An idea of what the Donkey Lady may've looked like.
Anyone growing up near San Antonio probably heard a story about "The Donkey Lady". There are many different variations, and since I've been looking into it, I'll try to post what I find here.
Possible Legends[]
On the south side of San Antonio is a bridge known to be the home of the donkey lady. Some say she's a ghost while others say she's a living creature, half donkey and half human. The donkey lady bridge is at the end of Jett Rd. before it runs into Applewhite Rd.
She is said to live in these woods around the bridge and jump on your car damaging it with her hooves if you park here too long. There are many stories on the internet about this San Antonio legend. Whether she's a ghost or a creature, the donkey lady story is scary and well known throughout many parts of Texas.
Several stories detail how the donkey lady came to be and how she became part donkey, part human. Some stories say she lost her children in a fire set by her husband. She was terribly disfigured in the fire, fusing her fingers and toes together creating hoof-like hands and feet. Her head was so badly burned in the fire that it healed in such a warped, elongated fashion so it resembled that of a donkey. She roams the area surrounding the bridge in south San Antonio nightly, crying for her children. She will routinely chase off anybody who bothers her by honking. Honking a cars horn is supposedly the best way to get the attention of this beastly donkey lady.
Another story about how the donkey lady came to be surrounds the same bridge area of south San Antonio. In the mid 50's, a woman would walk her donkey along the road to the fields near her home to let the donkey graze. A boy claimed the woman's donkey had bitten him so the boy's father and several of his friends plotted to grab the donkey as it was being walked by the woman to the fields. They waited in the woods and then jumped out when she walked by and tried to grab the rope from the woman that was leading her donkey. As they fought for the rope, the donkey accidentally fell into the stream and drowned. The men were walking away when the woman started throwing rocks at them. A rock hit one of the men knocking him unconscious. The other men grabbed the woman and threw her into the water where she drowned. The spirit of the woman and her beloved donkey combined into one and now angrily roam the area around the bridge. The donkey lady ghost is said to have enormous strength, scary eyes, beastly screams, and rage that haunts any who bother her or come into her vicinity.
One Account (Taken from an angelfire site.)[]
Down in an area near San Antonio, there is the legend of the "Donkey Lady". She is reportedly the spirit of a horribly mutated woman appearing to be half woman, half donkey. She is reported to haunt a bridge in the woods south of town, and this location has become a hotspot for local thrill seekers both young and old.
This story is not directly related to me, but happened to some friends of mine. I have known them all my life, and have no reason not to believe them. One night in late 1987, while at my best friend’s house, four fellow companions showed up. Bored and looking for something to do, we suggested they visit the "Donkey Lady Bridge". This location was only a short drive from the house, (five or six 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 drive way with only one occupant. Assuming he had taken the girls home, and that he was ready to party in SA, we went out, anxious to greet him. What we found at the car is 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 over to the driver’s door, to see if John was alright. However, John was just sitting there staring out the window, with a blank expression on his face. After several minutes of consistent badgering, we finally got him to talk.
He, Lisa, Terri, and Jill arrived at the bridge. They began to honk their horn, trying to summon the legendary Donkey Lady. After about 15 minutes of not seeing anything, they decided to go into the woods and look for themselves. What happened next was truly incredible, and if I hadn't of known John all my life, and seen the car, I would not have believed him.
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 what appeared to be two eyes staring at them off in the distance. These eyes seemed to be reflecting the moon light, and were of a color that he said to be indescribable. 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.
Too afraid to turn around, he picked up the pace as he ran to the car. When he got there, the girls were already in the car, screaming for him to get in and leave. As he was trying to find his keys, he heard what seemed to be the sounds of 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 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 (these were the biggest weapons 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 was daytime, giving us an outstanding view of the bridge as we approached. The first thing we noticed as the bridge drew near, were the numerous amounts of blood on the road. However, these were the only signs of evidence we could find.
Upon investigation of the woods by foot, (and shotguns) we discovered what seemed to be several tracks of a small unshod horse 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 lay in bed, too 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 scared our friends half to death.