Eerie tales have been part of the city's history from the beginning: Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain are the subjects of several spooky Native American legends, and Anasazi spirits are still seen at the ancient cliff dwellings outside town. In the Old North End neighborhood, the howls of hellhounds ring through the night, and visitors at the Cheyenne Canon Inn have spotted the spirit of Alex Riddle on the grounds for over a century. Henry Harkin has haunted Dead Mans' Canyon since his gruesome murder in 1863, and Poor Bessie Bouton is said to linger on Cutler Mountain, hovering where her body was discovered more than a century ago. Ghost hunter and tour guide Stephanie Waters explores the stories behind Little London's" oldest and scariest tales." Stephanie Waters was brought up in a military household and has lived all over the United States, but is proud to call Colorado home. She graduated from Colorado High School, in Colorado Springs, and attended UCCS. She has a degree in Liberal Arts and is the owner and operator of Blue Moon Haunted History Tours in Manitou Springs. Ghosts of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak By Stephanie Waters The History Press Copyright © 2012 Stephanie Waters All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-60949-467-4 Contents Acknowledgements, Introduction. Why Did I Become a Ghost Hunter?, The Phantom Axe Man of Dead Man's Canyon, Hell Hounds of the Old North End, The Riddle and Wraith of Cheyenne Canyon, The Shadow Boxer of Kid Montana, Cities of the Dead: Evergreen and Fairview, Gray Ghosts of the Old Railroad Depot, Downtown Spirits of Justice and Jinx, Haunted Hospitals of Little London, Shades of the Mayor's Mansion and Pioneer Park, Dark Secrets of Fountain and the Hovena House, Pioneer Phantoms and the Black Forest, Spirits of Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods, The Others, Bibliography, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 The Phantom Axe Man Of Dead Man's Canyon Like one that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread. — Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" Dead Man's Canyon is considered to be one of the oldest documented haunted hot spots in the country. Legends of outlaw bandits hiding out in the infamous canyon have flourished for over 150 years. The notorious Espinosa Gang was perhaps the first well-known group of bandits to seek refuge in the canyon's nooks and crannies. Their savage crime spree across the territory caused more fear in the early pioneers, trappers and traders than all the Indian raids combined. The saga of the ruthless gang began in what is now known as New Mexico, where a man named Juan Espinosa lived in his family's ancestral hacienda with his large extended family. The clan of ranchers claimed to have Castilian blue blood coursing through their veins and to have descended from the nobles in Cortez's army. The Espinosas also belonged to a mysterious religious cult known as the Penitents, a barbaric sect that practiced bizarre secretive rituals and fanatical violence. Juan Espinosa was the oldest son and had a fierce hunger for violence. After the Mexican War, some ex–American soldiers went to work on the Espinosa ranch. One of these men fell in love with Juan's seventeen-year-old sister, and soon they became engaged despite the family's disapproval. The American worked hard and saved a large sum of money in preparation to build a home for his future bride. Juan Espinosa knew that the American hid his savings under his pillow, and he planned to steal it the first chance he got. One late night, the greedy thief crept into the American's dark bedroom hoping to steal his guarded treasure. The American fired his gun but missed, and Juan Espinosa stabbed the American in the heart. The household was startled by the disturbance, and Juan's sister came running. She cried out in horror when she found her brother holding a bloody knife and her lover dead on the floor. The grisly scene instantly struck her with insanity, and before anyone could intervene, she jumped out the window. In a poetic twist of justice, the woman was also pierced through the heart — on the wrought-iron fence below. With his sister's suicidal cries still ringing in his ears, the desperado and his youngest nephew fled the scene and headed for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Over time, they gathered a few sheepherders and trained them to become a gang of murdering thieves and desperados. Juan Espinosa believed that he was some kind of Mexican avenging angel whose holy mission was to kill every American that crossed his path. He especially hated older white men because he blamed previous generations for the Mexican War. Juan was convinced that all white settlers squatting on their ancient Mexican lands needed to be sacrificed, and to show his conviction, he would pierce every victim in the heart and