, 1884-06-11
IN AN OLD CHESTNUT TREE
h Mystery or n Girls Disappear
Rnee Probably Explained.

New York TrfbnneJ
One of the Oldest landmarks in the village
OF Delhi was a large hollow chestnut tree,
which stood nearly opposite the home of A
". Webb, in Main street. 1t had grown to
such huge dimensions as to occupy at least
one.half Of the sidewalk. During the last
three or four years tho tree has been dying,
and as mapyAof its dead branches hung over
the walk, thg authorities feared that some
one might DO injured by them in falling; so
gave an order that the tree be removed. The
work was begun several days ago by saving
off the limbs. When this was done workmen
began to saw the trunk OIL about three feot
above ground. They had sawed only one
third through when the saw struck n hard,
metallic substance, and the men had to stop
Axes were secured, and the tree cut open.
To the surprise Of everybody the obstruc.
ton TO the saw was found to be au old pistol of
French design, bearing the date I74a. 1t was
covered with rust and the date was almost
undiscernible. Immediately below the an
cient weapon lay a human skull, in the center
of the forehead Of which was a round hols
evidently made by a bullet. The news spread
like wildfre through the village, but no one
ventured an explanation of the strange find.
There has for a long time been a tradition
regarding the tree, but 1t was not until re-
Gently hat The Tribune correspondent
learned the true story, when he called upon
Abram johnson, who lives about a mile out
side the village, and who is now in his SD
year. IA. johnson had not heard OF the
discovery, but readily recalled the story Of
the tree which he had heard from his grand
father, who was an officer OF the revolution.
THAT tree said Mrs. johnson, anus. DO
nigh onto 200 years old. Why. my granther
user to tell us boys about playing around
that tree when he was a lad, an that IS over
n hundred years ago, an twas an old tree
then. Lemme see" and he reflected a mo-
ment; "Oh yes, l can remember what he used
to tell us about that tree. When he was
young they called it the 'Injun's fate from
the fact that an Injun was onct hanged there
fur murderin' a poor white girl in cold
blood. She war q pretty thing, and the In
jun who war a sort o chief In his tribe-I
forget what tribe it wnr-wanted her to be-
come his wife. She refused, an he met her
one night just about dusk an quarreled with
her under that tree. There was no
settlement there then, only a few
scatterin' cabins of the hunters.
Mex mornin' arter they were seen under that
tree, the poor girl was missing. Under the
tree thar was a pool o. blood found. All
efforts to trace the crime failed, but it was
deemed certain that the Injun had killed her,
and the few white men who lived about here
made a sort of vigilance committee and swore
vengeance on him They captured him one
day an took him to the tree an prepared TO
hang him. He begged piteously to be al
lowed to live, but they were unrelenting,
and then he grew sullen aud would not
speak. Even when he had the rope around
his neck he wouldn't tell what he had done
with the girl. No doubt this explains it all.
The tree must ave been hollow, and he
dropped her and the pistol he did the shootin'
with in there and thought to conceal his
crime. Tn affair made a good deal of ex-
citement in them times