The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-13
A WONDERFUL RUNNER.
From Paris to Moscow i'm Thirteen Days
and Eighteen Hours, Beating the
Mounted COnriers A Trip to the
SOnrrAa nj fha Mia


Mounted Couriers A Trip to the
Sources of the Nile.
The present interest in pedestrianism,
manifested by the gathering OF throngs OF
people to witness walking and running
matches, was equally great In the early part
OF the century, but was then excited by the
wonderful and almost Incredible perform
ances OF one man This was Mensen Ernst.
bern In Bergen, Norway, on October 10, 1889
| He was the son OF sea captain, and when
still boy entered the English navy. Al
though his powers as q runner We're displayed
| even In his bOyhood, he made three voyages
to the East Indies and had completed three
years cruise on the frigate CALIFORNIAN, before
he made public exhibition OF them, which he
| first did by running . race In London when
he had had no training. and had even lacked
pedestrians ordinary opportunities for
muscular development, he was famed
| throughout the navy rs runner, and Won
derful stories as to his extraordinary powers
circulated among all branches OF the service.
| At last heavy sum of money was wagered
| by the officers of his ship that Mensen would
run from London to Portsmouth, a distance
OF seventy three miles, in less than ten
| hours. The feat was attempted and accom-
| plished, the distance being covered by the
| young sailor in exactly nine hours. Shortly
afterward he ran from London TO Liverpool,
distance Of $50 miles, in thirty-tso hours.
Although thus successful as q runner, Men
distinguished himself by bravery In the bat
| tie OF Navarino, fought October 20, 1927.
Soon after that date he became professional
runner and, after winning number OF lesser
matches, was induced to undertake the great
feat of running from Paris to Moscow. He
started from the Place Vendome at o'clock
| in the afternoon of June II, 1884, and entered
the Kremlin at 10 o'clock a. LII. OF June 25,
miles in thirteen days and eighteen hours.
This feat created q decided sensation
throughout Europe. and the employment of
Menser as q courier extraordinary by kings
land princes became 9 popular amusement in
European courts. He ran from country to
country and from court to court, bearing
messages Of congratulation, coincidence or
| dispatches OF greater Importance, and when-
ever matched against the regular mountess
couriers easily succeeded In beating them.
He always carried with him o map, q COM
pass and as many biscuits and ounces Of rasp-
berry syrup as there we're days to be occupied
| on the Journey. In winter he took with him
a pair Of long slender Norwegian snowshoes,
and in travelling he always chose the most
direct line, turning out neither for mountains
nor rivers, but climbing the one and swimming
the other. He never walked, but invariably
ran, keeping up long, swinging lope for
hours at time without rest His only re-
freshment was one biscuit and one ounce of
raspberry syrup per day, and two short rests
of ten to fifteen minutes each In twenty-fonr
hours. These rests he took while standing
/
support. At such times he covered his face
with a handkerchief and slept and after such
nap he would pursue his way apparently
as refreshed as though he had slept for hours.
| He was very uneasy when compelled to be
quiet, and could not sit still for half an hour
without feeling sense Of suffocation. He
was very amiable man, favor1tie with all
who knew him, and was made much OF by his
| royal patrons.
in 1888 he started from Munich at D. M,
June 6, with dispatches from the King OF Ba-
varia to his son Otto, King OF Greece. These
dispatches we're delivered at Nauplia at 9 a.
m. on July l, or seven days sooner than Ii
they had been sent by the regular post, In
1886, while In the employ Of the British East
India Company, Mensen was charged with
the conveying Of dispatches from Calcutta to
Constantinople through Central Asia. The
distance is 5615 miles, which the messenger
accomplished In fifty-nine days, or in one
third the time made by the swiftest caravan.
a On this wonderful journey he made his way
across terrible deserts, awful salt swamps,
where for hundreds of miles he saw no living
! being, and through countries whose inhabit-
ants we're savage robbers and who lived In q
state of continual warfare. The man seemed
invested with supernatural powers, and his
fame spread far and wide. One of the most
interesting problems OF the age being the dis
gested that this wonderful man be employed
to follow the course of the river to it's source,
and thus determine them. Prince PICKLES
MuSchn, who had himself Travelled extensive
ly in Egypt, and had made several unsuccess.
ful attempts to penetrate to the headwaters
of the Nile, offered to pay all expenses and
reward Mensen handsomely If he would un.
dertake the trip. The indefatigable runner
consented to make the attempt and on May
II, 1912, set our from Muskan, in Silesia
, whence he ran to Jerusalem, where he had
some business to attend to. Thence he con
; tinued his way to Cairo and up the western
bank OF the Nile, through Lower and Middle
and into Upper Egypt Here, just outside thu
village of Syane, he was seen on the morning
of January %, 1S43, to stop and rest, leanins
against palm tree, with his face covered b,
l a handkerchief. He rested so long that som
) persons tried to wake him, but they tried II
vain, for he was dead. He was buried at tn
) foot of the tree, and it was years before hi
friends in Europe knew what fate had befal
' len him.
! How They Change the Names of Street
In Paris.
The rue de Morny, In Paris, is hereafter t
7 be known as the rue Pierre-Charron. Sine
t it was opened in 1777 this street has born
, twelve names. It was rue d'Angouleme uI
: der Louis XVI; rue de PUnon under the frs
s republic; rue dAngouleme after the first he
: storation; rue de la Charte in 1880, thong
soon after it became for third time rue q Al
: gouleme; rue de pUnion in 1910; rue dA1
Il L. In