Fire Chief Had to Step Lively

The Register-Leader, January 25, 1911

Attempted to Stop Runaway Horse and the Animal Chased Him from the Street.

Is Chief Holst of the fire department some sprinter?  Well, rather especially when pursued by a mad runaway horse.  The laugh is on the chief, and after the excitement of Tuesday evening, it is a safe guess that he will go shy of runaway horses in the future.

Late Tuesday afternoon, a horse attached to a meat wagon owned by Spindler and Best became frightened while standing on the street, and ran away.  The animal was heading up Third street at its best clip.  Chief Holst was standing in front of the hose house and when he saw the runaway coming up the street, he ran out to stop it.  He got in the path of the runaway and threw up his arms to stop the frightened horse, but the beast evidently resented this attempted interference of its mad flight, and laying back its ears started for Holst.

The chief deemed it no fitting moment to argue the question and took to his heels, with the infuriated and frightened animal after him.  He ran for the stage door which opens on Third street, but the horse was so close to him and rapidly gaining that he saw he would be overtaken before he could reach his goal of safety.  Therefore he caught the iron fence beside the building and changed the course of his flight down the street.  The horse was not so nimble and being unable to either turn after the chief or stop himself he plunged straight in through the stage door and became jammed in the doorway.

This ended the excitement, for the horse was unable to extricate himself from the doorway and it was only after hard work on the part of the firemen that they released the animal.  The only damage done, strange to say, was the breaking of the glass in the door.

The chief continued his flight until safe in the fire department quarters, and is thanking his lucky star today, that he was able to outstep his angry pursuer.