The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-06
CAN'T RAISE CROPS
ON MARTYRS FIELD
Phenomenon in England Which
Puzzles Antlquarians, Sci-
entfsts and Farmers. Z

LONDON, March 5.-Just twenty
eight miles out of London is annually
to be seen a phenomenon which puzzles
the antiquarian and the scientists as.
much as it obfuscates the intellect of
the farm laborer.
Everybody in the neighborheed re-
ferred to is aware Of this singular oc-.
currenee; miracle is perpetuated year
by year, an unaecountable thing hap
pens within the view of every man who,
has eyes to see with. Its records have
been handed down from generation to
generation; they have been enshrined
in the county. histories, and put away
to vegetate on the shelves of the Brit
1sh museum. Local people have grown
tired of their wonder; 1t has become
stale to them, they think nothing Of it
nowadays. They heard grandfather
talk of it when they were youngsters;
1t served a purpose as theme of dis
course for the moment; it held them
spellbound for brief space; they went
and looked at the thing itself, saw 1t
with their own eyes, were convinced
that miracles do exist in this present
century; hummed and ha'ed over this
very plain and potent fact, and then,
having ether things to attend to, hay
ing their own living to earn and fam
lily to feed, they have brushed aside the
wonder, and relegated it to the limbo of
the past.
And so it is that the outer world has
never got to know of this strange an
nual happening, or, rather, let us say,
this thing which, strangely enough.
does not happen annually, as 1t should
do if the laws of nature were not sus-
pended. ...
Twenty eight miles along the turn
pike road out of London lies the old
world town of Amersham. 1t is a de-
serted spot, stagnated in the back wa
tiers, not knowing what progress is All
the houses are old, very old; King John
is supposed to have put up at one of
the inns. 1t is hu7ndrum place, and,
on a fine day in summer, you can stand
at a street corner for hours and see
nothing cross the road but a dog or
two. People do not live in Amersham;
they sleep.
If you are lucky enough to meet with
an 1nhaEitant you must ask him to di-
rect you to the Martyrs Field.
Something like intelligence will
mount into his face.
THE Martyrs Field? All, that's the
place where the martyrs blood won't
let the crops groW!"
1t is the first time he has referred to
the subject since his youth, but the
old wonderment, the old awe, is in his
voice, for he has in his own person
proved the truth of what he says. You
are, probably, an unbeIiever, doubter.
He hastens to direct you, that you may
be convinced.
He tells you to take the path
through the churchyard, back O. the
church, 'cross the bridge over the Mis-
burne stream Gin which Izaak Walton
used to catch trout), round by the
semmyterry, past the Pixie (Pyghtle),
and up the path which ascends the hill
toward the Rectory wood.
There, just a little way from the
hedge which borders the wood. just a
little way from the path itself, is the
astonishing plot of ground.
It~is the spot on which the martyrs
were burned hundreds of years ago.
Their holy blood dyed the earth scar
let, their ashes fell to the ground, here
on this very spot.
So this field has come to be called
the Martyrs Field. Some of the ma
tives object to the name. Legally, they
say, it is the Tenter Field, and so it
is called on the charts and plans. But
| the romancists scored another victory
where defeat threatened.
For "Tenter Field" is derived from
the stories Of the martyrs. The mar
| tyrs were placed in barrels and rolled
down hill the whole length Of the field.
And the barrels, to make the torture
more horrible, were lined with tenter
| hooks. Hence the legal name of the
| place.
It was at the top of this field that
the awful fires were lighted so that
they could be seen of all men in the
! stricken town beneath Nobody in
| Amersham could have escaped seeing
the reflection, at least, of these terrible
! flames. 1t was a warning to the yeo-
| men of Buckinghamshire, who were
very devout in those days. And Amer
sham was hotbed of contumacy.
And ever since that dread day has
this miracle been witnessed; no crop
will grow upon that stretch of soil
| 1t is a fact, proved by the records of
| all the years, to be proved again at this
| very moment.
! Year by year the spot is plowed up in
| common with the rest of the land; year
by year it is sowed in similar fashion
with the rest of the land; year by year
| the rest of the land produces it's smil-
| ing crop; year by year this stricken
space refuses to grow thing beyond
weeds.
You shall see a large field green with
young shoots. Suddenly your eye will
notice a barrenness in the midst of the
plenty. 1t is where the fires were
! lighted.
You shall see a field heavy with yell
Now corn, turning red in the harvest
| sunshine. You shall step a few yards
| into the glorious growth, and there is a
! largiSh, square space, overrun with
| dark, purple weeds and even these
have q sickly, loathsome appearance
peculiar to themselves.
Each year a different crop IS set In
the Martyrs Field. 1t may be wheat
rye, barley, oats, clover-it may be
what the farmer pleases. But the earth
that was scorched by those fires, the sol
that was drenched by that blood, never
has yielded, and does not now yield
spite of the lapse of centuries, one grain
for the good of mankind
1t is a desert spot in a far stretching
land of plenty.
Is this merely idle superstition? Is
this but an odd wives tale, fit for the
chimney corner, but not to be consid-
cred in the light Of common sense
Surely not; for it is true; it is an in
| controyertible fact.
You may see it with your own eyes al
any season of the year when the pillow
| ing is over.
/ 1t is a modern miracle, hundreds OF
! years old.
LOSES FALSE TEETH
BY PROCESS OF LAW