The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-05-01
A WONDERFUL RUNNER.
Prom Paris 70 Moscow IA Thirteen BAYS
and EfKhteen Hours.
New York Times.

the present interest in pedestTianism,
manifested by the gathering Of throngs
of people to witness walking and run>
ming matches, was equally great in the
early part oil the century, but was then
excited by the wonderful and almost in
credible performance, of one man. This
was Mensen Ernst, born IN Bergen. Nor
way, on Gct. 10, 1899. He was the son
of q asa captain, and when boy entered
the English navy. Although his powers
as a runner were displayed even in his
bOyhoOd, he had made three voyages to |
the East Indies, and had completed
three-years cruise on the frigate Gale
DOMAIN, before he made a public exhi~
bitiOn of them, which he did by running
race in London when nineteen years
old. Though up to this time he had
had no training, and even lacked g
pedestrians ordinary opportunities for
muscular development, he was famed
throughout the navy as a runner, and
wonderful stories as to his extraordinary
powers circulated among all the branches
of the service. At last q heavy sum Of
money was Wagered by the officers of
his ship that Mensen would run from
London to Portsmouth, distance of sew
enty-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
SheTtly afterWard he ran from London
to Liverpool, distance eff $50 miles, in
80 hours. Although thus successful as
| runner, Mensen did not quit the sea
until after having distink uishe1 himself
| by bravery in the battle of Navaiino,
October 20, 1927. Soon after that date
/ he became a pr fessional runner, and,
after winning number of lesser matches
was induced to undertake the great feat
/ of running from Paris to MosCO-7. He
started from the Place Vendor at i
| O'Clock in the afternoon of J une IL, 1881,
and entered the Kremliu at 10 clock
q. M Of June 25, having accomplished
| the distance of l 700 miles in IS dsys
and Is hours.
The ieat created q decided sensation
! Throughout Europe, and the employ
ment of Mensen as q courier extraordie
nary by kings and princes became a
popular amusement in European courts
He ran from country to country and
! from court to court, bearing messages of
congratulations, coincidence or dispatches
OF great Importance, and whenever
matched against the regular mounted
| cOurieTs easily succeeded in beating them
I D. a
compass, and as many biscuits aud ounces
| of Tasl berry syrup as there were to be
days occupied on the Journey. In winter
he took with him pair of long, slender
wegian snow shoes, and in travelling
he always chose the most direct line,
turning out neither for mountains nor
rivers, but climbing the one and swim
ming the other. He never walked, but
invariably ran, keeping Un g long,
swinging lope for hours at time with
out rest. His only refreshment was one
biscuit and an ounce of raspberry syrup
per day, and two short rests of ten or
fifteen minutes each tWenty~four hours
These rests he took while standing and
leaning against tree or other object of
support. At such times he covered his
face with his handkerchief and slept, and
after such q 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 halt an hour with>
out feeling a sense of sufocation. He
was very amiable man, favorite with
ali who knew him, and was made much
! of by his royal patrons.
In 1888 he started from Munich at
p. m, June 6, with dispatches from the
] u.
OF Greece. These dispatches were de.
ivered at Nauplia at 9 a. m. on July /
or seven days sooner than it they had
been sent by the regular post. In 1886
while in the employ of the British East
India Company, Nensen was charged
with the conveying of dispatches from
Calcutta to CenstantinOple through Cen
trail Asia. The distance is 6l5 miles,
which the messenger accomplished in
fifty nine days, or in One~thiTd of the
time made by the sWiftest caravan. 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 inhabitants were 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 interest
ing problems of the age being the dis
| covery of the sources of the Nile, it was
suggested that this wonderful man be
employed to follow the course of the
river to its sources, and thus determine
them. Prince Puckler Muskan, who
had himself travelled extensively in
Egypt, and had made several unsuccess
tut attempts to penetrate to the head
waters al the Nile, offered to defray all
expenses and reward Mensen handsomely
if he would undertake the trip. The in
defatigable runner consented TO make
the attempt, and on May II, 1912, set
out 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 IN the west
eFn bank of the Nile through Lower and
Middle and into Upper Egypt. Here,
just outside the village of Syane, he was
seen on the morning of January %,
1913, to stop and rest, leaning against q
palm tree with his face covered by s
handkC rchief. He rested so ! ng that
some persons tried to wake him, but
they tried in vain, for he was dead. He
was buried at the foot of the tree, and
was years before his friends in Europe
knew what fate had befallen him.
How the Zulus Fight.
From my intercourse with the Mata
bles / know the Zulu style of fighting
Ever since the dreadful tidings I have
had constantly before me the vision o.
I that iniuFiated mass OF Zdlus, like thou
sands of savage gOriilas, rushing On thos;
devoted men OF the TwentyNfourth
Their style is not to be contrasted Tor {
moment with that of the Colonial natives
, , or with those whom our forces have beer
, engaged In Griqualand West, or in the
! Transvaal. The Zulus prefer, and strive
! to throw themselves in Overwhelming
! / numbers on the weakest point of thu