The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-09-23
MICAH Roop.s APPLE 7sEe.
Traditions That Cluster About the Pccu'
liar Fruit of Norwich Orchard.


liar Fruit of n Norwich Orchard.
A local antiquarian has searched the
old Norwich Town records for the origi-
Rood Apple" tradition.
The weird and incxplicable thing i
about this strange summer fruit Is that
there is drop of blood in each apple,
a vivid, q plain isolated unmistakable !
tiny, round drop that when broken ,
stains the pure white pulp bright |
crimson hue, Take bite of a hundred |
apples from mike" tree, and some.
where in the juicy, crisp flesh OF 1T you |
come ON the uncanny blood-stain, some |
times only an isolated drop, like the
head of pin, but often extending all
the way from the silvery skin to the
core. In such instances it is narrow
streak.
1t is u very old story, the tradition OF
the blood speck in the Mike apple.
There is only one explanation of 1T; the
fruit is bewitched. The local anti
quarian was successful this week in
| tracing the original tradition in the
| ancient records of Norwich Town
| Here it is exactly as it was recorded
| two hundred years ago, and repeated
in an address by Patrick Henry Wood
ward Esq. of Hartford, before the
New London County Historical society,
entitled 'Thc Tradition of Micah
Rood"
"Micah was farmer. not far from the
Susquetonscut river" Ia deep, winding
trout brook sweeping smoothly through
the town of Franklin into the town OF
Norwich, where it united with the
tranquil Yantic river), "tilling his fer
tile acres with all the zest of ambition.
OF sudden his habits changed; he
grew idle. restless, intenperate. He
lost interest in both work and wor-
ship. Cattle were neglected and neigh
bors stunned.
Some attributed the change to
witchcraft; others limited at insanity.
So the winter wore away, spring re-
turned and the orchard of Micah
Rood burst into blossom.
"On one tree. it was then observed
the flowers had turned from white tc
red. The superstitious neighbors won
;. dered, especially as Rood seemed
drawn to this tree by a cruel and resist
:. less fascination.
= August came, and the red blossoms
. had developed into fruit. When th'
!, large, yellow apples fell from th
= branches, each one was found to con
. tain the well-defined globule to b.
= known thereafter as the drop of blood.
!. 1.-THE conduct of the apple tree deep
- ened the mystery of Micah's behavior
Conjecture ran riot, and soon it wa
remembered that the previous fall
peddler of foreign aspect had passe
through the village and had spent tn
night at Micah Rood's. Popular opir
:, ion held that the latter had murdere
), him for his wares and had buried hi
y y body under the apple tree.
l. SEARCH was made for him in vair
= nor was any trace of his stock foun
IA among the unhappy Micah's posse:
', sions. The settlers We're completed
y bafiled. AS usual, they fell back upo
'' the supernatural, and the evidence wa
g summed up in the manifestations of
troubled spirit and blood-mottle
- apple. If a load rested upon the col
~ science of the farmer, it never force
y, confession from his lips.
~ "IIis farm gradually drifted to deca,
- and. too broken down to reclaim it, /
~ assumed care of the meeting house
o. 1TlT, receiving as compensation n pee
n n of corn yearly from each family in IL
w society.
ID "Ten years later the record of IL
of church contains this item: 'July5, II
The inhabitants do now. by the
vote, agree to allow each man th
watches with Micah Rood 2 shillin,
lis per night: also to those who have a
tended Rood by day, shillings p
- day December II, 172S-To Jac,
Il Hyde for digging Micah Rood's grav
a GA is 0d.'
Il gan-in mystery. Only while t
" blood-spotted apple continues to gre
is the name and history of Micah Ro
es will be perpetuated"
ny Such is the bare, unvarnished ira,
tion as written in the rugged anna
a of the old town; but there is an a
cient oral tradition which throws
in little more and human light upon t
~ vague career of Micah. The peddl
ed according to the supplementary stoi
'ie was murdered by Mike about the ye
MT 1899. The stalwart young husbar
I'm man then robbed him of his case
le- Jewels. He buri ed his victim at IN
raj night under his summer apple tree
Il the end of his stone-fagged gard
he walk. It was Mikes favorite tree
ed cause the apples were early and {
ad licious. Micah was extremely fond
ms children, the story says, and in harv,
ed time they always tiocked about hi
on and he brought them armfuls of
'cr famous yellow harvest apples.
In August following the murder
~ the strange peddler all the school oh
ne dren of the neighborhood gathered
nd Mikes dwelling and Mike, in brot
ing mood, with the shadow of hea
ed care in his face, said to them, gloomi
ne 'There are no moro apples for you Il
sy year, children: the tree is accursed t
nd blood of man is in the apple.
he Nevertheless, the children teased hi
to and he went and got handful of fr,
I'm for them. His mood was sombre a
he eyed his visitors narrowly. Sol
of them bit into the fruit and the fa
1t stain appeared there, coloring the pu
nd with II crimson hue. ''There, | tc
he you so," said Mike, and with downc
ur mien he went slowly and mournfu
/ into his house.
w. Thereafter Mike never plucSed I
lis sold another apple from the fearfu
In bnyyitchal orchard tree althouuh