KinSource - Tale of the Week

KinSource

Minnesota Tales

The St. Paul Daily Globe, February 25, 1885, p. 2

A CLEVER STOP.

A Runaway Team Captured in Fine Style by F. W. Adams.

About 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon a runaway occurred on Jackson street which at one time looked very ominous and which resulted in the death of the runaway. The horse that created the commotion belonged to a Scandinavian who gave his name as Bjornstern. The animal, with a rough sleigh attached, ran down Jackson street, and on reaching Fourth street, took the sidewalk for the block from Fourth street to Third. The clatter of the horse on the pavement caused the people to scatter in every direction, some into the stores, some into the middle of the street and some would have climbed telegraph poles, probably, if there had been time. But they all got out of the way and no one was hurt. When the horse left Third street he left the sidewalk, but continued to run close to the curbing. At that moment it happened that Blatz' bottle cart with two good gray horses attached to it was bucked up to the door of the establishment directly across the path the runaway horse was pursuing. He was going down hill and as his business was evidently of great importance he thought to jump over the wagon instead of going around it. He would probably have made it and so beaten the record had it not been for the sleigh he was dragging. Of course he missed the jump, and came down in a pile on the bottles, many of which were thrown on the pavement, making quite a harvest for thirsty spectators. The gray team, a spirited pair, naturally felt annoyed at this liberty taken of their load and started on a dead run up Jackson street. Here was a chance for the champion runaway catcher of St. Paul, Mr. W. F. Adams. He was on hand, and regardless of danger seized the animals by the bits and stopped them, amid vociferous applause as merited as it was spontaneous, from the large crowd which had assembled. The main damage was to the Swede's horse, which will die.