Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-09-16
A REAL BLOOD ROSE.
The Romantic story of the Origin of
Florida Flower.

Tho Romantic story OF the origin OF q
Florida Flower.
In the western part of Jefferson
county, Fla. grows and blossoms into
curious and magnificent beauty rose
that seems TO be indigenous to small
area OF country. but will not flourish
in any other latitude. The bush is
strong and vigorous and the leaves
are very light but glossy green The
petals curve slightly inward and are
the color of bright arterial blood.
The 6dor is pungent and slightly
sickening. fascinating. and yet
unpleasant in marked degree. The
peculiarly of the rose is that the dew
that drops therefrom is of faint
pinkish cast a marvel seen in no
other flower. the battling wonder of
those who have witnessed it, 1t is
called the Great rose. and il has q
sad and melancholy history. Its
origin is one of the mysteries with
which nature at times delights to
astonish her wondering devotees
In 1884 John Grant and Nellie
Lowry were married. Soon after
they selected as their future home a
farm in Jefferson county near the
Aucella river and in the spring of
1885 child was born TO them. Soon
after that the Seminoles went on the
war path. September 90 1885.
was an unusually warm day. and
young Grant having business at the
county store. delayed his trip until
the cool OF the evening. when he
mounted his horse and started of,
expecting TO return at about a m.
the Growing baby as he rode away.
Six miles from home his horse stopped
with quick snort of fear and turned
so violently that he was almost I'M
seated. Supposing that it had been
excited by some shadow OF bush or
briar he urged it on. but clump of
underground near the river became
alive. and after a sharp ringing
sound and faint puff of smoke. his
horse shot through the heart trem-
bled and fell under him. Before he
had time TO extricate himself the red
devils with war whoop OF fendish
triumph were upon him. His scalp
was taken by a savage and his warm
body was flung into the river.
One o clock came and the young
wife in the cabin put away her sew
ing and listened intently for the foot
steps The night had become very
dark. The moon was hidden behind
a bank of dense clouds and whisper
of rain was in the atmosphere. The
yellow hound became restless and
whined as he shifted the air. An.
other hour passed and the wife was
about TO 60 to the door, when yell
blauched her cheek. For a moment
she stood helpless and trembling.
then. clasping her child, she raised a
loose plank from the floor, dropped
through to the ground and crept into
the woods. Soon afterward she saw
the glare of the burning cabin. Her
fight was discovered and she was
overtaken about two miles from home
Two days afterward a party OF
hunters found the bodies of mother
and babe and buried them. Near by
a little pool of blood had collected
and had not been absorbed by the
soil. In the spring the body of thN
husband and father was found entan,
gled in roots at the bottom of the
river.
A few years later hunter one OF
the party who had found the bodies
happened to be in the same locality,
and on the spot where the blood had
gathered he saw vigorous
bush bearing the rose that
has been described. He cut some
slips from it and took them
TO the settlement where he related
his discovery. Such romantic and
singular story excited the curiosity of
many In the adjacent counties. and
repeated efforts were made to secure
a growth OF the slips in other places
but all failed of success. Within an
area OF five miles from the scene OF
the tragedy it is said the rose can be
found. with its tall and sturdy stock.
Its pale green leaves its incurved
crimson petals and its bloody dew.