The Springdale news., 1889-09-27
VEGETABLE CURIOSITY.
A My sicrious Plant That Marks the Site
 Of an Old Tragedy.


 State, and seems to be generally un- known west Of Connecticut, have sprung up every season, blossomed, and gone to seed, on q 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 1t marks the scene of bloody tragedy, committed in the pioneer Jays 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.
 "Ihe plant grows near the old State road, on what was formerly part of the Hosmtr estate. The State road. which was built in 1791 was the thor oughfarc by which the first emigrants from the east entered that portion of the Genesee valley. In October 1874, body of American troops. on its way from Buffalo to Sackets' Harbor over this road, camped for noon-day ra- tions near the roadside not far from the Hosmer homestead. It 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 1iers, who were evident stragglers, were seen about the deserted camp. Toward the middle of the afternoon the report of a gun was heard at the Hosmer house, coming from the direc- tion 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 smouldering, dis covered the dead body ot | soldier ly ing in the bushes close by. Ihere was q bullet hole in his temple The body had evidently been dragged to its place of concealmeHt, and il was par tially covered with leaves. The news of the finding of the dead soldier was It once forwarded to headquarters. It was found there that priyates John Alexander and Baxter were missing. Ihe body of the dead man was identi- jed as that of Private Alexander. search was made for Baxter. and he was taken into custody at Buffalo. HG mad on his person the amount of hi7 own pay and the amount that AleXan ter had received. All the crcum- stances so plainly fixed the murder of Alexander upon Baxter that a speedy rial, conviction and execution fol- .owc ed.
 Alexander WAS buried near the spot where his body was found. The next year a plant never before seen in that region, and of species that was en- tirely unknown to any one who lived in the valley, sprang up on the mur- tered 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. aud appeared in the same manner with the coming of every spring. blossoming regularly at the time wheat was ready for cut ting, they began to attract wide at tention. Mr. G. W. Clinton, of Buff talo, 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.
 II here is another vegetable curios a ity in the vicinity of Avon Springs which botanists have found nowhere else. It is d remarkable bulbous root which formerly grew on the Genesee flats in abundance. IL lies a few inches below the surface and grows horizontally to the length of four or five feet and frequently attains d di- amctcr of nine inches It resembles d small log. From ii springs a bright green vine, not unlike d 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 tion of the Erie railway is, for the pur- pose of collecting this root, as well 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 (N. Y.) Argus