El Muerto- The Headless Rider

Back in the 1880s the Texas frontier was a dangerous place. In the northern plains the Commanche Indians were raiding settlements and murdering people and stealing their livestock. In the south Mexican bandits took advantage of this to plunder. The Texas Rangers were stretched thin. One notorious Mexican bandit of the day went by Vidal. He managed to make a name for himself. Another legendary name was Texas ranger William Anderson "Big Foot" Wallace. He tracked Vidal and killed him. To send a message to other Mexican bandits, he cut Vidal's head off. Then he tied the headless corpse to the horse and set it off across the Texas plains.
Shortly thereafter, stories emerged of a vengeful spirit that rode across the plains. A headless horseman like the one created by Washington Irving over a hundred years before in New England. It didn't take long for acts of evil deeds came to be associated with it. Eventually, a posse was formed and tracked the 'spirit' down. What they found was a tired old horse, and a dried up corpse full of bullet holes and Indian arrows. The body was buried in an unmarked grave, thus ending the reign of El Muerto.