The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-02-21
LEFT EVIL LEGACY
MISFORTUNE sANS TREE PLANT.
ed BY 3D. MAN.
superstitious Mexicans Believe I'm.
pIicitly in Story Of Misspent Life
and Its Punishment--TragIo
Deaths Have Been Many.

Deaths Have Been Many.
The tree of Tula and the tree of Sad
Night are known throughout the world
but there Is tree in Mexico which
has acquired a local reputation some
what shady.
Ell Arbol Maldito is said to have
been planted by gentleman who had
the misfortune to be swallowed up by
Mother Earth on account of his crimes.
He was known throughout the country
rs unhombre muy malo He never
went to mass, never confessed his
Slus. nor did he have the image of
saint in his house. wear rosary
around his neck or make the sign of
he cross as respectable man should.
10 never gave beggar even a centa.
ito. and when he met a padrecito on
he street he did not deign to remove
his hat.
Now II was rumored. says Modern
Mexico, that this gentleman was re-
sponsible for many murders and afro
ious crimes of every description, but
was never ccnfined in jail because
i was known that he had compact
.th the devil, so that whenever he
,soked his Majesty he was rendered
lvisible to the human eye, or at least
. small that he could easily escape
ie was stunned by all, and he had
either friends nor relatives.
But a peculiar thing about this man
as that he loved the trees, the birds
nd all the animals. He planted a
reat many trees and fed a flock of
birds every morning.
II was many years ago that the
" eht of his departure took place, but
still remembered by the ancient In
hahitants of the neighborhood. Every.
| 6ody on the Haciendita ranch had at
ended the religious services of the
morning, and they were returning
| ZONE when terrific noise was heard
They rushed to the street where II
came from, and there they saw how
lie earth had opened up under the
feet of that hombre muy malo. He
vas enveloped by thick flames and
smoke and quickly disappeared be-
| aeath the surface OF the earth.
This was considered just punish.
nent In view of the situation, and
| very one was exceedinly pleased
| While the faithful had been attending
he 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
N altar on the street. II was then
hat the convenient cavity opened up
and he was engulfed by the earth.
That very day all the trees which
he had planted, except I'll Arbol Nal.
| ditto, dried up and died-and so did
he birds which he had fed from his
,wn hand. An attempt was made to
cut down the tree that did not dry
mp, 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
'emove IL the mans body had to be
eft there to be eaten by the crows.
Since that day many have met a
'fagic death under the tree. A pedes-
rain who went under 1t for shade on a
summer day was bitten by snake
and died In tow hours. Three men on
litferent occasions sought shelter from
ain under its branches and were
truck by lightning. &.
A woman hanging some clothes to
l.y from the trunk of the tree was at.
'acked by a goat that came from no.
body knows where and was never seen
again; Three years ago 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 by the name of Melquiades
Arevalo, who ran under II for shell
ter during rainstorm year ago, and
like his predecessors. he was struck
by lightning
The antipathy that the poems have
Tor this tree is such that they refuse
10 work In the fields for half a mile
around 1t. Some time ago Prospero
Garcia, proprietor of the ranch where
El Arbol Maldito grows, resolved to
have 1t blown up with dynamite, but
no doubt he has been unable to find O
ban brave enough to venture near a
tree which shows such symptoms OF
haunted life.