Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-11
THE sNOW-WHITE STALLION.
Laying an Equine wrath OF INC
Texa. Plains.
nbiladeIphia Times)

philadelphia Times)
some forty years ago l was travelling
through the western portion Oh ieN"s'
and spent several years at san Ah'oh'o
do Rexar. As a civil engineer, great
deal of my time was spent OUT oi uoo.1'
many miles from any settlement vi ""o'
,a,ion of man. locating land claims anu
rerfectine titles My business frequently
called me great distances from San az
tonic. and into the unexplored Wits,
where the mustang morse 'n -
tru the tiger-cat, numberless red Ieer'
~ Wild turkey abounded in all the free
49,, y, untutored nature, and IL was not
an unusual occurrence to see bands OF
Tror, fftv To one hundred wild horses
an the run at full speed making 'neir
escane from the face OF man ere they hau
caught sight of his approach. VIII
horsa is considered the most wary am
nal ON the plains. and can scent a niIh
go miles away il the wind is favorable
II was a common thing 10 see aniohs
hand of these horses animals Oh an t"'
colors natural to the horse-plepaiu, cray
hank strawberry. roam, caiico' i."e'
streaked. and striped, coal black anu
-. y,hl,e without spot or blemish
TN. Nexicans at that day In that sec
,,on carried on quite a successful DUST
ness capturing and domestca''hS IL.
mustang. and, az Is usuai Among 'i'''
class of frontier people, supersu,ioHs GU
tared largely into their noinadic hNes,
asnaclolIv in regard TO wild animals, the
canture OF snoT-whlte amman "e''e
considered by them lucky olneH' pr
vided the animal was without uisS"iy ~ a
hair. An animal OF this Kihd was ioohei
unon with somewhat OF reverence sum-
white FlEDulDl VI III
dia. o,.or the
And then there was ranging over the
vast Mains what was known IN tnelr SUI
nerstitious legends as the caEaiio oi~hco'
snow white stallion, OF the most PelteS.
symmetry. and name ana TAN that ha'
tho annearance when the horse was IN
fuu aight OF two long. white banners
exnoseJ TO a stiff breeze. IN fact. no
one had ever seen the horse IN any Othei
attitude except in full flight, ana In such
speed as to appear as wihseu specu.
sailing through the air AT electric sp,eH'
his feet not seeming to touch the earth.
Counled with the extreme wariness ana
unaccountable speed of the animal. MS
unblemIshed whiteness caused the igno-
rant harder Mexican To look upon MIN
with superstitious awe. Another unusuai
thing connected with the history OF this
necnliar animal was the fact that ne h9d
been sighted By different parties az az
ferant times In other ranges, several nun
bred miles from where he had been feN
months befc =. and positively identified as
me and me. same horse. These eharac'
teristlcs OF the horse had settled the fact
so conclusively in the naturally superst.
lions minds OF the swarthy plainsmer
that he was a phantom that he had be-
come known among them as the Equine
Ghost OF the Plains.
HAD GRAVE DOUBTS.
While reclining m the shade OF luxu
RANT evergreen. upon / bed Of soft mos
mesquite grass, during the hours OF th'
usual siesta. enjoying the cool zephyr'
| that came floating lazily from the Gui
| Of Mexico. laden with the fragrance from
| the beautiful variegated carpet OF Will
| flowers spread out upon the whole land
| / listened to my Mexican guides In thei
relation Of those legends with an amuse'
| interest not doubling the existence o
such an animal, but as TO the supernatu
raj part OF the story had grave doubts
| and I had formed an Unsuitable desire I
see with my own eyes the much-talked-o
1 horse ghost Of the plains.
| At that day there Was . stretch or viii
and unsettled territory Of seven or eigh
hundred miles west oe San Antonit