Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-01-25
THE SIMS TREE IS GONE.
TERROR INSPIRING GAL
LOWS DISAPPEARS.
Place Where Sims Was Lynched
Bears No Monument Of
That Fact.

L
/ Of the Ozark Woods but q short dis
ance out from town, on the old line
railroad. tall. gaunt and spectral
tree. sole relic of an almost forgotten
| tragedy, there is now naught but s
few chips and small stump.
Shown for years to wondering visi
| tors as the tree on which the negro
Sims expiated one of the most shock
ing crimes in the history of the county,
1T has been removed. cut up into small
pieces and carried far from the spot.
/ In the darkness and gloom of night,
with the ghosts and goblins conjured
mp in imaginative minds, towering
about and gibbering in ghoulish glee,
the deed OF destruction was wrought.
From the blighted limbs of the gal
lows tree no more will swing to and
fro the body of some wretch who has
yielded up his life to outraged society.
Whether the act was brought about by
fear that others might be brought to
the terror-inspiring tree and hung by
the neck until they are "dade'' OF
whether it was inspired by the many
remarks which were made by the
curious visitors is not known.
1t has just been discovered that the
tree was removed. No one can be
found who will tell where the rem.
nants we're taken, but it is known that
none would brave the terrors which
would result from using the wood for
domestic purposes. 1t was in May,
1875, that Sims, particularly vicious
and depraved wretch, committed a
brutal assault on q Miss Jackson, a
well known and popular lady living
near Odenton. He was speedily ar.
rested and brought to the Annapolis
Jail.
A few hours later a gang of deter
mined men, heavily armed and deter
mined in their movements arrived at
the Jail. They speedily forced an en-
trance to the building and secured
Sims. He was dragged and carried
out the old line railroad, then known
as the Annapolis & Elk Ridge rail
road. Arrived at dense woods then
and even now known as the Ozark
Woods, halt was made. At this
point is a road leading to what is
known as the Oowhide Branch road
aud which also leads D West Annapo-
lis. A tall tree. close beside the road
and offering, by reason of its spread
ing branches, splendid gallows, was
selected.
- { rome Sas /, .nlseed e qhnnI the neeL
tunity OF speaking. All that could
be got from him were curses for his
-Bxecutionefs and the threat that he
would come hack to haunt the spot on
which he was executed. Then he
was swung off and left to swing, back
ward and forward, like huge pendu-
lum, counting of the beats of time
that come and go but ever carried
with them the story of his terrible
crime and his sudden taking off.
From that day Sims crossing has
been the terror of those residents OF
that vicinity who were forced to make
use of it to reach their homes.
That fear of the gallows tree has
grown rather than diminished and
brave indeed was the colored person
who woud linger beneath its branches.
The tree carried OF t she prevailing su-
perstition or fact, whatever it may be.
that q limb on which a person is
hanged will rot and decay. The limb
on which Sims was executed never
gave forth leaves or the awakening
sap at its roots never coursed through
this one Limb. Then the whole tree,
after years of battling with the ele
ments gave forth less leaves with each
and every year, till at last it was
dead, prey to worms and insiduoui
disease. Many residents of Annapolis
frequently visited the tree and spoke
of the terrible crime which haC
brought it so much notoriety.
/ Those residents of the neighborhooC
who were at all superstitious, and o.
| thaso fhara ara many told in hushaC
tones of the ghosts which they haC
often seen about the tree. At times q
| figure, bearing many resemblances tC
that of Sims would visit the tree
| With the wind blowing gale, tht
dried branches of the tree rattling to-
gether like the bones OF an articulateC
skeleton, would emerge from the darl
shadows of dark woods. Crying
and laughing, cachinating in ghonlisi
glee, he would move about the tree
caressing its rough and serrated barl
and tearing at its roots. Then h'
would be seen swinging at the end o
a rope, his eyes alight with phospher
| escent fire and his mouth agape.
Next moment he would disappea
from sight, in haze of blue smok
/ and birthstone smell to remain awal
for many months. 1t was not lonI
ago that he was reported as having
| returned to the tree at such tim
/ no one would venture within severa
| hundred feet of the tree. Now tina
| the tree is gone, that the last vestag
| of the weapon of death has been re
| moved, Sims will have no place q
which to make his preidoical visits.
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