The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-07

The Pecul,.r Fruit OF n Connections Hree'
,pd the Traditions About IL.

and the TrndIhons Ap"us ="
NonwrcB. Aug. 5.-The fact that the romantic
ana mysterious Nike Apple Is now ripen NM
on tho heavily laden trees In quaint oiu Hoi
wich Town and some other parts OF hn'niu,
Norwich. and lie beginning to come 10 marke'
in great baskets. medium-sheu. he,
skinned fruit, tart OF flavor. an excellent eat
ing and pie apple" has led local anti
ounrian to search the old Norwich
Town records for the original and true
version OF the Micah Rood Apple
tradition. The weird and inexplicable thinR
about this strange summer fruit Is that tnere
is drop OF blood In each apple. vivid. n pam.
isolated. unmistakable tiny. round DROP thae
when broken stains the pure white pulp
bright crimson hue. Take bite oil hundred
apples from Mike" tree. and somewhere III
the juicy. crisp flesh OF 1t you come on tho UNI
cann7 bloodstain. sometimes only an isoia'su
drop, like the head OF pin; but often extenu-
Ing oil the way from the sllvery skin to the
core. In such instances 1t 10 narrow streak.
1t Is q very old story. the tradition OF the
blood speck In the Mike apple. There is only
one explanation OF 1t: the fruit is bewitched.
1t is certainly inexplicnble. for In no other
apple is there such stain. while 1t Is said by
old country people that the drop OF BLOOD ap-
pears only in the original tree ut Peck Hoi-
low" in Franklin. which used to be part
OF Norwich Town. and in fruit grown from
sprouts taken from that tree. The old tree at
the Hollow. some say. Is still standing. a
gnarled and twisted old giant but that can
hardly be true. since it must be more than ~
years old IL is much more probable tnat sne
present Peck Hollow tree Is n shoot or sucker
Of the original one that has grown ont OF the
shoots of tho Peck Hollow tree have been
trnnsplanted by curious. superstitious pe0pIe
o. hs t9Tn Dss Hi the sFto ri
say. the blood drop does not spnear in apples
Twice the Mike Apple tradition is told In the
& Mb rd in t .e es ia s H$eF local
antiquarian was successful this week In trac-
inG ths in III eqasty
%ns iGTsssfs He SHs Esq.,
Mistorisal society entitled The Tradition Of
Micah was farmer. not far from tn the , sust
tosp Of Ts1ps% istG r. toWa yl Mr.
less 81 aS aH ms !SF'' s ss s habits
He lost interest in both, work and Worship.
Cattle were neglected and neighbors stunned.
init 81 the to wnter
away. spring returned. and the orchard OF
Micah Rood burst into blossom.
ers had turned from white to red. The super
stitious neIghbors wondered. especially as
Rood seemed drawn to this tree by u cruel and
August came. and the red blossoms bad
deyelored into fruit. When the large yellow
found to contain the well.teiined globule TO
be known thereafter as the drop OF blood
the mystery N.Y. S" Of Means BEHAVIOR Con!ecture
ran riot, and soon {, was remembered that the
M v H
night at Micah's hoods. Popular opinion held
that the latter had murdered him forhis wares
search was made Tor him In vain: nor was
any trace Of his stock found among the un-
upon the supernatural. and the evidence was
sna apre Of osd
rested upon the conscience Of the farmer, it
never forced confession from his lips
too broken down to ,ecIaim i, he assumed
care OF the meeting house in III, receiving
each family in the society.
Ten yeHHrs later the record q the church
t Do eb By VOTE allow
each man that watches witt, Micah, Rood two
shngs 5eE airo to thoss Th% have at.
day. Dec. i. i73sNT" Jaeob HYDE Tor Dig Rce
gnG Micah Kood's grave. 81 As. Cd.
mystery. Only while the blood spotted apple
Raot to fEp " the ard history
such Is the bare. unvarnishpd tradition as
but there is an ancient oral tradition which
s TRs pedaer
sordng to tie sppplementary story. va. muir
wnrt young. husba ndman then robbed him Of
his case seq, q levels He buried his victim
xsIs .; early sna delicious. Micah was *;
In harves, time they always flocke ed about him.
and he brought them armfuls of his famous
o mu4%sy st tne sranse aqsSs % Rs
cred at Mikes dwelling; and Mike in
Them gloemiy; There are no more APPLES
the blood Of 4 man is in the apples" Neverthe.
hs re ru m sad he Ten and
Some OF them bit into tho fruit and the fatal
stain appeared thrEe. col9rnG the pup with
Mike. and with downeast mien he went slowly
and m"urnfully into his house.
Others pe tSs Se sSa
orchard tree. although the tradition says tho |
s ae s %
lusci 10, and TEMPTING than ever before.
Psfs H bstSsss tS S DARK
Susquetonscut ,rushes violently over rocky |
Ialls turning the slow-movinG and creakinR
wooden wheel Of a gray old grist mill. Mikes
house or one that replaced it, 10 not far from |
% sea the Is
A II the region is haunted ground to-day. The
story OF the tree has gone far in late years and
,ot long ago Western man. native OF this |
and. came East and got II shoe from 1t.
A brooklyn Trolley to Make Better Time.
new schedule went into effect on tho Sew.