The Legend of A Man Called Pine Tree

Growing up in Tar Heel,  a small rural town in Southeastern North Carolina, you get to know some interesting folks. I have often put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard) about some of the characters I knew, but this particular rambling is about a true Legend I was able to meet, and even know him as a friend of the family. The man had a name and I know it well but today we are not talking about just the man, but about his story and his legend, the man I speak of was called around our part of the world (even by his grandchildren)  only by the name of "Pine Tree."

Pine Tree was a man who lived after his time and his story, like many others, is mixed with fact, rumors and legend. I will not try to separate fact from legend, but try to tell the story of a man who seem "larger than life" as it was told to me over the years as a young man growing up in a small town on the banks of the Cape Fear River in NC. 

Pine Tree grew up on a small farm in the mountains of North Carolina. At an early age he ran away from home to make his own way working in the log woods. He also lied about his age to join the US Army and was one of the first Paratroopers, as Airborne Infantry was a new concept in World War II.  He made one combat jump... Normandy. I have not been able to gather much about his time in the Airborne, but I could end the story at this point in his life and it would still be an incredible tale. The fact that he fought in Normandy and survived WWII makes him a hero and notable person, but the rest of the story will show you why locals still talk about this mountain man turned war hero.

He met the love of his life while teaching a welding class for women. Remember this point in history, women were the driving force behind the American industrial might. A family member gave me the interesting fact that she had run away from home because her father would not let her become a nurse. It seems both of them lived life on their own terms.

From most accounts that I can gather he got his name after a load of logs shifted and fell on him off of a logging truck pinning him down. The telling of the story I have heard implied that he was thought to have been killed in the incident. He was declared "dead" by the County Coroner on the scene. They found out it would take more than that to kill him. The local stories lead us to believe, the doctor that took care of him after the incident said he was "tough as an old Pine Tree." This was where the man's legend grew and his name was born.

The first time I remember meeting Pine Tree I was a young man of about 6 or 8 years of age. My Uncle Don was good friends with him and we rode out to his house to visit. My Uncle simply called him "Tree."  He and his wife lived in the Cape Fear River lowlands on a beautiful piece of land with tall pines, and hardwood river bottoms. I remember wild roses and two rut roads that crossed his property. I also remember riding in a truck with Pine Tree and my Uncle looking for deer tracks and listening to the two men talk of past hunts, and hounds.

It was said that he had a pack of hounds that would "run anything" from deer to bear and tree coons at night. The man loved to hunt and fish. One thing I have always heard was that is is next to impossible to catch shad out of the Cape Fear River with crickets, but I have at least one eye witness that he could and did. I grew up near the banks of the Cape Fear, and the lowlands are beautiful and a sportsman's paradise to those who know how to take advantage of the resources in that area. I remember , coon hunting on Pine Tree's place (with permission of course) and I could quickly see why he and his family loved his land so much.

When I met him, at an early age I formed my first impression, and that he was not your ordinary man. He was very friendly and had a very large presence. I was taught from a young age to address my elders with Mr, or Mrs, but he would have none of it.  "Call me Pine Tree," he said. He was not a very big man from what I remember but his personality was larger than life. He wore a pencil-thin mustache and it seems that I remember him wearing glasses.  He walked with a bit of a swagger about him and spoke with confidence. He had kind of a "gravely" voice. Every time I would see him, he had a big smile on his face. I can't ever remember seeing him without a cap on his head, or the ever present revolver on his hip in a leather holster. I have heard it said that Pine Tree was one of the nicest people you would ever meet, and if he liked you there is nothing he would not do for you. Most folks also followed that statement in the same breath with, "but he was not one to be messed with or taken lightly. Not one bit."

 The road into his house had a cattle gate. A handmade sign hung on the gate that read, "THIS IS HELL, KEEP OUT." The sign was to serve as a warning to unwanted visitors and to help protect the privacy he and his family wanted. Pine Tree had had a few run-ins with people trespassing and there were always rumors and stories about ongoing "bad blood" with a group of folks and unfortunately it came down to him defending himself with the revolver mentioned earlier. The story goes he was checking his mail box at the end of his driveway by the road when he was attacked and shot at. The attacker missed, and when Pine Tree shot back, he didn't miss. Pine Tree was tried for the shooting death and was acquitted. This part of my story is not to smear or bad mouth any party, but simply to tell the story as it has been relayed to me over the years.  Another story I remember hearing was he found some folks trespassing and asked them to leave. The trespassers were taking more time than was apparently acceptable and he "helped them leave with a boot to the rear end."

The thing I remember most about Pine Tree is he had an interesting way of making money on the side. He would catch poisonous snakes alive with his hands and sell them. He drove a black Ford pickup (if my memory serves me) and there was always a wooden box with a screen wire lid in the back of the truck. Often times we would see him in the small town I grew up in and ask to see what he had in the box. Most of the time he would have a few snakes in the box, a good many times he would have at least one very large Rattlesnake he had recently caught. My Dad told me a story he had heard about him catching a very large Rattlesnake and holding it with his bare hands while driving a four speed GTO until he could get home to place the snake in his box. I also have watched him feed one of those big rattlesnakes hot dogs by hand.

Years later, during my teenage years I was present when Pine Tree was in front of the church and was baptized. The preacher was originally from the mountains also,  and he often told the story of meeting the man we knew as Pine Tree and how they became friends. "I think the reason we like each other is he is an old Mountain Man like me." It has also been said that one of the reasons Preacher Murdock was called by God to the area was to lead "Tree" to the lord. Some time later Pine Tree passed away after a bought with cancer. It seems that cancer and time were the only things strong or mean enough to kill him.

I have told the story of Pine Tree to a few people over the years. Most folks probably thought I made the stories up. The thing about truly interesting people and people of character, the truth is far better than anything a simple storyteller like myself can come up with. When I told my 13 year old son these stories,  his response was simple, to the point and direct. "It seems like he was a real man. Daddy I think the world today needs more folks like Pine Tree." I don't think I could say it much better Son, so I'll leave it with that.

Pine Tree showing off one of the many Rattlesnakes he was famous for catching