The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-02-26
MExlCANs TERRoRIZED
BY Mano Negra or Black Hand
StoTy OF Its Oriqin.

San Antonio. Feb. 25-The Mauo
.Nogra which is now tcrrorizing the
MeNicans of Houston originated in
Mexico about sixty years ago. The
Black Hand is original with Italy.
but the Mexican Black Hand or Mano
Ncgra is said to have come from the
terrible Caballo Blanco or White
Horse Cabella Blanco was one of the
bloodiost OF the mysterious Mexican
.bandtti. NO one ever knew who he
was or where he came from. but he
always rode n white horse and was
therefore called Caballo Blanco. Ca.
.ballo Blanco was handsome Mcxi.
can of middle age, with dark hair.
.mustache and eyes. But his eyes
are said to have expressed more cru.
city than the eyes of any person who
ever lived. He had his hiding place
in the mountains whero few humans
were known TO have travorsed. Fifty
men of the cruelist character are
said 10 have composed his company
Their exact location in the mountain
has never been found, but it is com.
monty believed that they dwelt in
some great cave which concealed
both men and horses.
For years Caballo Blanco and his
linen terrorized a part of Mexico, On
the darkest of nights they would ride
into some village, set fire to It, and
the houses But not only during the
night would Caballo Blanco and his
men commit bold robberies and mur.
derN M1ny times dug the day
they would approach some small
town and when they entered every.
one would go into hiding save some
of the bravest, who gave fight only
to he killed themselves. In some cas-
es Caballo Blanco is said to have
entered villages and captured women.
They were carried away to the noun.
tains and never heard of again The
treasuiies of the smallest towns
were his prey as well as were all
caravans that passed within his
reach. After operating for many years
Caballo Blanco is said to have sus.
pectcd some of his men of disloyalty.
Accordingly he made every one of
his men take the terrible Mano Ne.
gra oath. If this oath was broken in
any way the man who broke il would
be killed. Years afterward Caballo
Blanco is said to nave disappeared
and some other MeXicans are said
to have taken up the Mano Negra
oath and formed a society something
like the Italian Malta. Any member
of the society who gave a hint of
its dark secrets was murdered by va.
rious methods. The society itself ap.
pears to have had no other object
than mysterious robbery and murder.
About the year 1875 .Caballo Blanco
and his men are said to have disap.
peared from Mexico and have never
been heard of since. Many believe
they were swallowed up by the earth
while in their cave and the supersti.
tious class in Mexico believe the dev.
IL took them and their horses alive.
They also believe there is great
cave somewhere among the moun-
tains where the rich treasurers of Ca
ballo Blanco are hidden away.
4 The Mano Negra has never been
known to have operated in San An.
tonic to any great extent. Several
years ago the two words Sempra
Crika,' were found one morning
written in black on many Of the
walls and buildings Of the city. No
one was able to trace the origin of
the words. but many believed that
it was the words of the Mano Negra
The word sempra is Spanish, and
means always" but no one appears
to know what kind of wore 'crika"
is, nor what its meaning can be.