The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-28
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY. FEBRUARY Is, 1897.

An old planter by the name Of Homes
was riding slowly along on his way pack
from town to his home, when he sud
face with a genuine ghost lie d;d not
lose any time in asking questions. IT
was light enough for him 70 see the hid
eous thing pretty plainly. he was a game
man. but he afterward said that he was
scared out of his senses. The old white
morse was trotting slowly along, and
there sat the grim monster bolt upright
IN the saddle. He could see its grinniFg
teeth, hear its bones rattle, and he mag
med that its eyes We're two bail OF hre.
He shouted something, but 1t kept COM
ing and seemed to be riding right at !. m
tie did manage to draw his pistol with n
shaking hand and fire. The flash ana me
report frightened the old white horse,
and he sprang forward in Eallop ana
then the old bones ratified as If the devil
himself were shaking them The farmer
horse needed no urging. AS much irlgnt-
ened as his master, he wheeled IN ms
tracks and started back to town with the
speed of the wind. Mr.. Homes looked
reaching out its long, bony nnSetS, eager
10 clutch him and tear him to pieces.
His own horse happened to be good one,
and under the double stimulant of fright
and his masters spurs he nlan"Sed 70
keep in the lead. AS soon as The farmer
reached town he began to ire the remain
ing shots from his pepper-boX ana Stout
for help.
1t was early, and the stores were still
open. People rushed out on the sldeWaiks,
top of his horses speed and some terrible
grinninG white object on white horse
riding after him, they did not know what
70 make of it. The negroes shouted
"Ghost!' and then one man fired shot
at the thing. That was the signal Tor
general uproar, and scene OF excitement
and CONSERVATION such as, Gen Houston
said, was never equaled outside OF tne
Internal regions" MIR. Holmes would
have stopped in front of the hotel, but
his frightened horse entertained different
Ideas on the subject, and ran on around
the plaza. II never occurred to a single
individual that the thing they saw was
human skeleton.
Congress was in session at the time and
the members rushed into the street, sup
posing that nothing less than the van,
guard of Santa Ana 5 army had surprised
the capital. In those unhappy times eN-
cry one 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 white horse IN
hos pursuit, the Texans opened nre. rs
tolls, muskets and shotguns were emphed
into the pack of bones, and they could pc
heard rafting and cracking above the
stentorian yels of the flying farmer
Strangely enough, not. one shot OF the
Hounds. of which there we're forty packs
in the town, Joined in the pursuit, Whlle
the engineers of the two steamboats, ~
ing at the wharf turned all the steam
in the boats boilers into their whistles
What the devil is it?' said Gen. Hous-
ton to the Secretary of War, order OUT
are not afraid of the devil himself.
Women and children We're screaming
and the negroes were praying. Al COT
ner of the street the farmers horse collld-
ed with an old negro and fell throwing
Mr.. Holmes sprawing In the sand Inc
negro crawled away with a broken leg,
and Mr.. Holmes shouted, He has got me
now, by thunder" The old white horse,
having nothing to follow, trotted around
to Mr.. Campbells saloon, where ne stop
ped and interested himself IN klcklng al
the hounds. The crowd, including several
congressman and men who had distin-
guished themselves in a dozen battles with
MeXicans and Indians, ran inside and nred
at the thing through the windows Not a
man was game enough to face his satanic
majesty and ask him what he wanted.
These men We're not afraid on the battle-
field or the field of honor but the devil on
his pale horse possessed terrors that
crushed all human fortitude. The strings
with which the bones had been tied to
the saddle had doubtless become weaken
ed by the great strain to which they had
been subjected, and when three or four
monster bloodhounds seized the skeleton
they easily tore it loose, and 1t 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
holder ones peeped from the saloon and
saw the saddle empty and the hounds tear
ing a white object to nieces, and one. into
whose mind a ray of ME truth had crept,
said, Let US go and help the dogs to XIII
the DEVIL
cen Houston, when told the true story.
threatened to have the three worthless ex-
FED or shot. Mr.. Wilson, who is yet liv-
ing, says that he had to hide from Farmer
Homes for long time, and that he never
did forgive him until they met on the bat
tlefield of San Jacinto in the following
April. 1t 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 American Off
Ger. IT think, he said, that | should
have run away as the old farmer did. for
we are all very much afraid of the devil"