The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1897-04-23
DEATH
Rode on a Pale Horse,
Carrying Terror to
All.
Mischievous Work of
Boys.
Interesting Story Of the Ghost
That Almost Captured
the Republic of Tex
as.

One night in January, in the yea
1896, two or three young men, Will
at farm house not far from oil,
Washington, Tex manufactured ant
turned loose upon the unsuspectin,
citizens Of the town a ghost tina
caused one negro the loss Of a leg
and caused the President of the Re
public to order out the army, creating
the greatest CONSERVATION a ghos
ever caused on earth. These younI
men, one Of whom is yet living, wer,
spending the night with an old doc
tor by the name Of Ryan, who resided
on his plantation about two mile.
from the capital They had been
hunting during the day, and after
supper, while smoking in the doctor
office, which was a small, isolated
building located in a corner Of the
front yard. they noticed skeleton in
an open closet. 1t was the skeleton
of very large man and perfectly ar
ticulated. The night was a little
Geld, and one OF them remarked as he
lii his cigar and seated himself before
the fire:
"Now, il we had jug of Bourbon,
we would be fixed.
"Well, suppose we send after q b5t-
tier" said another"
To the objection that they had no
one to send. George Wilson remarked:
"Send the stiff" noddiug his head
toward the skeleton.
Just the thing" replied the first
speaker" My old white horse knows
the road to town, and, if started. he
would go straight to Jack Campbell's
saloon and stop"
They all laughed as the picture OF
the ghost on the white horse came in
to theirmiuds and one ohthem insisted
that the idea was too good to pass
without being carried out.
GO and get the horse" he said.
land will write the note.
The dare devil, never thinking Of
the consequences. wrote short note
to his friend and placed it in an enve-
lope. The letter was sealed aud ad D.
dressed to Mr. Campbell and then
tied to the skeletons bony fingers
They then securely fastened the skel.
eton to the well cinched Spanish sad
die. The old horse did not much like
the looks OF the rider, and when he
was turned loose he started toward the
town Of Washington in a gallop.
Washington was at that time the
capital Of the Republic OF Texas aud
great crowd had assembled In town
to witness Congressional debates and
discuss the latest news from Mexico.
The young men after watching the
horse and its notwithstanding rider
for a moment turned and went back
into the office, not without some mis-
givings as to the result Of such
harem scarem piece ofdeviltry. They
hid hardly seated themselves in the
DOCTORS comfortable office before the
FIRE When the reportof a pistol reached
their ears, followed by a most un-
earthly yell. They did not learn un-
til the next day just what had hap
pened.
An old painter by the name Of
Homes was riding slowly along on
his way from town to his home when
he suddenly found himself, as he
said, faceto face with agenuineghost.
He did not lose any time in asking
questions. It was light enough for
him to see the hideous thing pretty
plainly. He was game man, but he
afterwards said that he was scared out
Of his senses. The old white horse
was trotting slowly along, and there
sat the grim monster bold upright in
the saddle. He could see its grinning
teeth, hear its bones rattle and he inn
agined that its eyes were two bolts Of
FIRE. He shouted something. but it
kept coming and seemed to be right
at him. He did manage to draw his
pistol With a shaking hand and FIRE
The fash and report irightened the
old white horse, and he sprang Tor
ward in a gallop. aud then the old
bones ratified as II the devil himself
were shaking them. The farmers
horse needed no urging AS much
frightened as his master, he wheeled
In his tracks and tarted back to town
with the speed Of the wind
Mr.. Homes Loo ed back and saw
the white horse close behind him, and
it looked rs II the terrible monster
was reaching out its long bony fng-
ers, eager to clutch him and tear him
to pieces. His own horse happened
to be a good one, and under the doub-
lie stimulant OF fright aud his masters
spurs he managed to keep in the
l ad. AS soon as the farmer reached
town he began to fire the remaining
shots from his pepper box and shout
for help.
It was early aud the stores we've
still open. People rushed out on the
sidewalks, and when they saw a man
riding at the top Of his horses speed