The Saint Paul globe., 1899-02-13
GREAT RACE.
Long Cavalry Run in Which Baron
Er1anger Participated.

Long Cavalry Run In Which Baron
Er1anger Participated.
From the Baltimore Sun.
Baron Franz Won Erlanger, formerly
a first lieutenant in the Nineteenth Uh-
lans, one Of the SWEETEST cavalry regi-
ments in the German army, is in Bal
timore. He travels with his wife, who
has been giving the leading speciality
at one of the vaudeville theaters this
week.
The baron Is small and wiry in stat
ure, weighing but 118 pounds. He
wears typical Teuton mustache and
speaks with a German accent. He
was born in Nieder-I r-Ingelheim, on the
Rhine, between Mainz and Bingen,
thirty-nfne yeays ago. His family is
one of the most prominent in Germany,
and is said to be wealthy. For four
teen years he was an officer in the
army and he resigned in May, 1894
three months before he would have
been made captain.
In the autumn of 1892 Baron Erlang-
er took part in the famous cavalry
race between officers in the German
and Austrian armies from Berlin to
Vienna, which excited much interest
In military circles at the time This
ride was the outcome of shorter rides
Which had been instituted at the sug-
gestion of Gen. Podbielsky some eight
years ago. At first rides of only 100 or
200 miles long were taken. the two
things to be considered in awarding
the prizes being the time consumed
and the condition in which the man
and the horse were when the journey
was completed.
'It is about $50 miles between Ber-
lin and Vienna" said the baron yester-
day, "and nothing like a ride of that
length had been taken before. There
were 100 competitors on each side
all of them offlcers-and the Germans
were to start from Berlin and the Aus
trians from Vienna. The winner of the
ride received prize of 10000 marks,
and there were several smaller prizes.
The only object was to win, no mat
ter what the condition of man or ami
NAL at the finish. The race was won
by Count Sahremburg, an Austrian,
who made the distance in sixty eight
hours, with his horse in fair condition.
Rittmeister Won Reitzenstein was the
first German to reach Vienna, his time
being a. little over Seventy-two hours
Il don't want to appear egotisticaI," >"
he continued, "but I was the favorite
in the race, over $4,000 marks having
been lost on me in Berlin. 1 could ride
fairly we'll and was very light. L had
trained down so that, with my saddle
and equipment, [ weighed 112 pounds.
saddle. The odds against me were 10
1 and there were 200 men entered. The
general odds against the other riders
were from 20 to so to l.
Il had a splendid horse-Normandie
by Robert the Devil, which I bought
in England. and he was in fine fettle
l had gone 200 miles and was we'll I'D
in the bunch, when the horse got a
rusty nail in his foot and 1 had TO drop
out. He went along until his leg was
swelled to twice It's natural size. At
terward he recovered and won several
races for me on the track"
Baron Erlanger has ridden in many
gentleman's races in the West since
he came to this country. His home is
now in New York. He was married
four years ago at Magdeburg, Prussia.
His family is quite we'll known in the
West, especially about Cincinnati,
where he has some relatives Some of
his relatives were instrumental in
building the Alabama Great Southern
railroad, which was part of the So
called Erlanger system