The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-17
A YOUNG HERO OF THE GUTTER
How Young Booshlack 9tapnad q Dan
gerous Runaway ON the Rgtdze.

How q Young Boesslacketspnada Dan
gerous Runaway -on-ths RrtHSe.
"Ding, ding, ding, ":Srang tins electric
gong 81 the Nov York terminus of the
Brooklyn bridge just, at the busiest hour
of an afternoon. Clearly sanin the great
throng that was poorsng into the entrance
turned their heads as tssy heard the i'm
petuous note Of warning What was this
gong, Why was It sounded2 Few in the
crowd knew; bat insttnctively they seemed
to feel that something. serious had occur
red. Instantly the policeman whose duty
it is to watch the carriage exit at the
northern side of the terminus had run to
the strongly constructed gate thrown back
against the building and had unfastened
it ready for closing.
Then the word passed, Its runaway
on the bridge, and it's coming this wayf'
In another inmate the crowd, springing
up, as it were, from the ground, blocked
Park row. Several policemen strove vainly
80 keep the people back from the end of the
! driveway. Necks were craned and eyes
were strained to catch a glimpse of the
horse and wagon which were just coming
| into view at the top Of the long stretch of
paved approach to the bridge.
Here he comesr' was the CIV from a
! thousand Threats, and people invoIuntarily
drew back, as if to avoid the crash which
might come later on. The, horse, it could
be seen, was on dead run, but so far away
was he that he only seemed 20 be moving
slowly.
Then it could be seen that young
| man sat in the drivers seat and held the
reins. His feet were firmly braced against
! the footboard, his lips were set and he was
exerting all his strength to stop the mad
! onrush of the horse. But the incline is
steep, the animal had evidently ''lost his
! head" and was now dashing to his certain
destruction in an excess of mad terror The
policeman with his hand on the gate began
slowly to close it. 1t was his intention
should the animal not be stopped to shut
in his face. People began to picture to
themselves the crash, and turned away
their heads in horror. There was profound
silence in the awestruck crowd, broken
only by disconnected ordinations, and
above all the irnportunate ding, ding,
ding of the gong.
Down the long incline came the fright
ened steed, his black coat despatched with
foam, and swayed from side to side by the
frantic efforts Of the young driver to slack
en- his gait. In some of these lurches the
horse and wagon narrowly missed striking
the teams drawn up at the sides of the
driveway. From a cab standing a few
hundred feet up the driveway could be
heard the historical screams of a woman.
Still the horse had not slackened his speed.
The policeman closed the gate and the
crowd drew back, as if impelled by one
will, holding it's breath.
The horse had reached the stone balus-
trade that walls in the driveway for the
space of about a hundred feet from the
sidewalk. A bare legged boothlack whose
face showed pale beneath its coating Of
dust and CRIME, was seen standing on the
balustrade. Suddenly the boy was seen to
spring into the driveway in front of the
plunging horse. He seized the frightened
reins close to the bit, and raising himself
from the ground hung at the horses head.
A shout went up from the crowd. The
horse made several more .plunges, then
swayed from side to side and finally stopped
stock still within a few feet of the stout
bars of the gate. The gong ceased ringing.
Five minutes later the entrance to the
bridge had regained its usual appearance,
and no one in the hurrying crowds would
have guessed that it had been the scene OF
an act of heroism.-New York Tribune.