Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-05-08
TREE OF EVIL OMEN.
Planted by Man Whose Only Good
Trait Was Love of Animals.

Planted by Man Whose Only Good
Trait Was Love of Animals.
The tree of lula aud the tree Of the
Sad Night are known throughout the
world, but there is a tree in Mexico
which has acquired local reputation
somewhat shady in character, says an
exchange
Ell Arbol Maldito is said to have been
planted by a man who had the misfor-
tune to be swallowed up by Mother
Earth on account of his crimes. He
was known throughout the country as
I'm hombre 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 a beggar even a centavito, and
when he met a padretto on the street
he did not deign to remove his hat.
Now it was rumored that this man
was responsible for many murders and
atrocious crimes of every description,
but he was never confined in Jail, be-
cause it was known that he had COM
pact with the devil so that whenever
be invoked his majesty he was rendered
invisible to the human eye, or, at least,
so small that he could easily escape.
He was Stunned by all, and he had
neither friends nor relatives.
But a peculiar thing about this man
was that he loved the trees, the birds
and all the animals. He planted a
great many trees and fed flock OF
birds every morning.
1t was many years ago that the event
Of his departure took place, but it is
still remembered. Everybody on the
Haciendita ranch had attended the re
ligious services of the morning, and
they were returning to their homes
when a terrific noise was heard.
They rushed to the street, where 1t
came from, and there they saw how
the earth had opened up under the feet
of that hombre muy malo. He was en-
veloped by thick flames and smoke and
quickly disappeared beneath the sur
face of the earth.
This was considered just punish
ment in view of the situation, and
everyone was exceedingly pleased.
While the faithful had been attending
the services of the church the cursed
one had nothing else to do but place a
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 eli the trees which
he had planted, except Ell Arbol Maldi-
to, dried up and died, and so did 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 under the
shadow Of the foliage. As no one had
the temerity to approach and remove
it 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-
trian who went under it for shade on
a summer day was bitten by a snake
and died in two hours. Three men on
different occasions sought shelter from
rain under it's branches and were
struck by lightning.
A woman hanging some clothes to
dry from the trunk of the tree was at
tackled by a goat that came from no
body knows where and was never seen
again. Three years ago a little boy
riding a burro led his animal to the
tree. He was thrown off and kicked
to death.
The last victim of this fatal tree was
man of the name of Melquiades Are
valo, who ran under it for shelter dur
ing rain storm a year ago, and like
his predecessors he was struck by
lightning
The antipathy that the poems have
for the 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
FL Arbol Maldito grows, resolved to
have it blown up with dynamite, but
no doubt he has been unable to find a
man brave enough to venture near a
tree which shows such symptoms of a
haunted life.
Caustic.