Bellows Falls Times

Rev. Murray and The Old Elm.

The famous old elm on Boston common was recently blown down by the heavy gale one evening, and crowds of people gathered about it for the purpose of securing relics of the venerable tree, which was guarded by policemen. The Traveler tells the following story concerning the event: "About ten o'clock in the evening, Rev. Mr. Murray visited the ruins, and catching the fever which filled the crowd for 'relics' asked the policeman what was proper for him to take. The city guardian, not appreciating the fine honesty of the interrogation, or astonished out of his wits by it, amid the general thieving going on, said, rather sharply, 'You can take anything you can carry off,' which was equivalent to a refusal, as the 'gleaners' had made a clean sweep of all the small boughs and splinters. But the parson was not to be foiled. So interpreting the policeman's permission in its widest latitude, he laid his hands upon a huge limb, some ten feet long and nearly as many inches thick. heaved it up out of the earth into which it had been embedded by the fall, and placing it on his shoulder as if it had been a few pounds' weight. made a bee line for the Golden Rule office, leaving the worthy policeman gazing in silent amazement at the unexpected result of his permission and the exhibition of muscular strength. Some of the Adirondackers.' who have seen the reverend gentleman 'backing in' logs for the camp fire, know about how he looked to this policeman as he went stalking through the darkness with that huge relic of the Old Elm on his shoulder."