The record-union., 1897-03-29

fright and his masters spurs he man
aged to keep in the lead. AS soon as
the farmer reached town he began to
fire the remaining shots from his pep
perboX and shout for help.
1t was early, and the stores were still
open. People rushed out on the side
walks, and when they saw man riding
at the top of his horses speed and some
terrible grinning white object on a
white horse riding after him, they did
not know what to make of it. The ne
groes shouted Ghost" and then one
man fired a shot at the thing. That
was the signal for a general uproar,
and scene of excitement and conster-
nation such as General Houston said
was never equaled outside of the in
fernal regions" Mr. Homes would
have stopped in front of the hotel, but
his frightened horse entertained differ
ent ideas on the subject, and ran on
around the plaza. It never occurred
to single individual that the thing
they saw was a human skeleton.
congress was in session at the time,
and the members rushed into the street
SuppoSing that nothing less than the
vanguard of Santa Ana's army had sur
prised the Capital. In those unhappy
times everybody carried arms, and as
Farmer Homes came around the second
time with his white hair streaming in
the wind and death or the devil on his
W hlte horse in hot pursuit, the Texans
opened fire. Pistols, muskets and shot
guns were emptied into the pack of
bones, and they could be heard rat
Ting and cracking above the stentorian
yells of the flying farmer Strangely
enough, not one shot of the first volley
struck the white horse. Hounds, of
which there were forty packs in the
town, Joined in the pursuit. while the
engineers of the two steamboats, lying
at the wharf turned all the steam in
the boats boilers into their whistles.
What the devil is it?" said General
Houston to the Secretary of War. Or
der out the Rifles ana capture the
thing. They are not afraid of the devil
himself
Women and children were screaming
and the negroes were praying. At a
corner of the street the farmers horse
collided with an old negro and fell,
throwing Mr.. Homes sprawling in the
broken leg, and Mr.. Homes shouted:
He has got me now, by thunder" The
Old white horse, having nothing to fol-
low, trotted around to Mr.. Campbell s
saloon, where he stopped and interested
himself in kicking at the hounds. The
crowd, including Congressman and men
who had distinguished themselves in
a dozen battles with MeXicans and In
Gians, ran inside and fired at the thing
through the windows Not a man was
game enough to face his satanic maj
esty and ask him what he wanted.
These men were not afraid on the bat
tlefield or the field of honor. but the
devil on his pale horse possessed ter
rors that crushed all human fortitude.
The strings with which the bones had
been tied to the saddle had doubtless
become weakened by the great strain
TO which they had been subjected and
Wnen three or four monster blood
hounds seized the skeleton they easily
tore it loose and it fell with a clatter
upon the sidewalk. The whole pack
fell upon it, snarling and yelping, and
dragged it about the street. Some of
the bolder ones peeped from the sa-
hounds tearing white object to pieces,
and one, into whose mind a ray of the
truth had crept, said: Let US go and
help the dogs to kill the devil"
General Houston, when told the true
story, threatened to have the three
worthless exiled or shot Mr.. Wilson,
who is yet living, says that he had to
hide from Farmer Homes for a long
time, and that he never did forgive
him until they met on the battlefield
Of San Jacinto in the following April.
It is said that Santa Ana never laughed
but once While he was a prisoner in
the Texas camp, and that was over
this story as told to him by an Amer
ican officer. II think" he said, that
should have run away as the old farmer
did, for we are all very much afraid
Of the devil''-St. Louis Globe-D Demo-
crat.