Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-08-13
THE WHITE DEVIL.
A Mexican Superstition and It's
Interesting Origin

from San Francisco to San Jose rum
bled around the curve just outside OF
the city of San Jose, a white horse
sprang on the track and raced down to-
ward the town in front of the engine.
For a mile the train did not gain on
him, then the unequal footing of the
cross ties and the pace began to tell
on the white stecd, and the engine
crept slowly up to him. The engineer
gave few shrieks OF the whistle to
scare the horse from the track, but he
kept right on In front, running with
the speed of racer, with his long tail
streaming in straight line behind
him.
The engineer saw stock gap in
front half q mile away, and again
pulled the whistle. The horse simply
let out few links and went on. The
engineer got mad. He pulled the
throttle open and went after the white
phantom, at NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. clip.
He was bare hundred feet behind the
horse when the animal reached the
stock gap and plunged in among the
open ties and fell. The pilot struck
him, ground the life out of him in an
instant and then plowed into the dirt
on the opposite side of the track. The
engineer swore few choice oaths and
inmped out of the cab. The horse was
as dead as door nail and the engine
had left the rails.
"Anothcr suit for the company, -"
said the conductor as he came up.
'How did you do it, Jim?"
"Oh, / don't know" answered Jim in
surly way. "The brute got on the
track and just stayed there till | struck
him. He was possessed of the devil, |
guess"
They had to send to San Jose for the
wrecking engine to put the train back
on the rail, and while they were wait
ing Mexican rode along the road be-
side the track. He pulled up his bron-
cho to see the wreck
"Caramba, senor," he exclaimed,
turning pale and trembling, lit es
Vasquez' horse" And he mounted his
pony as quickly as possible and sped
off down the road.
''Who the deuce is Vasquez?" asked
Jim. 'From the way that Greaser got
a push on himself you'd think we'd
killed ghost"
'If that's Vasquez' horse as the
Greaser said, you have killed a Mexi
can ghost" said the conductor, and he
walked over and looked at the dead an
imal living under the front wheels OF
| the engine.
1t was Vasquez' horse The whole
country knew it the next day. He was
twenty years old and totally blint
when he met his death in front of the
freight train, and for ten years hao
roamed over the unoccupied land abou
the lower part of Santa Clara county
free as bird and feared by the Mexi
cans more than lion. He was called
by them the ''white devil" and it was
their belief that he was possessed of ;
soul mortgaged to the evil one-the sou
of Vasquez. 1t is strange tale tina
the old Mexican mothers tell OF thi
white horse
Vasquez was the most noted bandi
of the early days of California III
bade defiance to the law, eluded the de
tectives and searching parties for year
and killed and robbed half hundred
men. He roamed over the state of Cal
ifornia from the north to the south
leaving desolation and death in hi
wake. He surrounded himself with
band of desperate Mexicans and ter
rorized entire communi ties Lone trav
elers by day and by night were stoppe'
on the road and relieved of their casl
and often of their lives. A quiet vii
lage in the San Joaquin valley woul
be awakened at the dead of night b.
the rush of sounding hoof-beats
Timid men would pull the covers abou
their heads and shiver Next day tn
principal store in the place would b
found open, the safe robbed, valuabl
goods taken, and the guardian, if it ha
any, dead with q bullet in his head or
knife wound in his heart. Vasquez ha
been there.
One day the stage was rattling dow
the road from one of the mountai
mines. The Wells-Fargo box wa
heavy with bullion and half dozc
armed guards sat in the coach. Th
driver sat on the box with Wincheste
between his knees and chatted wit
another guard who sat beside him ba
ancing a shotgun across his lap. The
were talking of Vasquez. "They sa
he alters rides white horse an
dresses like dandy" said the driver
"Wish't he'd jump ther gun-site stag
onct when the boys is aboard"
Two horsemen dressed in the tinsele
Mexican cavalier costume rounded
turn in the road just in front of tn
stage and came riding toward it. On
of them bestrode white horse. The
cantered up. The man on the whit
horse went to the right and his con
panion to the left of the stage. Sue
denly they reined up.
Pardon, senior, will the senior Civ
me light for me cigarette?"
The driver good-naturedly pulled u
and leaned over from his seat with th
big cigar which he was smoking c:
tended between his fneera He W.