The Tale of the Donkey Lady is one heard by every child in San Antonio. I personally have never bothered to see the bridge allegedly haunted by this spirit, though I am familiar with the story. Being not in the best frame of mind, I was not up to retelling the story myself, so borrowed this version from here.
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The tales that I have on the Donkey Lady are not directly related to me, however they were relayed to me through friends in highschool. These are people I have known all my life, and have no reason not to believe them.
One night in late 1987, while at my best friends house, four fellow companions showed up. Bored and looking for something to do, we suggested they visit the "Donkey Lady Bridge". This local was only a short drive from the house(5 or 6 miles) and was a local favorite amongst late night stories. They agreed and were soon driving out of sight.
About six hours later, their vehicle returned to our driveway with only one occupant. Assuming he had taken the girls home and was ready to party in S.A., we went out anxious to greet him. What we found at the car was something I'll never forget; the windshield was busted, the front dented, and there was what appeared to be blood all over the hood. We immediately ran to the driver side door to see if John (not his actual name) was all right. However, John was just sitting there staring out the windshield with a blank expression on his face. After several minutes of consistent badgering, we finally got him to talk.
He, Lisa, Terri, And Jill (their names are changed also) arrived at the bridge. They began to honk their horn and call for the donkey lady. (According to legend this is how you are supposed to get her attention.) After about fifteen minutes of not seeing anything, they decided to go into the woods and look for her themselves. What happened next was truly unbelievable, and if I hadn't know John all my life and seen the car I would not have believed what he said next.
While walking in the woods, John said he got the feeling they were being watched. He immediately stopped and told everyone to be quiet. Looking around and evaluating the situation, he discovered in the distance what appeared to be two eyes staring at them off in the distance. These eyes seemed to be reflecting from the moonlight and were of a color that was said to be indescribable. Immediately the girls panicked and began to run back to the car. John was quick to follow, and soon after he turned away there was a horrible scream from the direction of the eyes. He described it as almost being a cry from an intelligent animal. To afraid to turn around, he picked up his pace as he ran to the car. When he got there the girls were already inside screaming at him to get in and leave. As he was trying to find his keys, he heard the sounds of what seemed to be a horse running in their direction. Starting the car, he slammed it into gear and put it to the floor. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the road in front of them. Too afraid to stop, John collided with the figure. It hit the hood of the car and rolled over the roof. Looking in his rear view mirror, he said he thought the figure got up and continued to pursue them.
After hearing this and seeing the condition of the car, Steve and I, immediately felt this deserved a second look. John told us that he would never return to that bridge again, but if we wanted to risk our lives to go right ahead. Grabbing two flashlights and a pair of shotguns, (that was the biggest weapon Steve's father had) we jumped in my pickup and made way for the bridge. As we drew closer, we slowed down, and turned on the many off road lights my truck had. These lit the road and the woods to the side of us as if it were day time, giving us an outstanding view of the bridge as we approached. The first thing we noticed as the bridge drew close were the amount of blood on the road. However, these were the only signs of evidence we could find. Upon investigation of the woods by foot, shot guns in hand) we discovered what seemed to be several tracks of a small horse (unshod) leading to the road. After several hours of looking and not finding anything else, we returned to the house. By this time John had already found his way home, and we laid in bed, to excited to sleep.
To this day, none of the four individuals involved in this story have returned to the bridge. Did John actually see and strike the Donkey Lady that night, or was it merely a stray pony startled by their presence? All I know is that something was there that night and it did scare our friends half to death.
The Donkey Lady bridge is the bridge that crosses Elm creek via Applewhite Rd., approximately four miles North of Loop 1604 on the South side of town.
photo from kotsu777's Photostream
