The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-04-20


frame grenadines just received and are
being added rs special intlucement at
the great sale of S. NEVER.
There is \ beautiful young water oak
at the northeast corner of the square
which is suffering from slow amputa-
ton near the lower limbs from Il wire
guy bound around it to steady the
heavy telegraph pole just across the
street. The wire is imbetldetl in the
tree, and the strain :rom tho post and
the six telegraph wires will certainly
pull it through after awhile.
| At the corner Of N1cssrs Cobb & Gun
by's Office there is 4 locust of good size
around which several years ago trace
chaln was passed to straighten the
trees growth, the ends of the chain be-
ing. confined to the office. Finally the
ends Of the chain became detached,
but not before the wood and bark of the
| tree had closed over the chain. The
| chain is hanging there now, some ten
| feet from the ground-the highth where
| it was originally placed-but the tree
has grown over the chain for about
two-thirds of its circumference.
In front Of the Clerks Office there is
catalpa with singular natural forma-
ton. Some three feet from the ground
the trunk forks. About eight feet
above, the two forks unite, and appar-
entity become one tree, rs one bark en-
velopes both. Above the junction,
however, some three feet, the smaller
fork again secedes, but points its top in
the opposite direction from that at first
taken. The forks begin as one, divide
and remain divided a distance of s
feet, with space intervening large
enough for IL mans body to pass
through, then unite and continue united
q distance of three feet, and then sepa-
rate forever. But some sacrileSious
tree-topper has cut away the smaller
fork about B feet from the point OF final
separation, 4 wound which the frcakish
but jealous hand of nature is now en-
deavoring to heal with !, new growth.
And we are just reminded by associa-
ton of ideas of another rather remark
able tree worthy of mention here.
Three years ago Il wootl-chopper felletl
a large oak OF the over-cup variety.
and made it into cord wood. It stood
on the Bry tract OF land, over two miles
from the courthouse. IT was 4 very
large tree, and in splitting it. up, the
aXe-man found imbetied in the very
heart Of the tree, where the trunk had
a diameter of over two fcet and some
ten feet from tho root, an old cam
non hall weighing six pounds. Mr..
T.. S. Austin procured the ball and has
it now. There was no visible external
passage Of the ball through the wood to
its resting place. The ball is, doubtless,
a relic of the Spanish occupation of Fort
Myro, now Monroe.
And still another tree with a history
must be mentioned, and we leave the
former residence Of Mr.. G. Brearh, Just
above town, there stands venerable
cotton wood ut the edge OF the road. It
is no ways remarkable in appearance,
except for its age, which is fast wither-
ing its limbs, but it has q tragic history.
Many years ago, on a limb, growing
on the north side OF the tree, u poor soul
weary Of life and OF waiting for Death,
went to the old cotton wood one
night, and, from the limb indicated,
swung himself by the neck into eterni-
ty. He was found dead and dangling
from the limb next morning. Nothing
strange you may say, but it is strange,
and it is = fact, that this limb, now to
be seen, has assumed an ccccntricity in
growth and shape which is simply in
describable without the aid ola dia-
gram. It forms, if we rccollcct, three
sides of a square some three feet from
| the trunk and then rambles into strange
| vagaries too tedious to narrate, even if
we could. The circumstances of the
murder Of the late DIR. Dinkgrave are
still fresh in the minds of our readers
He was killed about four O'Clock in the
afternoon by man disguised and on
horseback. The murderer was lying
in wait in the shade of tree where he