The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-09-23
TREE ABSORsS A BRAIN.
Singular Freak of Nature Discovered
in California. i

in California.
There is a tree over on Bay Farm
isl&nd, that little addition to Alameda,
into which man has grown. The tree
apparently has absorbed the brain of
man into its sap veins, and the men who
made the discovery now regard the
tree with a superstitiOus awe as if it
were partly human.
The tree is an ordinary fir tree that
has been growing for at least half cen
fury. Some time ago Frank Silva, who
lives upon the island, was digging at
the foot of the tree, completing trench
which. ran Just at the base of the fir.
AS he was working away among the
roots that impeded his work he turned
up some human bones. The unearthing
OF skeleton is always interesting, and
Mr.. Silva directed his search for the
rest of the bones. These he located
after a little work, and he found a com
plete skeleton.
The bones had been buried for a long
while, for they were denuded of every
vestige of flesh and were bleached and
white. From the position in which
the bones were found it was very evil
dent that the body had been tumbled
into the grave without much ceremony,
for it was found face down and in a
crouching position, as if the body had
been hurriedly thrown into its last rest
ing place.
Upon exposure to the air, the bones
fell one from another, though they did
not crumble into dust. They were all
carefully removed from the hole save
the skull, and Mr.. Silva made an effort
to remove that. But he found it impos-
sible to bring it from the position in
which it lay, because one of the roots
of the fir tree at the base of which it lay,
had grown entirely through the skull.
1t was found necessary to chop the root
away entirely before the skull could
be removed. The root had penetrated
a crack in the skull and had forced its
way through the head and out at the
opposite side.
When it dawned upon Frank Silva
that the tree had grown through the
skull and had actually absorbed the
brain of man into its wooden trunk
he regarded the tree with awe. He has
since refused to allow the tree to be cut
in any way.
Deputy Coroner Smiley, of Alameda,
took clarge of the remains, though no
inquest was ever held.
"Tha skeleton was undoubtedly that
of an Indian" said Mr.. Smiley. The
bones were found on the south shore
of the island, about IS feet from the
bank, beneath a fir tree that has been
lanlmark on the island before the
first settler planted his asparagus bed
The skeleton was in crouching posi-
ton and covered by the roots of the
tree, while clear through the skull a
root almost as thick as my arm had
grown. 1t was necessary to use a
hatthet to remove the skull.
1T is my opinion that the fir tree has
been growing on the island nearly half
century. The bones had probably
rested beneath the tree 40 years. 1t
may be that one of the Indians. who
were the original inhabitants of the
island, was murdered and buried near
the young tree. l cannot understand
how the root could have penetrated and
grown through the skull unless there
was a hole in it. The skull was per
feet specimen when l secured it, except
that it had been perforated by the root.
Il am not sufficient of a scientist to
express any opinion as to how much of
the man, if any, grew into that tree,
through the rect. You have got to ask
some of these scientific fellows about
that, but it is certain that the tree must
have obtained some nutriment from the
brain of that man. 1t may have changed
its form in the tree, but l think the
brain was absorbed by the ot."-San
Francisco Call.