Richland beacon. [volume] (Rayville, La.) 1869-1890, 1877-04-28
SOMTHING ABOUT TREES.

The editor Of the Ouachita Telegraph Sc,
on, in an article last week with the intention
of giving some good advice 10 fruit growers
abou, removing wires from around their trees,
bu, wandered off into the history of some Of
the "old lard marks" about Monroe, which
we find so interesting that we copy the entire
article for the information and entertainment
of our readers:
There is q beautiful young water oak al
the northeast corner Of the square which Is
suffering from slow amputaton near the
lower limbs from a wire guy bound around II
10 steady the heavy telegraph pole Just across
the street. The wire is imbedded in the tree,
and the strain from the post and the six tele
graph wires will certainly pull it through after
awhile.
At the corner of Messrs. Cobb & Gunby's
office there is a locust Of gooi size around
which several years ago trace chain was
passed to straighten the trees growth, the
ends Of the chain being 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
g,ound-the highth where it was originally
placed-but the tree has grown over the chain
for abent two.ihiIds Of its circumference.
In font of the Clerks Office there is
canlpa with q singular natural formation.
Some three feet from the ground the trunk
forks. About eight feet above, the two forks
unite. and apparently become one tree, as one
bark envelopes both. Above the junction,
ho~ ever, some three feet, the smaller fork
secedes, but points lis top in the opposite di-
recuon from that first taken. The forks be-
gin as cne, divide and remain divided a dis
lance Of 8 feet, with an intervening space
large enough for mans body to pass through,
then unite and continue united distance of
three feet, and then separate forever. But
some sacreligious tree.topper has cut away
the smaller fork about feet from the point Of
final separation, wound which the freakish
but jealous hand Of nature is now endeavor.
ing 10 heal with a new growth.
And we are just reminded by association
Of ideas Of another rather remarkable tree
worthy Of mention here. Three years ago a
wood-chopper felled a large oak Of the over
cup variety, and made it into cord wood. IL
stood on the Bry tract of land, over two miles
from the courthouse. 1t vas a very large
tree, and in splitting it up, the axe.man found
imbedded in the very heart of the tree, where
the trunk had q diameter Of over two feet
and some ten feet from the root, an old cannon
ball weighing six pounds. Mr.. E. S. Austin
procured the ball and has it now. There
was no visible external scar on the tree, or
indication of the passage of the ball through
he wood 70 its resting place. The ball is,
doubtless, a relic Of the Spanish occupation of
Fort Myro, now Monroe.
And still another tree with history must
be mentioned, and we leave the trees-if you
will. A little above the former residence Of
Mr.. G.. BTcard, just above town, there stands
venerable cotton wood at the edge of the
road. /; is no ways remarkable in appear
ance, except for its age, which is fast wither
ing its limbs but it has tragic history. Many
years ago, on a limb, growing on the north
side OF the tree, poor soul. weary of life
ana waiting for Death, went to the old cotton
wood one night, and, from the limb indicated
swung himself by the neck into eter li,y. He
was found dead and dangling from the limb
next morning. Nothing strange you may say,
but il is strange, and il is q fact, that this
limb, now to be seen, has assumed an eccen-
,ricity in growth and shape which Is simply
INDISPENSABLE without the aid of diagram
1t forms, if we recolect three sides OF
square some three feet from the trunk, and
then rambles into strange vagaries too tedious
10 narrate, even if we could. The circum.
stances Of the murder Of DR.. 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 a
tree where he had taken bis lunch and fed
his horse. He mounted his horse and delv.
cred the fatal shot undeT the shade Of the old
cotton wood we have described.
But the point we set out to make has es-
capped us-lf you have any small fruit trees
tied around with "lirle bits Of wre," by the
nurseryman, to secure the wooden label bear
them.