For nearly a decade, 28-year Morton resident Bobbie Dalton and her trusty steed, Tallulah Jane, have delivered tricks and treats to residents of the East Lewis County town on Halloween by dressing up as the Headless Horseman and clomping down Main Avenue to pass out candy.
This year, the ghostly equine will instead rest in peace.
“Two years ago, you did a story featuring myself and my beloved horse, Tallulah Jane, as Morton's Headless Horseman,” Dalton wrote in a message to The Chronicle. “I am saddened to tell you that Tallulah Jane was euthanized on Thursday, Aug. 31. Morton's Headless Horseman will ride no more.”
Tallulah was 19 years old. After donning the costume, Halloween was the only time Dalton rode her, she told The Chronicle in 2021.
She continued, she said at the time, because the kids love it. Her grandchildren had started to see through the facade, she said, but many others still find it certifiably scary.
“If the kids come up to me and say ‘trick-or-treat,’ they get candy. That's the only prerequisite I have. If they're too scared, I'll give it to their parents,” Dalton said.
In the years Halloween landed on a school day, she would begin her headless ride in time to arrive at the elementary school as the bell rang.
Dalton, in 2021, said she worked in Puyallup as a veterinary assistant and loves living in Morton because of the “small-town quality,” she said.
Beyond her annual spooky ride, Halloween is a yearly highlight for Dalton. She enjoys the chance to show off home decorations and funky costumes, including Cruella de Vil and an Austin Powers getup with her husband.
Dalton said Tallulah Jane was probably at the limit of her tolerance for costumes with the Headless Horseman ordeal, but that she was a lovely horse and got along well with the kids.
“I swear she's the most photographed horse in Lewis County,” Dalton said at the time.
Despite the loss of a star, Halloween events in Morton will continue. The Morton Historical Society, with Brown Mortuary at 812 Westlake Ave., will host “The Mortuary Mansion” on Oct. 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. with crafts, games, a haunted maze and a costume contest.
To send other October events to The Chronicle for publication, email news@chronline.com.
