The Theme of Sleepy Hollow

One of the main themes we noticed in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was the haunting of the town by the Headless Horseman. Everyone in the town constantly talked about him, and the suspense of never knowing when he would appear was gripping. The Horseman was known to come out at night, such as the night when the unfortunate Ichabod Crane left the ball. Was the Headless Horseman actually Brom Bones eliminating his competition?