The Mena weekly star., 1907-02-07
LEFT EVIL LEGACY
MISFORTUNE BANS TREE PLANT
 ED BY BAD NAH.
Superstitious Mexicans Believe I'm plieitly in Story of Misspent Lire and Its nshment-Tragc
 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 local reputation some what shady.
 .El 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 as unhombre muy mSlo. He never went to mass, never confessed his sins, nor did he have the image of saint in his house, wear rosary around his neck or make the sign of the cross as respectable man should. He never gave beggar even centa- vito, and when he met a padrecito on the street he did not deign to remove his hat.
 Now 1t was rumored, says Modern Mexico, that this gentleman was re- spohsible for many murders and atro- cious 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 so small that he could easily escape. He was summed by all, and he had neither friends nor relatives.
 But peculiar thing about this man was that he loved the trees. the birds OH bn o,,f, 1u To n great many trees and fed a flock of birds every morning.
 It 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 enveioped by thick flames and smoke and quickly disappeared be meath the surface of the earth.
 This was considered 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 a burning cigarette between the lips of an image on big crucifix, carried by aTt Tt that the convenient cavity opened up and he was engulfed by the earth.
 That very day all the trees which he had planted, except Fl Arbol Nal dlto, 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 un- der 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. train who went under n for shade on a summer day was bitten by a snake and died in tow 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 goat that came from no body knows where and was never seen again. Three years ago a little boy riding buFro. led his animal to the tree. He was thrown off and kicked tc death.
 The last victim of this fatal tree was man by the name of Melquiades Arevalo. who ran under it for shel ter during rainstorm year ago, and like his predecessors, he was struck by lightning.
 The antipathy that the peons have for this tree is such that they refuse to work in the fields for half a mile around 1t. Some time ago Prospero Garcia. proprietor of the ranch where El Arbol MaIdito grows, resolved to have it blown up with dynamite. but no doubt he has been unable 10 find a ban brave enough to venture near a tree which shows such symptoms oi a haunted life.