised themselves upward
and began gradually to Irvine them
selves about her neck and arms "Tish!'
" fish y or ''drink ~ "drink!" shouted
her companions, threatening her with
their javclins, and as she bowed herself
| TO drink the hOney-like LIQUID, a wild
frepzied look spread over her features,
and convulsive shudderings shook her
form. She essayed to jump to the
ground in her agony, but the natives
forced her back, and presently the
! leaves and tendrils closed about her
like an anaconda, crushing her in their
terrib embrace. Herr Leche says sit
was a representation of the LAGOON
without its beauty" AS her death had
been accomplished, the horrible sava-
ges crowded to the base of the tree and
gathered in cups the sirup-like fluid,
mingled with her blood, which now
flowed copiously down its trunk, unim-
peded by the life-destroying leaves.
This they drank eagerly, and immedi-
ately grew frantic with delirium, giving
way to indescribably disgusting orgies
| mill overcome with insenSibilitv nre-