The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-10-03
over A PRECIP|CE
Climax to the Reckless Ride of
a Fearless Horseman.
HIS WILD LEAP IN THE DARK.
IL Carried Horse and Rider Past the
Edge of Sheer Cliff to Fall of Two
Hundred and Fifty Feet to the Rocks
and Water Below Yet the Man Lived.

I15e OF STeSr Gin TO q = all OF WO
Hundred and Fifty Feet to the Rocks
and Water Below, Yet the Man Lived,
Perhaps the most extraordinary fall
shat a human being ever survived is
that described by Thormanby in his
Sporting Stories" The lucky man
was Colonel William Yorke Moore. a
British officer. who rode his horse in
the dark over a sheer precipice 247
feet in height and came out alivei 1t
seems incredible that such Il fearful
experience should result in anything
but instant death, yet here are the
facts, which once again confirm the
adage that truth is more wonderful!
than fiction:
Colonel Moore, who commanded the
troops at Dominica. lost his way one
evening after sunset In complete
darkness he endeavored to make his
way home. Two or three times he
had difficulty in making his horse
cross obstacles, and at last they came
to something that the horse would not
face.
Colonel Moore was q fearless rider
Again and again he rode his horse at
full speed against the unknown obsta-
Gle, but in vain. At last, urged fierce
ly by whip and spur, the terrified ami
NAL, with snort of terror, cleared the
low hedge-for such the obstruction
proved to be-and went over the cliff.
Colonel Moore says that during his
fight on horseback through the air
every event of his whole life seemed
to pass in a luminous panorama be-
fore him. Suddenly there came a ter
rife concussion. which deprived him
of his senses and left him with his
legs in the sea and his body on the
rocks. apparently dead
He must have lain there stunned for
some hours, for when at last the lap
ping water and the cool breezes restor-
ed him the moon was shining brightly
in midheaven, and its beams fell upon
the upturned glittering shoes of his
gallant horse which lay dead and
mangled beside him.
AS soon as he had collected his scat
tered wits Colonel Moore coolly began
to examine himself to ascertain what
injuries he had sustained. He found
that he was severely cut about the
body and head, that his right ankle
was dislocated and that his back was
benumbed or paralyzed by the concus-
sion of his fall.
When the sun rose it shone upon his
bare. bleeding head with such intol-
cradle heat that, as a protection from
its rays, he tied his cotton handker-
chief about his forehead. Above his
head projected the two ends of the
knotted bandage stained crimson with
his blood.
After lying In horrible pain for sew
eral hours he spied a boatful of ma
tives rowing toward the spot where he
lay As they came near he hailed
them in faint voice, but the mo-
ment they saw the CHASTITY figure of
the colonel. with his bloody headdress,
they set up a yell and rowed away as
If 20000 fiends were after them.
After some time single black man
came clambering over the rocks, in
tent on catching fish He was within
few yards of the colonel when the
latter hailed him. The moment the ne
gro caught sight of the bleeding head
and the blood stained bandage he, too,
uttered a fearful yell. flung down his
rod and line and scrambled off over
the rocks as fast as his feet and hands
would carry him.
The colonel now began to resign him
self to the prospect of lingering
death, but fortunately his English
servant, alarmed at his masters alb
sence, went In search of him and, fol-
towing the horses tracks, at last came
to the edge Of the precipice.
The sudden disappearance Of the
hoof prints near the low hedge fence
convinced him that an accident had
happened He ran to the barracks and
got out a boat which a party OF sol
diers rowed TO the foot of the cliff
Very tenderly and carefully the sol
diers lifted the colonel into the boat
and brought him back to the barracks.
For some months he lay in great pain
and danger. but in time the paralyzed
muscles Of his back recovered. and
eventually be was restored to complete
health. Not even the slightest touch
of lameness remained to remind him
of his fall.