The Colorado statesman., 1907-02-02
LEFT EVIL LEGACY
MISFORTUNE BANS TREE PLANT.
ED BY BAD MAN.
Superstitious Mexicans Believe I'M
plicitIy in Story of Misspent Life
and Its Punlshment-Tragic
Deaths Have Been Many.

Night are known throughout the world
but there is a tree in Mexico which
has acquired local reputation some
what shady.
Ell Arbol Maldito is said to have
been planted by a gentleman who had
the misfortune to be swallowed up Dy
Mother Earth on account of his crimes.
He was known throughout the country
as unhombre muy malo. He never
went to mass, never confessed his
sins, nor did he have the image of a
saint in his house, wear a rosary
around his neck or make the sign of
the cross as a respectable man should.
He never gave beggar even centa-
vito, and when he met padrecito on
the street he did not deign to remove
his hat.
Now it was rumored, says Modern
Mexico, that this gentleman was re-
sponsible for many murders and afro
cions crimes of every description, but
he was never confined in Jail because
it was known that he had a compact
with the devil, so that whenever he
invoked his Majesty he was rendered
invisible to the human eye. or at least
30 small that he could easily escape.
He was Stunned by all, and he had
neither friends nor relatives.
But 81 peculiar thing about this man
was that he loved the trees, the birds
and all the animals. He planted
great many trees and fed a flock of
birds every morning.
1t was many years ago that the
event of his departure took place, but
is still remembered by the ancient in
habitants of the neighborhood. Every
body on the Haciendita ranch had at
tended the religious services of the
morning, and they were returning
home when a terrific noise was heard.
They rushed to the street where it
came from, and there they saw how
the earth had opened up under the
feet of that 'hombre muy malo. He
was enveloped by thick flames and
smoke and quickly disappeared be-
meath the surface of the earth.
This was considered a just punish
ment in view of the situation, and
every one was exceedinly pleased.
While the faithful had been attending
the services of the church the cursed
one had nothing else to do but place
burning cigarette between the lips of
an image on big crucifix, carried by
an altar on the street. 1t was then
that the convenient cavity opened up
and he was engulfed by the earth.
That very day all the trees which
he had planted, except Ell Arbol NAL
LIT n. 4
the birds which he had fed from his
own hand. An attempt was made to
cut down the tree that did not dry
up, but the foolish man who made the
attempt dropped dead on stepping un-
der the shadow of the foliage. AS no
one had the temerity to approach and
remove 1t the mans body had to be
left there to be eaten by the crows.
Since that day many have met a
tragic death under the tree. A pedes-
train who went under it for shade on a
summer day was bitten by snake
and died in tow hours. Three men on
different occasions sought shelter from
rain under its branches and were
struck by lightning
A woman hanging some clothes to
dry from the trunk of the tree was at
tackled by goat that came from no.
body knows where and was never seen
again. Three years ago a little boy
riding burro, led his animal to the
tree. He was thrown off and kicked to
death.
The last victim of this fatal tree
was man by the name of Melquiades
Arevalo, who ran under it for shell
ter during rainstorm a year ago, and,
like his predecessors, he was struck
by lightning.
The antipathy that the poems have
for this tree is such that they refuse
to work in the fields for half a mile
around It, Some time ago Prospero
Garcia, proprietor of the ranch where
Ell Arbol Maldito grows, resolved to
have it blown up with dynamite, but
no doubt he has been unable to find a
ban brave enough to venture near "a
tree which shows such symptoms of
a haunted life.
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