Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1894 — Promoted by His Horse. [ARTICLE]

Promoted by His Horse.

James Byrne Is a Swede wbo has bumped around in all parts of the world for twenty-five years, and he landed at St Louis the other day direct from bombarded Bio. The story of his life, however, occurred during the Franco-Prussian war. He was fighting on the German side as a cavalryman, says the Republic. One day during a hot conflict the cavalry came to the top of a hill, and on the crest of another hill, across a deep ravine, the French had planted a battery. Suddently Byrne’s horse reared and Jumped and started down the hill toward the ravine on a dead run. Byrne tried to check the frightened animal, but found that it had taken the bit in its mouth and was’wholly unmanageable. Down the hill, across the ravine and up the hill on the opposite side the horse sped on like a streak of lightning. The French battery began belching out shot and shell, and Byrne then realized that a runaway horse was carrying him right into the mouth of hades. As the cannon boomed the screaming shells whizzed by the head of poor Byrne, but some unseen hand of, fate prevented them from harming either himself or his horse. As the horse dashed up the hill to the very mouth of a cannon Byrne concluded to make the best of a dangerous predicament, and drew his saber for self-defense. He was surprised to see the Frenchmen leave their battery and flee like panic-stricken sheep But Byrne understood the situation when he looked backward and saw his comrades dashing up the. hill on their horses. Byrne dismounted and held one of the enemy’s guns as the prize he had captured. When the other cavalrymen came up be found out that they did not know his horse had run away, but thought that it was personal bravery on his part, and that he had urged his horse to make this mad race Into the “Jaws of death.” Did Byrne tell them that this bravery had been forced upon him? Well, hardly. Byrne accepted congratulations and said nothing. He was promoted to a captaincy, and all because of his runaway horse. If he had not made that ride the troops of cavalry would never have attempted it.