The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1885-09-11
rnE nuAs.sArlSG TREE,
rArrl,ns story Of an naull.A traveller.


hunter in Central Africa with man.
eating tree, and the death of o native
lad who, in chasing fawn, was caught
within i's hloodthirsty branches and
had his life crushed out before assist-
ance could ba rendered him.
The article wan evidently intended
to enlist the interest and fascinate the
imagination Of It's readers, and undoubt-
edly effected It's object, but, unfortun-
ateiy 10, The veraciiy of the would be
adventnrer, il is we'll known fac. that
60 the mesent time no eating tree
has yet been found IL Africa, nor 10 the
only known species ef this ,are mon
strosi,y Of the vegetable kingdom at all
like that described in tho narrative.
A gentleman who has Travelled in
Africa and is well acquainted With the
gentleman who was an eyewitness Of
the thrilling scene given below. fcrn-
ishes The following
The msn-ea,ing tree Is helieyed to be
one ef the numerous species of cacti and
so far as known is indigenous to the
soil Of the island Of Madagascar, where
il is gu object so rarely met with that
the natives regard il with yeneration
aud worship 1t as sn altar at which the
power Of evil resides. The writer has
never seen the tree but will give a.
nearly as possible. in tho language Of
Mr.. Herbert Rhodes, an English gentle
man who spent nambe- Of years a.
the Court Of the MaIagese Qaecn and
travelled great deal in the interior Of
the island, his account of the tree and
the sacrifice OF human being to ita
blood-loviug nature. "I had often
heard" be says, "of this wonderful
denizen Of the forests and had had re-
lated TO me numerous instances Of its
peculiar appetite and when upon ar
irving at one of the villages or hamlets
| in the far interior, was informed that
an important ceremony was TO DO gone
through the following day and that
maiden was 10 be sacrificed on the man
eating tree TO appease the anger Of the
evil spirit, you may naturally imagine
that was determined to see for myself
il possible, whsther this tree and il
qualities we're an absolute fact, or, ss
always suspected either a myth or Ar
open fraul practiced on the common
herd By their rulers or priesthood
After some palavering and the gifs o.
Iinnumerabla beads aud other articles o
value to the natives my guide auanges
with one Of the headmea that / shoulC
be secreted in some shrnb5ery al some
distance from the fatal tree but neal
enough to watch every incident Stric'
liuiunctions were given that no matter
what happened vas to remain IN ml
hiding place, as, il discovered | shoul'
surely be sacrificed, as no stranger ha'
ever been allowed 10 be present during
the performance Of the sacred rites.
shall pass over the earlier incident Q
the day and touch at orce on the arin
cipal event, the remembrancs OF ~hicl
is like some fearful nightmare, or
lingering phantasma Of fever-stricke
brain. At an early hour / was hurrie
t. my hiding place, small thicket 9
trees and shrubs skirting an open glad
some 800 yards in diameter. In th
! ceuter of tho glade and In che midst {
]. q smaller circle os bare ground on whic
. not vestige Of foliage Of any sortcoul
4 be seen, stood what looked like an en-
, ormous cactus Of the kind common
: known as the prickIy pear. Having
good field glass with me was able
examine it minutely. The trunk fro
= the base 10 about four feet from Il
!, ground was bare of branches and cove
. el with thick, dark bark full Of lar
warty excreseDces. At four feet fro
the ground the trunk ended and Giro
of large, thick leaves exactly similar
. those on the prickly pear, only s
times as large, rose from It's outer ri
dropping gracefully outward at the Z
Y and forming sort of large bowl, I
bottom Of which was covered wi
leaves Of a later growth. Every le
was bristIing with III iss of hard thor
least tx ne,r, ia length. While
h al been maxim; these observations {
sounds of tom-toms and nume:c
other diabolical instruments, acco
panied by shrieks, yells, and otf
sounds emitted from the human thro
. growing nearer and nearer, proved Il
- the time for the ceremony was near
e. hand and at this moment the proc
r. r. sion headed by the victim, young
rk of about eighteen years Of age, held
g, pushed along by two strong men,
81 half dead with fear, entered the gla
"a. Without describing the usual mum
y erv that invariably accompanies simi
. scenes anougst barbarians, will sin
" glance at the horrid sight that
lowed. Frantic with fear and half