Treaty Oak 25 Years Later

     This month marks 25 years since Austin's most famous tree was poisoned.  The man who poisoned the tree was sentenced to prison for a tern of nine years of which he served three and a half years.  Today the 600 year old tree is a shell of itself but it still lives
     In 1989 people came from all over the world trying to save the tree while others left small gifts for the beloved tree.  As the investigation continued it came to light that the tree had been poisoned over a love affair gone bad.  The punk who poisoned the tree had been in trouble with the law before he poisoned the tree and had been imprisoned where he was required to plant trees as a condition of his parole   He was was in love with his methadone  counselor and wanted to prove the strength of his love for her so he poisoned the tree hopping she would feel he had mystical powers if he could get such a huge tree to die.  Yes I said methadone, a heroin addict he was.  What is all boils down to is a heroin  head almost killed a 600 year old tree.. Personally I think we should have  hung him from one of the Treaty Oak's branches.
     Today the tree is about a third of it's original self.  I visited the tree this week looking for a good spot to string a rope if some other drug crazed punk ever tries to kill what's left of the Treaty Oak