The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-11-02
WHITE DEVIL,


eastern part of Arizona, suddenly heard
the hoof- beat of horse
"Halt! whocones there ?" rang out the
challenge, but there was no answer
1t was a starlight night. Two or three
hundred feet away the sentinel caught
sight Of a white horse approaching him at
u brisk walk. When lie could see the
horse he could also see that lie had no ri
der. Droves of wild horses and still wilder
mustangs were frequently seen from the
fort, aud the sentinel was rather pleased
that one OF them was being led by curiosity
to approach the gate.
The horse grew whittier and larger as he
came nearer, and when he halted he was
not over ten feet from the guard He was
tall aud powerfully built, name hanging al
most TO his knees, and tail sweeping the
ground, and he was as white as snow.
Head up, ears pointed forward, and eyes
opened to their widest extent, the wild
horse stood tor long minute ami looked
into the soldiers face. His rostrils dilated,
his tail moved this way and that. and the
muscles In his powerful chest and legs
stood out in bold relief. The soldiers sur
prise and admiration were SO great that he
! stood like statue, musket on his shoulder.
and his mind almost doubling what his
eyes saw.
Suddenly, aud without an inslan.'s warn
ing, the horse spraug forward to the attack.
Catching the sentinel by the shoulder
with his teeth, he raised bim clear off The
ground, and shook him right and left as if
he was an empty grain bag, and then huil-
ed him against the heavy gate with terrible
force, The yell of pain and alarm uttered
by the sentinel had scarcely died away be-
fore the relief came buIrying out. They
found him lying in heap beside the
stockade, unconscious, and his uniform III
| tatters. There was no enemy in sight
not even a wolf skulked away through the
darkness. A general alarm was sounded
the drums beat to arms, and for a quarter
of an hour the excitement Vas intense.
every one believing that large force Of
indians was on the point of making an as
sauit. .-F
/ When the sentinel recovered his senses
and related his adventure, no one would
believe his story until a sergeant had ex-
amined the earth and discovered the iIonf
prints of the horse. 1t was however such
a singular adventure that no one felt easy
until morning came, Then the tIai of the
white horse could be follow ed far out ON
the prairie; and soon after sunrise the
horse himsel: was discovered bearing dow n
on the fort from Ihe direction of the noun
tain range three miles away. As the word
went round, every man turned out to catch
sight of the animal abour which SO much
bad been said. He came forward at a
sweeping trot, head up, tail streaming far
behind, and his knee action as perfect as If
he had been trained on the course for
years. He swerved neither to the right
nor left, and never halted until he was
within pistol shot of the crowd at the
stockage.
The sentinel had not exaggerated in his
statements. The color was snow white,
and such strength and symmetry no one
had ever befoIe seen in a horse. The ears
Z
and the sun gisfened on his hide as ii il
had been vanished. For two or three
minutes not a word was spoken 10y any
man, and the horse did not move ii foot.
| Then a scout aud hunter, who had come
I into the fort about half an hour before,
said to The commander;
Why, that's the hoss known among us
and the Iuiuns as White Deyilr I've seen
/ him four or five times, and I've heard OF
/ him at least once a week for the last five
/ years. He's the usliest, slyest, aud most
I treacherous beast standing on four legs"
! The scout related that the horse before
! them came to bis notice about FIVE years be
/ fore. when the Indians made several at.
tempts to capture him. lie vas singled
! out from the drove aud pursued for several
/ days, and Ill despair OF securing him, one
! of the red men sought to xiii him, 90 thai
no else should secure tie prize. The
/ horse was only wounded by the bullet thai
was meant to take his life. He at one.
separated himself from the drove and FOL
| lowed his former pursueIs Ike a shadow
! lie dashed into their camps at night, al
! tackled their ponies when he found then
grazing, and had on several occasions at
( tackled lone Indians and quickly Killed O
( disabled llem.
s''I'll give two hundred dollars 20 tie MAJ
! who Captures that horse for me - said tht
sfats In fl.
about the majestic animal.
''You might just well offer ten thous
/ and, ?" replied the scont. '.rhat ere hos.
can pace, trot. and gallop, and thar isn't :
/ wolf III the hull Sierra range " Inch ca;
smell of his heels. I'd as quick take ia,
job of cleaning out all the reds in ArizoHs
7 as of cat chin the White Devil. See tha
fore foot go up! See them lay back
He'll change the hull crowd in less {
| minute :"
/ Before a word of warming couid te spn
/ ken the hoise made dash upon tie mon
screaming ont as a troop horse does y hen
! badly wounded in battle. The soldiers
f, rushed foT the gate. One of the hinder
most was private named O Meary, scarce
! ly up to the regulation hejg ht and run d0~I
by sickness un,ii his weight did nit excerC
a hundred pounds. The White Devise
ed him by the back, lifted him of his Zee
I ty q loss Hil'l Ntltil tue SDiUitiS ittktt
! O'Meary was being borne away wtJh the
/ swiftness of .he wind. The horse had q
firm grip of clothing and flesh, and keeping
his bead well up he swept over the praiiis
with the soldier held almost peTpendicu
laily before bitn lTc was oUt of range he
feae any person could pick up gun. -
! There were dozen tr fifiee; llosse a 10.
! post, and inifive nilirtes many nleu h ID
mounted them aud were galiopiug OF ii
: pursuit.
White Devil and his victim had dis;ip
peared over swell about mile from llh.
fort. As The horsemen reached the cies
they found the dead body OF their compa
ion on the grass, bitten aud stami ed .,ni
kneaded 20 hloody mass. The hons'
stood facing them, foity rods away. as u ht
had waited for them to come up. As tin
reniains were being conveyed To the fo
several hunters came ia, and in shor
time a force of twenty mounted men lei
the gates to try and effect tiie captu q