Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-09-19
vEcETABLE CURIOSITY

VEGETABLE CURIOSITY.
a Mysterious Plant That Marks the Site
OF an Old Tragedy.
For three-quarters of century,
says a resident of Livingston County,
'.three stalks of a plant " hich has not
been found in any other part of the
State. and seems to be generally un-
known west of Connections. have
sprung up every season, bl0ssomed,
and gone to seed. on a spot between
Avon Springs and Caledonia. and have
never had any increase beyond the
original number. This fact and the
sudden and mysterious manner in
which the plant appeared at that par
ticular place, where it marks the
scene of a bloody tragedy. committed
in the pioneer days of Western New
York. make the spot the object of
daily visits. both from those who live
in the neighborhood and the summer
sojourners at Avon Springs.
The plant grows near the old State
road. on what was formerly part of
the Hosmer estate. The State road,
which was built in 1871. was the thor
oughfare by which the first emigrants
from the east entered that portion of
the Genesee valley. In October 1914,
a body of American troops. on its way
from Buffalo to Sackets' Harbor over
this road, camped for MONDAY ra-
tions near the roadside. not far from
the Hosmer homestead. 1t was on
Sunday. and the previous day had been
pay day among the troops. The men
had all their pay with them, no oppor-
tunity having offered for spending
any of it. The troops resumed their
march after eating their rations. Soon
after they had left the spot two sol
diers. who were evident stragglers,
were seen about the deserted camp.
Toward the middle of the afternoon
the report of q gun was heard at the
Hosmer house, coming from the direc-
ton of the camp. No attention was
paid to it, but half an hour later some
persons who visited the camp, where
the fires were still smoulder;ng. dis
covered the dead body OF a soldier ly-
ing in the bushes close by. There was
a bullet hole in his temple. The body
had evidently been dragged to its
place of concealment, and it was par
TALLY covered with leaves. The news
of the finding of the dead soldier was
at once forwarded to headquarters. It
was found there that privates John
Alexander and Baxter were missing.
The body of the dead man was identi-
fed as that of Private Alexander.
Search was made for Baxter, and he
was taken into custody at Buffalo. He
had on his person the amount of his
own pay and the amount that Alexan-
der had received. All the circum-
stances SO plainly fixed the murder of
Alexander upon Baxter that a speedy
trial. conviction and execution fol-
lowed.
alexander was buried near the spot
where his body was found. The next
year a plant never before seen in that
region, and of a species that was en-
tirely unknown to any one who lived
in the valley, sprang up on the MUIR
dered mans grave. This stalk was
followed by the appearance of two
similar ones. As they grew again the
succeeding year in exactly the same
spot and nowhere else, and appeared
in the same manner with the coming
of every spring, poisoning regularly
at the time wheat was ready for cut
ting, they began to attract wide at
tention. Mr.. G. w. Clinton, of Buff
falo, finally discovered that the plant
was of the species known in Connecti-
cut as false cromwell. It was also
learned that Alexander, the murdered
soldier. had come from place in Con-
necticut where the plant was common.
How it came to spring up in that soli-
tary spot. to mark the grave of a
native of the soil to which it was itself
Indigenous, has never been explained,
and that its seed has never taken root
anywhere else in the vicinity is a
mystery.
''There is anoth err vegetable curios-
ity in the vicinity of Avon Springs
which botanists have found nowhere
else. 1t is remarkable dubious root
which formerly grew on the Genesee
flats in abundance. It lies few
inches below the surface and grows
horizontally to the length of four or
five feet. and frequently attains di-
ameter of nine inches. 1t resembles a
small log. From it springs a bright
green vine, not unlike a strawberry
vine, which bears a small purplish
blossom. The Indians, relics and re-
minders of whose occupancy of those
rich flats still abound, called this root
the man of the ground They attrib-
uted great medicinal virtues to it, but
if it has any it is yet to be discovered
by the white people. Red Jacket. as
the tradition is. annually camped
where the present Avon Springs sta.
ton of the Erie railway is. for the pur-
pose of collecting this root, as we'll as
to take advantage of the mineral
waters. the peculiar and beneficial
medicinal properties of which were well
known to the Indians long before the
Genesee country was known to the
whites Albany On. - Argus.
WITH FROG-HUNTERS.