The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-02-14
THE MAN-EATING TREE.
Horrible Produce of Nature---
The Devil Fish of the Vege-
table Kingdom.

Horrible Produce of Nature--
i The Devil Fish of the Vege-
table Kingdom.
If you imagine pineapple tree
eight feet high and thick in proper
tlon. resting upon its base and de-
nuded of leaves, you will have q
good idea of the tree, which, how.
ever was not the color of a banana,
but dark, dingy brown, and ap-
/ parently as hard as iron. From the
apex Of this fusticated cone, at least
two feet in diameter, eight huge
leaves sheer to the ground, like
doors swinging back on their hinges.
These leaves, which are joined at the
top Of the tree at regular intervals.
were eleven or twelve feet long and
shaped very much like the American
agave or century plant. They are
two feet through in their thickest
point and three feet wide, tapering
to a sharp point that looks like a
COWS horn, very convex on the out
er (but now under} surface, and on
the upper (now under) surface, slight
ly concave. This concaVe surface
was thickly set with strong thornv
hooks like those upon the head of
the teazel. These leaves hanging.
limp and lifeless, dead green in COL
or, had in appearance, the strength
of oak fibre. Tho apex of the cone
was round, white concave figure,
like a smaller plate set within larg-
er one. This was not a flower, but
a receptacle, and there exuded into
it clear, treachly, liquid honey,
sweet and possessed Of violent in
toxicating and soporiic properties.
From underneath the rim $50 to
speak, of the undermost plate. q
series Of long hairy, green tendrils
stretched out in every direction to-
ward the horizon These were seven
or eight feet long and tapered from
four inches to a half inch in diameter
yet they stretched out stiffiy as iron
RODS. Above these (from between
the upper and inner cup)3ix white
almost transparent palpi reared
themselves toward the sky, twirling
and twirling with a marvellous inces- |
SAINT motion. yet constantly reach
ing upward. Thin as reed and frail |
as quilts, apparently. were yet five /
Or six feet tall, and were so con- /
stantly and vigorously in motion.
with such subtle, sinuous, silent
against the air, with their /
of serpents fiayed, yet /
dancing on their tails. Ny observa-
lions on this occasion were sudden
ly interrupted by the natives who
had been shrieking around the tree
with their shrill voices, and chant
ng what Hendrick told me were
hymns to the great treo
levii. With still wilder shrieks and
chants they now surrounded one of
,he women, and urged her with the
points Of their javelins, until slowly,
md with desparing face she climbed
Up the stalk of the tree and stood on
he summit Of the cone, the ralpi
all about her. "Tsik
rsikT drink! drink y cried the
nan. STOPPING she drank Of the
'iscid acid in the cup, raising in
tantly again with wild frenzy in
Ter face and convulsive cords in her
limbs. But she did not jump down
IS she seemed to intend to do. Oh, {
10! The atrooious caanibal tree.
hat had been so inert and dead.
ane to sudden life. Tho slender,
le'icate palpi, with the fury of starv.
I'd serpants quivered q moment over
Ter head, then as if instinct with de-
noniac intelligence, fastened upon
Ter in sudden coil round and round
Ter neck and arms, and while her I
,wful screams and yet more awful
aughter rose wildly to be Instantly
trangled down again in a gurglinq
moan, and the tendrils one after an,
'ther, like green serpents, with bru-
al energy and Internal rapidity. rose
'rotracted themselves and wrapped
Ter in fold after fold, ever tighten
ng with cruel swiftness and SAVAGE
enacity Of anacondas fastening up-
IN thoir prey. 1t was tie barbarity
# the LAGOON without its beauty
his strange horrible murder. And
ow the great leaves rose slowly
nd stiffiy, like the arms of a der
Ick, erected themselves in air, ap-
roached one another and closed
bout the dead and hawpered victim
nth the silent force OF hydraulic
ress and the ruthless purpose of a
A moment more, and
1hile | could see the basis of these
reat levers pressing more tightly
oward each other from their inter
tices, there trickled down from the !
talk of the tree great streams of
t the viscid honey-like fluid, mingled
orrlbly with the blood and oozino
iscera Of the victim. At sight of
his the sayages gathered around
le' yelling madly, bounding forward
rowded TO the tree, clasped it and
nth cups, leaves, hands and tongues
ach one obtained enough of the
quid to send him mad and frantic.
)l' jag In the SOeah Australiaa Reg
ster.
THE BEST FRIEND. The most agree