The record-union., 1897-03-29
DEATH ON HORSEBACK.
An Exciting Night in the Old Republic
Of Texas.
General Houston Ordered Out the
Texan Army to Capture
Ghost.

one night in January, IN the year
1886, two or three young men, While at
a farmhouse not far from Old WaSh-
lngton, Tex, manufactured and turn
ed loose upon the unsuspecting citizens
OF the town a ghost that cost one negro
the loss of a leg and caused the Presl-
dent of the Republic to order out the
army, creating the greatest consterha-
uon ghost ever caused on eafth.
These young men, one of whom is yet
living, were spending the night with
an old doctor of the name OF Ryan, VINO
resided on his plantation about two
miles from the Capital. They had been
hunting during the day, and after sup
per, while smoking in the doctors Of
ice, which was a SMALL isolated build
ing located in a corner of the front
yard, they noticed a skeleton in an
open closet. 1t was the skeleton of
very large man and perfectly artlculat-
ed. The night was a little cold, and
one of them remarked as he lit cigar
and seated himself before the fire:
Now, if we had a jug of Bourbon,
We would be fixed"
We'll, suppose we send after bot
tle?' said another.
To the objection that they had no one
W SenO, George w llSOn SdlQ.
Send the stiff" nodding his head to-
ward the skeleton.
Just the thing" replied the first
speaker My old white horse knows
/ the road to town, and, if started, he
will go straight to Jack Campbells sa-
loon and stop"
They all laughed as a picture of the
ghost on the white horse came into
their minds and one of them insisted
that the idea was too good to. pass
without being carried out.
Go and get the horse,' he said, and
l will write the note"
The dare devil, never thinking as to
the consequences, wrote a short note
to his friend and placed it in an en-
velope. The letter was sealed and ad
dressed to Mr.. Campbell and then tied
to the bony skeletons fingers. They
then securely fastened the skeleton to
the well-cinched Spanish saddle. The
horse did not much like the looks of
his rider, and when he was turned loose
he started off toward the town of
Washington in a gallop.
Washington was at that time the
Capital of the Republic of Texas, and a
great crowd had assembled to witness
Congressional debates and discuss the
latest news from Mexico. The young
men, after watching the horse and his
Notwithstanding rider for a moment,
turned and went back into the office,
not without some misgivings as to the
result of such a harum-scarum piece of
deviltry. They had scarcely seated
themselves in the doctors comfortable
Office before the fire when the report of
a pistol reached their ears, followed by
a most unearthly yell. They did not
learn until the next day just what had
happened.
An old planter by the name of Homes
was riding slowly along on his way
back from town to his home, when ne
suddenly found himself, as he said, face
to face with a genuine ghost. He did
not lose any time in asking questions.
1t was light enough for him to see the
hideous thing pretty plainly. He was
a game man, but he afterward said that
ne was scared out of his senses. The
old white horse was trotting slowly
along, and there sat the grim monster
bolt upright in the saddle. He could
see its grinning teeth, hear its bones
rattle, and he imagined that its eyes
We're two balls of fire. He shouted
something, put 1t kept coming and
seemed to be riding right at him. He
did manage to draw his pistol with
shaking hand and fire. The flash and
the report frightened the old white
horse, and he sprang forward in a gal
lop, and then the old bones ratified as
if the devil himself We're shaking them.
The farmers horse needed no urging
AS much frightened as his master. he
wheeled in his tracks and started back
to town with the speed of the wind.
Mr.. Homes looked back and saw the
white horse close to him, and it looked
as if the terrible monster was reaching
out its long, bony fingers, eager TO
clutch him and tear him to pieces. His
own horse happened to be a good one,
and under the double stimulant Of