San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-09-03
REMARKABLE JUMP
An INCIDENT IN THE LIFE or THE
EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA.

Many years ago | was an eyewitness
to an accident which befell the empress
of Austria, and which was so terrible
that her escape from death seems to me
even now a miracle.
Elizabeth of Austria, as she liked to
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 a 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 a large mum
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 vas not surprising On
sidering hat the empress would
take the field in company of poor riders.
On this occasion the empress rode a
very spirited young horse, which she
had obtained in Lancashire when on a
visit to England, and to the training of
which she had personally attended for
nearly a 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 a white painted milestone the en-
press horse SHE'D, and suddenly be-
coming uncomfortable it dashed down
the road in the direction of the town.
From appearance it was evident that
the animal had succeeded in taking the
bit between his teeth and that no earth
ly power could stop it on its mad run
away.
Although we all followed the empress,
none of us seemed to gain upon her.
Flying we passed through the little
town, much to the amazement and the
terror of the few people in the streets.
A short distance beyond the town was a
shipping canal, and to our horror we
saw that the d~rawbridge spanning the
canal was open 81 as to permit the pas
sage of some boat. In a moment we
realized that the empress was running
straight into the jaws of certain death.
Faster and faster we went or in pur-
suit, but faster and faster also seemed
the empress horse to fly. Now it had
reached the open bridge. Would it
stop? Before we had time to think we
saw the animal dash up the incline of
the open bridge like a flash of lightning.
For a moment we could not but close
our eyes and "a shudder convulsed every
man in the cavalcade. 1t was a terrible
moment-a moment during which fear
and horror alternately kept us merci-
lessly in their pangs. When we opened
our eyes again, still riding as fast as our
horses could go, the fair rider and her
runaway had disappeared.
We had no doubt that the inevitable
had happened and that Elizabeth of
Austria was drowned in the slow and
turbid waters of the canal.
The idea was a terrible one. My pen
is too weak to describe the confusion
among us and the agony of suspense
that followed and seemed to make each
rider culver in his saddle. Almost un-
consciously we had stopped our horses
Just before reaching the incline to the
open draw. As a matter of fact u X
element was so great that we did not
even notice that one of our number,
Count Szepany, if | remember well, was
also missing. All our faculties natural
ly had followed the empress only.
There we were, hating before that
terrible bridge like a pack of towards,
with nobody among US plucky enough
to ride into death with an empress.
A few seconds later the inClines of the
bridge We're lowered again, but nobody
of our company seemed to ever attempt
to pass it.
From the pangs of fear and horror we
had passed into those of amazement,
Several hundred yards beyond the bridge
we beheld riding toward us a lady on a
foaming steed. 1t was the empress, and
at her side the only gallant man of the
crowd, Count SZepany. Her majesty
firmly sat her horse, and appeared as
cool and collected as if nothing had hap.
pened.
Smilingly did she make fun of us and
our anxiety. Her fine raillery was just
as much justified as it was i~noffensive
when she saw the pitiable figure we Gu
in her exalted presence.
The empress horse was very lame,
and closer examination showed that it
had dislocated its right hind fetlock. In
jumping the open draw between the
wings of the bridge the hind feet of the
empress horse had caught n of the
iron rails at the edge and torn off one OF
its'hind shoes. The most extraordinary
feature of the accident was how the
horse aver could have gone down the
incline without breaking its own and
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