Evening star., 1915-03-01
BOLD TROOPERS RODE
THROUGH ENE|MY'S LINE
Unnamed Austrian Officer and Hand
full of Men Performed
Daring Exploit.

Correspondence of the Associated Press
BERLIN, February 19.--Daring eX-
ploits which won quick renown for an
Austrian cavalry officer in Gallcla are
related in newspaper correspondence
from that section.
The Austrian headquarters had
learned that the Russians were orlns-
ing forward reinforcements. AVlators
were sent out to ascertain the size ol
them, but the weather was foggE, ana
the scouts were not able to hnd the
Russians. An unnamed cavalry officer,
who appears as the hero of the narra-
tive. stepped forward and asked:
"Shall | ride through the lines:
His superiors laughed at the boid
offer. but after some hesitation agreed
to ACCEPT il when fifteen other cavalry
men volunteered to make up the scout
ing party. BY choosing the ionelE forest
road the riders succeeded III their plan
of passing through the Russian lines
at night. BY day they concealed them
selves in deep thickets. but at nlght
they boldly trotted along on the nam
highway with their Austrian uniforms
covered with brown mantles and fur
caps pulled down over their regulation
helmets
Passed Enemy Unrecognized.
The: met Russian cavalry division
led by :; Circassian prince advancing
to take part in the battle at the front,
and their mounts almost touched
fianks with the Russian horses as they
passed by unrecognized Late at night
the Austrian party took refuge IN
deserted farmhouse. where the men
tried to sleep until morning. be1ore
da ybreak a murmur of voices was
heard and a large party OF Cossacks
was seen approaching the place
The Austrians hurriedly mounted to
the attic, where they stood with car
bines cooked, ready to shoot down the
first Cossack who might show his face
in the stairway. The Russians, now
ever. contented themselves with
short stay on the first floor and then
rode away without even inspecting the
outbuildingS, where the Anstrians hau
stabbed their horses.
The following night the little party
of scouts rode along path IN the
wooded hills, where suddenly Rus
sian patrol barred their way with the
cry of .Halt,' The -tustrians were
motjonleSs for a few seconds, then
their leader commanded AT them.
and not one of the Russians escaped
with his life.
Saw Russians in Retreat.
Concealed next day in thickness. the
Austrians were able to see heavy col
the nearby road. The Austrian ad-
vance had evidently begun. For hours
the masses of infantry, artillery and
baggage trains hurried by toward the
adjacent river, crossing a temporary
bridge. On the top of the hill beyond
the river the Russians halted, appar-
emily with the intention of taking up
position there.
The Austrian cavalry officer who was
leading the scouting party had sent a
handful of men across the river to
watch the Russian movement He fear
ed this little group might be in dan
ger. and SO decided upon the dare
devil trick OF bluffing the Russians by
charging the bridge with his little
party. The dozen men galloped Wild
ly across the fields toward the bridge
There they met the advance guard of
their own infantry. and, encouraged
by this, they dashed at the Russians,
who evidently believed large masses of
Austrian cavalry were coming after
them. They hastily resumed their re-
treat.