The costume of the Stanford Tree was recovered early Friday morning from UC-Berkeley students. The Cal students were originally asking for a $300 ransom payment, according to current Tree, junior William Rothacker, Jr.

After learning of the Tree costume theft, the Cal Band manager sent out an e-mail telling students to return the Tree before Big Game or face possible legal action from the Stanford Band. At around midnight on Friday, the Cal students sent an anonymous ransom note to the Cal Band manager, who forwarded it to the Stanford Band manager.

The note specified a return of the costume for a payment of $300 to be delivered to the students at the sports store between 4 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning. Rothacker was with three past Trees, junior Andrew Parker, senior Chuck Armstrong and Evan Meagher, Class of 2001, when he learned of the ransom note from the Band manager.

After the Gaieties rally on Friday night, three former Trees and this year’s Tree got together to make a new Tree, which they worked on until 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The old Tree costume was shredded in a wood chipper during Big Game, as Cal had tainted it, Rothacker said.

It is still unclear who exactly stole the costume, since the identities of the Cal students were not revealed. But Rothacker suspects it was the Cal Rally Committee.