Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-12-10
A REMARKABLE JUMP
an INCIDENT IN THE LIFE or THE
EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA

Teeth and Made Terrible Run-An
Almost miraculous leap over an Open
Drawbridgr--A Plucky woman. ,
Many years ago was an eyewitness
20 an accident which befell the empress
Of Austria, and which was so terrible
that her escape from death seems to me
even now miracle.
Elizabeth Of Austria. rs she liked 10
call herself. was at that time not only
the most daring but also the best rider
In the world No man or woman ever
knew better how TO take an obstacle
than this most charming OF all crowned
women. Though her majesty was then
already grandmother, on horseback
she could give odds TO the best Hun
garian and English riders. The party /
at the event Of which | am writing con
sisted Of the empress and large num- |
Der Of Austrian and foreign gentlemen |
riders, who seemed to have gathered to- |
gether from all parts of Europe. Most |
Of them were known as prominent
horsemen. This was not surprising con-
sidering that the empress would never
take the field in company of poor riders.
On this occasion the empress rode
very spirited young horse, which she
had obtained in Lancashire when on
visit to England. and TO the training of
which she had personally attended for
nearly year. Everything went well
after the start until we crossed a high
way leading to a small Hungarian
, country town a short distance off. Pass
ing u white painted milestone the EN-.
press horse SHE'D. and suddenly be-
coming uncomfortable IL dashed down
the road in the direction Of the town.
/ From appearance it was evident that
4 the animal had succeeded in taking the
: bit between his teeth aud that no earth
~ power could stop il on its mad run
. away.
Although we all followed the empress,
: none Of us seemed to gain upon her.
b Flying we passed through the little
= town, much 20 the amazement and the
I terror of the few people in the streets.
short distance beyond the town was "a
shipping canal. aud TO our horror we
saw that the drawhridge spanning the
70 canal was open so as to permit the pas
sage of some boat. In moment we
realized that the empress was running
a, straight into the jaws Of certain death.
be- Faster ard faster we went on in pur-
IS suit but faster aud faster also seemed
the empress horse to fly. Now it had
!" reached the open bridge. Would II
80 stop Before we had time TO tlErk we
/ saw the animal dash up the incline of
90 the open bridge like flash Of lightning.
ms For moment we could not but close
10 our eyes and shudder convulsed every
r man in the cavalcade. 1t was terrible
~ moment-a moment during which feal
W and horror alternately kept us merci
u lessly in their pangs. When we opened
nj our eyes again, still riding as fast as oui
,ic horses could go. the fair rider and hel
I'm runaway had disappeared.
he We had no doubt that the ineyitIbl,
no had happened and that Elizabeth o
ne Austria was drowned in the slow anC
~ turbid waters of the canal.
~, The idea was terrible one. My pei
or il too weak to describe the confusion
he among rs and the agony of snspens
that followed and seemed to make eacl
,ri, rider culver in his saddle. Almost IN
lad consciously we had stopped our horse
lne Just before reaching the incline to tn
" open draw. As matter of fact our e1
~, citement was great that we did nc
,od even notice that one of our number
zen Count Szepany. if remember well, wa
ay also missing. All our faculties natural
ed. ly had followed the empress only.
icy There we were. hating before tina
asst terrible bridge like pack of towards
NJ with nobody among rs plucky enoug
Oh, TO ride into death with an empress.
Il. Il. Il. al
eep a lew SECONDS la'er the 'nciihes Oh u
avs bridge were lowered again, but nobod
of our company seemed to even attend
Jaw to pass IT.
uti From the pangs Of fear and horror v
ing had passed into those Of amazemen
OF Several hundred yards beyond the bride
-. we beheld riding toward US n lady on
foaming steed. II was the empress az
at her side the only gallant man Of Il
crowd. Count Szepany. Her majes
ner firmly sat her horse, and appeared
'lvi- cool aud collected as If nothing had ha
the pened.
peo Smilingly did she make fun of us Al
was our anxiety. Her fine raillery was ju
/ in as much justified as it was inoffensi
an when she saw the pitiahle figure we c
ces- in her exalted presence.
tn The empress horse was very lam
inter- and closer examination showed that
uch had dislocated its right hind fetlock.
] Of jumping the open draw between t
tier wings of the bridge the hind feet of I
des- empress horse had caught one of t
leo. iron rails at the edge and torn off one
sor- its hind shoes The most extraordina
we're feature of the accident was how I
orns horse ever could have gone down I
otus incline without breaking its own a
he. the riders neck The only explanati
: be- tor this small miracle. however, mig
calf be found in the fact that the empr,
lie in never lost her presence Of mind for
minute when ON horseback. and til
though the animal was uncontrolled
she must have sat It 10 perfection. w
was regard to Count Szepany. he was una
rish, TO give any account of his escape. Mo
,log- over, he did not even remember whetl
d his horse made the jump before or af
mage the empress He simply said that d
Ac- ing the jump he closed his eyes 70
inns second. and that he then experience,
adj sensation as though the water were b
and bling over his head Harper's Ynu
rson People
Oh A Scythe Old as Moses.
ler An Egyptian scythe, dug up ON
me banks OF the Nile in 1890. is exhibi
among the antiquities in the priv