Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-07-24
THE WHITE DEVIL
4 MEXICAN SUPERSTITION AND ITS INTER.
EsTIN0 ORIGIN.

One day AZ the freight train running
from Sau Francisco TO San Jose rumbled
around a sharp curve just outside Of the
city Of San Jose, white horse sprang on
the track and raced down toward 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 steed and
the engine crept slowly up TO him. The
engineer gave few shrieks of the whis-
Gle 10 scare the horse from the track, but
he kept right on in front, running with
the speed Of a racer, with his long tail
streaming in straight line behind him.
The engineer saw a stock gap In front
half a 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 a 30
miles-an-hour clip. He was bare 100
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
The engineer swore a few choice oaths
and jumped out of the cab. The horse
was as dead as a door nail, and the en-
Kine had left the rails.
Another suit for the company, said
The conductor as he came up. "How did
you do it, Jim7"
"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
wreclinP engine to put the train back on
the rails, and while they were waiting a
Mexican rode along the road beside the
track He pulled up his broncho to see
the wreck.
"Caramba, senior, he exclaimed, turn
ing pale and trembling, "it 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 Mexican ghost, {"
said the conductor, and he walked over
and looked at the dead animal lying
under the front wheels Of the engine.
II was Vasquez' horse. The whole
country knew ii the next day. He was
20 years old and totally blind when he
met his death in front Of the freight
train, and for 10 years had roamed over
the unoccupied land about the lower
part Of Santa Clara county free as bird
Pnd feared by the Mexioans more than
lion. He was called by them the "whito
devil, and IL was their belief that he
was possessed Of a soul mortgaged 10 tho
evil one-the soul Of Vasquez. 1t is a
strange tale that the old Mexican mothers
tell Of this white horse.
vasquez was the most noted bandit OF
the early days of California. He bid
defiance to the law, eluded the detectives
and searching parties for years, and killed
and robbed half hundred men. He
roamed over the State Of California from
the north 70 the south, leaving desolation
and death In his wake. He surrounded
himself with band Of desperate Mexi-
cans and terrorized entire communities.
Lone travellers by day and by night were
stopped on the road and relieved of their
cash and often Of their lives. A quiet
village in the San joaquin Valley would
be awakened At the dead Of night by tho
rush Of sounding hoof beats. Timid men
would pull the covers about their heads
and shiver. Next day the principal storo
In the place would be found open, the
safe robbed, valuable goods taken, and the
guardian, If IL had any, dead with bul.
let in his head or a knife wound in hi
heart Vaequez had been there.
One day the stage was rattling dowi
the road from one Of the mountain mines
The wells-Fareo box was heavy with
bullion and half a dozen armed guard
sat In the coach. The driver sat on the box
with Winchester between his knees and
chatted with another guard who sat be-
side him balancing a shot gun across his
lap They were talking Of Vasquez
@They say he alters rides white hoss and
dresses like dandy" said the driver
Wish't he'd jump ther gun site stage
enc't when the boys is aboard.
Two horsemen dressed In the tinseled
Mexican cavalier costume rounded e
turn in the road just in front Of thu
stage and came riding toward it. One
Of them bestrode white horse. They
cantsred up. The man on the whit
horse went to the right and his compan.
ion TO the left Of the stage. Suddeuly
they reined mp.
Pardon, senior; viii the senior give ms
q light for me cigarettef"
The driver good naturedly pulled ny
and leaned over from his seat with the
big cigar which he was smoking ex.
tended between his fingers. He was met
with snap shot straight in the brain and
tnmbled headlong into the dust. At
The same instant the guard lurched and
fell forward under the horses with ball
in his forehead. A dozen men sprank
from The underbrush beside the road and
showed the muzxles q their rifles through