Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1915 — The Devil’s Inn [ARTICLE]

The Devil’s Inn

By M. QUAD

If you have ever visited the city of Zacatecas, Mexico, you have heard the story of “The Devil’s Inn” and have been mystified over it. If you have not heard the story by word of mouth you will be interested in it On the highway to San Luis, about four miles out of Zacatecas, are the ruins of the inn. They have been ruins since 1884. The landlord and most of his customers were a hard lot and during the four or five years the place flourished it had a bad name. The authorities had about determined to close the inn when it was suddenly abandoned by the owner. The most that could be learned from the servants was that a stranger came there one night and had a long and confidential conversation with the landlord and next morning both were missing. The place was overhauled, but no traces of murder were found. The servants scattered, the doors were nailed up. and the Holy Rest was left to darkness and the bats. Of course it soon had the reputation of being haunted, and after a couple of years an Incident occurred that gave it a still worse name. A young man belonging to one of the best families of Monterey, who happened to be in Zacatecas on a visit, made a wager that he would pass a night alone In the inn. He rode out before dark, well armed and provided with lights, and was seen tQ enter the place by a window. Next day his naked body was found on the highway in front of the house. He had been dead for hours, and it was the opinion of the doctors that he had been attacked by a wild beast

A company of fifty soldiers went out and searched the inn. The search was a thorough one, but no trace of man or animal could be found. ' I was one of the four American civil engineers employed by the local government of Zacatecas in the years named to make surveys for a drainage canal, and, of course, I heard of the devil’s inn, as it had long been called. That the people were earnest and sincere in their talk made no difference to me. I had no belief in haunted houses, and my sarcastic reflections made me enemies. Perhaps things would not have gone as far as they did but for the chief of police of Zacatecas. lie called on me one day in serious mood and said:

“I want to warn you against making any foolish move- in connection with' the devil’s inn. The place is surely haunted and dangerous to life, no matter what you think. Don’t be silly enough to pay it a night's visit, as I hear you contemplate doing.” I had contemplated nothing of the kind, but the chief had scarcely finished when 1 was resolved to take that very step. My chum was named Clark, a young man from Chicago, and I had no sooner broached the subject to him than he was ready for the adventure. For fear that the authorities might stop us we let only a few people into our plan, and one Saturday afternoon, equipped with everything deemed nec essary, we were driven out to the inn.

Our first step was to carefully inspect every room and the cellar, and we did not find so much as a rat We bad brought our pipes, wine and luncheon. with a pack of cards to divert ourselves, and neither one of us had the slightest idea of anything coming to alarm us. As we sat down to the cards our revolvers were laid on the table, and we laughed and joked without restraint We had braced the doors shut with stout boards, and our first alarm came when one of these boards fell down and the door swung wide open, so that we could look into the kitchen.

This incident happened about 10 o’clock. Three-quarters of an hour later the door leading to the office was tried from the far side. We not only heard It creak and give, but we could see the brace quiver under the strain. There was no sound of footsteps or whispering. Rising with the utmost caution, we grasped our revolvers and tiptoed to the door. When we reached it we suddenly jerked the brace away and sprang back. The door flew back with great violence, but there was nobody on the other side. When the door had been secured as before we returned to our game and spoke in whispers and kept very quiet. After half an hour we abandoned the cards and sat listening. I think it was, half an hour after midnight and we were both probably nodding in sleep when both doors were suddenly burst open with a crash, our candles were blown out by what seemed a strong wind, and the next Instant I was seized, lifted oft my feet and carried to the broken window of the office and flung out While I lay on the ground Cla?k followed me. and we heard a queer sort of chuckling from the window above. We both scrambled up and ran for our lives and in time reached the city. Neither of us was much hurt, but we had received a great fright What had attacked us we could not say.

We went at once to the police, but even as we told our story we saw a red glare on the sky and knew the devil’s inn was on fire. Next day we visited the place with a strong detachment of police. We found nothing but the walls standing. • The unknown something that had flung us out had fired the place by accident or design, and the smoke stained adobe walls are yet there for you to see and wonder over.

The Reason. 5 Among the employees whose duties are supposed to be discharged in the rear of a certain shop in Baltimore while the proprietor looks after matters in front are a couple of darkies, who occasionally “take things easy." One afternoon they were engaged in a quiet game of seven-up on a barrel, when they were startled by the sudden appearance of the boss, whom they supposed to be in his usual place in front. The boss wag angry. “How is it,” he demanded, “that I find you fellows playing cards?” “I dqn't know, boss,” was the response of one of the darkies, it’s on account of dem rubber heels you is wearin’.”—Lippincott’s.