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diff --git a/old/62972-0.txt b/old/62972-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0f52d8d..0000000 --- a/old/62972-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,27409 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Horse of America in his Derivation, -History, and Development, by John H. Wallace - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Horse of America in his Derivation, History, and Development - -Author: John H. Wallace - -Release Date: August 18, 2020 [EBook #62972] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HORSE OF AMERICA *** - - - - -Produced by Julia Miller and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: JOHN H. WALLACE.] - - - - - THE - HORSE OF AMERICA - IN HIS - DERIVATION, HISTORY, AND DEVELOPMENT. - - TRACING HIS ANCESTORS, BY THE AID OF MUCH NEWLY DISCOVERED DATA, - THROUGH ALL THE AGES FROM THE FIRST DAWNINGS - OF HISTORY TO THE PRESENT DAY. - - INCLUDING THE HORSES OF THE COLONIAL PERIOD, HITHERTO UNEXPLORED, - GIVING THEIR HISTORY, SIZE, GAITS AND CHARACTERISTICS - IN EACH OF THE AMERICAN COLONIES. - - SHOWING HOW THE TROTTING HORSE IS BRED, TOGETHER WITH A HISTORY - OF THE PUBLICATIONS THROUGH WHICH THE BREED - OF TROTTERS WAS ESTABLISHED. - - _WITH MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS._ - - BY - JOHN H. WALLACE, - _Founder of “Wallace’s American Trotting Register,” “Wallace’s - Monthly,” “Wallace’s Year Book,” etc._ - - NEW YORK: - PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. - 1897. - - Entered according to act of Congress, by - JOHN H. WALLACE, - in the year 1897, at Washington, D. C. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The study of the Horse, from the first glimmerings of history, sacred and -profane, and tracing him from his original home through his migrations -until all the peoples of the globe had received their initial supply, may -not be a new idea, but it is certainly a new undertaking. Horse Books -without number have been written, mostly in the century just closing, -but in the history of the horse they are all alike—merely reproductions -of what had been printed before. So far as my knowledge goes, therefore, -this volume is the first attempt, in any language, to determine the -original habitat of the horse and to trace him, historically, in his -distribution. - -The facts presented touching the introduction of the horse into Egypt, -and two thousand years later into Arabia, as well as the plebeian blood -from which the English race horse has derived his great speed, will be a -shock to the nerves of the romanticists of the old world as well as the -new. Taking the facts of history and well-known experiences together, -my readers can determine for themselves whether the claims for the -superiority of Arabian blood is not pure fiction. For my own part I -cannot recognize any blood in all horsedom as “royal blood” except that -which is found in the veins of the horse that “has gone out and done it,” -either himself or in his progeny. - -In our own country there has always remained a blank in horse history -that nobody has attempted to supply. This blank embraced a century of -racing of which we of the present generation have been entirely ignorant. -Believing that a correct knowledge of the horse of the Colonial period, -in his size, gait, qualities and capacities was absolutely essential to -an intelligent comprehension of the phenomena presented on our trotting -and running courses of the present day, I have not hesitated to bestow -on this new feature of the work great labor and research. In this I have -felt a special satisfaction in the fact that while the field is old in -dates, this is the first time it has ever been traversed and considered. - -In the chapters which follow, many historical questions are treated at -such length as their relative importance seems to demand, embracing -the different families that have contributed to the building up of the -breed of trotters; and the question of how the trotting horse is bred is -carefully considered in the light of all past experiences and brought -down to the close of 1896. These chapters will not surprise the old -readers of the _Wallace’s Monthly_, for they will here meet with many -thoughts that will not be new to them, but they will find them more -fully elaborated, in more orderly form, and brought down to the latest -experiences. - -It is not the purpose of this book to furnish statistical tables covering -the great mass of trotting experiences, nor to consider the mysteries of -the trainer’s art that have been so ably discussed by experienced and -skillful men. But the real and only purpose is to place upon record the -results of years devoted to historical research, at home and abroad; to -dispel the illusions and humbugs that have clustered about the horse -for many centuries; and to consider with some minuteness, which of -necessity cannot be impersonal, the great industrial revolution that -has been wrought in horse-breeding, and all growing out of a little -unpretentious treatise written twenty-five years ago, which contained -nothing more striking than a little bit of science and a little bit of -sense intelligently commingled. The battle between the principles of -this treatise and selfish prejudices and mental sterility, was long and -bitter, but the truth prevailed, and in the production of the Driving -Horse the teachings of that little paper have placed our country first -among all the nations of the earth. - - JOHN H. WALLACE. - -NEW YORK: 40 WEST 93D STREET. - -_September 1, 1897_ - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGES - - CHAPTER I. - - INTRODUCTION. - - General View of the Field Traversed 1-23 - - CHAPTER II. - - ORIGINAL HABITAT OF THE HORSE. - - No indications that the horse was originally wild—The steppes - of High Asia and Arabia not tenable as his original home—Color - not sufficient evidence —Impossibility of horses existing in - Arabia in a wild state—No horses in Arabia until 356 A.D.—Large - forces of Armenian, Median and Cappadocian cavalry employed - more than one thousand seven hundred years B.C.—A breed of - white race horses—Special adaptability of the Armenian country - to the horse—Armenia a horse-exporting country before the - Prophet Ezekiel—Devotion of the Armenian people to agricultural - and pastoral pursuits through a period of four thousand - years—All the evidences point to ancient Armenia as the center - from which the horse was distributed 24-35 - - CHAPTER III. - - EARLY DISTRIBUTION OF HORSES. - - First evidences of horses in Egypt about 1700 B.C.—Supported - by Egyptian records and history—The Patriarch Job had no - horses—Solomon’s great cavalry force organized—Arabia as - described by Strabo at the beginning of our era—No horses - then in Arabia—Constantius sends two hundred Cappadocian - horses into Arabia A.D. 356—Arabia the last country to be - supplied with horses—The ancient Phœnician merchants and their - colonies—Hannibal’s cavalry forces in the Punic Wars—Distant - ramifications of Phœnician trade and colonization—Commerce - reached as far as Britain and the Baltic—Probable source of - Britain’s earliest horses 36-50 - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE ARABIAN HORSE. - - The Arabian, the horse of romance—The horse naturally - foreign to Arabia —Superiority of the camel for all Arabian - needs—Scarcity of horses in Arabia in Mohammed’s time—Various - preposterous traditions of Arab horsemanship—The Prophet’s - mythical mares—Mohammed not in any sense a horseman—Early - English Arabians—the Markham Arabian—The alleged Royal - Mares—The Darley Arabian—The Godolphin Arabian—The Prince - of Wales’ Arabian race horses—Mr. Blunt’s pilgrimage to the - Euphrates—His purchases of so-called Arabians—Deyr as a great - horse market where everything is thoroughbred—Failure of Mr. - Blunt’s experiments—Various Arabian horses brought to America - —Horses sent to our Presidents—Disastrous experiments of A. - Keene Richards—Tendency of Arab romancing from Ben Hur 51-66 - - CHAPTER V. - - THE ENGLISH RACE HORSE. - - The real origin of the English race horse in confusion—Full - list of the “foundation stock” as given by Mr. Weatherby one - hundred years ago—The list complete and embraces all of any - note—Admiral Rous’ extravaganza—Godolphin Arabian’s origin - wholly unknown—His history—Successful search for his true - portrait—Stubbs’ picture a caricature—The true portrait alone - supplies all that is known of his origin and blood 67-78 - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE ENGLISH RACE HORSE (_Continued_). - - England supplied with horses before the Christian era—Bred - for different purposes—Markham on the speed of early native - horses—Duke of Newcastle on Arabians—His choice of blood to - propagate—Size of early English horses—Difficulties about - pedigrees in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries—Early - accumulations very trashy—The Galloways and Irish - Hobbies—Discrepancies in size—The old saddle stock—The pacers - wiped out—Partial revision of the English Stud Book 79-89 - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE AMERICAN RACE HORSE. - - Antiquity of American racing—First race course at Hempstead - Plain, 1665—Racing in Virginia, 1677—Conditions of early - races—Early so-called Arabian importations—The marvelous - tradition of Lindsay’s “Arabian”—English race horses first - imported about 1750—The old colonial stock as a basis—First - American turf literature—Skinner’s _American Turf Register and - Sporting Magazine_, 1829—Cadwallader R. Colden’s _Sporting - Magazine_, short-lived but valuable—The original _Spirit of - the Times—Porter’s Spirit of the Times—Wilkes’ Spirit of the - Times_, 1859—Edgar’s Stud Book—Wallace’s Stud Book—Bruce’s - Stud Book—Their history, methods and value—Summing up results, - showing that success has followed breeding to individuals and - families that could run and not to individuals and families - that could not run, whatever their blood 90-107 - - CHAPTER VIII. - - COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—VIRGINIA. - - Hardships of the colonists—First importations of horses—Racing - prevalent in the seventeenth century—Exportations and then - importations prohibited—Organized horse racing commenced 1677 - and became very general—In 1704 there were many wild horses - in Virginia and they were hunted as game—The Chincoteague - ponies accounted for—Jones on life in Virginia, 1720—Fast - early pacers, Galloways and Irish Hobbies—English race horses - imported—Moreton’s Traveler probably the first—Quarter racing - prevailed on the Carolina border—Average size and habits of - action clearly established—The native pacer thrown in the - shade by the imported runner—An Englishman’s prejudices 108-119 - - CHAPTER IX. - - COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—NEW YORK. - - Settlement of New Amsterdam—Horses from Curaçoa—Prices of - Dutch and English horses—Van der Donck’s description and size - of horses—Horses to be branded—Stallions under fourteen hands - not to run at large—Esopus horse—Surrender to the English, - 1664—First organized racing—Dutch horses capable of improvement - in speed—First advertised Subscription Plate—First restriction, - contestants must “be bred in America”—Great racing and heavy - betting—First importations of English running horses—Half-breds - to the front—True foundation of American pedigrees—Half-bushel - of dollars on a side—Resolutions of the Continental Congress - against racing—Withdrawal of Mr. James De Lancey—Pacing and - trotting contests everywhere—Rip Van Dam’s horse and his cost 120-127 - - CHAPTER X. - - COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—NEW ENGLAND. - - First importations to Boston and to Salem—Importations - from Holland brought high prices—They were not pacers and - not over fourteen hands—In 1640 horses were exported to - the West Indies—First American newspaper and first horse - advertisement—Average sizes—The different gaits—CONNECTICUT, - first plantation, 1636—Post horses provided for by law—All - horses branded—Sizes and Gaits—An Englishman’s experience - with pacers—Lindsay’s Arabian—RHODE ISLAND, Founded by Roger - Williams, 1636—No direct importations ever made—Horses largely - exported to other colonies 1690—Possibly some to Canada—Pacing - races a common amusement—Prohibited, 1749—Size of the - Narragansetts compared with the Virginians 128-134 - - CHAPTER XI. - - COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—PENNSYLVANIA, NEW JERSEY, MARYLAND, - CAROLINA. - - Penn’s arrival in 1682—Horse racing prohibited—Franklin’s - newspaper—Conestoga horses—Sizes and gaits—Swedish - origin—Acrelius’ statement—NEW JERSEY—Branding—Increase of - size—Racing, Pacing and Trotting restricted—Maryland—Racing and - Pacing restricted 1747—Stallions of under size to be shot—NORTH - CAROLINA—First settler refugees—SOUTH CAROLINA—Size and gait in - 1744—Challenges—No running blood in the colony, 1744—General - view 135-141 - - CHAPTER XII. - - EARLY HORSE HISTORY—CANADA. - - Settlement and capture of Port Royal—Early plantations—First - French horses brought over 1665—Possibly illicit trading—Sire - of “Old Tippoo”—His history—“Scape Goat” and his - descendants—Horses of the Maritime Provinces 142-153 - - CHAPTER XIII. - - ANTIQUITY AND HISTORY OF THE PACING HORSE. - - The mechanism of the different gaits—The Elgin Marbles—Britain - becomes a Roman province—Pacers in the time of the - Romans—Bronze horses of Venice—Fitz Stephen, the Monk of - Canterbury—Evidence of the Great Seals—What Blundeville - says—What Gervaise Markham says—What the Duke of Newcastle - says—The amble and the pace one and the same—At the close of - Elizabeth’s reign—The Galloways and Hobbies—Extinction of the - pacer—The original pacer probably from the North—Polydore - Virgil’s evidence—Samuel Purchas’ evidence—The process - of wiping out the pacer—King James set the fashion—All - foreign horses called “Arabians”—The foreigners larger and - handsomer—Good roads and wheeled vehicles dispensed with the - pacer—Result of prompting Mr. Euren—Mr. Youatt’s blunder—Other - English gentlemen not convinced there ever were any pacers 154-171 - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE AMERICAN PACER AND HIS RELATIONS TO THE AMERICAN TROTTER. - - Regulations against stallions at large—American pacers taken - to the West Indies—Narragansett pacers; many foolish and - groundless theories about their origin—Dr. McSparran on the - speed of the pacer—Mr. Updike’s testimony—Mr. Hazard and - Mr. Enoch Lewis—Exchanging meetings with Virginia—Watson’s - Annals—Matlack and Acrelius—Rip Van Dam’s horse—Cooper’s - evidence—Cause of disappearance—Banished to the frontier—First - intimation that the pace and the trot were essentially one - gait—How it was received—Analysis of the two gaits—Pelham, - Highland Maid, Jay-Eye-See, Blue Bull—The pacer forces - himself into publicity—Higher rate of speed—Pacing races - very early—Quietly and easily developed—Comes to his speed - quickly—His present eminence not permanent—The gamblers - carried him there—Will he return to his former obscurity? 172-189 - - CHAPTER XV. - - THE AMERICAN SADDLE HORSE. - - The saddle gaits come only from the pacer—Saddle gaits - cultivated three hundred years ago—Markham on the saddle - gaits—The military seat the best—The unity of the pace and - trot—Gaits analyzed—Saddle Horse Register—Saddle horse - progenitors—Denmark not a thoroughbred horse 190-195 - - CHAPTER XVI. - - THE WILD HORSES OF AMERICA. - - The romances of fifty years ago—Was the horse indigenous - to this country?—The theories of the paleontologists not - satisfactory—Pedigrees of over two millions of years too - long—Outlines of horses on prehistoric ruins, evidently - modern—The linguistic test among the oldest tribes of Indians - fails to discover any word for “Horse”—The horses abandoned - west of the Mississippi by the followers of De Soto about 1541 - were the progenitors of the wild horses of the plains 196-204 - - CHAPTER XVII. - - MESSENGER AND HIS ANCESTORS. - - Messenger the greatest of all trotting progenitors—Record of - pedigrees in English Stud Book—Pedigrees made from unreliable - sources—Messenger’s right male line examined—Flying Childers’ - “mile in a minute”—Blaze short of being thoroughbred—Sampson, - a good race horse—His size; short in his breeding—Engineer - short also—Mambrino was a race horse with at least two pacing - crosses; distinguished as a progenitor of coach horses and fast - trotters—Messenger’s dam cannot be traced nor identified—Among - all the horses claiming to be thoroughbred he is the only one - that founded a family of trotters—This fact conceded by eminent - writers in attempting to find others 205-221 - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - HISTORY OF MESSENGER. - - Messenger’s racing in England—His breeder unknown—Popular - uncertainty about the circumstances and date of - his importation—The matter settled by his first - advertisement—Uncertainty as to his importer—Description of - Messenger by David W. Jones, of Long Island—Careful consensus - of descriptions by many who had seen Messenger—His great and - lasting popularity as a stock horse—Places and prices of his - services for twenty years—Death and burial 222-231 - - CHAPTER XIX. - - MESSENGER’S SONS. - - Hambletonian (Bishop’s) pedigree not beyond doubt—Cadwallader - R. Colden’s review of it—Ran successfully—Taken to Granville, - N. Y.—Some of his descendants—Mambrino, large and coarse - in appearance—Failure as a runner—Good natural trotter—His - most famous sons were Abdallah, Almack, and Mambrino - Paymaster—Winthrop or Maine Messenger and his pedigree and - history—Engineer and the tricks of his owners—Certainly - a son of Messenger—Commander—Bush Messenger, pedigree - and description—Noted as the sire of coach horses and - trotters—Potomac—Tippoo Saib—Sir Solomon—Ogden Messenger, dam - thoroughbred—Mambrino (Grey)—Black Messenger—Whynot, Saratoga, - Nestor, Delight—Mount Holly, Plato, Dover Messenger, Coriander, - Fagdown, Bright Phœbus, Slasher, Shaftsbury, Hotspur, - Hutchinson Messenger and Cooper’s Messenger—Abuse of the name - “Messenger.” 232-254 - - CHAPTER XX. - - MESSENGER’S DESCENDANTS. - - History of Abdallah—Characteristics of his dam, - Amazonia—Speculations as to her blood—Description of - Abdallah—Almack, progenitor of the Champion line—Mambrino - Paymaster, sire of Mambrino Chief—History and pedigree—Mambrino - Messenger—Harris’ Hambletonian—Judson’s Hambletonian—Andrus’ - Hambletonian, sire of the famous Princess, Happy Medium’s dam 255-266 - - CHAPTER XXI. - - HAMBLETONIAN AND HIS FAMILY. - - The greatest progenitor in Horse History—Mr. Kellogg’s - description, and comments thereupon—An analysis of - Hambletonian, structurally considered—His carriage and - action—As a three-year-old trotter—Details of his stud - service—Statistics of the Hambletonian family—History and - ancestry of his dam, the Charles Kent Mare—Her grandson, - Green’s Bashaw, and his dam 267-283 - - CHAPTER XXII. - - HAMBLETONIAN’S SONS AND GRANDSONS. - - Different opinions as to relative merits of - Hambletonian’s greater sons—George Wilkes, his history - and pedigree—His performing descendants—History and - description of Electioneer—His family—Alexander’s - Abdallah and his two greatest sons, Almont and - Belmont—Dictator—Harold—Happy Medium and his dam—Jay - Gould—Strathmore—Egbert—Aberdeen—Masterlode—Sweepstakes—Governor - Sprague, grandson of Hambletonian 284-314 - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - MAMBRINO CHIEF AND HIS FAMILY. - - Description and history of Mambrino Chief—The pioneer trotting - stallion of Kentucky—Matched against Pilot Jr.—His best - sons—Mambrino Patchen, his opportunities and family—Woodford - Mambrino, a notable trotter and sire—Princeps—Mambrino - Pilot—Clark Chief—Fisk’s Mambrino Chief Jr.—Ericsson 315-320 - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - THE CLAYS AND BASHAWS. - - The imported Barb, Grand Bashaw—Young Bashaw, an inferior - individual —His greatest son, Andrew Jackson—His dam a trotter - and pacer—His history—His noted son, Kemble Jackson—Long Island - Black Hawk—Henry Clay, founder of the Clay family—Cassius - M. Clay—The various horses named Cassius M. Clay—George M. - Patchen—His great turf career—George M. Patchen Jr.—Harry - Clay—The Moor, and his son Sultan’s family 321-337 - - CHAPTER XXV. - - AMERICAN STAR, PILOT, CHAMPION, AND NORMAN FAMILIES. - - Seely’s American Star—His fictitious pedigree—Breeding - really unknown—A trotter of some merit—His stud career—His - daughters noted brood mares—Conklin’s American Star—Old Pacing - Pilot—History and probable origin—Pilot Jr.—Pedigree—Training - and races—Prepotency—Family statistics summarized—Grinnell’s - Champion, son of Almack—His sons and performing - descendants—Alexander’s Norman and his sire, the Morse - Horse—Swigert and Blackwood 338-351 - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - THE BLUE BULL AND OTHER MINOR FAMILIES. - - Blue Bull, the once leading sire—His lineage and history—His - family rank—The Cadmus family—Pocahontas—Smuggler—Tom - Rolfe—Young Rolfe and Nelson—The Tom Hal Family—The various - Tom Hals—Brown Hal—The Kentucky Hunters—Flora Temple—Edwin - Forrest—The Drew Horse and his descendants—The Hiatogas 352-365 - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - THE BLACK HAWK, OR MORGAN FAMILY. - - Characteristics of the Morgans—History of the original - Morgan—The fabled pedigree—The true Briton theory—Justin - Morgan’s breeding hopelessly unknown—Sherman Morgan—Black - Hawk—His disputed paternity—His dam called a Narragansett—Ethan - Allen—His great beauty, speed, and popularity—The Flying Morgan - claim baseless—His dam of unknown blood—His great race with - Dexter—Daniel Lambert, the only successful sire of the Black - Hawk line 366-389 - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - THE ORLOFF TROTTER, BELLFOUNDER AND THE ENGLISH HACKNEY. - - Orloffs, the only foreign trotters of merit—Count Alexis - Orloff, founder of the breed—Origin of the Orloff—Count Orloff - began breeding in 1770—Smetanka, Polkan, and Polkan’s son, - Barss, really the first Orloff trotting sire—The Russian - pacers—Their great speed—Imported Bellfounder—His history - and characteristics—Got little speed—His descendants—The - English Hackney—Not a breed, but a mere type—The old Norfolk - trotters—Hackney experiments in America—Superiority of the - trotting-bred horse demonstrated in show ring contests 390-408 - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - INVESTIGATION OF DISPUTED PEDIGREES. - - Tendency to misrepresentation—The Bald Galloway and - Darley Arabian—Godolphin Arabian—Early experiences with - trotting pedigrees—Mr. Backman’s honest methods—Shanghai - Mary—Capt. Rynders and Widow Machree—Woodburn Farm and - its pedigree methods—Victimized by “horse sharps” and - pedigree makers—Alleged pedigree of Pilot Jr. conclusively - overthrown—Pedigrees of Edwin Forrest, Norman, Bay Chief and - Black Rose—Maud S. pedigree exhaustively considered—Captain - John W. Russell never owned the mare Maria Russell—The deadly - parallel columns settle it 409-431 - - CHAPTER XXX. - - INVESTIGATION OF DISPUTED PEDIGREES (_Continued_). - - How Belle of Wabash got her pedigree—Specimen of pedigree - making in that day and locality—Search for the dam of Thomas - Jefferson—True origin and history of Belle of Wabash—Facts - about the old-time gelding Prince—The truth about Waxy, the - grandam of Sunol—Remarkable attempts to make a pedigree out - of nothing—How “Jim” Eoff worked a “tenderfoot”—Pedigree of - American Eclipse—Pedigree of Boston—Tom Bowling and Aaron - Pennington—Chenery’s Grey Eagle—Pedigree of George Wilkes in - doubt 432-455 - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - HOW THE TROTTING HORSE IS BRED. - - Early trotting and pacing races—Strains of blood in the - first known trotters—The lesson of Maud S.—The genesis of - trotting horse literature—The simple study of inheritance—The - different forms of heredity—The famous quagga story not - sustained—Illustrations in dogs—Heredity of acquired - characters and instincts—Development of successive generations - necessary—Unequaled collections of statistics—Acquired injuries - and unsoundness transmitted 456-479 - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - HOW THE TROTTING HORSE IS BRED (_Continued_). - - Trotting speed first supposed to be an accident—Then, that it - came from the runner—William Wheelan’s views—Test of powers of - endurance—The term “thoroughbred” much abused—Definition of - “thoroughbred”—How trotters may be made “thoroughly bred”—How - to study pedigrees—Reward offered for the production of a - thoroughbred horse that was a natural pacer—The trotter - more lasting than the runner—The dam of Palo Alto—Arion as - a two-year-old—Only three stallions have been able to get - trotters from running-bred mares—“Structural incongruity”—The - pacer and trotter inseparable—How to save the trot and reduce - the ratio of pacers—Development a necessity—Table proving this - proposition—The “tin cup” policy a failure—Woodburn at the - wrong end of the procession 480-507 - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - HOW THE TROTTING HORSE IS BRED (_Continued_). - - Breeding the trotter intelligently an industry of modern - development—Plethora of turf papers, and their timidity of - the truth—The accepted theories, old and new—Failure of - the “thoroughbred blood in the trotter” idea—“Thoroughbred - foundations,” and the Register—“Like begets like,” the great - central truth—Long-continued efforts to breed trotters from - runners—New York the original source of supply of trotting - blood to all the States—Kentucky’s beginning in breeding - trotters—R. A. Alexander, and the founding of Woodburn—The - “infallibility” of Woodburn pedigrees—Refusal to enter - fictitious crosses in the Register and the results—The - genesis and history of the standard—Its objects, effects, and - influence—Establishing the breed of trotters—The Kentucky - or “Pinafore” standard—Its purposes analyzed—The “Breeders’ - Trotting Stud Book” and how it was compiled—Failure and - collapse of the Kentucky project—Another unsuccessful attempt - to capture the Register—How honest administration of the - Register made enemies—The National Breeders’ Association - and the Chicago Convention—Detailed history of the sale and - transfer of the Register, the events that led up to it, and the - results—Personal satisfaction and benefits from the transfer, - and the years of rest and congenial study in preparing this - book—The end 508-546 - - APPENDIX. - - HISTORY OF THE WALLACE PUBLICATIONS. - - _By a Friend of the Author._ - - Mr. Wallace’s early life and education—Removal to Iowa, - 1845—Secretary Iowa State Board of Agriculture—Begins work, - 1856, on “Wallace’s American Stud Book,” published 1867—Method - of gathering pedigrees—Trotting Supplement—Abandons Stud - Book, 1870, and devotes exclusive attention to trotting - literature—“American Trotting Register,” Vol. I., published in - 1871—Vol. II. follows in 1874—The valuable essay on breeding - the forerunner of present ideas—Standard adopted 1879—Its - history—Battles for control of the “Register”—_Wallace’s - Monthly_ founded 1875—Its character, purposes, history, - writers, and artists—“Wallace’s Year Book” founded 1885—Great - popularity and value—Transfer of the Wallace publications, and - their degeneration 547-559 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR _Frontispiece._ - - MAP OF ARMENIA, CAPPADOCIA, SYRIA, ETC. _To face page_ 24 - - MAP OF PHŒNICIAN COLONIES AND THE MEDITERRANEAN ” ” 36 - - GODOLPHIN ARABIAN, TRUE PORTRAIT } - } In one view ” ” 67 - GODOLPHIN ARABIAN, DISTORTED } - - STAR POINTER, THE CHAMPION PACER (1:59¼) ” ” 155 - - JOHN R. GENTRY, PACER (2:00½) ” ” 173 - - ALIX, THE PRESENT CHAMPION TROTTER (2:03¼) ” ” 255 - - HAMBLETONIAN (RYSDYK’S) ” ” 267 - - GEORGE WILKES, SON OF HAMBLETONIAN ” ” 284 - - ELECTIONEER, SON OF HAMBLETONIAN ” ” 289 - - ABDALLAH (ALEXANDER’S), SON OF HAMBLETONIAN ” ” 294 - - NANCY HANKS, BY HAPPY MEDIUM (2:04) ” ” 306 - - ETHAN ALLEN, BY VERMONT BLACK HAWK ” ” 381 - -NOTE.—Nine of the above engravings have been reproduced, by permission, -from the Portfolio issued by _The Horse Review_. - - - - -THE HORSE OF AMERICA. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -INTRODUCTION. - - General View of the Field Traversed. - - -In undertaking to fulfill a promise made years ago, to write a history -of the American Trotting Horse and his ancestors, I am met with the -inquiry: What were his ancestors and whence did they come? To say that -the American Trotter, the phenomenal horse of this century, is descended -from a certain horse imported from England in 1788, does not fully meet -the requirements of the truth, for there are other and very distinctive -elements embodied in his inheritance that are not indebted to that -particular imported horse. In searching for these undefined elements, -I have found myself in the fields of antiquity, reaching out step by -step, further and further, until the utmost boundaries of all history, -sacred and profane, were clearly in view. There I found a field that -was especially attractive because it was a new field, and the relations -of the peoples of the earliest ages to their horses had never been -investigated nor discussed. Having no engagements nor necessities to -hurry me, the careful exploration of this hitherto unknown territory has -afforded me very great enjoyment. - -As the result of these investigations, the breadth and scope of this -volume will be greatly widened, touching upon the originals of most of -the lighter types of horses, and many of the idols of the imagination -will be demolished. The objective point is the history of the Trotting -Horse, but before reaching that point we must consider the beginnings -of, practically, nearly all the varieties of horses in the world. The -assistance that I may be able to gain from modern writers will be very -limited, and restricted Haicus, the great grandson of Japheth, became -the ruler of his people. Descending from him, in the direct male line, -there were five or six long reigns before the dynasty was overthrown by -the Assyrians. They were largely an agricultural people, and the ancient -historians have told us they were famous for the great numbers and fine -quality of the horses they produced. The market for their horses, the -prophet Ezekiel tells us, was in the great commercial city of Tyre, -whence they were carried “in the ships of Tarshish” by the Phœnician -merchants to all portions of the known world. Having here reached back to -the Noachic period and country, with all that this implies, I will leave -the problem, with the more extended consideration that will be given it -in the chapter on the general distribution of horses in all parts of the -commercial world. - -Horsemen of average intelligence and writers on the horse, oftentimes -much below average intelligence in horse matters, all seem to unite on -the Arabian horse as their fetish, when in fact they know nothing about -him. The songs of the poets and the stories of the novelists have taken -the place, in the minds of the people of all nations, of solid history -and sober experience. When a story writer wishes to depict an athletic -and daring hero, he never fails to mount him upon an “Arab steed,” when -some blood-curdling adventures are to be disclosed. When Admiral Rous, -the great racing authority in England, announced some years ago, that -the English race horse was purely descended from the horses of Arabia -Deserta, without one drop of plebeian blood, all England believed him, -and this rash and groundless dictum has served all writers as conclusive -evidence ever since. Now, it is not probable that more than two or at -most three per cent. of the blood of the English race horse as he stands -to-day is Arabian blood. The greatness and value of the Arabian horse is -purely mythical. He has been tested hundreds of times, both on the course -and in the stud, and in every single instance he has proved a failure. -This is what all history and experience teach. There are but few horses -bred in Arabia and there are, comparatively, but few there now. From -the time of their first introduction into Yemen—Arabia Felix—up to the -time of Mohammed, about two hundred and seventy years, they were still -very scarce. Mohammed was not a horseman nor a horse breeder, nor is it -known that he ever mounted a horse but once, and then he had but two in -his army. When he made his first pilgrimage to Mecca he rode a camel; -and when he went the second time in triumph, mounted on a camel, he made -the requisite number of circuits round the holy place, then dismounted -and broke the idols that had been set up there. Then came the triumphant -shout of his followers; “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his -prophet.” Since then, this cry has rung over a thousand battlefields, and -as I write it is still heard in the homes of the slaughtered Armenians. -From a great, warlike, and conquering people, the followers of Mohammed -have degenerated into an aggregation of robbers and murderers of -defenseless Christians. Since the days of Mohammed, horses no doubt have -increased in numbers, but all modern travelers express their surprise at -the small numbers they see. The horse is an expensive luxury in Arabia, -and none but the rich can afford to keep him. He fills no economic place -in the domestic life of the Arab, for he is never used for any purpose -except display and robbery. Nobody is able to own a horse but the sheiks -and a few wealthy men. Nobody would think of mounting a horse for a -journey, be it long or short. The camel fills the place of the horse, the -cow and a flock of sheep, all in one, and surely the Arabs are right in -saying, “Job’s beast is a monument of God’s mercy.” It is very evident -that nearly all the horses said to have been brought from Arabia never -saw Arabia. As an illustration of the uncertainty of what a man is -getting when he thinks he is buying an Arabian, in the Orient, I will -give, in some detail the experiences of Mr. Wilfrid S. Blunt, a wealthy -Englishman who had an ambition to regenerate the English race horse by -bringing in fresh infusions of Arabian blood. He went to Arabia to buy -the best, but he didn’t go _into_ Arabia to find it. He skirted along -through the border land where agriculture and civilization prevailed, -while away off to the south the wild tribes roamed over the desert, and -to the north, not far away, was the land of abundance that had been -famous for more than three thousand years for the great numbers and -excellence of the horses bred there. Here on the banks of the Euphrates -Mr. Blunt found the town of Deyr, and he soon discovered it was a famous -horse market. The inhabitants were the only people he met with who seemed -to understand and appreciate the value of pedigrees, and there were no -horses in the town but “thoroughbreds.” Here Mr. Blunt made nearly all -his purchases which amounted to eighteen mares and two stallions “at -reasonable prices.” As will be seen in the extracts from his book, he -was strikingly solicitous that the friends at home should have no doubt -about the quality of the stock he purchased being all “thoroughbred.” -No doubt he realized the awkwardness of the location as not the right -one in which to secure “thoroughbred” Arabians and hence the vigorous -indorsement of the honesty of the “slick and experienced” dealers as -honest men and true descendants of the Bedouins of the desert. In this -“he doth protest too much” and thus suggests that while the pedigrees -came from the tribes of the desert to the South, it might be possible -that the horses came from the farmers who bred them to the North. However -this may have been, the whole enterprise turned out to be a flat failure, -and after a number of years spent in begging for popular support, the -whole collection was dispersed under the hammer of the auctioneer, not -realizing a tithing of the cost. - -While it is not necessary that I should express any opinion as to whether -Mr. Blunt was deceived in the breeding of the animals which he brought -home, I will make brief allusion to an American experience which is more -fully considered elsewhere. Some forty or more years ago Mr. A. Keene -Richards, a breeder of race horses in Kentucky, became impressed with the -idea that the way to improve the race horse of America was to introduce -direct infusions of the blood of Arabia. He did not hesitate, but he -started to Arabia and brought home some horses and mares and put them to -breeding. The pure bloods could not run at all and the half-breeds were -too slow to make the semblance of a contest with Kentucky-bred colts. He -concluded that he had been cheated by the rascally Arabs in the blood -they put upon him. He then determined to go back and get the right blood, -and as a counselor he took with him the famous horse painter, Troye, who -was thoroughly up on anatomy and structure. They went into the very heart -of Arabia and spent many weeks among the different tribes of the desert. -They had greatly the advantage of Mr. Blunt or any other amateur, for -they were experienced horsemen and knew just what they were doing. When -they were ready to start home they believed they had found and secured -the very best horses that Arabia had produced. When the produce of this -second importation were old enough to run it was found that they were no -better than the first lot, and thus all the bright dreams of enthusiasm -were dissipated. Thus was demonstrated for the thousandth time that the -blood of even the best and purest Arabian horse is a detriment and -hindrance rather than a benefit to the modern race horse. Mr. Richards, -with all his practical knowledge and experience, was no more successful -than the amateur, Mr. Blunt. The blood which Mr. Richards brought -home was, no doubt, purer and more fashionable, as estimated in the -desert, than that brought home by Mr. Blunt, but when tested by modern -advancement it was no better. - -A careful study of the chapter on the English Race Horse will present -to the minds of all my intelligent readers the consideration of several -points to which they will be slow in yielding assent. These points run -up squarely against the preconceived opinions and prejudices of two -centuries, and these preconceived opinions and prejudices are well-nigh -universal. The first point upon which the public intelligence has gone -wrong is in the general belief that horse-racing had its origin in the -seventeenth century, when Charles II. was restored to his throne. The -truth is we have accounts of racing by contemporaneous historians in the -twelfth century, and indeed, we might say from the time of the Romans -in Britain. To go back four centuries, however, is far enough to answer -our present purpose. After selecting, breeding, and racing four hundred -years we must conclude that the English had some pretty good race horses. -This is fully verified by the writers at the close of Queen Elizabeth’s -reign as well as at the beginning of Charles II.’s. They had native -English horses that were able to beat all the imported exotics, including -the Arabian owned by King James. We must, therefore, conclude that the -race horse was not created by Charles II., but that racing was simply -revived by him, after the restrictions of Cromwell’s time, and that the -old English blood was the basis of that revival. The importations of so -many exotics in his reign were simply so many reinforcements of the old -English racing blood. - -The next point to which exception will be taken is the conclusion reached -as to the character and influence of the exotics that were introduced in -the reign of Charles II. These exotics have been designated in a general -way, by the phrase “foundation stock,” which has been introduced more -out of deference to the popular understanding than to its legitimate and -true meaning. For the real “foundation stock” we must look away back -in the centuries, long before Charles was born. The analysis of the -data furnished by Mr. Weatherby as “foundation stock” clearly shows -that the Turks predominated in numbers, but, possibly, the Barbs in -influence. The Arabian element, in both numbers and influence, seems -to be practically _nil_, and this is the “gist of my offending.” The -one great horse—Godolphin Arabian—exerted a greater and more lasting -influence upon the English race horse than any other of his century and -probably than all the others of his century, and his blood is wholly -unknown. Fortunately, a few years ago I was able to unearth his portrait -and prove it a true portrait, and in that picture we must look for his -lineage. He was a horse of great substance and strength on short legs, -with no resemblance whatever to a race horse. About fifty years after his -death Mr. Stubbs, the artist, who prided himself upon representing the -character of a horse rather than his shape, came across this picture, -from which he made an “ideal” copy of what he thought the horse should -have been, which is a veritable monstrosity. These two pictures will -appear together in their proper places, where they can be leisurely -studied, and the honest and the dishonest compared. - -The American race horse is the lineal descendent of the English race -horse, and like his ancestor he is very largely dependent upon the -“native blood” for his existence as a breed. The first English race horse -was imported into Virginia about 1750, and he there met a class of saddle -mares that had been selected, bred, trained, and raced at all distances -up to four-mile heats, for nearly a hundred years. These mares were -the real maternal foundation stock upon which the American race horse -was established, as a breed. The phrase “native blood” is here used as -applying to the animals and their descendants, that were brought over -from England at and soon after the plantation of the American colonies. -Up to the time of the Revolution there were but few racing mares brought -over—as many as you could count on your fingers—but they must have been -marvelously prolific, for thirty or forty filly foals each would hardly -have accommodated all the animals with pedigrees tracing to them. Quite -a number of our greatest race horses and sires of forty or fifty years -ago traced to some one of these mares through links that were wholly -fictitious. Indeed, from the period of the Revolution, and even before -that, down to our own time, the pernicious and dishonest habit of adding -fictitious crosses beyond the second or third dam became the rule in the -old American families, and an animal with a strictly honest pedigree -was the exception. In spreading abroad these dishonest fictions as true -pedigrees, the press—perhaps not venally, but ignorantly—was made the -active agent. Whenever a rogue could get a pedigree into print, however -absurd, nothing could prevent its spread as the truth. The early sporting -and breeding press was not in the hands of men remarkable for conscience -and still less remarkable for knowledge. But the worst of all was the -“professional pedigree maker” who knew so many things that he never knew, -and stopped at nothing. In all this dirty work of manufacturing pedigrees -there is a very striking resemblance between the awkward efforts of the -early English and the early American pedigree maker. This whole topic -of the ignorance of the press and the dishonesty of the pedigree makers -will be considered fully in its proper place. Fortunately, although still -far from perfect, the methods and care in the preservation of the true -lineage of the race horse in our own day have been greatly improved. The -many efforts to improve the American race horse by introducing fresh -infusions of Saracenic blood will receive due attention, especially as -they have nearly all been made within the newspaper period, and their -uniform and complete failure will not be new to American horsemen. - -When we reach the horses of the colonial period, we are in a field -that never has been explored and cannot be expected to yield a very -rich harvest. Here and there I have been able to pick up a detached -paragraph from some contemporaneous writer, and occasionally a record, -or an advertisement, from which, in most cases, I have been able to -construct a fair and truthful outline and description of the horses of -the different colonies, down to the Revolutionary war. The collection of -the material has required great patience and great labor, but it has not -been an irksome task, for many things have been brought to light of great -interest to the student of horse history. The knowledge of the colonial -horse in his character and action, that may be gathered from the chapters -devoted to his description and history, I flatter myself, will not only -be interesting as something new, but will throw a strong light on the -lineage of the two-minute trotter and pacer. - -The colonists of Virginia were subjected for a number of years to great -suffering, privation, and want. They were badly selected and many of them -were improvident and never trained to habits of industry and thrift. -There were quite too many “penniless gentlemen’s sons” among them, who -had been sent out with the hope that the change might improve their -habits and their morals. They were too proud to work, and when they were -driven to it by necessity they didn’t know how. After suffering untold -hardships for a succession of years, those that survived learned to -adapt themselves to their environment and to make their own way in the -world. Their first supply of domestic animals were all consumed as food, -embracing horses, cattle, swine, and goats, and everything had thus been -consumed except one venerable female swine, as reported by a board of -examiners. Their second supply of horses, cattle, swine, and goats was -more carefully guarded, and from them in greater part came the countless -denizens of the barnyard. - -There were several shipments of horses at different times, by the -proprietors in London, down till about 1620 and possibly later, but they -do not seem to have increased very rapidly, for in 1646 all the horses -in the colony were estimated at about two hundred of both sexes. This -estimate was probably too low, for ten years after this the exportation -of mares was forbidden by legislative enactment, and eleven years later -this restriction was removed, and both sexes could then be exported. From -this legislation and from writers who visited the colony we learn that -horses were very plenty, and they are described as of excellent quality, -hardy and strong, but under size. It was the custom in Virginia, and -indeed in all the other colonies at that period and for long afterward, -to brand their young horses and turn them out to hustle for their own -living. They increased with wonderful rapidity and great numbers became -as wild and as wary of the habitation and sight of man as the deer of -the forest. About the close of the seventeenth century the chasing and -capture of wild horses in Virginia became a legitimate and not always -an unprofitable sport, for an animal caught without a brand became the -unquestioned property of his captor. It is a noteworthy fact that off -the coast of Virginia the island of Chincoteague has been occupied for -probably two hundred years by large bands of wild horses. They are -still there, and not till within the last few decades have there been -any efforts made to domesticate some selections from them. They are of -all colors, but quite uniform in size, not averaging much over thirteen -hands, with clean limbs, and many of them are pacers. There is only one -way to account for them in that location, and that is, that they were -originally a band of Virginia wild horses that wandered or was chased -out onto this sandy peninsula, and while there some great storm set the -mysterious ocean currents at work and cut off their retreat by converting -a peninsula into an island, and there they have lived and multiplied ever -since. - -The colonial horses of Virginia were of all colors and all very small -in size, as we would class them in our day. An examination of a great -many advertisements of “Strayed,” “Taken up,” etc., of the period of -about 1750, clearly establishes the fact that at that time the average -height was a small fraction over thirteen hands and one inch. More were -described as just thirteen hands than any other size, and they were -nearly all between thirteen and fourteen. From this same advertising -source I was able to glean conclusive evidence as to their habits of -action, and found that just two-thirds of them were natural pacers and -one-third natural trotters. Thus for more than a hundred years they -had retained the peculiarities of their English ancestors in the reign -of James I., in color, size, and gait. This in no way differs from the -description of the Chincoteague Island ponies of to-day. As early as 1686 -a law was enacted that all stallions less than thirteen and a half hands -high found running at large should be forfeited; but this, like Henry -VIII.’s laws in the same direction, had failed to increase the average -size of the horses. From the indomitable passion for horse-racing which -prevailed universally among the colonists, we may safely conclude that -some animals were carefully selected and coupled with a view to the speed -of the progeny, both at the gallop and at the pace, but the great mass -were allowed to roam at large, and under such conditions no variety or -tribe of horses has ever improved in size, or indeed in any other quality. - -The early horses of the Dutch colony of New Netherlands, afterward New -York, were brought from Utrecht in Holland. As we would look at them -to-day, they were small, but they were larger and better, and brought -higher prices than the English horses of the Eastern colonies or than -the Swedish on the West. It was conceded, however, that for the saddle -they were not so good as the New England horses, and hence it may be -inferred that they were not pacers. It is very evident, however, that the -two breeds were soon mixed, as the saddle was then the universal means -of travel, whether for long or short distances. During the time of the -Revolutionary war a large accumulation of data bearing on the size and -action of the horses of that period goes to show that the average size -had then increased to fourteen hands and one inch, and in gait fifteen -both paced and trotted, nine trotted only, and seven paced only. It is -not pretended that these data represent the horses of the early colonial -period, but only of the period above indicated. Strains of larger breeds -had been introduced, but the little New England pacer had made his mark -on the habits of action. - -In 1665, the next year after the Dutch had surrendered the country to -the English, Governor Nicolls established a race-course on Hempstead -Plains and offered prizes for the fleetest runners, and his successors -kept up annual meetings on that course for many years. This was the first -official and regularly organized race-course that we have any trace of -in this country. These meetings seem to have been well supported from -the very first by both town and country, and as the people were then -practically all Dutch, it is a fair inference that the horses engaged in -the races were Dutch horses. This was before the English race horse had -reached the character of a breed, and a hundred years before the first of -that breed was imported into New York. From this beginning many tracks -were constructed or improvised in and about the city, upon which racing -at all forms and at all gaits has been carried on to the present day. -When honestly conducted the sport has always been favorably received by -reputable people; but at successive periods it has degenerated into a -mere carnival of gambling that placed it under a ban. - -The horses of the New England colonies fill a very important place in the -horse history of the country. This is especially true of a remarkable -tribe of swift pacers, produced in Rhode Island and known throughout -the whole country as the “Narragansett Pacers.” To the description of -these a special chapter will be devoted. The first horses imported into -New England reached Boston harbor in 1629 and were sent direct from -England by the proprietary company in London. The same year a small -consignment reached Salem. The next year about sixty head were shipped -to the plantation, but many of them were lost on the voyage. In 1635 two -Dutch ships landed at Salem with twenty-seven mares and three stallions, -and were sold there at remunerative prices. Other shipments followed, -no doubt, that have not been noted. In 1640 the colonists seem to have -been supplied with all the horses they needed, for that year they shipped -a cargo of eighty head to the Barbadoes. From these importations into -Boston and Salem, all the New England colonists received their supplies. -The field specially gleaned to determine the size and gaits of the -Massachusetts horses covered the years 1756-59, from which it appears -that the average height was then fourteen hands and one inch; and as -to gait, just three-fourths were pacers and one-fourth trotters. In -comparing this average size with the Virginians of the same period we -find that the Massachusetts horses were about one hand higher, which -would indicate the influence of the early Dutch blood. Besides this we -must make some allowance for a possible different habit of estimating -size. - -When the plantation was made at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1636, the -planters brought their horses and other domestic animals with them. In -1653 the General Court, at New Haven, made provision for keeping public -saddle horses for hire, and all horses had to be branded. After passing -over a period of more than a hundred and twenty years we find that in -1776 the average size of the Connecticut horse was thirteen hands and -three inches, thus ranging below the other New England colonies. At that -period it is found that the ratio of pacers and trotters was as fifteen -pacers, or trotters and pacers, to four that trotted only. The very -interesting experience of two English travelers, mounted on Connecticut -pacers, in 1769, and their enthusiasm about their superlative qualities, -will be found in its place. - -The colony of Rhode Island was planted in 1636 by Roger Williams and his -followers, and eleven years later they obtained their charter. Their -supply of horses came wholly from the colony of Massachusetts, and in -a short time the new plantation became greatly distinguished for the -superiority and speed of its pacers. From the official report of the -colony for 1690, we learn that horses constituted their leading item of -exports, and that they were shipping horses to all the colonies of the -seaboard. At that early day the fame of the Narragansett pacer extended -through all the English colonies, and probably also through the French -plantations on the St. Lawrence. All trade with Canada was strictly -prohibited, but in the then condition of the borders how could such -regulation be enforced, if a Frenchman, with a bale of peltry, wanted -to exchange it for a Narragansett? Freed from the Puritan restrictions -of New England, of that day, the Rhode Islanders developed the speed -of their pacers by racing them, and thus the best and fastest of all -New England were collected there. In 1768 the average height of the -Narragansetts was fourteen hands and one inch, which shows them to have -been about three and a quarter inches higher than the Virginia horses of -the same period. They were not all pacers, for out of thirty-five there -were eight that did not pace, and some others that both trotted and -paced. A full account of these famous pacers will be found in the chapter -on the Colonial Horse History of New England, and that on The American -Pacer and his Relations to the American Trotter. - -William Penn did not visit his princely gift from Charles II. until 1682, -and it was then under the government of the Duke of York. In giving a -description of things as he found them he remarks: “The horses are not -very handsome, but good,” and this is all he says of them. Knowing that -Pennsylvania, in the early part of this century, produced larger and -heavier horses, than any other portion of the country, it was a great -surprise to me to find the undoubted proof that a hundred years earlier -she had produced the smallest and the lightest horses of any of the -colonies. In the first half of the last century the average size of the -horses of Eastern Pennsylvania was thirteen hands one and a quarter -inches, and they were remarkably uniform in size. This was one-quarter -inch below the average of the Virginians. Of the twenty-eight animals -examined as to gait, twenty-four of them were natural pacers, three both -paced and trotted, and a single one trotted only. Finding these two facts -of uniformity of size and uniformity of gait together, we are prepared -for another fact that follows, viz., in Philadelphia the pacers were more -popular and fashionable than in any other city, so far as we can learn, -and they were selected with great care and bred for their speed, and that -speed was highly tested on the race-course. They were breeding for speed -without much regard to size, and hence the uniformity. - -It has not been discovered that the colonists of New Jersey made any -direct importations of horses from England. Their original supplies -were obtained from New York on the one side and Pennsylvania on the -other. From these sources, therefore, we can form a correct estimate of -the size and gaits of the Jersey horses, without going into particular -investigation. The only object, then, in referring to this colony is -to prove that before 1748 all kinds of racing had become so common in -the colony as to be a nuisance. Consequently the legislative authority -passed an act in 1748 for the suppression of “Running, Pacing and -Trotting Races.” This was in strict harmony with the well-known condition -of things in Philadelphia and vicinity very early in the century. If -there had been no pacing races there would have been no legislation -suppressing them. - -The horses of the colony of Maryland would necessarily partake of the -characteristics of Virginia and Pennsylvania, from which she probably -received her supply. There seems to be no evidence of direct importation. -This colony was really the first, in point of time, to legislate for the -suppression of pacing races. In 1747, one year before New Jersey, an act -was passed forbidding pacing races in certain locations at certain times, -and the avowed object was the protection of the Friends in holding their -yearly meetings. Here, then, we have historic evidence that the three -colonies of Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Virginia had frequent pacing -races, and legislative evidence that Maryland and New Jersey had quite -too many pacing races, early in the last century. It follows, then, that -the other colonies indulged their sporting fancies in pacing races also. - -The colonies of North and South Carolina obtained their supply of horses -from Virginia, and they possessed the same characteristics as the parent -stock. The first permanent settlement in North Carolina was in 1653, but -before this it had become the refuge of Quakers and others fleeing from -the proscriptions that prevailed in Virginia against all who did not -conform to the English church. South Carolina received her charter in -1663, at a time when horses were beginning to run wild in Virginia. In -1747 thirty horses were advertised in which the size was given, and the -average is within a small fraction of thirteen and a half hands high, and -in this number two were given as fifteen hands, which was a very large -horse for that day. The gait is given in only twelve cases—ten of which -were pacers, one paced and trotted, and one trotted only. - -The chapter on the “Early Horse History of Canada” is very brief. It -was not till the year 1665 that the first horses were brought over from -France, and as they came from ancient Picardy, right across the Channel -from England, it is reasonable to assume that they partook of the same -characteristics as the English horses, and that many of them were pacers. -Another theory of the origin of the Canadian pacer is the probability of -clandestine trading with the New Englanders. Among the many impossible -stories about the breeding of Old Tippoo, the greatest sire of Canada, -the truth seems to come to the surface at last, and there can be no -reasonable doubt that he was got by “Scape Goat.” However much or little -dependence can be placed upon many of the claims of fast pacing stallions -coming from Canada, it must be conceded that some of these claims -seem to be well founded, and that the pacing element has been greatly -strengthened by blood from the other side of the border. - -The most striking fact in the history of the pacing habit of action is -its great antiquity. The average Englishman of to-day and the average -American of twenty years ago have been united in insisting with the -greatest vehemence that the pace is not a natural but an acquired gait, -resulting from some injury or malformation. One of the great leaders on -that side of the discussion called it “structural incongruity” arising -from the breeding of the “thoroughbred” horse on the “slab-sided” mares -of the West and South, and thought the idea was unanswerable, but -never cited any instances to prove it. Now, the truth is, the earliest -unquestioned evidence we have that horses paced is that furnished by -the chisel of Phidias when he sculptured the horses on the frieze of -the Parthenon at Athens, and that is two thousand three hundred and -thirty-three years old. From the period when the sons of Japheth turned -their attention to horse-breeding on the fruitful plains and valleys in -the regions of the mountains of Ararat down to this culmination of Greek -art, I have not been able to find any contemporaneous evidence of the -existence of the lateral habit of action; but as we know it existed more -than two thousand years ago, we are justified in concluding that among -the original bands of horses, in their original habitat, pacers as well -as trotters abounded. From the erection of the Parthenon in Athens, the -occupation of Britain by the Romans, and through all the centuries down -to the plantation of the colonies in this country, we have mountains of -indisputable evidence of the antiquity of the pacer. In its place this -topic will be quite fully discussed. - -The relation which the pacer bears to the American Trotting Horse has -for twenty-five years been a topic of much senseless discussion. In the -historical sketch which served as an introduction to the first volume -of the “American Trotting Register,” the attention of the breeding -public was first called to this question, in a form that was somewhat -tentative, and much less didactic than my judgment suggested, but -it served as an introduction to the study of the question which it -foreshadowed. From this initial paragraph grew the discussion that has -been going on ever since, much of which has been the merest jargon. The -essential oneness of the trot and the pace has been clearly demonstrated -by thousands of experiences. The trotting inheritance that produces the -fast trotter also produces the fast pacer; and the pacing inheritance -that produces the fast pacer also produces the fast trotter. The -trotting-bred John R. Gentry, with his pacing record of a mile in two -minutes and one-half a second, is but a single instance of very many -of the same character. The fastest harness racers in the world are the -pacers, and it seems to make no difference whether the inheritance of -speed comes from the trotter or the pacer. The subject of the pacer in -his diversified historical relations to the American trotter will be -found in different portions of this work, and all tending to show the -significant fact that he is again rapidly attaining the position of honor -among the equine race which he maintained for so many centuries in the -far-distant past. - -Early in this century the American Saddle Horse, the real saddle horse of -all time, past and present, began to vanish from sight. Improved roads -and wheeled vehicles superseded him, in great measure, long before the -days of railroads. For business and travel he was the sole dependence -of our forefathers for two hundred years, and in point of health it -is a great misfortune that he has gone so completely out of use. The -horse that cannot take the “saddle gaits” and carry his rider without -discomfort or fatigue is not a saddle horse. Springing up and down at -every revolution of the horse is not riding for pleasure, but to avoid -punishment and a torpid liver. In the chapter devoted to his description, -origin, and breeding, it will be clearly shown that he is indebted to -his pacing ancestry of the past centuries for his saddle gaits. As the -mere matter of great speed cuts no figure in the qualifications of a -saddle horse there is a wide field here for the production of style and -beauty in the breeder’s art. The aims of a goodly number of intelligent -breeders are now moving in this direction, and with the foundations so -well laid as they now are, we can look forward to a grand superstructure. -As the breeder of speed at the trot goes to the horse that can do it -himself, and as the breeder of speed at the gallop goes to the horse -that can beat all the others, so the breeder of the saddler will go to -the handsomest and best of all his tribe, and when we reach the horse -that is perfect in symmetry, style, quality, and disposition, he will -be a saddle horse and no questions will be asked about what particular -combinations of blood he may possess. He will be strictly eclectic, with -the one exception of the inheritance of gait, and he will be the result -of wise choosing in his size and structure, and of skillful handling in -his disposition and manners. - -The Wild Horse of the plains and pampas of North and South America was -at one time an object of great interest and curiosity with all our -people. No schoolboy of sixty or seventy years ago knew any lesson -in his geography so well as the one which pictured and described the -millions of wild horses that roamed over the Western plains. In the -field of imagination and exaggerated fiction he was a fairly good second -to the Arabian—both arrant humbugs, at least so far as their merits -have been tested. In the past, the question has sometimes been asked, -tentatively, whether the horse may not have been indigenous on this -continent? The paleontologists have undertaken to answer this question -in the affirmative and have produced the bones of what they call the -horse to prove it. This “horse” is scant fifteen inches high and he has -three, four or five toes on each foot. These toes resemble “claws” more -than anything else. They tell us these little animals flourished over -two millions of years before man was placed on the earth, and that they -are now found imbedded in the solid rock, say two hundred feet below the -general surface. The outline drawing of horses on works supposed to have -been erected by a prehistoric and lost race, and also the linguistic -question as to whether any of the oldest Indian tribes had any word -representing the horse, will be fully considered, with that presented -by the paleontologists, in the chapter devoted to the Wild Horse. Too -much prominence has been given to the horses of Cortez in his conquest -of Mexico, as the progenitors of the American wild horse. He had very -few horses in his command, and it is very doubtful whether any of them -escaped the slaughter of battle and found a home in the wilderness. -The horses in the army of the unfortunate Ferdinand De Soto, that -were abandoned on the confines of Texas, after his death, became the -progenitors of all the wild horses of North America. - -The remarkable pre-eminence to which Messenger attained as the founder -of a great race of trotters, in his own right and by his own power, -and more especially as he was the only English-imported running horse -that ever showed any tendency whatever in that direction, the study of -Messenger’s lineage becomes a question of very great interest and value -to all students of trotting history. His sire, Mambrino, was a great -race horse, and was distinguished above all others of his generation, or -indeed of any other generation, before or since, as the progenitor of a -tribe of coach horses of great excellence and value. In addition to this, -the evidence seems to be conclusive that he had a natural and undeveloped -trotting step that far surpassed that of all other running horses of his -day. His sire, Engineer, was notoriously short on the side of his dam, -and his grandsire, Sampson, was a half-breed of great size and bone, and -ran some winning races, in the best of company, for that day. - -The history of Messenger himself is still clouded in mystery, and the -blood he inherited from his dam remains hopelessly unknown. The identity -of his importer and owner has never been established, which of itself -throws a suspicion upon the pedigree that is said to have come with him. -He ran several races at Newmarket, England, and proved himself a second -or third-rate race horse. The racing records there show that he was by -Mambrino, and that is all that is known about his inheritance. He left -a few tolerably good race horses, for their time, but he filled the -country with the best road and driving horses that the horsemen of this -country had ever known. A chapter each to Messenger’s ancestors and to -himself will be found in their proper places in this volume. The twenty -years of Messenger’s life and service in this country fell in a period -of indifference to all kinds of racing except running. The English race -horse was then the popular idol, and it is not known that any of his sons -or daughters were ever trained to trot. Neither can it now be certainly -determined that any of them were disposed to pace, but if we may judge -of the habits of action of his immediate progeny by what we know of -succeeding generations, we can hardly doubt that there were pacers among -them. As the custom then was, and as it so remained for at least half a -century later, all pacers were hidden away from public sight, as they -were supposed to furnish evidence of ignoble breeding. - -The chapter on “The Sons of Messenger” will be long, but it will be of -exceeding interest. They constitute the connecting link that brings -together the peculiar trotting instincts of the sire and develops them -in their own progeny. Several of them were not only trained to run, -but did run successfully. It is not known that any of his sons was -ever trained to trot, but it is known from contemporaneous evidence -that several of them were fast natural trotters, notably Bishop’s -Hambletonian, Bush Messenger, Winthrop Messenger, Mambrino, etc., all of -which will be considered in their proper place. When we reach the second -remove from Messenger we begin to enter into the full fruition of all the -promises, and in considering such animals as Abdallah, Almack, Mambrino -Paymaster, Harris’ Hambletonian, etc., we begin to feel that we are well -within the trotting latitudes, for this remove began to found families -and tribes that attracted the attention of all intelligent breeders. - -In the next remove from Messenger we strike the most famous of all -trotting progenitors in Rysdyk’s Hambletonian. At one time there was an -active and determined difference of opinion among breeders as to which -of three horses, Hambletonian, Ethan Allen, or Mambrino Chief, would in -the end prove to be the most successful sire. This controversy may not -be remembered by the younger of the present generation of horsemen, but -it was bitter and uncompromising, and it presents a lesson so important -that it may be here referred to. The adherents of Ethan Allen argued -that as he was handsomer, that his gait was the very perfection of -trotting action, and that he was incomparably faster than either of the -other two, he must of necessity prove the most successful in begetting -trotters. The adherents of Mambrino Chief used the same argument, with -the exception of beauty and style, and dwelt strongly on the fact that he -was a faster horse than Hambletonian, and would consequently get faster -offspring. Both these arguments were good, so far as they went, but they -lacked completeness and hence were not sound. Neither Ethan Allen nor -Mambrino Chief had a dam, and so far as we know the inheritance of both -was restricted to the male side of the house. Development of speed is -a valuable and real qualification in any sire, but all experience goes -to show that it is only a help to an inheritance. Hambletonian was not -much developed, but it is conceded on all hands that he could show a -2:40 gait at any time and that his action was very perfect. He was got -by a grandson of Messenger, whose dam, Amazonia, was one of the fastest -mares of her generation, whatever her blood may have been. Abdallah got -more and faster trotters than any other grandson of Messenger, and his -daughters were very famous as the producers of trotters. Hambletonian’s -dam, the Kent Mare, was by imported Bellfounder, a horse that got no -trotters practically, but this mare was the fastest four-year-old of -her time, and that because she was out of a very fast mare, One Eye, -that was a double granddaughter of Messenger. That is, One Eye was by -Hambletonian, the son of Messenger, and out of Silvertail, a daughter of -Messenger. This double Messenger mare was unknown to the trotting turf, -but she was well known throughout Orange County as a remarkably fast -trotter. Hence Hambletonian not only possessed more Messenger blood than -any horse of his generation, but that blood came to him through developed -trotters, and he had a right to surpass all competitors, especially the -two that were, at one time, the most prominent. - -Several of the sons of Hambletonian, as shown by the tabular statistics -which will be introduced, became greater than their sire, not only in -getting trotters from their own loins, but in transmitting the trotting -instinct to their descendants. The growth and spread of this family -is far and away beyond any precedent that can be cited in any age or -country, and is simply marvelous. It is said that fully ninety per cent. -of the fast trotters now on the turf have more or less of the blood of -Hambletonian in their veins, and I think it is a safe conclusion to say -that no intelligent breeder in all the country is trying to produce -trotters without it. All the other tribes are dropping out of sight, -and at the present ratio of rise and fall it will be but a few years -till every trotter on the turf will be credited in some degree to the -one really great progenitor, Hambletonian. The other tribes will not be -blotted out nor will their merits be lost, but absorbed into the mightier -tribe. - -Such families as the Bashaws, the Clays, the Black Hawks, the Mambrino -Chiefs, the Pilots, the American Stars, the Blue Bulls, etc., will be -fully considered through several chapters, according to their strength -and merit. As these families have not been able to hold their own in -the rush to the front, and as they seem to be falling further to the -rear in the number and quality of their performers each succeeding year, -we may as well begin to designate them as “the minor families.” Their -inheritance was feeble and unsatisfactory, and more or less sporadic, and -we never had any right to expect a brilliant and permanent success from -such beginnings. - -As the investigation of disputed, spurious and fraudulent pedigrees -was a prime necessity in order to reach safe and honest grounds upon -which to build up a breed of trotters, much of my time through all my -editorial life was devoted to this kind of investigation. From the first -page of the first volume of the “Register” I was deeply impressed with -the importance of having all pedigrees absolutely correct, and this -impression grew into a vital conviction that without this a breed of -trotters never could be established. I soon found that I had accepted -from some breeders of the very highest respectability a goodly number of -pedigrees that were thoroughly rotten in their extensions. This taught -me that I must study the moral fiber of breeders critically, as well as -their pedigrees, and that from the highest to the lowest. Some men are -honest from principle and because it is right to be honest, while others -are honest because “honesty is the best policy.” Some men are dishonest -because of ignorance, others because they were born cheats, but the -most dangerous of all rogues is the man who will utter a false pedigree -and then prove it by trained witnesses who, for half a dollar, can -remember whatever is necessary and forget whatever might be against their -employer’s interest. By this kind of evidence a man can prove anything. -Not very long ago a man proved that a certain mare came out of a certain -other mare, and when that was shown to be impossible he turned round and -proved (?) that she was out of another mare, and there was just as much -truth in the one as the other, and not a single word of truth in either. -So long as there are men in the world there will be rogues among them, -but the intelligence of the public in breeding matters has so greatly -advanced that many an honest man would begin to doubt his own sanity if -he were even to think of breeding in lines that he was once ready to -fight for as the only right and successful way to breed. The brainless -advocacy of “more running blood in the trotter,” was substantially the -basis of the whole brood of dishonest pedigrees, against which it became -my duty to wage war; but to-day no intelligent man in all the land can be -found to advocate any such balderdash unless it be in the foolish support -of thoughtless opinions previously expressed. - -The subject of “How the Trotting Horse is Bred,” is a most interesting -one because it is entirely new in animal economy and is distinctively -American. The initial thought that opened the door to the practical and -scientific consideration of the subject was the happy conception, in the -spring of 1872, of the little phrase, “Trotting Instinct.” Following this -with the definition of the word “instinct” as being “the sum of inherited -habits,” the term expressed in two words and the definition of it in five -words, put the whole subject in a form that was easily comprehensible and -flashed upon the mind as thoroughly practical. This little phrase, with -its definition, when once comprehended, is a very complete epitome of all -that has been taught and all that has been learned of the art of breeding -the trotter. It not only embraces, but requires, the trotting inheritance -as the only starting point, which must be strengthened and the instinct -intensified by the development of the speed of succeeding generations. -It stood some years at the parting of the ways between intelligence and -ignorance, between enlightened judgment and stupid prejudice, between -honesty and dishonesty, but now it is accepted, in practice, as the -universal law from one end of the land to the other. Thus, we have -not only added millions to the wealth of the country, but without any -outside assistance or instruction we have produced a horse that by way of -pre-eminence, throughout the world, is justly entitled to be designated, -“The Horse of America.” - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -ORIGINAL HABITAT OF THE HORSE. - - No indications that the horse was originally wild—The steppes - of High Asia and Arabia not tenable as his original home—Color - not sufficient evidence —Impossibility of horses existing in - Arabia in a wild state—No horses in Arabia until 356 A.D.—Large - forces of Armenian, Median, and Cappadocian cavalry employed - more than one thousand seven hundred years B.C.—A breed of - white race horses—Special adaptability of the Armenian country - to the horse—Armenia a horse-exporting country before the - Prophet Ezekiel—Devotion of the Armenian people to agricultural - and pastoral pursuits through a period of four thousand - years—All the evidences point to ancient Armenia as the center - from which the horse was distributed. - - -In undertaking to consider and determine what particular portion of the -earth was the original habitat of the horse, we must not forget that we -are in a field that antedates all history, both sacred and profane. When -we have gone back to the very first dawnings of historical records we -are still far short of the period in which initial light can be reached. -In profane history, with more or less safety, we can get back to a point -about seventeen hundred years before the Christian era; and in sacred -history about two hundred years less. At both of these dates the horses -referred to were not in a feral state, but were the companions and -servants of man. - -There have been two separate theories advanced which demand some -attention, because of the eminence and learning of the men who have -advanced them. The first is that the original habitat of the horse was -on the steppes of High Asia, east and north of the Caspian and the Black -Sea. The only argument I have ever seen advanced in support of this -theory is based upon the great number of wild horses that are found in -that part of the world, and that so many of them are of a dun color. -From the frequency of the recurrence of the dun color another theory has -sprung up to the effect that the original color of the horse was dun, -and hence it is argued that when the dun color appears in our own day -it must be taken as evidence that the original color of the horse was -dun. This reasoning is very far from being conclusive, for there are dun -horses and dun tribes in all breeds, just as there are greys, and the -color is just as liable to be transmitted as any other color. In the -last century there were many dun horses in England, and at least one of -that color was advertised very widely as “the Dun Arabian,” probably a -foreign horse, but it is hardly possible that he was an Arabian. It was -then the custom of the country to call all foreign horses “Arabians,” no -difference from what part of the world they came. It has been stated on -what seemed to be good authority that a dun horse once won the Derby, -but whether the color may result from line breeding or from atavistic -tendencies, the argument advanced does not seem to have any weight in it -for the purpose intended. - -[Illustration: ARMENIA, CAPPADOCIA, NORTHERN SYRIA ETC. - -ABOUT 1200 B.C.] - -Another argument in favor of the wild and unknown regions east and north -of the Caspian as the habitat of the horse has been urged with much -more power and effect. It has been accepted and reiterated by so many -learned men, one after another, that I doubted the wisdom of attempting -to overthrow it, until I found the spot in which it was fatally weak. -This view of the question seems to rest upon the fact that the successive -hosts of Barbarians that overran Europe in the early centuries of the -Christian era brought their horses, as well as their flocks and herds, -with them, and it is assumed that these horses were the first brought -into Europe. This involves a total misconception of dates; not of a few -years merely, but of many centuries. All of Europe, including Britain, -and all of Northern Africa, were abundantly supplied with horses, -probably a thousand years before the first destructive wave of Barbarians -touched Europe. Linguistic and ethnological facts clearly prove that -those people came from Asia, and possibly from a part of Asia where -there were horses running wild, but that does not prove that they came -from the original habitat of the horse. With no dates, either definite -or approximate, to support this theory, and with no specific portion -of the earth fixed upon as the general locality from which they came, -it resolves itself into a mere speculation with nothing to support it, -except the fact that different writers have been copying it from one -another, without throwing any additional light upon it, for a number of -generations. - -The most remarkable and at the same time the most untenable of all the -claims that have been urged about the horse is that he was indigenous -in Arabia. We can tolerate any number of foolish claims set up to show -that the Arabian horse is superior to all others, for such assertions -can be tested and disproved, as they have been a thousand times, but -the claim that Arabia was the original habitat of the horse is so -utterly preposterous, and yet so widely advocated by writers and others -who know nothing about it, that we must consider it with some brief -deliberation. When the maimed and crippled horses of De Soto were turned -loose and abandoned on the plains of Texas, they had all around them -the means of an abundant and healthy subsistence, and they multiplied -and grew into an innumerable host that made the earth tremble when they -moved in great masses. Under the same favorable conditions of water -and pasture, the same results followed on the pampas of South America. -Upon the early settlement of Virginia, as well probably as in some of -the other colonies, and within two hundred years, many of the horses of -the colonists strayed away, became wild and remained so, propagating -and increasing for generations, and until the growing numbers of their -former masters captured or exterminated them. The varied herbage of the -forest and its grassy swales, and streams of pure water everywhere, made -Virginia a paradise for the horse in his feral state. - -Buffon, the French naturalist of a hundred and fifty years ago, notices -the theory of the wild horses of Arabia, but he is careful not to -commit himself nor indorse it in any form. In Vol. I., p. 237, he says: -“According to Mannol, the Arabian horses are descended from the wild -horses in the deserts of Arabia, of which, in ancient times, large -studs were formed,” etc. In going further, to find where Mannol got his -information, it appears that somebody, with an unpronounceable name that -I have forgotten, told him so. Major Upton, a very intelligent but very -credulous modern writer on what he saw and learned in the desert, says -he never heard of this story of wild horses in Arabia, and pronounces it -a “fallacy.” When we consider that Arabia never was conquered and the -reason why, although Rome, at the very culmination of her power, followed -by Assyria and Egypt, all failed of their purpose without meeting an -enemy in battle, we must accept the fact that nature had interposed -a barrier that military power could not surmount. The barrenness and -aridity of the desert has always protected the Arabs against the most -powerful armies of the mightiest nations. Now, to maintain that wild -horses could not only live, but flourish and increase, in a country -where there was not enough edible herbage on a thousand acres to keep -a grasshopper alive, and not a running stream of water within five -hundred miles, requires a measure of mental sterility that can be found -nowhere but among a few of the writers on the Arabian horse. Of all -the curiosities in which the literature of the Arabian horse abounds -and in the multitudinous efforts to give him the primacy among horses, -there seems to be nothing quite so absurd as this story about his being -indigenous to the desert. Animals in a wild state are never found except -in countries and districts where the conditions surrounding provide them -with food and water. How long would a band of strong, healthy horses live -if turned loose to seek their own subsistence in the desert of Arabia? -Of all the countries on the face of the globe there is no one where the -horse is so completely dependent upon, the care and support of his master -as Arabia. - -Fortunately, we are not left for data to unwritten traditions two -thousand years old, nor to the fervid imaginations of a race of -cutthroats and thieves of the very lowest order of civilization, -but we can turn, with full confidence, to authentic contemporaneous -history, from which we can settle this question, at once and for all -time. Strabo, the great Greek geographer and philosopher, flourished -in the reign of Augustus, at the very beginning of the Christian era. -He describes Arabia just as we know it to-day, for all countries have -changed in their boundaries and government except Arabia. He describes -the people as chiefly nomadic, and as breeders of camels. The most -remarkable thing in this description is the fact, found in his great -work, Vol. III., p. 190, that they had no horses at that time. The exact -language used in this statement will be found in the next chapter of -this work. The question now arises, If there were no horses in Arabia -at the beginning of the Christian era, when and how did they become -possessed of them? Fortunately, again, written history supplies the -answer to this question. In my next chapter will be found, quoted at -some length, the circumstances bearing on this question. In brief, the -facts are as follows: Philostorgius, a distinguished Greek theologian, -wrote an ecclesiastical history in the fifth century which is no longer -extant. Photius, at one time Patriarch of Constantinople, in the ninth -century wrote an epitome of the work by Philostorgius and to this -epitome we are indebted for the facts we here relate. Constantius, at -the time of which Philostorgius wrote, was on the throne of the Eastern -empire, and was exceedingly zealous in spreading and strengthening the -Christian religion. He learned that the prince of Arabia Felix (that -part of Arabia which we will designate by its modern name Yemen) was -strongly disposed to come out with his people and embrace Christianity. -Constantius thereupon determined to encourage both prince and people in -the movement they were contemplating, and he sent them a grand embassy -with many valuable presents, the most noted of which were two hundred -“well-bred Cappadocian horses.” The embassy was completely successful, -and Theopholis, who had been made a bishop and placed at the head of it, -remained there several years. This was in the year 356 of the Christian -era, and is the first intimation we have in all history of horses in -Arabia. These are the facts, so far as any facts are known, upon the -consideration of which I am not able to assent to the claim that either -High Asia or Arabia was the original habitat of the horse. - -I have been surprised at the number of coincidences that seem to point -to ancient Armenia as the first habitation of the horse. This country -at one time was a very powerful kingdom, extending from the mountains -of Caucasus on the north to Media or Assyria on the south, and from -the Caspian Sea on the east to the Euphrates on the west, and at one -time even to the Mediterranean. It was intersected by several ranges of -mountains and not only gave rise to the Euphrates and the Tigris, but to -a number of smaller rivers. It was well watered everywhere, and produced -in great abundance all varieties of herbage, cereals, and fruits. It -was originally called Ararat by the Hebrews, probably after a range of -mountains about central to the territory embraced, and because Noah’s Ark -rested somewhere “on the mountains of Ararat.” It is also called Togarmah -in Scripture, after Torgom, son of Gomer, who was the son of Japheth, -the son of Noah. Japheth seems to have been the oldest son of Noah, and -he chose this fruitful region as the future home of his descendants. -The Rev. Michael Chamich, a native Armenian, went back into the old -Armenian records, translated the language as originally used, and wrote -a history of the country from its first settlement; and this history has -been Englished by Johannes Adval, another native Armenian, and published -in Calcutta in 1827. This work seems to be worthy of credence, and it -clearly establishes the lineal descent of the governing family back to -Japheth, the son of Noah. The order of succession as the head of the -tribe continues through several generations unbroken, from father to -son. Gomer, the son of Japheth, was succeeded by his son Togarmah, then -followed Haicus, Armenac, Aramais, Amassia, Gelam, Harma, Aram, Arah, who -was slain in battle, his son Cardus (at twelve years old), Anushaven, who -died without issue and was succeeded by Paret, who reigned fifty years -and during his reign the patriarch Joseph died in Egypt, B.C. 1635. These -princes all had long reigns. Haicus was the first of the line to assume -the title of king, and he was greatly distinguished for extending the -boundaries of his kingdom. Gelam extended his borders to the Caspian. -Aram was fifty-eight years on the throne, during which time he had a war -with the Medes, and also with the Cappadocians, in both of which he had -a large force of cavalry in the field. This was about seventeen hundred -years before the Christian era, and is the first mention of cavalry that -I have found in history, either sacred or profane. In both these wars -his cavalry was met by the cavalry of the enemy, equal to or greater -than his in numbers. How long before this troops may have been mounted -on horses it is impossible to say, but from the numbers so used at that -period of the world by the neighboring nations and tribes, as the Medes, -the Cappadocians, etc., it is fair to conclude that the horse had then -been an important factor in all military movements for many generations. -When we consider two opposing armies, each provided with divisions of -five thousand cavalry, the period being about B.C. 1700, with no dates -beyond that are known as relating to the horse, we are shut up to our own -reasoning as to the number of centuries that may have been required to -produce these great numbers. It must have been at least one century, or -it may have been three or four, and this would carry us back to the head -of the house of Japheth. - -If we accept Egyptian chronology, which still lacks much of being -reliable, one of the Pharaohs, named Thutmosis I., invaded Syria, passing -up through Palestine till he reached the latitude of Aleppo, and then -turned eastward and crossed the Euphrates. His campaign was successful; -he fought many battles and returned laden with spoils, especially horses -and chariots of war. This was before the Israelites reached the promised -land, and before Joshua’s battle with the “Northern kings,” in which -they had “horsemen and chariots very many,” and which is the earliest -Scriptural instance in which horses were employed in battle. - -The territory embracing the ancient countries of Eastern Asia Minor, -bounded on the north by the Black Sea and the Caucasian mountains, on -the south by the thirty-seventh degree of north latitude, and extending -to the Caspian Sea, has always been remarkable for the variety, value, -and abundance of its agricultural products. Many of the very early -historians have noted the fact that each one of the countries embraced -in this territory was distinguished for the excellence and numbers of -horses produced, and they appear in about the following order, namely, -Armenia, Cappadocia, Cilicia, Media. The last-named country embraced -what is now the northern part of Persia, and as between the “Medes” -and the “Persians” there is no little confusion in the public mind, as -sometimes one was on top and sometimes the other. Then, to add to the -confusion, the Assyrians came in, occupying the same country and the same -capitals. For our present purposes it is not necessary to enter into the -consideration of these successive dynasties. The Medes were comparatively -newcomers, and as they were a great military people their prominence -in horse history resulted more from the spoils of war and the tribute -in horses that they collected from their neighbors than from their own -production. Kitto says that in the time of the Persian empire the plain -of Nissæum was celebrated for its horses and horse races. This plain was -near the city of Nissæa, around which were fine pasture lands, producing -excellent clover. The horses were “entirely white” (probably grey) and -of extraordinary height and beauty, as well as speed. They constituted -part of the luxury of the great, and a tribute in kind was paid from them -to the monarch, who, like all Eastern sovereigns, used to delight in -equestrian display. Some idea of the opulence of the country may be had -when it is known that, independently of imposts rendered in money, Media -(then the undermost dog), paid a yearly tribute of not less than three -thousand horses, four thousand mules, and nearly one hundred thousand -sheep. The races, once celebrated through the world, seem to exist no -more. - -When Darius the Mede had extended his empire over the whole of Western -Asia and Egypt, he exacted heavy tribute in horses from all subjugated -provinces. This was about 520 B.C., and antedated the racing referred -to above. In all parts of his extended empire he built roads and -established lines of couriers, mounted on fleet horses, that there -might be no delay in receiving at his capital and sending out again -intelligence of what was transpiring in any part of his dominions. For -this service the best and fleetest horses were required, and the only -guide we have to determine how these horses were selected we find in -the fact that the tribute collected from the little kingdom of Cilicia, -formerly a part of Cappadocia, was, in addition to a stated sum of money, -one white horse for every day in the year. It is possible that these -white Cilician horses may have been the progenitors of the white (grey) -race horses spoken of in Media. - -In describing the general fruitfulness of Cappadocia, Strabo says: -“Cappadocia was also rich in herds and flocks, but more particularly -celebrated for its breed of horses.” Strabo speaks of this as a leading -characteristic of the country and doubtless it had held pre-eminence in -this respect for generations before he wrote. Three hundred and fifty-six -years later, when Constantius was selecting his presents of horses for -the prince and people of Yemen, in Arabia, he knew just where to look, in -all his dominions, for the best of their kind, and selected two hundred -“well-bred” ones for Arabia. Sir R. Wilson, in discussing the quality -of the Russian cavalry horses about 1810, had evidently heard of this -Cappadocian origin of the Arabian horse, but, unfortunately, he got all -the parties badly mixed in his reference. He makes Constantine instead -of Constantius the donor of three hundred Cappadocian horses, instead of -two hundred, and they are given to one of the African princes, instead of -to an Arabian prince. The African traveler, Bruce, found some excellent -horses in Nubia, Africa, and from their high quality and unusually large -size he seems to have jumped to the conclusion that these were the -descendants of the three hundred from Constantine. - -After glancing over all the different countries in this great zone as -defined above, and extending from the Bosphorus to the Caspian Sea, one -cannot fail to be impressed with its special adaptation to the production -and sustenance of all varieties of domestic animals, in their greatest -perfection. Here the country seems to have been made for the horse, and -the horse for the country. Here was a country suited to his nativity, and -here we find records of his existence centuries earlier than in any other -country. The wild ass flourished in this country, but I have not been -able to find any evidence or indication that the horse was not always -the companion and servant of man. Wherever he is found in a feral state -reasons that are amply satisfactory are never wanting to account for that -state. Ancient historians have specially noted each of the principal -countries embraced in this zone for the superiority and numbers of its -horses, but no one has made any allusion to wild horses, nor suggested -that there may have been a time when their ancestors were wild. - -Now, as we have designated a long and wide region of Western Asia, -embracing a number of different nationalities and governments, as the -probable original habitat of the horse, can we go further and designate -the particular nationality or government in which was his original home -and from which he was distributed to adjoining nations or peoples? In -answer to this question, we cannot present any dates of record earlier -than about 1700 B.C., and this date will apply as well to Media and -Cappadocia as to Armenia. We must, therefore, consider it in the light of -other facts and circumstances, not dependent upon specific dates. In the -first place, and taking the Mosaic account of the deluge as the starting -point, “the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.” This is the original -name of a country, intersected by a mountain range, and that range took -its name from the country in which it was found. “Mount Ararat” was -simply a very high peak in that range. The distinction should be observed -here between “the mountains of Ararat” and “Mount Ararat.” In the second -place, it is clearly established by all history that near the base of -this mountain range Japheth and his descendants had their homes. His son -Gomer was highly distinguished in his day, and his grandson, Togarmah, -son of Gomer, became a powerful chief. To such prominence did he rise in -the affairs of his age that for centuries after his day his country was -called “Togarmah.” Hence we have the three names, Ararat, Togarmah and -Armenia applied in sacred and profane history to the same country that we -are now considering. - -During the continuance of the dynasty of King Haic or Haicus, the son of -Togarmah, the Armenians became a very prosperous and powerful people. -They did not seem to be an aggressive or warlike people, although -their boundaries were greatly extended, but a thrifty agricultural and -industrious people. Breeding and marketing horses seem to have been -their leading employments. In the twenty-seventh chapter of the Prophet -Ezekiel he gives a catalogue of the different peoples trading with the -great Phœnician merchants and the products of their countries, in which -they traded. This catalogue was written five hundred and fifty-eight -years before the Christian era, and is very remarkable for its extent -and completeness. It not only shows what the Phœnicians carried away -to the West, in their “Ships of Tarshish,” but also what they brought -back for distribution among their customers in Western Asia. I will -quote, from the revised version, two or three of the classes of articles -enumerated, embracing both import and export trade. Of foreign imports -he says: “Tarshish” (Spain and beyond) “was thy merchant by reason of -the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, -they traded for thy wares.” Of articles for export he says: “They of the -house of Togarmah traded for thy wares with horses and war-horses and -mules.” “Togarmah” here means “Armenia,” and this is the only instance -in which horses are mentioned in the catalogue. I will give another -quotation, not because it is conclusive in itself, but because it is -confirmatory of Strabo’s statement that there were no horses in Arabia -in his day. He says: “Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were the -merchants of thy hand; in lambs, and rams, and goats, in these were they -thy merchants.” Other products from more southern portions of Arabia are -enumerated, but no horses. This is the initial step toward the general -distribution of horses, by the Phœnician merchants, which will be -developed in the next chapter. - -In speaking of Media (Vol. II., p. 265), Strabo says: “The country is -peculiarly adapted, as well as Armenia, to the breeding of horses.” Of -one district not far from the Caspian he remarks: “Here, it is said, -fifty thousand mares were pastured in the time of the Persians, and -were the king’s stud. The Nessæan horses, the best and the largest in -the king’s province, were of this breed, according to some writers, but -according to others they were from Armenia.” Again he says: “Cappadocia -paid to the Persians, yearly, in addition to a tribute in silver, one -thousand five hundred horses, two thousand mules, and fifty thousand -sheep, and the Medes contributed nearly double this amount.” - -Of Armenia he says, p. 271: “The country is so well adapted, being -nothing inferior in this respect to Media, for breeding horses that the -race of Nessæan horses, which the king of Persia used, is found here -also; the satrap of Armenia used to send annually to the king of Persia -twenty thousand young horses.” - -The Nessæan horses, so famous for their speed, were the “thoroughbreds” -of their day, and there can hardly be a doubt they originated in Armenia, -and, just like our own “thoroughbreds,” they were essentially the result -of careful selection through a series of generations, and of breeding -only from animals possessing the desired qualifications in the highest -degree. In the earlier days of racing in Media, it appears that white -was the fashionable color, but I am disposed to think that grey, growing -white with age, was the color intended to be expressed by the writers -of that period. The “albino” color is abnormal and supposed to indicate -tenderness and lack of stamina. - -There is one fact, in considering this question, to which I have probably -not given sufficient prominence and weight. So far as the records go, -the three countries of Armenia, Cappadocia, and Media are synchronous -in having mounted troops in their armies seventeen hundred years before -the Christian era. We must, therefore, consider the conditions of these -countries antecedent to the period of 1700 B.C. Of Cappadocia we know -absolutely nothing historically until it was conquered by Cyrus, king -of Persia, about 588 B.C. Of Media the earliest knowledge we have of a -historical character does not go back further than about 842 B.C. It -should be observed that I here speak of “historical” knowledge and not -of uncertain traditions of many centuries earlier. Both of these nations -with their distinctive nationalities have, long since, been wiped off the -surface of the earth. - -When we reach Armenia, we reach a people with a most remarkable history, -extending back for more than four thousand years. This history, although -not wholly free from criticism or doubt, seems to be honestly written and -worthy of a liberal measure of confidence. That the children of Japheth -should have settled at the foot of the mountains of Ararat strikes every -one as a very natural event, but that their descendants should still be -there, through all the triumphs and oppressions of four thousand years, -is one of the most stupendous facts in the history of the world. From -the very first we know of them they seem to have been an agricultural -people, strongly attached to their native soil. When they ruled over the -land from the Caspian to the Mediterranean, they built no great cities, -but adhered steadfastly to the rural pursuits of their fathers, and -this, probably, was the chief cause of their weakness. Their wealth -and sources of wealth were chiefly in their horses, and these they sold -to the merchants of Sidon and Tyre, who carried them to all the nations -of Europe and Africa, commencing with Egypt, and supplying all wants as -far as Spain and Morocco, and beyond, probably, as far as Britain. The -Phœnician merchants were the first to open commercial transactions with -Europe and Africa, and they were in control of the commerce of the world -long before King Solomon entered into commercial partnership with Hiram, -king of Tyre. Armenia had horses to sell long before they had horses -in Egypt, and Phœnicia had ships and enterprise to carry them there. -There is a fitting of interests here that seems to point to Armenia as -the great original source of supply, and as the original habitat of the -horse. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -EARLY DISTRIBUTION OF HORSES. - - First evidences of horses in Egypt about 1700 B.C.—Supported - by Egyptian records and history—The Patriarch Job had no - horses—Solomon’s great cavalry force organized—Arabia as - described by Strabo at the beginning of our era—No horses - then in Arabia—Constantius sends two hundred Cappadocian - horses into Arabia A.D. 356—Arabia the last country to be - supplied with horses—The ancient Phœnician merchants and their - colonies —Hannibal’s cavalry forces in the Punic Wars—Distant - ramifications of Phœnician trade and colonization—Commerce - reached as far as Britain and the Baltic—Probable source of - Britain’s earliest horses. - - -Having considered the different theories or opinions as to the original -habitat of the horse and the means and facilities by which distribution -to the different portions of the earth may have been effected, I have -omitted land migration, which will be self-evident to all as an important -factor in the problem. It is now in order, therefore, to consider such -dates and facts as are pertinent and may be gleaned from history, sacred -and profane. - -[Illustration: PHŒNICIAN COLONIES - -ABOUT 1200 B.C.] - -When Abraham, with Sarah his wife, visited Egypt about 1920 B.C., the -Pharaoh for her sake bestowed upon him many gifts: “Sheep and oxen and -he asses and men servants and maid servants and she asses and camels.” -Among these great gifts there were no horses, evidently because Egypt -had no horses at that time. There is no mention nor reference to horses -in Egypt till Joseph became prime minister two hundred years later, -when there were a few horses, and they were traded or sold to Joseph by -their owners in exchange for food, not in droves, but as individuals. -These scriptural facts in the experiences of Abraham and Joseph seem -to be circumstantially sustained by the discoveries of those learned -Egyptologists who, in late years and with the spade in their hands, -have resurrected so much of history that had been buried for thousands -of years. It was during the reign of the Hyksos, or Shepherd Kings, -that Abraham and Joseph were in Egypt, and in order to approximate the -time when horses were first introduced, we must glance at a few facts -in connection with what is known of the Hyksos. Some have claimed they -were from Chaldea, some from Northern Syria and Asia Minor, and some -again from Phœnicia, and it is one of the strangest things in history -that a great nation should be overthrown and held in subjection for over -five hundred years and nobody know who did it. Then again, it is equally -incomprehensible that any nation should have subdued Egypt and held it -in bondage so long and yet never have claimed the honor of having done -so. Still another mystery remains that never has been solved, and that -is, what became of the Shepherds and their followers when they were -driven out? At the period of the conquest the governing class was rent by -factions and under a weak and tyrannical king. The Delta and the Valley -of the Nile were crowded with slaves, many of them of Asiatic origin. -The elevated plains and mountain sides were covered with fierce and -intractable nomads, all of Asiatic origin, tending their flocks. Some -brave and skillful shepherd organized the shepherds and the slaves and at -their head swept down upon the government with a power that was so mighty -as to be irresistible. Manetho, the great Egyptian historian of more -than two thousand years ago, thus describes the event: “Under this king, -then, I know not wherefore, the god caused to blow upon us a baleful -wind, and in the face of all probability bands from the East, people of -ignoble race, came upon us unawares, attacked the country and subdued it -easily and without fighting.” In remarking upon this same event Professor -Maspero, who stands at the very head of the Egyptologists, says: “It -is possible that they (the shepherds) owed this rapid victory to the -presence in their armies of a factor hitherto unknown to the Africans—the -war chariot—and before the horse and his driver the Egyptians gave way in -a body.” In view of the direct declaration of Manetho that the question -of the succession was settled “without fighting,” the mere suggestion of -an unsustained “possibility” from Maspero that the result may have been -determined by the war chariots cannot be accepted. All the authorities -agree that the horse was introduced into Egypt at some period during the -rule of the Shepherd Kings, but there is absolutely no evidence that this -was at the beginning or anywhere near the beginning of that rule. - -No records or delineations of the horse have been found in any of the -temples or tombs of Egypt prior to the beginning of the eighteenth -dynasty, which was probably about the year 1570 B.C. and contemporaneous -with the birth of Moses. If the Shepherd Kings left behind them any -records or delineations of the horse it would be quite natural for the -true kingly line to destroy and erase every vestige of whatever would -revive a memory to them so bitter and hateful. But the absence of all -traces of horses under the seventeenth dynasty of the Shepherds does not -prove that there was none, for we have direct proof in Joseph’s case that -they were there one hundred and fifty-six years, and in Jacob’s burial -one hundred and nineteen years before the beginning of the eighteenth -dynasty. - -The question as to the time when they procured their horses having -now been approximately settled, the inquiry naturally follows as to -where they came from? In answering this question there seems to be no -hesitation or doubt. They came from Northern Syria, which embraces not -only the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean, including Phœnicia, -but the countries north and east of it trading there, which means the -great horse-breeding countries of Armenia and Cappadocia. Being largely -engaged in the Egyptian trade for many centuries, it is probable the -Phœnician merchants were the principal agents in supplying them. In -speaking of the horse in Egypt, Prof. Maspero says: “The horse when once -introduced into Egypt soon became fairly adapted to its environment. It -retained both its height and size, keeping the convex forehead—which -gave the head a slightly curved profile—the slender neck, the narrow -hind-quarters, the lean and sinewy legs and the long, flowing tail which -had characterized it in its native country. The climate, however, was -enervating, and constant care had to be taken, by the introduction of new -blood from Syria, to prevent the breed from deteriorating. The Pharaohs -kept studs of horses in the principal cities of the Nile valley, and the -great feudal lords, following their example, vied with each other in the -possession of numerous breeding stables.” - -There are some facts here that are worthy of special emphasis: (1) -There were no horses in Egypt till the period of the Shepherd Kings, -i. e., about the time of Joseph. (2) All Egyptologists down to the -present day agree that the supply of Egyptian horses was procured from -Northern Syria. (3) The Egyptians and the Arabians were adjoining nations -in constant, friendly intercourse, exchanging the products of their -respective countries, and yet there is no shadow of an intimation that -the Arabians had then ever owned a horse. It is reasonable to conclude, -therefore, not only from what is written, but from what is implied, that -the Arabians at about the period of 1600 B.C. had no horses. Northern -Syria, as the source of Egyptian supply, points directly to Armenia, -adjoining on the east, as the original source. When Strabo wrote at the -beginning of the Christian era that there were no horses in Arabia at -that time, he would still have been within the bounds of the truth if he -had said there had been none there for more the sixteen hundred years -before his day. All these considerations confirm the history that has -come down to us from Philostorgius. - -As early as the dynasties of the Shepherd Kings and while the Israelites -were still in Egyptian bondage, the Phœnician merchants had accumulated -great wealth and great power and were literally the masters of the seas. -The Phœnicians were a commercial and maritime people and the Egyptians -were, in fact, dependent upon them for all their foreign supplies. -These conditions leave hardly a doubt that Egypt’s first supply of -horses came through the Phœnicians. But upon the establishment of the -eighteenth dynasty under the old Thebans, the spirit of war and conquest -revived, and under Thutmosis I. and Thutmosis III., notably, numerous -and successful campaigns were made against Northern Syria and then -extending eastward across the Euphrates into the borders of Armenia and -Assyria. And from the number of horses and chariots captured in battle -and collected as tribute, the careful student cannot avoid the conclusion -that this kind of spoil was the chief incentive to the various campaigns. -“Besides the usual species,” Maspero informs us, “powerful stallions were -imported from Northern Syria, which were known by the Semitic name of -_Abiri_, the strong.” This is the first mention in history of an improved -type of horse noted for his strength. - -Whatever may have been the precise period in which the Patriarch Job -lived, he was the author of the grandest panegyric on the war-horse that -ever was written. Yet it seems strange that he owned seven thousand -sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred -she asses, but did not own a horse. To draw his picture of the war-horse -he must have seen him in action, on the field, and it is not improbable -in his younger days he witnessed, or possibly participated in, some great -battle between the Babylonians and the Persians, north of the latitude -and country in which he lived. It is now generally conceded, I think, -among learned men that the “land of Uz” was in the southeastern portion -of Arabia Deserta, bordering on the Persian Gulf, where the horse is a -useless luxury. Job was a very rich man, he certainly did not lack in -admiration of the horse, and if he had thought that horses would add to -his comfort and enjoyment he could easily have obtained them from the -great herds in the north. But the camel is the great beast of service -and utility in Arabia; it was so in Job’s time, it is so to-day, and it -always will be so because it is suited to the environment. - -When Joshua was subduing the tribes of Canaan, B.C. 1450, he found that -the Phœnicians had several well-fortified cities and did not attack them, -but he encountered a combination of “Northern Kings” with a vast army and -“with horses and chariots very many.” His victory was complete, and he -houghed their horses and burned their chariots with fire. - -Jabin, called the King of Canaan, in the time of the Judges, had his -kingdom on the northern border of Palestine and east of Phœnicia, at -the southern extension of Mount Lebanon. Sisera, one of the greatest -commanders of the time, B.C. 1285, commanded his army and he had nine -hundred chariots of iron, but the victory of the Israelites was complete. - -In the year B.C. 1056, David pursued some of the tribes of Western Arabia -that had made a raid on Southern Palestine and carried away many captives -and much spoil. He overtook them with his own followers and subdued them, -and none escaped except four hundred young men who fled on camels. He -recovered all the captives and brought back all the flocks and herds, -but there were no horses among them. About the same time, historians -inform us, the tribes of Eastern Arabia were paying their tribute to the -Assyrians in camels and asses, while the northern countries were paying -theirs in horses and money. - -The Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon B.C. 992, to learn of his wisdom -and “to prove him with hard questions.” Her kingdom was in that part -of southeastern Arabia now called Yemen, bordering on the Red Sea. Her -journey was a very long one and she “came with a very great train of -camels that bare spices and very much gold and precious stones.” It will -be observed that there were no horses in this “very great train.” It will -be observed further, from the incidents above related, that whenever the -Israelites met their neighbors north of them, whether in peace or war, -they met horses with them; and whenever they met their neighbors south -of them, they were mounted only on camels. - -When the dominions of Solomon had become vastly extended, embracing -numbers of tributary kingdoms, as well as nomadic tribes, and when his -ships had gathered in untold riches from all parts of the world, he -found it prudent to reorganize his army for the defense of his kingdom -and his wealth, and on a scale commensurate with the dangers that might -arise from a combination of the jealous and envious neighbors with whom -he was surrounded. Among the northern kingdoms of that day it had been -often demonstrated in battle that the effective force of an army must -be estimated by its strength in horsemen and chariots of war. Solomon, -therefore, bought horses and chariots from Egypt, and horses from all -lands that had them for sale. It is probable that the superiority of -the Egyptian chariots was the special reason for buying them in that -country, as he paid six hundred shekels of silver for the chariots and -one hundred and fifty for the horses to bring them home. The reorganized -army consisted of one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand -horsemen, and they were quartered in the different large cities in his -dominions. In the interval of seven hundred and twenty-eight years that -had elapsed since Joseph was Prime Minister, and horses introduced in -Egypt, they had greatly multiplied. When Solomon died and his kingdom was -divided into two hostile camps, Hiram, King of Tyre, his lifelong friend -and associate, became virtually his successor to the trade of the world. - -The great Greek geographer, Strabo, traveled and wrote in the reign of -Augustus, and died A.D. 24. For descriptions of all countries of that -period and their industries and productions, he has been quoted for -eighteen hundred years as the best if not the only authority. Writing -as he did, at the very initial point of the Christian era, he gives us -a landmark that fixes itself in the mind. He gives a brief, but quite -satisfactory, description of Arabia, in which he notes the general -topography and boundaries as they are understood to-day; and then he -enters, somewhat, into the climate, productions of the soil, character -and industries of the people, etc. Of one part of the country he speaks -of the inhabitants as breeders of camels, and of another, that is more -productive, he remarks: “The general fertility of the country is very -great; among other products there is in particular an abundant supply -of honey. Except horses, there are numerous herds of animals, asses -and swine, birds also of every kind, except geese and the gallinaceous -tribes.” - -Here we have from the very highest authority the pivotal fact that there -were no horses in Arabia at the commencement of the Christian era. This -does not rest upon argument, nor is it a deduction from some condition -of things that might have existed; but it is a distinct declaration of -what Strabo saw with his own eyes and wrote down when he saw it. It must, -therefore, stand as an undisputed fact, until some reputable authority is -brought forward to contradict it. This description from Strabo applies -to that rich portion of Arabia, bordering on the Red Sea along its full -length. With the fact established, circumstantially and historically, -that there were no horses in Arabia at the beginning of the Christian -era, it now remains to consider how and when they were first introduced -in that country. - -Philostorgius, a distinguished Greek theologian, born A.D. 425, as -related in the preceding chapter, wrote an ecclesiastical history, which -is no longer extant, but fortunately Photius, at one time patriarch -of the Eastern church, born A.D. 853, prepared an epitome of it. This -epitome of Philostorgius comes down to A.D. 425, and is to be found -in the Lenox Library of this city, bound up in the same volume with -Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History. I will here quote literally from this -epitome so much as is pertinent to the question before us. Constantius -was then on the throne of the Eastern Empire, and labored for the -promotion of the Christian religion. - - “Constantius sent ambassadors to those who were formerly called - Sabæans, but are now known as Homeritæ, a tribe descended from - Abraham, by Keturah. As to the territory which they inhabit, - it is called by the Greeks Magna Arabia and Arabia Felix, and - extends to the most distant part of the ocean. Its metropolis - is Saba, the city from which the Queen of Sheba went forth to - see Solomon.... Constantius, accordingly, sent ambassadors to - them to come over to the Christian religion.... Constantius, - wishing to array the embassy with peculiar splendor, put on - board their ships two hundred well-bred horses from Cappadocia, - and sent them, with many other gifts.... The embassy turned - out successfully, for the prince of the nation, by sincere - conviction, came over to the true religion.” - -Other facts might be quoted from this epitome, showing that Theopholis -was made a bishop and placed at the head of this embassy and that -he remained in Arabia Felix several years, prosecuting his work -successfully. It might also be quoted to show that the people of the -cities of Yemen (Arabia Felix) were, at that day, well advanced in -civilization and refinement, and that wealth and luxury abounded on -all sides. Their lands, from the sea to the desert, were wonderfully -productive, and their people lived in the cities and on their farms, -but few leading a nomadic life. In later generations this part of the -country, which is in Arabia Felix, has been called Yemen, and I believe -it is universally conceded among the Arab tribes and by writers who have -studied the subject that the best horses come from Yemen. - -Taking the administration of Joseph as indicating the time when the first -horses were introduced into Egypt, about B.C. 1720, and the actual date -when Constantius sent the first into Arabia, A.D. 356, we find that Egypt -led Arabia by two thousand and seventy-six years. And yet numbers of men -have written great pretentious books on the horse, in which they tell -us that the Egyptians got their horses from the Arabians; while others -equally pretentious and voluminous tell us the Arabians got their horses -from the Egyptians; and neither class probably ever gave the labor of an -honest hour to settle this question. The one is over two thousand years -out of the way, and still they know just as much about it as the other -knows. They are both equally ignorant and equally dishonest, for they -simply copied, as their own, what somebody had said before them. - -It is conceded on all hands and by all men who have gone beneath the mere -surface, that the literature of the ages furnishes no evidence that there -were horses in Arabia before the fourth or fifth century of our era. -General Tweedie, by far the ablest writer on the Arabian horse that we -have examined, concedes the pertinency and force of the absence of all -literary evidence, until the fifth century is reached, and as a reply he -says: “The several Roman invasions of Arabia, in the reigns of Augustus, -Trajan, and Severus, must have left foreign horses behind them.” This -is, in fact, conceding the accuracy of Strabo’s representations and that -there were no horses in Arabia at the beginning of the Christian era. The -truth of the historical allusion is that the Romans never overran nor -conquered Arabia. They could skirmish around the border and capture a -few towns or cities, but the death-dealing desert was too much for them. -Trajan at last made it a Roman province by his proclamation, and not by -his sword, and for the excellent reason that “the game was not worth the -candle.” What a strange fact it is that Arabia, instead of the first, -should have been the last country in all the old world to be supplied -with horses! - -It is very difficult to comprehend or even imagine the changes that may -be wrought in a thousand years by a strong, enterprising, and aggressive -people, colonized in a rich country occupied by semi-barbarians and -savages. This was the condition in Northern Africa, when the Phœnician -colonies were planted there, a thousand years before the Christian era. -The colony at Utica in Algeria was planted about eleven hundred years -before the Christian era, which was contemporaneous with the reign of -Saul as king of Israel. The colony of Carthage, that afterward contested -with Rome for universal dominion, was planted in the same country, about -two hundred years later, and was contemporaneous with Jehu. The whole -southern shore of the Mediterranean was dotted with Phœnician colonies, -from Egypt westward. - -The oldest of the Phœnician colonies so far from home was probably Gades, -now called Cadiz, on the Atlantic coast of Spain and outside of the -Pillars of Hercules. This colony was planted about fifteen hundred years -B.C. and was contemporaneous with Moses and the forty years’ journeying -of the Israelites in the wilderness. The more recent scholarship seems -to have developed the fact that still north of Gades and extending from -the mouth of the Guadelete to that of the Guadiana, there was a very -large and flourishing colony planted by the Phœnicians, possessing within -itself many of the requisites and functions of statehood, and that -this was the ancient “Tarshish” of scripture. This plantation became a -secondary Tyre, and the “ships of Tarshish” not only made their voyages -back and forth through the length of the Mediterranean, but extended them -northward, up the European coast and to Britain, and southward along the -African coast for a great distance, establishing trading posts wherever -the products of a country promised profitable exchange. - -The planting of colonies in that age, even for the one ostensible purpose -of trade, involved more than the mere erection of a “trading post” -at some selected harbor. A strong and well-equipped and well-trained -military force had to be employed to protect and defend them. The -Phœnicians were great traders, and at the same time they were excellent -fighters. Their numerous colonies on both shores of the Mediterranean -required a strong military force that was made up very largely of -slaves and the nomadic tribes of the country, but always commanded by -prominent and influential Phœnicians. It is impossible to tell what the -very early experiences of the colonists may have been with regard to -horses; nor do we know whether they found horses already there when they -arrived at their new plantations. My belief is, however, that they were -not only the first to carry horses to Egypt, but they were the first -to carry them to the western extremities of the Mediterranean. It will -be remembered that the early trade of the Armenians with the Phœnician -merchants was not only in horses, but in _horsemen_, and it is probable -that these “horsemen” were slaves, expert and skillful in managing the -horse. It has been said by historians that certain classes of their ships -were ornamented with a carved horse’s head, at the prow; and it has been -inferred that the ships so designated were specially constructed and -fitted up for the safe carrying of horses. It is true that in the course -of the centuries horses may have found their way from Egypt westward to -Algeria, and by crossing the Bosphorus they might have found their way -from Asia Minor to Spain, but it is also true that from small beginnings -at the plantation of the colonies there was ample time for them to -increase to almost countless herds before the period when the colonists -became a mighty military power in the earth. - -Historians tell us that the military establishment of the city of -Carthage alone, when on a peace footing, consisted of three hundred -elephants, four thousand horses and forty thousand foot soldiers. -When Hannibal started out to fight Rome, in the second Punic war, say -B.C. 218, he had with him eighty thousand footmen and twelve thousand -horsemen; and he left thirty-two thousand soldiers at home to guard his -Spanish and his African dominions. With a proportional division of the -home troops, he then had about seventeen thousand mounted men in his -army. These were not war levies, but hardened and trained soldiers, and -it is, therefore, not remarkable that he held nearly the whole of Spain -in subjection, and practically all of Northwestern Africa. Polybius, -the soldier historian, tells us that “his Numidian cavalry formed the -strongest part of his army, and to their quick evolutions, their sudden -retreat, and their rapid return to the charge, may be attributed the -success of Hannibal in his great victories.” At an earlier period, we -learn that in the organization of the Phœnician armies the numerous -nomadic tribes were placed on their flanks, and wheeled about on -unsaddled horses guided by a bridle of rushes. - -At a very remote period there were two tribes in the interior of Spain, -the Celtæ and Iberi, that were greatly distinguished for their love of -independence and their bravery in defending it. The antiquarians have -failed to give us any information as to what they were or whence they -came. They were contemporaneous with some of the early colonies of the -Phœnicians. Their tactics in battle seemed to have been to break the -enemy’s ranks by a charge as cavalry, and to then dismount and fight on -foot. They united as one people and called themselves Celtiberi. Where -they got their horses, or whether they had them before the Phœnicians -arrived, are questions that cannot be answered. - -The Visigoths, or western Goths, overran Northern Italy, settled in -Southern France and eventually passed over into Spain, where they -established a dynasty that lasted over two centuries and until it -was overthrown by the Saracens, A.D. 711. Roderick, the king of the -Visigoths, went out to battle with the Saracens, arrayed in his most -showy apparel, and mounted on his splendid chariot, made of ivory and -set with precious stones. As the battle progressed he saw what he had -good reason to believe was treachery on the part of one wing of his army -and he alighted from his chariot, mounted his horse called Orelia and -rode away while his soldiers were being butchered. He was the last of -the Gothic dynasty. There had been a battle between the navies of the -Saracens and the Goths, A.D. 680, fifty-one years earlier, in which the -fleet of the Saracens had been entirely destroyed, and at that time the -Saracens occupied the whole of the southern shore of the Mediterranean. -The word “Moors,” as often used to designate the people of Northern -Africa, is not well chosen, for it really belongs to but one of many -different tribes of different names. The term “Saracen” anciently meant -only an Arab born, but since the middle ages it has come to mean any -and all adherents to the Mohammedan religion, in the usage of Christian -people, and is particularly apposite when speaking of a number of tribes -engaged in a common cause. - -The people of Northern Africa were not negroes as we understand the word, -but a mixture of different races. When the Phœnicians settled among -them they were nomadic barbarians, possessing a country of great riches -without knowing it. Under the tuition of their new masters they made -great advances in many of the arts of peace and in all the arts of war. -The Phœnician blood was liberally commingled with that of the natives. -The blood carried the brains, and hence the beautiful structures that -came from their hands and heads. No purely bred nomad ever could have -conceived or constructed the Alhambra. The Phœnicians were refined and -educated idolaters, as refinement and education were understood in their -day, while the native people were literally barbarians. - -The then recent and rapid spread of Mohammedanism among all the people -of Northern Africa is, on its surface, one of the most remarkable facts -in history. As a religion it served to unite, under the banner of the -Crescent, all who accepted it, and guaranteed to all who fell in its -defense immediate admission to paradise. All who did not accept it were -enemies and only fit to perish by the sword of the Saracen. The founder -of this religion died A.D. 632, and seventy-nine years afterward his -followers, in Northern Africa alone, won their great victory over the -Gothic dynasty of Spain. When once on Spanish soil they appeared to take -root there and held possession of a large part of Spain for nearly nine -hundred years. - -Now that I have traversed the field of Spain and Northern Africa, from -the first dawnings of history down to the beginning of the seventeenth -century, in order to gather in all that history reveals touching the -introduction and propagation of the horse in those regions, we are -ready to summarize the facts that we have gleaned. At the periods of -six hundred (when Carthage became independent of the mother country), -four hundred, and two hundred years before the Christian era, there is -undoubted evidence, over and over again, that Spain and Northern Africa -were abundantly supplied with horses. Then, how is it possible that the -hordes of Barbarians from Asia could have supplied these countries with -horses, when they did not arrive there until several centuries after -the supply is established to have existed? Take, if you please, the -shortest of the periods suggested above, when Hannibal’s cavalry almost -annihilated a great Roman army, two hundred and sixteen years before -the Christian era. This was five hundred and seventy-two years before -Arabia had any horses; and how can “the blind leaders of the blind” -supply Hannibal’s cavalry with Arabian blood? When the people of Northern -Africa, west of Egypt, fought their way into Spain it is not known that -there was a single Arabian soldier nor a single Arabian horse in the -whole army. They were all called Arabians, however, and that pretense has -existed ever since. - -The Phœnicians were the most remarkable people of all the early ages -and indeed of any age. They belonged to the Aramaic or Semitic race; -they settled in Canaan long before the days of Abraham and attained -their greatest prosperity in the days of Solomon, when his fleets and -those of his friend Hiram, King of Tyre, controlled and monopolized the -commerce of the world. More than five hundred years before this alliance, -however, they had established commercial relations with all the countries -bordering on the Mediterranean, and their ships were trading in the ports -of every country from Egypt to the Pillars of Hercules and far beyond. -There seems to be no doubt that they carried tin from Britain and amber -from the Baltic, and, of course, they had to bring something to exchange -for what they carried away. What did they bring? As amber did not enter -into the necessary arts it is not probable the trade was very large, but -tin was required by many nations in their everyday life, especially the -Egyptians, who had no foreign commerce and were thus dependent upon the -Phœnician merchants. We may conclude, therefore, that the trade in tin -was large, and as there was no Phœnician colony in extreme southwestern -Britain, the foreign traders would bring just what the Britons most -needed. If they were already in possession of horses they would not need -that kind of exchange, but if they were not in possession of horses, -that would be just the kind of exchange they would want, and probably -this was the source from which they obtained their supply. The question, -however, of how or when our British ancestors obtained their first supply -of horses has never been positively answered. That they had them in great -abundance at the beginning of the Christian era is fully established by -the experience of the Romans when they captured Britain. From their great -numbers and the skill displayed in their management in battle, it cannot -be doubted that they were there for many generations before the Roman -armies came in contact with them. Many theories have been advanced as to -how the horse may have reached Britain, but no one of them rests on so -reasonable a basis of probability as that of the Phœnician traders. If -from this source, which I am strongly disposed to believe was the true -source, it must have been during the maritime supremacy of the Phœnicians -and their colonies, and this would place the date several centuries -before the Christian era. If we were able to reconstruct the original -line of the migration of the early English horses, we would, probably, -first find them in “the land of Togarmah” starting to market at Tyre, -where they were exchanged for supplies needed in Armenia. There they were -put on board one of the great “ships of Tarshish,” and when they next -touched the land it was at one of the ports at the southwestern portion -of England, where they were exchanged for tin and other products of the -mines. - -In addition to the argument furnished by this known course of trade -between nations and peoples, in prehistoric times, we have an additional -one in the natural perpetuation of racial qualities, extending through -many centuries. In reply to some questions submitted to a friend of -mine who was born in Western Persia, educated in this country, and then -returned to the land of his nativity, I have replies to my questions -bearing date of July, 1896. He is located at Oroomiah, not far from the -modern line between Persia and Turkey, and in what may be considered the -very center of ancient Armenia. He is not skilled in horse lore, but he -uses horses a great deal and is a very intelligent observer. He says -that the Persian horses have been greatly overrated and that the country -is full of very ordinary horses. He says that they are all colors, with -bays probably predominating. There is a great variety of mixed greys, -shading into white, and a few that are dappled. Then there are chestnuts, -sorrels, “mouse-color” (duns), and not many blacks. They are small, as a -rule, and a harness of small size from this country has to be cut down -for them. From this I infer that they are generally under fourteen hands. -On the whole the horses are nicely shaped, have slender, clean limbs, -small ears, and carry the head and tail well up. As a rule they are great -stumblers. With regard to gaits he says that stress is laid on a rapid -walk—a half walk and half trot. In this country we would call it the -“running walk” that may be kept up for days in succession. In speaking of -the pace, my correspondent says: “There are some horses trained to pace, -while some pick it up naturally, that is, are born pacers. The greater -number are natural pacers. Now and then one will find a rapid pacer, but -commonly the pace is a five or six miles an hour gait. There are some -that single-foot naturally, and from birth.” - -He then says horses are not bred with any care. They are turned loose in -herds and the breeding is such as would naturally occur. - -It will be observed that my Persian friend speaks of the different -colors “of grey, shading into white,” which suggests a possible descent -from the famous breed of white Nissæan horses kept by the great Darius -and other Medo-Persian monarchs for racing purposes. But the striking -feature in this description of the horses of Persia, or more properly, -of ancient Armenia, of this day, is the fact that they are of the same -size and color and habits of action as the horses of Britain when -first visited by the Romans, as well as when they were more minutely -described twelve hundred years later, and as they were at the beginning -of the seventeenth century, and as they still were at the middle of the -eighteenth century. As evidence on these points reference is made to -the chapters on horses of the colonial period that will follow in their -place. In ancient Armenia, as with all pastoral people of the early ages, -horses were turned out to run in herds and literally left to Mr. Darwin’s -law of “natural selection and the survival of the fittest.” So it was in -Britain to a great extent, until the eighteenth century, and so it was in -the American colonies until fifty years later; hence the same types and -characteristics prevailed and were perpetuated in all these countries. - -It is sad to contemplate the present debased and semi-barbarous condition -of the descendants of a great people who for centuries stood first among -all the nations of the earth in commercial enterprise, in learning, and -in the arts. The banishment of the Saracens from Spain in the beginning -of the seventeenth century of our era was in fact the banishment of -the descendants of the Phœnicians who first colonized Spain. The -architectural structures which they left behind them, and which for -their marvelous beauty have challenged the admiration of the world, were -not the work of nomads and barbarians. They were the flashes of the old -Phœnician taste and genius as exemplified by the descendants of the men -whom Hiram sent to construct and decorate the buildings of Solomon. The -Alhambra and some other structures in Spain are all that we have to -remind us of the genius, and grandeur of Phœnicia. Whatever may have been -the character and attainments of the descendants of the colonists at -the time, the change from idolatry to Islamism was a bad one. Wherever, -throughout the world, the teachings of the “Prophet” have been accepted, -whole nations have become intolerant, murderous and brutalized, and the -modern Phœnicians are no exception. They have now lost their identity in -the follies and crimes of Islamism and we can have no sympathy for them. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE ARABIAN HORSE. - - The Arabian, the horse of romance—The horse naturally - foreign to Arabia— Superiority of the camel for all Arabian - needs—Scarcity of horses in Arabia in Mohammed’s time—Various - preposterous traditions of Arab horsemanship—The Prophet’s - mythical mares—Mohammed not in any sense a horseman—Early - English Arabians—the Markham Arabian—The alleged Royal - Mares—The Darley Arabian—The Godolphin Arabian—The Prince - of Wales’ Arabian race horses—Mr. Blunt’s pilgrimage to the - Euphrates—His purchases of so-called Arabians—Deyr as a great - horse market where everything is thoroughbred—Failure of - Mr. Blunt’s experiments—Various Arabian horses brought to - America—Horses sent to our Presidents—Disastrous experiments of - A. Keene Richards—Tendency of Arab romancing from Ben Hur. - - -Admiration always leads to exaggeration. This is true in most of the -relations of life, but in our admiration of the horse it becomes greatly -intensified, so greatly indeed that in magnifying his excellent qualities -we find ourselves telling downright falsehoods about him before we know -it. This “amiable weakness,” as we might call it, is true of our everyday -life and our everyday horses; but when we come to the horse that is the -universal ideal of perfection, everybody seems to lay aside all the -restraints of truth in extolling the superiority of his qualities. The -“Arabian horse” is the ideal horse of all the world. He is the “gold -standard” in all horsedom, with the one important distinction that the -one is real and the other is mythical. Not one so-called horseman in a -million ever saw a genuine Arabian horse, nor any of the descendants of -one; and in all the discussions of the past three hundred and fifty years -it has never been shown in a single instance that a horse from Arabia, -with an authenticated pedigree and tracing as such, has ever been of any -value, either as a race horse or as a progenitor of race horses. The -superior qualities of “the Arabian horse,” like the superior qualities of -“The Arabian Nights,” are purely works of the imagination. There is just -as much truth in the stories of Sindbad the Sailor and Aladdin’s Lamp as -there is in most of the literature relating to the Arabian horse. - -I am fully satisfied that these views of the Arabian horse will not meet -with a ready acceptance by the vast majority of the horsemen of this -or any other country, but my reasons for presenting them will become -apparent as the discussion progresses. They smash too many idols and -dispel too many chimeras of the brain to be readily accepted. It takes -the average man a long time to get clear of the prejudices in which he -was born, and the first question that will be asked by the doubter is, -“Why could not Arabia have supported a race of indigenous wild horses, as -well as any other country?” Because the horse, wild or tame, has never -learned to dig a well forty feet deep, nor to draw water after it is -dug. Neither has he learned to lay up a store in time of plenty against -a time of famine. The horse could not live in Arabia without the care of -man. And, second, “Why were all the civilized and semi-civilized nations -west of Asia supplied with horses a thousand years before Arabia, when -so near the original habitat of the horse?” It is the first law of our -nature to supply ourselves with what we need. The camel always has been -a necessity to the Arab, not only to carry him and his burdens, but to -furnish nourishment and sustenance to him and his family. The camel is -adapted to the country and the country to the camel, and no other created -animal can fill that place. He is, literally, “the ship of the desert.” -The horse in Arabia is a luxury that can be indulged in only by the rich; -hence his ownership is practically restricted to the chiefs of tribes. He -is never used except for display and war. Palgrave, in speaking specially -of the Nejd tribe, says: “A horse is by no means an article of everyday -possession, or of ordinary or working use. No genuine Arab would ever -dream of mounting his horse for a mere peaceful journey, whether for a -short or a long distance.” - -When we consider the immeasurable superiority of the camel to the -horse in meeting the wants and necessities of the Arab, we will not be -surprised at the immense herds of the former and the small numbers of -the latter that are bred and reared in that country. A camel can go four -days without water, and under stress, it is said, a good one can cover -the distance of two hundred miles in twenty-four hours. The camel and -the country are suited to each other, while the horse is an exotic, and -has no part in any industrial interest except raiding and robbery. My -attention was first called to this unexpected smallness in the numbers -of Arabian horses in the seventh century, two hundred and sixty years -after the introduction of the original stock from Cappadocia. The flight -of Mohammed from his enemies in Mecca to Medina took place A.D. 622. -There, setting up as a Prophet, and as holding communications with -Heaven, he soon gathered around him a number who believed in his divine -inspiration. Understanding the habits and instincts of his followers, -he soon found he must give them something to do. He called them about -him, mounted a camel, and at their head he was successful in plundering -two or three caravans, which greatly enraged his old enemies at Mecca. -Whether the anger of his enemies was kindled anew because some of the -plunder belonged in Mecca, or whether he merely deprived the Meccans of -the opportunity of doing the plundering themselves, the historian fails -to make clear. Whichever may have been the underlying reason, it led to -war. In the first campaign of the Meccans and in the first battle fought, -they far outnumbered the followers of the Prophet. There were some camels -in Mohammed’s train, but no horses. He did not lead the battle himself, -but remained in his tent and promised his followers that all who fell -in battle would be forthwith admitted into Paradise. They believed the -promise, as millions and millions have believed it since; it inspired -them with a recklessness of life, and they were completely victorious. -The result of this victory was the capture of one hundred and fifteen -camels and fourteen horses, besides the entire camp of the enemy. In the -battle of the next year (A.D. 625) between the same parties, the forces -were much increased on both sides. Sir William Muir, the historian, -informs us that Mohammed had but two horses in his army, one of which -he mounted himself and took command of his forces. This battle was not -decisive. In subsequent raids he captured many enemies and traded his -female captives for horses with the surrounding tribes, so far as he was -able to obtain them. The next year he had an army of three thousand men -and thirty-six horses, while the enemy had an army of three thousand men, -of whom two hundred were cavalry, but there was no fighting. The fame of -Mohammed as a successful and relentless pillager and destroyer had now -spread far and wide, and as a means of escape the chiefs of the larger -portion of the tribes of Arabia hastened to tender their allegiance -and obey his commands. From this forward, therefore, we must consider -Mohammed as the representative of the whole of Arabia, in both its -religious and military power. The next year his old enemies, the citizens -of Mecca, surrendered the sacred city to him without a blow, and thus -Islamism became a mighty power in the world. - -It is evident from many sources other than the history of Mohammed that -horses have always been a very sparse production in Arabia. Burckhardt, -the famous traveler in the East, journeyed very extensively in Arabia -about 1814, and he gives the result of his observations on this point of -numbers as follows: “In all the journey from Mecca to Medina, between -the mountains and the sea, a distance of at least two hundred and sixty -miles, I do not believe that two hundred horses could be found, and the -same proportion of numbers may be remarked all along the Red Sea.” This -is in strict conformity with the observations of other writers, the -reasons for which have already been given. - -Time out of mind, everybody has heard of the insuperable difficulty of -prevailing upon an Arab to part with his genuine, high-caste mare for -either love or money. He will expatiate, as the story goes, upon “the -beauty and graces of his mare as the light of his household and the joy -and playmate of his children, and above all as she is royally bred he -cannot, as a good Moslem, disobey the injunctions of the Prophet not to -sell such mares, but to keep them forever that their descendants may -enrich the children of the faithful to all generations.” If you ask him -more particularly about her lines of descent, he will give you fifty or -a hundred generations and land you safely on the name of the particular -one of the five mares of the Prophet from which she is descended. To -illustrate the sham of all this Major Upton’s experience, in purchasing -horses in Arabia for the East India service, may be cited. It is evident -the major understands his dealers and they understand him. He says: “In -the desert we never heard of Mohammed’s mares, nor was his name ever -mentioned in any way as connected with the Arabian horse.” He says there -is no restriction nor difficulty in buying as many mares as you want, in -any part of Arabia. This disposes of the tricky pretenses of the Arab -horse dealer when he is negotiating a sale to a man without Arabian -experience. - -Some modern writers make mention of a tradition that still prevails -among some tribes as to the origin of the Arabian horse, and it is to -the effect that their best horses came originally from Yemen. This -tradition is met with in Arabia Deserta, a long way from Arabia Felix, of -which Yemen is a portion. While this tradition is of no possible value -as evidence, it is suggestive of what might be unearthed in that strange -country. The people were not nomadic, but agricultural and commercial, -and the cities were rich. The people were well advanced in the arts and -comforts of civilized life, and in their cities they had many beautiful -temples and palaces. Such a people would of necessity produce learned -men who would leave records of their national history behind them, and -especially that of such an event as the conversion of the whole people -to Christianity. Possibly the researches of scholarly men may yet bring -to light more of the facts connected with the embassy from the Emperor -Constantius and the introduction of the Cappadocian horses into Yemen, as -related in the preceding chapters. - -There are many other traditions, so called, that are burnished up and -brought out whenever the crafty dealer finds he has a Richards from -America, or a Blunt from England, with his mind already made up that all -the best horses of the world have come from Arabia. To such a customer, -with his mind already at high tension in search for the longest pedigree -and the purest blood, the dealer casts his hook in something like the -form following: - -“When King Solomon had completed the temple he turned his attention to -supplying his army with horses and chariots. He searched every nation -that had horses for sale and would have none but the very best that the -world could produce. He spent much of his time in admiring his beautiful -horses, and one day he was so thoroughly absorbed that the hour of prayer -passed without his observing it. He felt that this neglect to pray at the -proper time was a great sin, and that his horses had led him into it. -He did not hesitate longer, but he at once ordered all his horses to be -turned loose to the public. Some of my ancestors succeeded in securing -six of these mares, and from these six mares all the good horses of -Arabia are descended.” - -Other dealers are a little more modest in their claims for the antiquity -of the pedigrees of their horses, and generously knock off about sixteen -hundred years, being content to trace to the mares of the Prophet -instead of the mares of Solomon. This still leaves them with a pedigree -only about twelve hundred years long, which beats our modern romancers -in making stud books. In order to test and select the mares that were -worthy of becoming the dams of the best horses, as the story goes, the -Prophet shut up a herd of mares, in plain sight of water, and kept them -there till they were almost famished with thirst; and then at a signal -they were all released at once, and when rushing headlong to the water -the trumpet sounds, and notwithstanding their sufferings they turn and -align themselves up in military order. In this test of obedience and -discipline, it is said, only five of the mares obeyed the signal (some -say only three) and thus the mares that obeyed, notwithstanding their -sufferings, became justly entitled to the distinctive and honored name of -“The Prophet’s Mares.” Another story is told of the particular markings -which, in the Prophet’s estimation, indicated the best horses. By one -authority he always selected a black horse with a white “forehead,” and -some white mark or marks on his upper lip. Another authority says he -always chose a bay horse with a bald face and four white legs, and so -we might go on till we had embraced every color and every combination -of marks, and we would then find that each “authority” had a horse to -sell corresponding with the Prophet’s preferences. Now the fact is that -Mohammed was neither a horseman nor a horse breeder, and the whole tenor -of history goes to show that he neither knew nor cared very much about -horses. In his first pilgrimage to Mecca, after the battles referred to -above, the privilege for which was secured by negotiation, a hundred -horsemen, it is said, were started and kept one day’s journey in advance -of the main body of pilgrims. The great numbers following Mohammed on -this pilgrimage admonished his old enemies of Mecca of the futility of -attempting to resist his power longer, and they fled from the city during -the continuance of the ceremonies. A year or two later he summoned all -the tribes of Northern and Eastern Arabia to follow him again to Mecca, -and they had too lively a sense of their own safety to disobey. Due time -was given for preparation, the rendezvous was at Medina, and a vast host -from all Northern and Western Arabia congregated there for a purpose that -might be to fight, or it might be to pray. Mohammed mounted his camel -and the word was passed, “On to Mecca.” As against such a multitude the -Meccans saw that resistance was hopeless, and the city was surrendered -without either side striking a blow. Arrayed in great splendor and -mounted on his camel, the Prophet made the requisite number of circuits -round the holy place and then entered and ordered all the idols that -had been set up there to be destroyed, and his followers then shouted, -“Allah is Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet!” Thus he became master of -all Arabia—and woe to the Christian or the Jew who stood in his way. Two -years afterward he died, and there is nothing in his life or history to -indicate that he ever owned a horse or that he ever mounted one, except -on a single occasion. In the ten short years of his public life he had -something more important on hand than to determine how to breed horses. - -In studying the Arabian horse in the light of what he has done and what -he has failed to do, we are indebted to English writers for little -snatches of experiences extending back for a period of about two hundred -and fifty years. The earliest English writer who has had anything to say -about the Arabian horse was the Duke of Newcastle, who seems to have -known a great deal about the various types and breeds of horses of his -day. During the period of the Commonwealth it appears he devoted his -time, in the Netherlands, to training horses in the _manege_ of that day. -From his experience in this employment he became an expert in the form, -structure, and docility of the different kinds of horses that he handled. -When Charles II. was brought back and placed upon the throne, the duke -also came to his own, and being a personal friend of the king he became -his counselor and adviser in all matters relating to the improvement of -the horses of the realm. In 1667 the duke published his famous book upon -the horse, in which he speaks right out on any and every question that -he touches. There can be no doubt that he knew more about horses and -horse history than any man of his day. In speaking of the Arabian horse -he says: “I never saw but one of these horses, which Mr. John Markham, a -merchant, brought over, and said he was a right Arabian. He was a bay, -but a little horse, and no rarity for shape, for I have seen many English -horses far finer. Mr. Markham sold him to King James for five hundred -pounds, and being trained up for a course (race), when he came to run -every horse beat him.” - -It is generally held that this Markham Arabian was the first of that -breed ever brought to England, and this seems to be established by the -fact that historians antedating his arrival make no mention of any -Arabian horse before this one, and those following always speak of this -horse as the first. In speaking of the powers of endurance of the Arabian -horse, the duke says: “They talk they will ride fourscore miles in a day -and never draw the bridle. When I was young I could have bought a nag -for ten pounds that would have done as much very easily.” The duke’s -masterful knowledge of the subject, as well as his special official -relations to the king, gave him control of whatever was done or attempted -in the direction of improving the racing stock of England. Tradition -informs us that “King Charles II. sent abroad the master of the horse -to procure a number of foreign horses and mares for breeding, and the -mares brought over by him (as also many of their produce) have since been -called Royal Mares.” It is very doubtful whether any such importation -was ever made. The question has been discussed, from time to time and -even recently, but nobody has ever yet discovered who was “Master of the -Horse,” to what country he was sent or what the character of the mares -he brought home, or where he got them. The fair presumption is that -these “Royal Mares” were myths and that they were created merely for the -purpose of putting a finish on certain very uncertain pedigrees, just as -a trotting-horse man would finish a pedigree that he knew nothing about -by saying, “out of a thoroughbred mare.” As a matter of course it has -always been assumed that these “Royal Mares” were of distinctively pure -Arabian blood. But, if we admit that such an importation was really made, -we must consider that it was made under the direction and control of the -Duke of Newcastle, the king’s mentor in all horse affairs, and this is -sufficient proof that there was no Arabian blood about the “Royal Mares.” -As the size of the English race horse and especially his weight of bone -commenced to increase soon after this time, it strikes me as probable -that this was the wise and guiding motive of the duke in making his -selections of the “Royal Mares.” - -When we come down a little nearer to our own times and step across the -border from the seventeenth to the eighteenth century, we are still -in the realm of traditions, and many of them very preposterous. The -deceptions practiced in nomenclature were so common as to be well-nigh -universal. Everybody who owned a foreign horse must have “Arabian” -attached to his name. To illustrate this evil and the misleading effects -flowing from it, I will give two instances of the most famous horses -in all English history. The Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian -stand pre-eminent and before all others as progenitors of the English -race horse. The former of these two was purchased at Aleppo, in Asia -Minor, and brought to England in 1711, by Mr. Darley of Yorkshire who -secured him through a brother in trade in that region. He was the sire of -Flying Childers and many others, and his blood carried from generation -to generation. Aleppo is in Northern Syria and far distant from Arabia. -At one time it was embraced in Armenia Minor, the original home of the -horse, and adjoined Cappadocia and Cilicia, all famous for the excellence -of their horse stock more than two thousand years before there was a -single horse in Arabia. Upon the restoration of the ancient Theban line -of Pharaohs in Egypt, at the beginning of the eighteenth dynasty, no time -was lost by Thutmosis I. in leading a great army into Northern Syria for -no other purpose that is apparent except to replenish and reinvigorate -the horse stock of Egypt, from the region of Aleppo and further east, for -this is the region from which they had secured their original stock. His -successors pursued the same course, year after year, and the number of -horses and chariots captured in battle, as well as the number of mares -sent as tribute by the frightened people, were duly recorded in the -annals of their achievements. If the Darley Arabian, so called, bore any -relationship whatever to the Arabian horse, it can only be established -by tracing him back to some one of the animals in Cappadocia that the -Emperor Constantius sent to Arabia in the year A.D. 356. A writer of -the seventeenth century, Dr. Alexander Bursell, in speaking of Aleppo, -says: “Formerly this part of the country was famous for fine horses; and -though many good ones are still bred here, it may be said they are much -degenerated.” This is the observation of an intelligent man, written and -published in 1756, about forty years after Mr. Darley’s horse was brought -from there. - -The other illustration is that of Godolphin Arabian. As a progenitor of -race horses this was the greatest horse of his century, or indeed of any -other century in the history of the English race horse. He died in 1753, -and absolutely nothing is known of his origin or his early history. The -story is generally accepted, and I suppose is true, that he was bought -out of a cart in Paris, as an act of humanity, by a Mr. Coke, taken to -London, presented to Mr. Williams, the keeper of a coffee-house, and -passed from him to Lord Godolphin, who kept him till he died. The story -that he was presented to Louis XV. by the Bey of Tunis in 1731 has never -been verified in any manner, and breaks down on the vital point of date. -Some intelligent Englishmen insist that he _must have been_ an Arabian, -while others insist that he _must have been_ a Barb, while no man -_knows_ whether he was either one or the other. With the most prominent -horses of the nation and of their century thus used to mislead the public -mind as to their lineage, what are we to expect from the great ruck of -the obscure and less prominent? But, as a more elaborate and methodical -discussion of this topic will be found in the chapter on the English -and American Race Horse, we will now turn our attention to the actual -experiences with the Arabians in recent times. - -When we come down to the present century we get into the era of -newspapers that really begun to give the news, and thus educate their -readers, not very authentically, but circumstantially, in what was -passing in the world in every department of knowledge and enterprise. -Under these wide sources of information, a few authentic experiences -will serve to illustrate the true status of the Arabian horse and his -influence, or lack of influence, on English and American horses. More -than twenty years ago the Prince of Wales made a royal progress through -Her Majesty’s dominions in the East. The enthusiasm was unbounded and he -was loaded down with many valuable presents, among them several elegant, -high-caste Arabian horses. It appears that some of these horses had -already won reputation and money on the turf, and were considered the -very best that could be found in the East. On their arrival they were -greatly admired and praised, especially by the sporting friends of the -prince, who seemed to have no doubt, nor did they conceal their opinions, -that they could beat any horses in all England. This was a conclusion -that a great many racing men, with longer memories, could not accept, -and after a good deal of diplomacy a match was finally concluded between -the prince’s best horse and an old horse that was third or fourth-class, -in his prime, but was unsound and liable to break down any time he was -extended. The prince was popular, had many supporters, and much money -was pending. The old horse was patched up as well as possible, the day -came, the race was started, and the old cripple was so much faster than -the Arab that his managers had the hardest work in the world to prevent -him from running clear away and disgracing the prince. This account of -the race I had from one of the most eminent and successful trainers -that England has produced. He witnessed the race and knew all the facts -concerning it. Notwithstanding the popularity of the prince and the -universal feeling of loyalty toward him, it was a long time before his -Arabs ceased to be a laughing-stock among horsemen. - -Some sixteen or eighteen years ago, an English gentleman of wealth and -intelligence—Mr. Wilfrid S. Blunt—got it into his head that the way -to improve the English race horse was to secure fresh infusions of -pure Arabian blood. He was industrious in propagating his fad, in an -amateurish way, through the columns of the English newspapers, evincing -great zeal and a great lack of knowledge of the hundreds of experiments -in the same direction and in the history of his own country that had -proved disastrous. But he had a will of his own and a bank account that -enabled him to carry out his views to their own realization. In the -autumn of 1877 he made up a pleasant family party, consisting of his -wife, Lady Anne, and two of her lady friends and started for Arabia, with -the full determination to find the best and to buy nothing that was not -of the purest and best lineage that could be found in all that country. -Fortunately, Lady Anne carefully noted down everything that transpired in -their journeyings and after the return wrote a very pleasant and readable -book, understood to have been edited by her husband in some of its -features. The title of the book—“The Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates”—did -not strike me pleasantly, for I never knew that any of the numerous -Bedouin tribes were to be found on the Euphrates. But my purpose is not -to criticise either the book or its title, but to follow the party over -its itinerary and discover just where Mr. Blunt found the blood he was -looking for, and upon what evidence he accepted it as “the best blood.” -With this view I will carefully give his own language, so far as it -applies to the point in view. - -His first purchase was at Aleppo, where he got a mare he named Hagar, as -he says, “for a very moderate sum.” “She was of the Kehilan-Ajuz breed.” -“When purchased she was in very poor condition, having just gone through -the severe training of a campaign.” “She was bred by the Gommussa, the -most able of the horse-breeding tribes, had passed from them to the -Roala, and had now been captured and ridden some two hundred miles, in -hot haste, for sale to Aleppo.” “We never met anything in our travels -that could compete with her over a distance, and she has often run down -foxes and even hares, without assistance, carrying thirteen stone on her -back.” This was the first experience of the English “tenderfoot” among -Syrian horsethieves. According to his own showing, he bought her from -the fellow who had stolen her and had ridden her two hundred miles to -escape, and he accepted what the thief told about the breeding of the -mare as true. The thief knew just what Mr. Blunt wanted and he shaped the -pedigree and tracing to suit the purchaser. Mr. Blunt had no knowledge of -this mare’s breeding, nor where she came from; still, her blood was to -become one of the great influences in renovating the English race horse. -This incident is of no importance, in itself, except as it illustrates -the universal conditions under which amateurs buy horses in the Orient. - -Upon leaving Aleppo, the party traveled eastward till they struck the -Euphrates and then down the right bank of that river. The first town -of any importance was Deyr, on the river, and just across was ancient -Mesopotamia. They were still in the border land between the productive -north and the desert south, with the Syrian desert between them and the -Arabian desert. All this region is occupied with a mixture of races, -employed in varied pursuits, with but a feeble trace of tribal authority, -as all are under the direct government of the Sultan of Turkey. - - “Deyr is well-known,” Mr. Blunt says, “as a horse market, and - is, perhaps, the only town north of the Jebel Shammar where - the inhabitants have any general knowledge of the blood and - breeding of the beasts they possess. The townsmen, indeed, are - but a single step removed from the Bedouins, their undoubted - ancestors. They usually purchase their colts as yearlings - either from the Gomussa, or some of the Sabaa tribes, and - having broken them thoroughly, sell them at three years old - to the Aleppo merchants. They occasionally, too, have mares - left with them, in partnership, by the Anazah, and from - these they breed according to the strictest desert rules. It - is, therefore, for a stranger, by far the best market for - thoroughbreds in Asia, and you may get some of the best blood - at Deyr that can be found anywhere, besides having a guarantee - of its authenticity, impossible, under ordinary circumstances, - to get at Damascus or Aleppo. There are, I may say, no horses - at Deyr but thoroughbreds.” - -He made some purchases at Deyr and then they pursued their journey down -the river, and at the most convenient point he crossed over to Bagdad, -on the Tigris. Here he inspected the stud of the Turkish pasha, but the -prices were high and he seemed to lack confidence in the purity of their -breeding. Whatever the cause, he made no purchases, and soon started -on his journey up the Tigris. Upon reaching Sherghat on the Tigris, -he turned westward, and crossing ancient Mesopotamia, he was again at -Deyr, where he seems to have made more purchases, and then started, in -a southwesterly direction, with eighteen mares and two stallions for -Damascus and the coast. This closed the search of Arabia for Arabian -horses of the highest caste and purest blood, without really being in -Arabia, and this is all that can be said of “The Bedouin Tribes of the -Euphrates”—without having seen a real Bedouin. - -No doubt Mr. Blunt thinks he is right in his high appreciation of -the town of Deyr as a horse market; that it is “the best market for -thoroughbreds in Asia;” and that “there are no horses in Deyr but -thoroughbreds,” or he would not have bought his horses there. Dealing -in horses seems to be the principal business of the people, they are -all well informed on the best and purest strains of blood, according to -Mr. Blunt, and all their own horses are thoroughbred. Truly an ideal -market, an ideal people, and ideal horses, just suited to the needs -of enthusiastic amateurs like Mr. Blunt. This remarkable horse town -is located on the border between the rich grain fields and luxuriant -meadows on the north, and the comparatively barren deserts of the south. -On the north the country has been famous for thousands of years for the -great numbers and excellence of the horses produced, and they are still -produced of excellent form and quality, and are sold at very low prices. -On the south is the land of the camel, and but few horses and those few -held at high prices, and the simple term “Arabian horse” always brings -them purchasers. Here, then, we find that Deyr is the very paradise of -horse traders—a tribe, wherever we find them on the face of the earth, -distinguished for elasticity of conscience. The north furnishes the -horses and the south furnishes the pedigrees, and no wonder the Deyrites -had nothing but “thoroughbreds” when Mr. Blunt came along. In the line -of their business and from their southern neighbors, they had picked up -enough “Arabian horse talk” to satisfy all inexperienced buyers that -they knew all about the value of the different strains of Arabian blood, -and could supply them from their own studs, at very reasonable prices. -And thus Mr. Blunt brought home to England eighteen “Arabian” mares and -two stallions, without any satisfactory evidence that they ever had seen -Arabia. In this enthusiastic venture, resulting in utter failure, there -is one alleviating fact that Mr. Blunt can call to mind, and that is that -his horses were just as good for the purpose of improving the English -race horse as any others that have been brought from the Orient in the -past hundred years. Whatever their blood, whether genuine or counterfeit -Arabians, they have all alike been failures, and all alike good for -nothing. - -Early in the history of our own government it became not an unusual -thing for the Sultan of Turkey, the Emperor of Morocco, or some other -potentate of the Saracenic races, to present to the President two horses, -and as they were presents from royalty to what they esteemed royalty, -they were necessarily of the highest caste and of the greatest value of -any horses in all their dominions. It is probable that Mr. Jefferson -was the first president to receive these royal gifts, and under the -requirements of the constitution and without any disrespect to the donor, -he ordered them to be sold to the highest bidder, and turned the money -into the treasury. Several of the presidents received these presents of -horses, and without knowing the fact, I will presume disposed of them -the same way. In the case of President Lincoln, Mr. Seward seemed to -be more highly favored and the sultan sent the horses to him. Through -the State Agricultural Society, Mr. Seward presented his royal presents -to the State of New York. My recollection is not very distinct, but -my impression is that Mr. Van Buren had disposed of his in the same -way. When General Grant received his, he was not in public office and -hence they became his personal property. A number of the first of these -importations, together with some others that were brought from Arabia, -individually and by private persons, were, in the early part of the -century, carried into the South, which was then the “race-horse region,” -but the breeders there very soon discovered that in breeding from them -they were taking a backward instead of a forward step. Their progeny -could neither run nor trot, and as they were too small for the ordinary -uses of the farmer and planter, they were almost unanimously rejected, -with nothing left but the ignorant “fad” that was embodied in the name -“Arabian.” - -The most notable example of the folly of attempting to regenerate the -American race horse by the introduction of the “blood of the desert” -is furnished in the sad experience of the late A. Keene Richards, of -Kentucky. He inherited a large estate, and when he came into possession -he proved himself an intelligent and successful breeder, and ran the -colts of his own breeding, with a full share of winnings. He was not a -spendthrift nor a gambler, but he was not content with mediocrity in -sharing triumphs with his neighbors, for he was ambitious to beat, them -all. He soon had his head full of such horses as the Darley Arabian and -the Godolphin Arabian, and he argued if that blood founded the English -race horse, he would go to Arabia and get it, and it could not fail to -regenerate the American race horse. He did not stop to inquire whether -either of his great ideals might have had a drop of Arabian blood in his -veins, but he started for Arabia at once. He brought home a few stallions -and felt sure he was on the eve of the greatest triumph of his life. When -the half-Arab produce of his strong and elegantly bred race mares were -old enough to run the jockey club allowed the half-breeds seven pounds -the advantage in weight and they were beaten. The club then allowed them -fourteen pounds and they were again beaten; and finally the allowance was -raised to twenty-one pounds, and they were still in the rear rank. Under -these humiliating defeats a careful man would have hesitated before he -went further, but he at once jumped to the conclusion that his defeat -was not in the fact that Arab blood could not run fast enough to win, -but in the fact, as he supposed, that the rascally Arabs had sold him -blood that was not Arab blood. In a short time he was off for Arabia -again, taking with him as companion and adviser the distinguished animal -painter, Troye, who had a long and successful experience as a delineator -of race horses and knew all about the anatomy of the horse. They spent -several months among the different tribes, and in order to get “inside -of the ring,” as it were, they ate with the Arabs, slept with the Arabs, -and worshiped with the Arabs, as Mr. Richards told me himself. They came -home full of the highest expectations, bringing several mares as well as -stallions with them, and fully assured that every one was of the highest -caste and the best form for racing that could be found on all the plains -of the desert. After the foals of this importation were old enough to -start in the stakes, they were given the same advantages in weight as -before, and they proved no better than the first lot. Poor Mr. Richards -was crushed in spirits, not only by the vanishing of his air castles, -but by the importunacy of his creditors. In his heroic, but misguided, -efforts to improve the American race horse by infusions of pure Arabian -blood, he involved his once handsome estate, and he died hopelessly -insolvent. He had bred a number of pure Arabs of several generations, but -the abundant feed and luxuriant blue grass of Kentucky did not increase -their size, for when they came under the auctioneer’s hammer they were -but little “tackeys,” and they brought only the price of little “tackeys.” - -The number of horses brought to this country, whether as gifts to -statesmen or as private ventures, and called “Arabians,” is not very -large, and it is safe to say that not one in ten of them ever saw Arabia. -They came from Turkey or some of the Barbary States. But in the case -of Mr. Richards there can be no doubt that he made his selections in -Arabia itself. Those selections having been made personally and with -care and skill, we are bound to accept them as genuine Arabians. When -we find, therefore, that having been tested they are no better than the -horses brought from Turkey or from Africa, we must conclude that the -whole scheme is mere moonshine, and that Arabian blood as a means of -improvement has failed to develop the value that enthusiasts and dreamers -have claimed for it since “time whereof the memory of man runneth not to -the contrary.” Practical and thinking men always judge of the value of -a breed of horses from what the representatives of that breed can do or -what they fail to do. The emotional and unpractical are always looking -for an ideal horse, and the poets and story writers are always furnishing -them one. Where a horse figures in a story he is uniformly endowed with -an almost supernatural intelligence and sense. To finish up the ideal -horse, he always traces back to the “Courser of the Desert.” If his -triumph is in a flight of speed, he distances all competitors because -he is a pure Arabian. The story of “Ben Hur,” written by General Lew -Wallace, furnishes a fitting illustration of this tendency of the public -mind. The story of the chariot race at Antioch is a masterpiece of most -exciting ingenuity, and one of the finest specimens of word painting in -the English language. The irascible old sheik is quite overdrawn, but the -judgment and skill of Ben Hur cannot be surpassed. As a matter of course, -the team of black Arabians was bound to win. Every bright schoolboy in -the country has read the story, and he has joined in the triumph of the -black Arabians. The wide interest in the chariot race seemed to demand -its pictorial delineation, and soon the public was gratified with a large -and elegant etching, which hangs before me as I write. The only trouble -about this excellent work of the imagination and the team of black -Arabians is that there were no horses in Arabia till about three hundred -and fifty years after the date of this supposed scene. We must let the -poets sing and the novelists work out their plots, but it is well to pay -some attention to the facts and experiences of history. - -[Illustration: GODOLPHIN ARABIAN. - -A true portrait taken from life by D. Murrier, painter to H. R. H. the -Duke of Cumberland.] - -[Illustration: GODOLPHIN ARABIAN. - -A distorted copy by Mr. Stubbs who never saw the horse, and changed to -express the idea of fleetness.] - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE ENGLISH RACE HORSE. - - The real origin of the English race horse in confusion—Full - list of the “foundation stock” as given by Mr. Weatherby one - hundred years ago—The list complete and embraces all of any - note—Admiral Rous’ extravaganza—Godolphin Arabian’s origin - wholly unknown—His history—Successful search for his true - portrait—Stubbs’ picture a caricature—The true portrait alone - supplies all that is known of his origin and blood. - - -The English Race Horse is the great central figure of all the horse -literature of the past two hundred years. Much has been claimed for him -and much has been written about him, in a haphazard way, by people who -know but little of the subject. A few men of independent and real thought -have written on this subject, but they have devoted their attention to -the comparing of family with family or individual with individual. Of -the books that have been written by brainless people on the English -horse there is no end, and they are generally mere repetitions, without -giving credit, of what somebody has said before. Among all the books -that have been written on this subject I have never yet found one that -even pretended to make a serious attempt at discovering the real origin -of the English Race Horse. They all seem to agree with Admiral Rous that -he is purely descended from the Arabian horse, and without one drop of -the blood of the indigenous English horse. The average writer for the -two past centuries has been content with just this much knowledge, and -he wants nothing more. Occasionally it is modestly suggested in some -magazine article that this exclusively Arabian origin may not be true, -and I am glad to note that these suggestions are becoming more frequent -of late years. It has been claimed that the pure Arabian origin of the -race horse “is as solid as a pyramid,” all of which may be accepted—but, -unfortunately for the claimant, the “pyramid” is standing on its apex, -and when the facts breathe upon it, as gently as a zephyr, it will topple -over. The most convenient and the most authoritative collection of facts -relating to the earliest exotic horses that were brought in is to be -found in the English Stud Book itself, and as but few of my readers have -access to this work, I will copy that portion of it entire, as it appears -in the first volume, and the edition of 1803. In the edition of 1808 the -list was reprinted with four additional animals and some verbal changes, -which, when important, will be noted. - - “ARABIANS, BARBS AND TURKS.” - - 1. The Helmsley Turk was an old Duke of Buckingham’s and got - Bustler, etc. - - 2. Place’s White Turk was the property of Mr. Place, studmaster - to Oliver Cromwell, when Protector, and was the sire of - Wormwood Commoner, and the great grandams of Windham, Grey - Ramsden and Cartouch. - - 3. Royal Mares: King Charles the Second sent abroad the master - of the horse, to procure a number of foreign horses and mares - for breeding, and the mares brought over by him (as also many - of their produce) have since been called Royal Mares. - - 4. Dodsworth, though foaled in England, was a natural Barb. - His dam, a Barb mare, was imported in the time of Charles - the Second, and was called a Royal Mare. She was sold by the - studmaster, after the king’s death, for forty guineas, at - twenty years old, when in foal (by the Helmsley Turk) with - Vixen, dam of the Old Child Mare. - - 5. The Stradling or Lister Turk was brought into England by the - Duke of Berwick, from the siege of Buda, in the reign of James - the Second. He got Snake, the D. of Kingston’s Brisk and Piping - Peg, Coneyskins, the dam of Hip, and the grandam of Bolton - Sweepstakes. - - 6. The Byerly Turk was Captain Byerly’s charger in Ireland, - in King William’s wars (1869, etc.). He did not cover many - bred mares, but was the sire of D. of Kingston’s Sprite, who - was thought nearly as good as Leedes; the D. of Rutland’s - Black Hearty and Archer, and the D. of Devonshire’s Basto, Ld. - Bristol’s Grasshopper, and Ld. Godolphin’s Byerly Gelding, - all in good forms: Halloway’s Jigg, a middling horse; and - Knightley’s Mare, in a very good form. - - 7. Greyhound. The cover of this foal was in Barbary, after - which both his sire and dam were purchased, and brought into - England by Mr. Marshall. He was got by King William’s White - Barb Chillaby, out of Slugey, a natural Barb Mare. Greyhound - got the D. of Wharton’s Othello, said to have beat Chanter - easily in a trial, giving him a stone, but who, falling lame, - ran only one match in public, against a bad horse; he also got - Panton’s Whitefoot, a very good horse; Osmyn, a very fleet - horse and in good form for his size; the D. of Wharton’s Rake, - a middling horse; Ld. Halifax’s Sampson, Goliah and Favorite, - pretty good 12-stone Plate horses; Desdemona, and other good - mares, and several ordinary Plate horses, who ran in the North - where he was a common stallion and covered many of the best - mares. - - 8. The D’Arcy White Turk was the sire of Old Hautboy, Grey - Royal, Cannon, etc. - - 9. The D’Arcy Yellow Turk was the sire of Spanker, Brimmer, and - the great-great-grandam of Cartouch. - - 10. The Marshall or Selaby Turk was the property of Mr. - Marshall’s brother, studmaster to King William, Queen Anne, and - King George the first. He got the Curwen Old Spot, the dam of - Windham, the dam of Derby Ticklepitcher, and great-grandam of - Bolton Sloven and Fearnought. - - 11. Curwen’s Bay Barb was a present to Louis the Fourteenth - from Muley Ishmael, King of Morocco, and was brought into - England by Mr. Curwen, who being in France when Count Byram - and Count Thoulouse (two natural sons of Louis the Fourteenth) - were, the former, master of the horse, and the latter an - admiral, he procured of them two Barb horses, both of which - proved excellent stallions, and were well known by the names - of the Curwen Bay Barb and the Thoulouse Barb. Curwen’s Bay - Barb got Mixbury and Tantivy, both very excellent formed - Galloways. The first of them was only thirteen hands two - inches high, and yet there were not more than two horses of - his time that could beat him at light weights. Brocklesby, - Little George, Yellow Jack, Bay Jack, Monkey, Dangerfield, Hip, - Peacock, and Flatface, the first two in good forms, the rest - middling; two Mixburys, full brothers to the first Mixbury, - middling Galloways; Long Meg, Brocklesby Betty, and Creeping - Molly, extraordinarily high-formed mares; Whiteneck, Mistake, - Sparkler, and Lightfoot, very good mares, and several middling - Galloways, who ran for Plates in the North. He got two full - sisters to Mixbury, one of which bred Partner, Little Scar, - Soreheels and the dam of Crab; the other was the dam of Quiet, - Silver Eye and Hazard. He did not cover many mares except Mr. - Curwen’s and Mr. Pelham’s. - - 12. The Thoulouse Barb became afterward the property of Sir J. - Parsons and was the sire of Bagpiper, Blacklegs, Mr. Panton’s - Molly, and the dam of Cinnamon. - - 13. Darley’s Arabian was brought over by a brother of Mr. - Darley, of Yorkshire, who, being an agent in merchandise - abroad, became member of a hunting club, by which means he - acquired interest to procure this horse. He was the sire - of Childers, and also got Almanzor, a very good horse; a - white-legged horse of the D. of Somerset’s, full brother to - Almanzor, and thought to be as good, but meeting with an - accident, he never ran in public; Cupid and Brisk, good horses; - Dædalus, a very swift horse; Dart, Shipjack, Maica and Aleppo, - good Plate horses, though out of bad mares; Ld. Lonsdale’s - Mare in very good form, and Ld. Tracy’s Mare in a good one for - Plates. He covered very few mares except Mr. Darley’s, who had - very few well-bred mares besides Almanzor’s Dam. - - 14. Sir J. William’s Turk (more commonly called the Honeywood - Arabian) got Mr. Honeywood’s two True Blues; the elder of them - was the best Plate horse in England, for four or five years; - the younger was in very high form and got the Rumford Gelding, - and Ld. Onslow’s Grey Horse, middling horses out of road mares. - It is not known that this Turk covered any bred mares except - the dam of the two True Blues. - - 15. The Belgrade Turk was taken at the siege of Belgrade, by - Gen. Merci, and sent by him to the Prince de Craon, from whom - he was a present to the Prince of Lorraine. He was afterward - purchased by Sir Marmaduke Wyvill, and died in his possession - about 1740. - - 16. Croft’s Bay Barb was got by Chillaby, out of the Moonah - Barb Mare. - - 17. The Godolphin Arabian was imported by Mr. Coke, at whose - death he became (together with Cade, Regulus, etc., then young) - the property of Ld. Godolphin. His first employment was that - of a teaser to Hobgoblin, who, refusing to cover Roxana, she - was put to the Arabian, and from that cover produced Lath, the - first of his get. He was also sire of Cade, Regulus, Blank, - etc., and what is considered very remarkable, as well as a - strong proof of his excellence as a stallion, there is not a - superior horse now on the turf without a cross of the Godolphin - Arabian, neither has there been for several years past. He was - a brown bay, with no white, except on the off heel behind, and - about fifteen hands high (a picture of him is in the library at - Gog Magog, Cambridgeshire). It is not known to what particular - race of the Arab breed, indeed it has been asserted that he was - a Barb. He died at Gog Magog in 1753, in or about the 29th year - of his age. The story of his playfellow, the black cat, must - not be omitted here, especially as an erroneous account has got - abroad, copied from the first introduction to the present work. - Instead of his grieving for the loss of the cat she survived - him, though but for a short time; she sat upon him after he - was dead in the building erected for him, and followed him to - the place where he was buried under a gateway near the running - stable; sat upon him there till he was buried, then went away, - and never was seen again, till found dead in the hayloft. - - 18. The Cullen Arabian was brought over by Mr. Nosco and was - sire of Mr. Warren’s Camillus, Ld. Orford’s Matron, Mr. Gorges’ - Sour Face, the dam of Regulator, etc., etc. - - 19. The Coomb Arabian (sometimes called the Pigot Arabian - and sometimes the Bolingbroke Grey Arabian) was the sire of - Methodist, the dam of Crop, etc., etc. - - 20. The Compton Barb, more commonly called the Sedley Arabian, - was sire of Coquette, Greyling, etc. - - (ADDITIONS IN 1808 EDITION.) - - 21. King James the First bought an Arabian of Mr. Markham, a - merchant, for 500gs., said (but with little probability) to - have been the first of the breed ever seen in England. The Duke - of Newcastle says, in his treatise on Horsemanship, that he had - seen the above Arabian, and describes him as a small bay horse, - and not of very excellent shape. - - 23. Bloody Buttocks; nothing further can be traced from the - papers of the late Mr. Crofts than that he was a grey Arabian, - with a red mark on his hip, from whence he derived his name. - - 23. The Vernon Arabian was a small chestnut horse. He covered - at Highflyer Hall, and was the sire of Alert, etc. Alert had - good speed for a short distance. - - 24 & 25. The Wellesley Grey, and Chestnut Arabians (so called) - were brought from the East, but evidently not Arabians. The - former was a horse of good shape, with the size and substance - of an English hunter. - -This list of twenty-seven different animals, which for the sake of -convenience I have numbered, was presented to the public more than -a hundred years ago by Mr. Weatherby, the highest of all English -authorities, as the foundation stock from which the English race horse -was propagated. The uniform omission of dates of importations, etc., -discloses the fact that the compiler had no accurate knowledge of the -animals or their history, and that he was dependent largely upon very -uncertain traditions for his information. It must not be understood that -the animals in this list were contemporaneous, or that the list embraces -all the foreign animals that were brought in, but only those that were -recognized as of value in founding the breed. - -To understand just what we have to consider, I will place here, in -juxtaposition to the above list, the remark of Admiral Rous, at one -time the great race-horse authority of England, which expresses the -popular opinion as to the origin of the race horse, that is practically -universally held in all lands. The admiral says: “The British race horse -is a pure Eastern exotic whose pedigree may be traced two thousand years, -the true son of Arabia Deserta, without a drop of English blood.” To -reach the approximate truth on the issue here made, and to puncture this -extravaganza is the work now before us. - -Numbers 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, were Turks, and to these we may -add Mr. Darley’s horse, known as the Darley Arabian, number 13, for he -was brought from Aleppo in Turkey, far removed from Arabia, and famous -for the great numbers and excellence of its horses many centuries before -Arabia had any horses. To carry horses, for sale, from the deserts of -Arabia, where they are scarce, to the region of Aleppo, where they are -very plenty, and of the highest quality, would be simply “carrying coals -to Newcastle.” We may therefore safely conclude that the ten horses here -enumerated were Turks. - -Numbers 4, 7, 11, 12, 16, 20 were Barbs, as they are named in the list. -It is a surprise to me that these six horses should be designated as -“Barbs,” for it has been the usage of many generations to call these -horses “Arabians.” As late as 1819 the Dey of Algiers sent several -Algerine horses as a present to the Prince Regent of England, and they -were always spoken of as “Arabians.” - -Numbers 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 are all unsatisfactory as to their -origin. Number 17—Lord Godolphin’s horse—is wholly unknown as to his -blood elements, and further on his history will be considered. Number 18 -“was brought over,” but from whence nobody knows. Number 19 is in the -same condition, and not one of his different owners has been able to -tell us anything about his origin. Number 21 was, possibly, an Arabian, -but the Duke of Newcastle, who knew the horse well, seems to have doubted -his genuineness on account of his inferiority. However this may have -been, he preceded other importations so many years that it is not known -that he ever sired a colt, and as a progenitor we may as well strike -him out. Number 22 seems to be in darkness, and all efforts to find his -origin having failed he may as well be classed as unknown. Number 23 -is furnished with no evidence that he was entitled to be classed as an -Arabian. Numbers 24 and 25 were confessedly not genuine. - -This reduces the analysis to its lowest form and shows that in the -original foundation stock, including Mr. Darley’s horse (13), there were -ten Turks and six Barbs that can be accepted with reasonable certainty. -This leaves eight so-called “Arabians,” from which we must eliminate -numbers 17, 21, 24, 25, leaving numbers 18, 19, 22, 23, without any -evidence whatever that they were Arabians except in name. From these four -rather obscure animals, therefore, according to the Rous dictum, the -English race horse must have derived every drop of his blood; and yet -there is not a scintilla of evidence either direct or inferential that -any one of them, or the ancestors of any one of them, ever saw Arabia. -From the custom of calling every horse from abroad an “Arabian,” that -has prevailed in England for more than two hundred years, it is fair to -conclude that there was no Arabian blood in the foundation stock. It -was the blood of the Turks and the Barbs, commingled with that of the -native blood that had been bred to race for centuries, that furnished the -foundation of the modern English and American race horse. - -Blood in the race horse is an imperative necessity, but it must be blood -that has been carefully selected from winners, and raced for generations, -or it is of no value as an element of speed. If the English race horse -had been a strictly pure exotic from Arabia Deserta, as Admiral Rous -maintained, he would have been of no value either as a race horse or the -progenitor of race horses, without many generations of careful selection -and development of speed. - -The Godolphin Arabian was altogether the greatest horse of his century. -He flourished during most of the reign of King George II., but the -horsemen of the world, even Englishmen themselves, know far more about -him than they do about the reign of that monarch. Still, nobody knows -anything of his birthplace, his origin or his blood. He was to the -English race horse what Rysdyk’s Hambletonian has been to the American -trotter. Neither of them was ever in a race, but each of them stood -immeasurably superior to all others of his day as a progenitor of speed, -at his own gait. From the latter we had reason to expect speed because we -knew he inherited speed, but from the former we had no reason to expect -anything, for we knew nothing of what he inherited until he proved his -inheritance by what he transmitted to his progeny. Some of the principal -semi-tragic incidents, so far as known in the early life of Godolphin -Arabian, were seized upon by the great novelist Eugene Sue, and out of -them grew a “horse novel” from his gifted pen. The horse was foaled -about 1724, was brought to England from France about 1730, and died -at Magog Hills, 1753. There seems to be a substantial agreement among -those who had the best opportunities to know that the horse was employed -on the streets of Paris as a common drudge in a cart and driven by a -brutal master. A Mr. Coke, who is represented to have been a Quaker, was -in Paris on business and he happened to witness the brutality of the -ruffian who was this horse’s master in trying to make him draw a load -of wood up a steep acclivity on to a new bridge, which the horse after -repeated trials and clubbings was unable to accomplish. To relieve the -poor brute from his sufferings, Mr. Coke’s feelings of humanity asserted -themselves, and he stepped forward and bought the horse on the spot and -had him released from the cart. Mr. Coke, it is said, brought the horse -to London and presented him to Mr. Williams, the proprietor of a famous -coffee-house, and Mr. Williams presented him to Earl Godolphin. - -In September, 1829, Mr. John S. Skinner commenced the publication of the -first horse magazine that ever appeared in this country, and in the first -number there appeared a steel engraving purporting to be executed by the -famous Stubbs and to represent the great horse, Godolphin Arabian. Not -many years afterward I came into possession of a copy of this publication -from the beginning, and the sight of this picture always impressed me -as the most ludicrous abortion of the likeness of a horse that could be -conceived of. The neck was absolutely longer than the body, the legs -were about strong enough for a sheep, and all over it lacked strength of -both muscle and bone to a most absurd extent. When this picture appeared -in London, some years before, it was laughed at by all artists as -well as by all men who knew anything about the shape of a horse, as a -monstrosity, and it was received in the same spirit on this side of the -water; but it bore the name of a great artist and that was sufficient to -secure the approbation of the unthinking and the unknowing. The only key -to the origin of the horse, the only pedigree that can be given, must be -found written in his own structure of bone and muscle and brain. A true -delineation, therefore, of his form and shape became a matter of the -highest moment, not merely to satisfy the curiosity of the curious, but -as a study of the true sources of his wonderful prepotency. - -Sixty-five years ago a correspondent of Mr. Skinner’s magazine, referred -to above, and a descendant of Mr. Samuel Galloway of Maryland, spoke of -an oil painting of Godolphin Arabian that had hung in the hall at Tulip -Hill from the days of his childhood as still hanging there, and said -that it was wholly unlike the Stubbs engraving. Mr. Galloway was one of -Maryland’s land barons, an enthusiastic horse breeder, and a successful -horse racer. He was educated at Cambridge, I think; and if so, no doubt -he saw Godolphin Arabian many times before he died, for he was within -four or five miles of him, and his sporting instincts could not fail to -take him to see so great a horse when so near at hand. As he was a young -man of great wealth and great ambitions, it is quite probable he was on -terms of friendly acquaintance, if not intimacy, with Lord Godolphin, and -thus secured the oil painting from that distinguished friend himself. -This theory is strengthened by the fact that the picture still bears the -coat of arms of Lord Godolphin. - -To reach and secure this picture, or at least a faithful copy of it, -became an object of continuous effort that was never intermitted for -more than twenty years. At last, in the spring of 1877, one of the -correspondents of _Wallace’s Monthly_, Prof. M. C. Ellzey, of Blacksburg, -Virginia, wrote me that the picture was then the property of Dr. J. H. -Murray (whose wife was a lineal descendant of Mr. Galloway) of Cedar -Park, adjoining Tulip Hill, West River, Maryland, and that he would have -the picture sent to me. In a few days it arrived, and when my eyes rested -upon it, it was like the feast of a lifetime; for there was all that -could ever be known of the greatest horse of his century. The painting -was in a state of excellent preservation and the coat of arms of Lord -Godolphin was plainly traceable. The horse is shown from his right -side, in his rough, paddock condition, with his right hind foot a little -advanced, and his head low and without any animation or excitement. The -standpoint of the artist is a little forward of the shoulders, and he -must have been a tall man or the horse must have been a low horse, or -perhaps both, for he sees over the horse and portrays the fine spring -of muscle over the loin, on the opposite side of the vertebra. From the -position of the artist the drawing is slightly foreshortened, and this, -together with the advance of his right hind foot, intensifies the droop -of the rump, to some degree, in the outline. From the proportions, as -shown in the painting, I would conclude he was below fourteen and a half -hands high rather than above it. His head is striking and unusually -large for an animal of his size, with remarkable width between the -eyes, and without a star to lighten it up. His ear is not fine, and it -droops backward as he stands, as if half-asleep. His mane is sparse and -in disorder. His throat-latch is very good, and the windpipe large and -well developed. The neck is of a fair length for a horse of his blocky -formation, and there is nothing unusual about it except its great depth -at the collar place. The slope of the shoulder is very marked and shows -his ability to carry his head in the air when he wished to do so, but the -shoulder itself is coarse and angular to an unusual degree. His withers -rise very abruptly and there is great perpendicular depth through the -carcass at this point. His back is remarkably short and the spread and -arch of his loins is simply magnificent. But the point of superlative -excellence is in the remarkable development of power in his quarters. -His limbs, instead of being “spider legs,” are unusually strong for an -animal of his size; indeed, they might be considered coarse for any horse -that was pretended to be a race horse. His tail is of the usual weight -and somewhat wavy. With the addition that there is a little white at -the coronet of the right hind foot, and not forgetting his friend and -companion the cat, I have made a somewhat detailed description of what is -represented in the painting. Several artists examined the picture, and -they pronounced it the work of an artist of ability and experience. The -signature “D. M. pinxt” was carefully examined, but no one was able to -throw any light upon the name represented by the initial letters “D. M.” - -While this painting contained within itself evidence of its great value -as a likeness of its subject, it lacked confirmation as “true to the -life;” and nothing could supply this lack but to find a portrait of the -same horse, painted by another artist, and then if the two agreed, the -proof would be fully satisfying to the understanding. A little over a -hundred years ago Lord Francis Godolphin Osborne, Duke of Leeds, and heir -to Lord Godolphin, wrote Sir Charles Bunbury, a great race-horse man, -that he had a painting of Godolphin Arabian, by Wootton, at Gog Magog -Hills. Over sixty years ago an American gentleman wrote to Mr. Skinner’s -magazine that he had seen a painting of Godolphin Arabian hanging in -Houghton Hall, Norfolk. In 1878 my physician told me I must quit work -for awhile, and that I had better visit the great Exposition at Paris -that year. I was anxious to see the Fair, but I was a great deal more -anxious to see those two paintings of Godolphin Arabian, if they were -still in existence. Gog Magog Hills is a quaint old place, and the origin -and meaning of its name is lost in a very remote antiquity. As it has -not been the residence of its owners for more than a hundred years, it -is much neglected. The people in charge were very obliging, and I was -immediately admitted to the view of Wootton’s painting of Godolphin -Arabian. The first glance was a complete vindication of the truthfulness -of the Maryland painting as a true likeness in every important feature -of the outline and proportions. The canvas is about four and a half by -four feet, inclosed in a massive frame. After studying it and comparing -it, point by point for more than an hour, with a copy of the Maryland -painting, it became evident they were not painted by the same hand, -although the horse had the same position in both pictures, with the -exception that the right hind foot was thrown backward in the Wootton -painting instead of forward, and thus gave a less abrupt droop of the -rump. The head was precisely the same shape, but in the large painting -the articulations were less distinct and expressive. - -After a little peregrination through Norfolk, studying the “Norfolk -Trotter” as then called, but since called “Hackney,” on his “native -heath,” I reached Houghton Hall, in Norfolk. This grand old place was -built over a hundred and sixty years ago by the famous Sir Robert -Walpole, and at that time it was considered the most splendid structure, -as a gentleman’s country seat, in all England. For many years it has been -the property of the Marquis of Cholmondeley, but is not often occupied as -a residence. Here too, I was lucky, for upon my entrance to the picture -gallery, about the first object upon which my eye rested was the painting -of the Godolphin Arabian, and the first impression was that there must -be “spooks” around, for that seemed certainly the Maryland picture I was -looking at. I had it taken down and removed to a good light, and there -the whole mystery was removed. It is difficult to compare two peas. All -you can say about them is that they were just alike, and that is all I -can say about the Galloway picture in Maryland and the Houghton Hall -picture in England. The paintings were the same size, and the pigments -used were of precisely the same shades of color and quality. The colors -were peculiar in the fact that the artist had used no varnish nor oil -that would leave a shiny appearance. The Houghton Hall picture had a -black, glossy margin all around it of about five inches in width on -which the names of the most noted of his progeny were inscribed in gold -letters, and at the bottom was this inscription: “The original picture -taken at The Hills, by D. Murrier, painter to H. R. H. the Duke of -Cumberland.” This explained the modest signature attached to the Maryland -picture, which was a replica of the original. “The Hills” is the local -designation of “Gog Magog Hills.” The word “original” not only implies -that the picture was made from life, but that one or more replicas were -made at the same time. - -Here, then, in this picture, we have all that we know or probably ever -will know of the origin and pedigree of this horse. It does not tell -us what he was, but it does tell us in the most clear and unmistakable -language what he was not. There is no feature nor element in his make-up -that does not say that he was neither an Arabian nor a Barb. He was a -stout, strong-boned, heavily muscled, short-legged horse. In his form and -shape he was very far removed from an ideal progenitor of race horses, -but he was that progenitor all the same. About forty years after his -death Mr. Stubbs, who never saw the horse, brought out a painting of -him which all artists laughed at as the picture of an impossible horse. -This picture, however, was engraved on steel and became the standard -representation of Godolphin Arabian, in England, till this day. Both -these pictures are here given, and a comparison of many points makes -it evident that Stubbs copied from the original of Murrier or from the -painting by Wootton, which was probably also a copy of Murrier, and -he followed his copy just as closely as he could while converting a -big-boned, stout saddle horse into a long-necked, spindle-shanked race -horse. By actual measurement the neck is longer than the body, but it is -not necessary to point out the Stubbs absurdities, as they are apparent -to every eye. It was simply an awkward and dishonest attempt to express -in his form and shape such a pedigree as a great racing sire should have -had. In these two pictures we have the real and the imaginary—the honest -and the dishonest. - -The search for this picture and then for its verification was a labor -of many years. I never expected to find the horse’s origin, but the -discovery of his likeness seemed to be in the bounds of a possibility -that was finally realized. Murrier’s picture, as a mere work of art, is -of no mean value. It contains within itself undoubted evidence that it -is a true picture of a horse, and it is shown circumstantially that this -horse was the great “unknown and untraced founder” of the English race -horse, with nothing of the race horse in his appearance. - -The name of this horse has been a misnomer ever since the day he fell -into the hands of Lord Godolphin, and it has misled a multitude of men -to their financial hurt. Of late years the more intelligent class of -writers, instead of calling him an “Arabian” call him a “Barb,” but -there is just as much propriety in using one name as the other, and not -a scintilla of authority for using either. Whatever may have been his -origin, his marvelous structural combination of propelling power supplied -what was wanting in the English stock of his day, and gave him success. -Since then thousands of Arabians and Barbs have been tried and all of -them have failed. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE ENGLISH RACE HORSE (_Continued_). - - England supplied with horses before the Christian era—Bred - for different purposes—Markham on the speed of early native - horses—Duke of Newcastle on Arabians—His choice of blood to - propagate—Size of early English horses—Difficulties about - pedigrees in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries—Early - accumulations very trashy—The Galloways and Irish - Hobbies—Discrepancies in size—The old saddle stock—The pacers - wiped out—Partial revision of the English Stud Book. - - -Britain was fully supplied with horses when first invaded by the Romans, -but as there is no history beyond that period we are only groping in -the dark when we attempt to discover when or whence this supply was -procured. The most reasonable theory is that the first supply came -from the Phœnician merchants, when they were trading for tin in the -southwestern part of Britain. If this theory be correct, the trading -between the Phœnicians and the Britons could hardly have been later than -the fourth century before the Christian era, and it is more probable -that it was several centuries earlier. This topic, however, has been -considered in a preceding chapter. Another theory is that when the tides -of migration struck the Atlantic, in the higher latitudes, there was a -natural deflection toward the warmer countries of the south, the people -carrying their horses with them. But from the primitive condition of -the arts and of maritime affairs among the Norsemen of that very early -period, and from the insular position of Britain, it seems to me that to -reach it with horses, the most probable source of supply was from that -great nation whose “ships of Tarshish” had been trading to all lands more -than a thousand years before the Christian era. But, laying all theories -aside, there are some facts and dates that we know, and the particular -one to which I wish here to call attention is the historical record that -when the Romans first visited Britain they found an abundant supply of -horses; and this was about four hundred years before Arabia received her -supply from the Emperor Constantius. - -From the time of the Romans in Britain, horse-racing has been a popular -and favorite amusement of our ancestors, and from that time horses have -been bred for special purposes. The “Great Horse,” as he was called, was -bred for war, parade, and show, and was large enough and strong enough -to carry a knight in armor. The smaller horses were bred for the race -or the chase, others for the saddle on account of their easy, gliding -motion, and the comfort of the rider, while others, again, were stout -of back and limb and able to carry burdens. In regard to the speed -of the horses bred for that purpose, Mr. Gervase Markham, the second -Englishman who undertook to write a book on the horse, has given us some -very interesting and valuable information. He brought out his work in -the latter part of the sixteenth century, and it passed through several -“enlarged and improved” editions. In the edition of 1606 he says: - - “For swiftness what nation has brought forth the horse which - excelled the English? When the best Barbaries that ever were - in their prime, I saw them overcome by a black Hobbie, of - Salisbury, and yet that black Hobbie was overcome by a horse - called Valentine, which Valentine neither in hunting nor - running was ever equalled, yet was a plain English horse, both - by syre and dam.” - -From this we must conclude that some horses from the Barbary States had -been brought over previous to 1606, which doubtless antedated the arrival -of King James’ Arabian. This is the horse known as the Markham Arabian, -and is in the above list of foundation stallions. In speaking of the -Arabian horses as a breed, the Duke of Newcastle remarks as follows upon -this particular representative of that breed: - - “I never saw but one of these horses, which Mr. John Markham, a - merchant, brought over and said he was a right Arabian. He was - a bay, but a little horse, and no rarity for shape, for I have - seen many English horses far finer. Mr. Markham sold him to - King James for five hundred pounds, and being trained up for a - course (race), when he came to run every horse beat him.” - -The duke then goes on to speak of the staying qualities of the Arabians: - - “They talk they will ride fourscore miles in a day and never - draw the bridle. When I was young I could have bought a nag for - ten pounds that would have done as much _very easily_.” - -These remarks are repeated here because they are specially pertinent in -this connection. - -It will be conceded by every one who has any knowledge of the horse -history of this period that the Duke of Newcastle was the best-informed -man of his generation on all subjects connected with the history and -breeding of the horse. His preference for blood was in the following -order: The Barb, the Turk, the Spaniard, the Neapolitan, and the -handsomest of the English stock. It will be observed that in this -classification the Arabian has no place. - -From these illustrations, to which other similar ones might be added, -it seems to be evident that the native English stock did not lack speed -so much as they lacked quality, finish, and beauty. Perhaps size should -be included in this enumeration. They had been bred and trained to run -for centuries, and they were as stout and fleet as the exotics, but they -lacked the qualifications of beauty and style. The foreigners possessed -what the natives lacked, and more than all they furnished both the -climatic and the blood outcross that were needed to re-invigorate the -native character. It was the custom of the people in the seventeenth -century to let their horses of both sexes roam at will through forests -and glades, and in this way the average size had been reduced and the -law of Henry VIII. (prohibiting the running at large of stallions under -a certain size) had become a nullity. At the time of the restoration of -Charles II. (1660) the average size of the traveling stock of England was -very small—perhaps not over thirteen hands high—and then commenced the -serious work of increasing the size and improving the speed of the light -horse stock, under the direction and influence of the Duke of Newcastle. -The introduction of the new blood would give vigor to the stock, but as -that blood was the blood of Turks and Barbs, probably but little if any -larger than the native stock, the mystery still remains unsolved. In -about one hundred years from that time the average size of the race horse -had been brought up from less than fourteen to about fifteen hands. This -increase of size cannot be accounted for on any other grounds than the -introduction of the blood of some larger breed. We cannot conceive of -this being the blood of the old Flanders stock that had been brought over -centuries before; hence I am strongly of the opinion that the duke knew -just what he was doing when he brought in a lot of stallions and mares -(the latter called the “Royal Mares”) without telling anybody what they -were or where they came from. This view is strengthened by the fact that -none of the descendants of these mares, for several generations, ever -made a mark upon the turf. If we reject this theory of the “Royal Mares,” -we are then forced to the conclusion that the increase of size came -chiefly from the large cold-blooded mares of the native stock. The fleet -running families of the natives were small, and the imported Turks and -Barbs were but little if any larger; hence, if we accept the evidence of -our own senses and study the great variations in height, we cannot reject -the conclusion that these variations had their origin in the size of the -original elements entering into the formation of the breed. - -What was the extent of the influence of the speed of the old English -race horse upon the new race horse that sprang up in the seventeenth and -eighteenth centuries? This is a question that has not been very much -discussed, but every intelligent and thinking man has given it more or -less thought. Britain was not rapid in the progress of civilization and -refinement, but through all the centuries of her history she had her -race horses and she ran them. There can be no doubt that many of these -native horses could outrun and outlast the best of the exotics that were -brought in. None of those exotics, so far as we know, could run and win. -Their value, then, was measured, not by what they could do themselves, -but by what their progeny could do; and that progeny, at the foundation, -carried half the blood of the old tribes. There were no racing calendars -in the seventeenth century and none till the second decade of the -eighteenth, and during all that time the blood of every man’s horse -would, naturally, be fashionable blood. When the racing calendars were -established they were a partial check upon untruthful representations, -but this check only extended to the sire of the animal, and was then not -always trustworthy. This left the whole maternal side open to all kinds -of misrepresentation, and as the Anglo-Saxon race is fond of liberty, -every man exercised the liberty of making his pedigrees to suit himself. -Thus, through advertisements, sale papers, etc., great multitudes of -fictitious pedigrees, all shaped on fashionable lines, gained currency -and were propagated from owner to owner, from generation to generation. -On this point I speak from the personal knowledge of a long lifetime -in connection with such affairs in our own country, and I take it for -granted that our English ancestors were no better and no worse than we -are ourselves. This was the condition of things in England for about -one hundred and fifty years, and when Mr. Weatherby was at work on the -Stud Book he was overflowed with a flood of those bald-headed fictions, -concocted by generations long past, and nobody could disprove them. In -this way a large portion of the accumulated rubbish of past generations -found its way into the English Stud Book and there it stands to-day, -serving only to misguide the seeker after truth. - -The earliest records of English racing commence with the year 1709, and -at Newmarket 1716. There have been several racing calendars published at -different times, but probably the best and most convenient for office use -is the Racing Register published by Bailey Bros., commencing with the -first and now filling several large volumes. In the early days very few -of the winners even had any pedigree, but after the lapse of about fifty -years we find it the rule to insert the sire of all winners, although -there were still some exceptions. Under this usage it became possible in -the course of time to establish the leading facts on the paternal side, -and thus the work of the stud-book compiler was greatly facilitated. -Those racing calendars, although intended merely to serve the convenience -of men who bet their money, caring nothing for blood, served the more -permanent and valuable purpose of fixing the paternal lines in the -genealogy of the English race horse. - -In 1786 Mr. William Pick, of York, England, published “A Careful -Collection of all the Pedigrees it was then Possible to Obtain,” thus -antedating Mr. Weatherby’s “Introduction” by five years. In 1785 Mr. Pick -had commenced the publication of a racing calendar called “The Sportsman -and Breeder’s Vade Mecum,” which was continued a good many years. These -little annual volumes were well received, and they were the forerunners -of Pick’s Turf Register, the first volume of which was brought out in -1703. This was the same year that the first volume of Weatherby’s Stud -Book appeared, and there was a sharp rivalry between the two authors, -not merely as two men, but as representing two divisions of the country. -Mr. Pick was a Yorkshire man and Mr. Weatherby was a Londoner. Yorkshire -claimed to be the “race-horse region” of England, and the Southrons were -ready to fight rather than concede that claim. This rivalry survived two -or three generations of racing men, and it is a question whether it -has yet subsided. In the north Pick was the authority and in the south, -Weatherby. - -These two men worked on different plans, and each had its advantages. -Pick limited his labors to the great animals of the past, and took them -up in chronological order, giving a brief sketch of the history and -performances of each. This plan required space, and when he had completed -his first volume of five hundred and twenty-eight pages he had only -reached the close of 1763. The second volume, bringing the work down to -the close of 1772, made its appearance in 1805. Mr. Pick did not live -to continue the work, and it fell into the hands of Mr. R. Johnson, who -brought out the third volume in 1822, which continued the chronological -order to the close of 1782. After the lapse of forty-five years, namely -1867, the fourth volume appeared under Mr. Johnson’s name, bringing -the work to the close of 1792, and I am not aware that the work has -been continued. These four volumes contained much that cannot be found -elsewhere, and are very valuable. - -When we come to study these assemblages of impossible things put together -and called pedigrees, we begin to realize the absolute rottenness of the -alleged pedigrees of that whole early period. Take, for instance, the -case of the horse called the Bald Galloway. He bore this name because -he had a bald face, and was of the Galloway breed. This Galloway breed -took its name from the old Province of Galloway, in the southwestern part -of Scotland. They were small, active horses and were famous for many -generations as a breed of pacers. It has been said that the last pacers -in Great Britain were found in Galloway. This horse, Bald Galloway, was -foaled some time about 1708 and was famous as a fast race horse till he -trained off at five years old. I think there is no doubt about his being -a genuine Galloway, and if so how could he have a pedigree all of foreign -blood and ending in a “Royal Mare?” This Galloway horse was the sire of -the famous Roxana, that produced Lath and his full brother Cade, that -made the early reputation of the great Godolphin Arabian. I will ask my -readers to refer to the Curwen Bay Barb, No. 11, near the commencement of -this chapter. This was one of the very best of all the Barbs imported, -and his origin and history are given with unusual fullness, as well as -an enumeration of the best of his get. In examining this enumeration it -will be seen that a good number of his best foals were out of Galloway -mares and are called “Galloways.” Brocklesby Betty was one of the great -mares of her day, and the Stud Book says that “as a runner, she was -thought to be the superior of any horse or mare of her time.” She was -foaled 1711, was got by Curwen Bay Barb and out of Mr. Leedes’ Hobby -Mare. She was a brood mare before she was trained, and her performances -were soon after the establishment of the Racing Calendars, which show -her great superiority. The “Hobbies” were a breed of Irish pacing horses -that had been noted for more than a hundred years, on both sides of the -Irish channel, as saddle horses, hunters, and runners. The theory that -these “Irish Hobbies” were descended from the horses on board one of the -ships of the Spanish Armada, that was wrecked on the Irish coast, is -purely fanciful, for they were known as a breed long before the Spanish -Armada was projected. The Hobbies were larger and better formed, as a -rule, than the Galloways, and more highly esteemed. These illustrations -of the influence and power of indigenous blood in the formation of the -breed, known throughout the world as the English race horse might be -extended indefinitely, but let these suffice. With the “Galloways” and -the “Hobbies,” well known to our ancestors two hundred years ago as -established breeds or tribes of horses, we cannot avoid the conclusion -that they were very prodigal of fancy and very economical of truth when -they attempted to clothe Bald Galloway, Leedes’ Hobby, etc., in foreign -pedigrees to make them fashionable. Aside from the matters of evidence -here introduced going to show the composite material entering into the -constitution, structure and instincts of the race horse as he is today, -there is another that plays a very prominent part in the combination. -When we see a race horse fourteen hands high, and another of equally pure -blood standing beside him seventeen hands high, we naturally wonder, and -ask, Why this difference in size? The Turk, the Barb, the Hobby, the -Galloway, and indeed all the old English racing stock, were very small, -scarcely averaging fourteen hands. After we have made every allowance for -a salubrious climate and a generous and unstinted dietary we must concede -a gradual increase of growth, but these things fail to account for a -difference of twelve inches in the height of two horses bred in the same -lines for untold generations. The conclusion seems to be inevitable that -there were big horses as well as little ones in the original combination -of ancestors. From these diverse sources of his inheritance, it becomes -plain to the mind of every one that the English race horse is thoroughly -composite in the blood he inherits, and it is beyond the powers of -analysis to determine whether one element did more than another in making -him the fastest running horse in the world. - -While it might be forcibly, if not conclusively, argued that the native -English horse had in him all the elements necessary to the development of -a breed of race horses as great as the breed of our own day, there is one -fact ever present to the senses which goes to show that the influence of -exotic blood was very wide and very powerful in controlling the action of -the race horse. The popular and prevailing pacing action of the Hobbies, -the Galloways, and other hunting, racing and saddle tribes was completely -wiped out more than a hundred years ago. Any attempt to account for this -revolution in the gait of the English horse as a fancy of fashion, or on -the introduction of wheeled vehicles, fails to satisfy the understanding. -In the first half of the seventeenth century pacers were popular, -common, and abounded everywhere. In the second half of the eighteenth -century not one could be found in all Britain, “from Land’s End to John -O’Groat’s House.” Of all the facts that are known and established in the -history of the English horse, the wiping out of the pacer is the most -striking and significant. This exterminating process was not limited -to the families that were intended for hunting or racing purposes, but -extended to all types and breeds of English horses. The little English -pacers that had been the favorites of kings and princes and nobles for -so many centuries were submerged in the streams of Saracenic blood -that flowed in upon them, and their only legitimate descendants left -upon the face of the earth found homes in the American colonies. Their -blood is one of the principal elements in the foundation of the English -race horse, but the “lateral action” in his progeny was esteemed a -bar-sinister on the escutcheon of the stallion, and it was sought to -be covered up with something more fashionable in name. The old saddle -horses of England were not all pacers, although that habit of action was -very general among them, and in some families it was more uniform and -confirmed than in others, and my authority for this conclusion will be -found in the detailed account of the horses brought from England to the -American colonies early in the seventeenth century. It is evident that -from the day the blood of the Saracenic horse was brought in contact -with that of the indigenous saddle horse, they were antagonistic, if -in nothing more, certainly in the habit of action. The one never moved -in the lateral action and the other very generally adopted that form of -progression because it was his inheritance. What might have been the -result if left to the laws of “natural selection,” it would be impossible -to decide; but with the dictates of profit to the master, the mandates of -fashion, and above all the accepted teachings of the Duke of Newcastle, -the little pacer had no “friends at court,” and all he could do was to -get out of the way, with his lateral action. In our own country and -under the observation of everybody the pacer shows great tenacity to his -long-inherited habit of action, and although buried in non-pacing blood, -as supposed, for two or three generations, the pace is liable to appear -again, at any time. So it was, doubtless in English experiences, but as -the revolution was not retarded by the development of pacing speed, in -one hundred years from the restoration, in 1660, there was no longer a -pacer on British soil. - -When the first Mr. Weatherby assumed the task of making and keeping a -registry of English race horses, he seems to have had only a very faint -conception of the magnitude of the undertaking. The first volume of his -“General Stud Book” was published in 1803, and when it appeared it was -found to contain so many things that were not true that the necessary -work of revision and excision reduced its contents fearfully. In these -eliminations he started in with a free hand, as is shown by comparison -with later editions, but soon found that his book was disappearing very -rapidly, and not much of it would be left, if he did not stay his hand. -At this point he seems to have adopted some new rule, unfortunately, -either of evidence or of date, probably the latter, for his work -discloses the fact that he declined all responsibility for pedigrees -as they came to him, of an earlier period than about 1780. Beyond that -date nearly all the crude and impossible things of fiction were allowed -to remain and are thus propagated as true, down to our own day. There -was one rule, however, adopted very early in the management of this -compilation that saved it from degeneracy, and that was the difficulty -of getting into it. In all its history, from the beginning, it has been -a kind of “close corporation,” and the animals in the volume of the last -year are almost uniformly descended from the animals to be found in the -first volume. The application of this rule, no doubt, worked an injustice -in very many cases, but it made the English race horse a BREED, -pre-eminent above all other horses for his unequaled speed as a running -horse. This general rule restricting admissions to the descendants of -such as had places in preceding volumes seems to have been followed and -maintained with a good share of rigidity, by the different generations -of the Weatherby family, in whose hands the compilation still remains. -Whatever may have been the ratio of fables and forgeries in the first -volume, they were there compacted and neither the Weatherbys nor the -breeders have been much annoyed with them since. The plan of the Stud -Book itself is very unsatisfactory to the careful student, for the reason -that it admits of no details of breeder, owner, etc., that are of vital -importance in tracing and identifying an unknown or disputed pedigree. -While the plan is very desirable and effective in placing the produce of -mares underneath the dams, it is very defective in relation to breeders, -and subsequent owners. Unless the identity of the animal can be traced -and established by the records, the pedigree is always doubtful. But -notwithstanding the unsatisfactory plan of its construction, it has been -honestly compiled, and we may safely accept its contents, back as far as -the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Mr. Weatherby began his -work; but when we reach the period of the eighteenth century, facts, -fables and frauds are so inextricably mixed that whatever we accept must -be _cum grano salis_. Beyond that period Mr. Weatherby furnishes nothing -but the wildest fancies and traditions shaped up by those contributing -them with a view to lengthen a pedigree and a price accordingly. All that -we can ever know of the horses of that period we must gather from the -little snatches dropped by contemporaneous historians. - -In establishing his “General Stud Book,” Mr. Weatherby’s work may be -compared to the building of an embankment around a great field which -contained all the race horses of the realm. They were of all colors, all -markings and all sizes, except the monster cart horse and the diminutive -Shetland. They had all raced or possessed blood that had raced, and they -all had pedigrees of various lengths and various degrees of reliability. -They all walked and trotted and galloped, and there was not a pacer among -them, for the last pacer had disappeared from England probably fifty -years before this. The antagonism of the Saracenic horse had triumphed, -and that antagonism was bred in the blood and bone of every animal in -the field. They were placed there to be inter-bred and to produce race -horses. Every one of the thousand owners was anxious to produce a great -winner, and he was left to the exercise of his own fancy and judgment as -to what cross would be most likely to prove successful, and to vindicate -his superior intelligence. With, all experimenting outside of the breed -practically barred, the instincts of the breed ripened and intensified -until its representatives are able to beat the fleetest in the world -at the gallop, but they could neither walk fast nor trot fast. It is -doubtful whether any person in the world has ever seen a true-bred race -horse that could trot a mile in four minutes. At this gait they show no -aptness nor speed whatever. By breeding to fit the modern methods of -racing, the speed of the race horse has been greatly increased, for short -distances, but his stamina and endurance no longer command admiration as -in former generations. - -In the latter half of the last century there were a good many excellent -trotters in England, but the further we get away from the blood of the -old English pacer, the fewer the trotters we find, until at last there -are none at all. It seems to be true of all countries that where there -are no pacers there are no trotters. It was not the purpose nor wish of -the English people to banish the trotter, but when the pacer was banished -the trotter soon followed him. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE AMERICAN RACE HORSE. - - Antiquity of American racing—First race course at Hempstead - Plain, 1665— Racing in Virginia, 1677—Conditions of early - races—Early so-called Arabian importations—The marvelous - tradition of Lindsay’s “Arabian”— English race horses first - imported about 1750—The old colonial stock as a basis—First - American turf literature—Skinner’s _American Turf Register and - Sporting Magazine_, 1829—Cadwallader R. Colden’s _Sporting - Magazine_ short-lived but valuable—The original _Spirit of the - Times_—_Porter’s Spirit of the Times_—_Wilkes’ Spirit of the - Times_, 1859—Edgar’s Stud Book —Wallace’s Stud Book—Bruce’s - Stud Book—Their history, methods, and value—Summing up results, - showing that success has followed breeding to individuals and - families that could run and not to individuals and families - that could not run, whatever their blood. - - -Horses were kept for running, and horse racing was a common amusement -in some of the American Colonies for about a hundred years before the -first English race horses were imported. This embraces a century of horse -history that, hitherto, has been practically unexplored and unknown. -For the details of what I have been able to glean of this neglected -and unknown century my readers are referred to the chapters on the -different colonies. The first racing in this country of which we have any -historical knowledge was organized by Governor Nicolls. In 1664 the Dutch -surrendered the province of New Netherlands to the English, and the next -autumn, 1665, the new race course at Hempstead Plains was inaugurated by -the new governor of the colony. This course was named Newmarket, after -the famous English course, and Governor Nicolls’ successors continued to -offer purses on this course for many years, and after a time there were -two regular meetings held there, spring and autumn. Owing to the distance -of this course from the city, other courses, near at hand, were soon -constructed and racing of all kinds and at all gaits held high carnival. -The principal prizes were called “Subscription Purses,” the distance -almost invariably two miles, and the weight carried ten stone. The horses -that ran were known as “Dutch horses,” and were descended from the -original stock brought from Utrecht, in Holland. They were larger than -the English horses, and brought better prices, although the latter were -esteemed more highly for their saddle gaits. I think the Dutch horses, -originally, had no natural pacers among them, but for the pleasures and -uses of the saddle they were inter-bred with the English horses and the -mixed blood soon produced many pacers. It is probable also that this -mixture increased the speed of the whole tribe. Thus racing continued -with but few interruptions and without any known changes in the rules -or conditions governing performances, except that after fifty years or -more the weight to be carried was reduced from ten stone to eight stone. -In the year 1751, which was eighty-six years after Governor Nicolls had -established the Newmarket course on Long Island, we find the following -significant condition inserted in the terms of entrance to the races, for -the first time: “Free to any horse, mare, or gelding bred in America.” -The simple meaning of this new condition was to “head off” the scheme -of some “sharp” fellows who were, probably, then on the ocean with two -or three English race horses, with which they expected to “gobble up” -whatever stakes or purses came within their reach. - -The first record we have of racing in Virginia is to be found in the -court records of Henrico County, in the year 1677—twelve years after the -establishment of racing in New York. For fuller particulars of this, -the reader is referred to the chapter on that colony. The Virginians -were a horse-racing people from the start, and it is impossible to -tell how long before racing first commenced, but probably just as -soon as any two neighbors met, each owning a horse, a few hundred -pounds of tobacco were put up the next day, to make it interesting, in -determining which was the faster. This racing feeling was not confined -to neighbors nor to neighborhoods, but it pervaded the whole colony, and -the people of every county had their annual and semi-annual meetings, -which everybody attended. Their methods of handicapping will strike the -present generation as somewhat peculiar. In their advertisements of the -meetings, such language as the following was very common: “Sized horses -to carry one hundred and forty pounds and Galloways to be allowed weight -for inches.” From this we learn that the tribe of little Scotch pacers -were still to the fore on this side of the water and that they were -just as fleet as the larger horses, provided the weight was graduated -to their inches. There was one feature in these race meetings that will -be a surprise to many of my readers, as it was to myself, and that is -the fact that at most of these meetings there was one four-mile race. -Smaller prizes were run for by horses classed as to size, and it may be -noted that there was one class “not exceeding thirteen hands.” At these -meetings the distance never seems to have been less than one mile, while -on the southern border of the colony and in North Carolina, quarter -racing was very popular and very common from the earliest dates, and it -was kept up through the greater part of the eighteenth century. For a -fuller account of the racing of those early days the reader is referred -to the chapter on Virginia. - -In this old English, Irish and Scottish blood, full of the pacing -element, which we may now call “native” blood, we have the real -foundation upon which the English race horse was bred and from which has -come the approximate if not the complete equal of the highest type of the -English horse, in both speed and stamina. The English and the American -race horse came from the same source and possess the same blood, with -this trifling distinction—the native mares in England were bred to horses -of exotic, Saracenic origin, while the native mares of America were bred -to the descendants of that native-exotic combination. Hence, with the -original maternal ancestry of the same blood, the combined and improved -English descendant of that blood became the paternal ancestor of the -American race horse. We must not forget that this “paternal ancestor” -had been the result of crossing and recrossing, selecting, breeding and -developing for nearly a hundred years, and that he was, therefore, a -far better horse and far more prepotent as a sire than the produce of -the first cross made under the direction of the Duke of Newcastle. We -must not ignore the fact that while there were many stallions brought -over in the early days there were also a few mares, but they were so few -in number that their influence was hardly appreciable in the new breed -to be established. Saracenic blood was touched very sparingly in the -colonial days, as even the names of not more than three or four have -been preserved in history. The only one of that period fully identified -was named Bashaw and was kept on Long Island about the year 1768. Like -all the others, he was called an Arabian, but according to the showing -of his advertisement he was bred by the Emperor of Morocco, and was not -an Arabian. Of the later period and coming down to about 1860 there are -twenty-five or thirty that have been called “Arabians.” Near the head -of the list stands one called “Arab Barb” or “Black Arabian Barb.” He -was claimed to be an imported Barb from Algiers, and was seventeen hands -high, “and coarse in proportion.” Many other so-called “importers” were -equally absurd and dishonest in their claims, but there horses all passed -as genuine “Arabians.” Out of the whole number called “Arabians” not more -than five or six seem to have had a shadow of right to the name, and -these exceptions were practically restricted to the animals imported by -Mr. A. Keene Richards, of Kentucky. That each and all of these exceptions -were irredeemable failures is a fact well known to all intelligent -horsemen. This motley crew of “Arabian” importations came from all the -countries bordering on the Mediterranean, except Arabia, were all called -“Arabians,” and they were all flat disappointments both as race horses -and as producers of race horses. - -Out of this list of thirty-five or forty so-called Arabian horses, there -is one that requires special mention, not only because a correction -may be made in his history, but because I have frequently spoken of -him as the only Arabian that had left any mark upon the horse stock of -the country. Lindsay’s Arabian, as he was called, was a grey horse and -represented to be over fifteen hands high. The story is that he was a -Barb and had been presented to the commander of a British man-of-war, -when a colt, by the ruler of one of the Barbary States, as an expression -of gratitude to the captain for having saved the life of his son. The -captain sailed away for a South American port, and while lying there he -took his present ashore to let him have a little exercise. The colt was -given the free range of a lumber-yard, as the story goes, and in his -playfulness a pile of lumber fell upon him and broke three of his legs. -The British officer was greatly grieved at his loss and proposed to put -the colt out of misery by knocking him on the head. There happened to be -an American trading vessel in port and the skipper “allowed if he had -that critter on his vessel he could save him.” The officer at once gave -him to the skipper and told him his history. Yankee ingenuity and thrift -soon got him aboard the trader and he was swung up and his legs properly -bandaged. The surgical treatment was good, the bones knit, and in due -time the vessel arrived at New London, and the colt was taken to the -vicinity of Hartford. Just where this story originated it is not possible -now to say, nor do I know that it ever had currency in Connecticut, but -it was certainly rehearsed and probably believed in Maryland. He was -owned by Colonel Wyllis of Hartford, and was advertised in 1770 under the -single name of Ranger, and described as “a fine English stallion of the -Barbary breed, bred in England.” From this it would appear that nothing -was then known of his romantic history. As a part of his Maryland history -it was said that General Washington’s attention had been attracted to -a body of Connecticut cavalry by the excellence of their horses, and -at his instance Captain Lindsay bought Ranger, because he was the sire -of many of those horses, and took him to Maryland, where he was ever -afterward known as “Lindsay’s Arabian.” The story of the indorsement -of Washington made an excellent stallion card, and it is not necessary -that we should inquire into it too closely, for the dates might raise -a question. The horse passed from Colonel Wyllis to James Howard, of -Windham, and was advertised by him as “The Imported Arabian Horse called -The Ranger to stand at his stable the season of 1778.” Hence we must -conclude that he was not taken to the South before the season of 1779, -or possibly later. Then, as now, to catch the popular fancy, North and -South, the horse is no longer an “English stallion of the Barbary breed” -but an “Imported Arabian Horse.” His cross was well esteemed in his -day, and it has held its place in the estimation of all the experienced -horsemen as a good cross in an old pedigree. We now see that he was bred -in England, that he was got by a Barb horse or the son of a Barb horse, -and that it is not probable there was a single drop of Arabian blood -in his veins. This little sketch will serve to illustrate the methods, -general and particular, that were invariably used to place a fictitious -value upon the so-called imported “Arabians.” In no other department of -human knowledge has there been such a universal and persistent habit of -misrepresenting the truth of history as in matters relating to the horse. -It seems to have been, and still is, a kind of psychical contagion that -has been generating dishonesty and a habit of lying in the minds of the -great body of horsemen for the past two hundred and fifty years. If a -horse is brought from Turkey, or Syria, or Egypt, or Spain, or Morocco, -or any of the Barbary States, he is at once called an “Arabian.” This -is worse than a misnomer, for it is an essential untruth, and its -universal use does not redeem it from its essence of deception and fraud. -It must be conceded, however, that this deception may have sprung from -bad teaching and ignorance rather than from a depraved moral sense, for -many people, as well as the poets and the novelists, may have concluded -that as the nations named above got their religion from Arabia, so -they got their horse stock from the same country, and thus the horses -brought from Turkey, or Syria, or Egypt, or Spain, or Morocco, or any -of the Barbary States, are descendants of the Arabian horse and thus -entitled to the name “Arabian.” This seems to be the only theory upon -which this universal misrepresentation can be palliated. Let us repeat a -sentence or two here, to show what history reveals on this point. Strabo -says there were no horses in Arabia at the beginning of the Christian -era. Philostorgius says that in the year 356, two hundred “well-bred” -Cappadocian horses were sent as a present to the prince of Yemen, by -the Emperor Constantius. These were the first horses in Arabia. In the -days of Mohammed horses were exceedingly scarce in Arabia, and they have -remained so to the present time. The horse is an expensive exotic in -Arabia, as he is never used for any domestic purpose, nor for any other -purpose except robbery or display. For all domestic and commercial uses -the camel is far better. All the countries named above were abundantly -supplied with horses, at least eight hundred or a thousand years before -there were any horses in Arabia. The Moslems got their religion from -Arabia, but not their horses. This topic is more fully discussed in the -chapter on the Arabian horse. - -The importation of English race horses to this side of the water -commenced about the year 1750, and that being the middle of the last -century it is easy to remember the date when the line was drawn between -the old and the new elements appearing on the race course. The following -six animals were brought over within a year or two of that date—Monkey, -Traveller, Dabster, Childers, Badger, and Janus. A few others might be -named, but some at least are mythical. Of those here named, Traveller -was the great horse. Janus became the progenitor of a tribe of very fast -quarter horses, and although he did not found that tribe, which had been -in existence for a hundred years on the border line between Virginia and -North Carolina, he doubtless improved it. Monkey was twenty-two years old -when he came and did not live long. The whole number imported into all -the colonies before the war of the Revolution counts up to about fifty, -and some of these are practically unknown, and a few of them were wholly -fictitious. Maryland, I think, was first in the field of importations, -and then followed Virginia, New York, and North Carolina. Possibly the -very earliest importations were made in South Carolina, but there is -not much evidence that those importations were utilized to any extent -for racing purposes, and hence we know but little of the doings of that -colony till a later date. There were not more than about twenty mares of -English race-horse blood imported, in the quarter of a century preceding -the Revolution, into all the colonies. As many of these animals of both -sexes were stolen or destroyed during the war, we can approximate with -some degree of certainty the great reduction in this producing force by -the time the war ended and importations again commenced. - -Now, we have before us the old colonial running stock that had been -tested in many a battle and found able to cover the distance of two to -four miles, and we have also the new running stock that had never been -asked to go any further, but we have no actual, authentic and reliable -knowledge of the comparative speed of the two classes. There were no stop -watches nor records of time kept in those days. This much only we know, -that prizes were offered for “half-breds” for a few years, but when it -was found that some of the half-breds could run just as fast and as far -as some of the whole-breds, this class of prizes was withdrawn. Then -commenced the manufacture of fraudulent pedigrees, for, it was argued, -“How could an American horse beat an English horse unless he had English -blood and plenty of it?” Hence, when a horse won that fact was taken as -proof that he was full bred, and no time was lost in investing him with -a first-class, pure-bred pedigree. This was a little onerous on the few -imported mares that were known and named, as in the case of imported Mary -Gray, for she had to _produce_ eleven filly foals by imported Jolly Roger -in order to accommodate her numerous progeny, as alleged, and how many -more claims were made of the same pedigree it would be very difficult -to estimate. When it began to appear a little awkward to require Mary -Gray to have, on paper, more than eleven filly foals by Jolly Roger, it -was soon, discovered that it was less perplexing and at the same time -less liable to be “cornered” by saying “dam an imported English mare.” -No doubt there was a great deal of sharp practice, to say nothing of -cheating and lying, about horse matters in Colonial times, but those -little venialities were only the blossoms indicating the mature fruits -of deceptions and frauds that were to follow when pedigrees would be -considered an element of value in the running horse, and when every man -would have the power, in fact, to make and print his pedigrees to suit -himself. This brings us to a very brief consideration of what has been -done in the direction of correcting the frauds of the past and preventing -them in the future. - -The period of fable and of falsehood in the genealogy of the American -race horse seems to have commenced not long after the first importations -of English race horses. In the first generations from the imported -English horse and the native mare, it was rather difficult for a man -to fix up a pedigree for his half-bred colt that would show him to -be full bred, but after forty, fifty, or sixty years had elapsed the -events became misty, and then every man exercised the right to make -his own pedigrees to suit his own fancy. This seems to have been the -condition of things for many years, and while there were a few honest -men who would stick to the truth, the great majority either made their -pedigrees to suit themselves or employed some “expert” to make them for -them. The confusion which ensued was most perplexing, and the slipshod -manner in which editors and writers on the horse did their work was most -discouraging. Whatever was found in print on a crossroads blacksmith shop -door was taken as authentic, because it was in print. - -In 1829 Mr. John S. Skinner, of Baltimore, Maryland, commenced the -publication of a monthly magazine, entitled “_The American Turf Register -and Sporting Magazine_,” and as it really “filled a long-felt want,” it -received a very encouraging support. As its name indicated its field, -it at once became the authority on sporting events and the receptacle -of a great amount of valuable correspondence on the horses of the day, -as well as the earlier race horses. Mr. Skinner was industrious in -collecting material for his magazine, but unfortunately he published -whatever was sent to him relating to the horse, and just as it was sent. -If a communication was well written, no difference how many errors of -fact it might contain, it never seemed to occur to Mr. Skinner to use -his blue pencil. Pedigrees were sent in, amounting to many thousands, -during his ownership, with fictitious and untruthful remote extensions, -and published without any possibility of tracing the different crosses -to a known or responsible source or name. Here was the opportunity of a -lifetime to “fix up” the pedigrees of stallions to suit the public demand -and the fees sought by their owners, send them to Mr. Skinner, and have -them duly spread before the public in all their dishonest finery. The -early volumes are very rich in the accumulations of pedigrees, such as -they are, and hence very valuable. The magazine received less and less -attention from its proprietor each succeeding year and finally it was -transferred to the _Spirit of the Times_, of New York, and died after an -existence of some fifteen years. - -Mr. Cadwallader R. Colden, of New York, commenced the publication of -another sporting magazine, that was of very great merit, and did much to -correct some of the errors that abounded in Mr. Skinner’s publication. -In the controversies which naturally sprang up he had greatly the -advantage of his adversary, for he knew horse history and Mr. Skinner -did not. Mr. Colden was a man of marked ability, and over the signature -of “An Old Turfman” he made himself famous as a writer. He hated a fraud -and wherever he saw one he did not hesitate to hit it. His publication -was a large and expensive one, racing was then under the periodical -interdict of public opinion, and after about two or three years, and -greatly to the loss and misfortune of the truths of horse history, the -publication was discontinued. The weekly press had no representative in -the field of “horse literature and sporting subjects” until early in -the thirties, when the _Spirit of the Times_ was founded by William T. -Porter. The conception of a weekly paper devoted to all kinds of sports, -such as hunting, fishing, racing, gaming, etc., was not only new in this -country, but it was brilliant. Mr. Porter was not only a gentleman in his -appearance and manners, but he had fine social qualities and was a writer -of ability and polish. Such a personage would naturally gather about him -friends and correspondents that were congenial, and very soon _The Spirit -of the Times_ became noted as the organ of a great body of educated men -who loved sport and enjoyed wit. It was the only publication of its kind -on the continent, and it soon obtained a very wide circulation. Mr. -Porter knew very little of horses, either theoretically or practically, -but he was a ready adapter and wrote some fine descriptions of famous -racing contests. His habits were sportive rather than industrious, hence -he left nothing behind him of value to his friends or to the world -except the mere fact that he was the founder of the first sporting paper -in this country. In course of time the paper with all its belongings -became the property of John Richards, the former pressman, and Mr. Porter -had to look for a living wherever he could find it. Mr. George Wilkes -then took him under his wing, and started a new sporting paper called -_Porter’s Spirit of the Times_. The use of this name carried with it the -support of a good many friends, but as he was not able to write anything, -practically, for the new paper, from its very commencement in September, -1856, it failed to yield any support to Mr. Porter, and not much to Mr. -Wilkes and his partners. Litigation arose and Mr. Wilkes finally withdrew -from _Porter’s Spirit of the Times_, and started _Wilkes’ Spirit of the -Times_ in September, 1859. We then had three sporting papers all claiming -to be the original and only legitimate _Spirit of the Times_. Among their -readers they were distinguished as the _Old Spirit_, _Porter’s Spirit_, -and _Wilkes’ Spirit_. The circulation of the Old Spirit was largely in -the Southern States, and the war destroyed it, in 1861. _Porter’s Spirit_ -having but little money and still less brains, died about the same time. -This left Mr. Wilkes in open possession of the field, and his remarkably -trenchant articles on the conduct of the war gave _Wilkes’ Spirit of -the Times_ a very wide circulation, even among those who cared nothing -for sporting matters. At the same time he was fortunate in securing the -services of Mr. Charles J. Foster, an able writer on horse subjects, and -a very industrious and capable man in managing and discussing affairs -connected with the horse. Some years later, Mr. Wilkes dropped his -own name from the title of his paper, and not long afterward he added -twenty-five or thirty years to its age by changing the numbers so as to -cover the period of the original _Spirit of the Times_ founded by William -T. Porter. The old sporting publications, one and all, maintained the -view, so far as they ever had any view to maintain, that all that was -of any value in the American horse, for whatever purpose, had come down -to us from the Arabian through the English race horse. Their value, -therefore, consists wholly in the naked statistics which they contain. - -The first attempt made in this country, in the direction of publishing -a stud book of American race horses, was the product of Patrick Nesbitt -Edgar, an eccentric and apparently not well-balanced Irishman, who was -a resident of North Carolina. This book, which purported to be a “first” -volume, was very remarkable in many respects, two or three of which I -will enumerate. The prevailing absence of dates and all means by which -the truth or falsity of a pedigree could be determined; the astounding -number of crosses given, even to the _immediate_ descendants of imported -sires; the multitude of animals never heard of before nor since, with -pedigrees extended a dozen crosses; the absence of many animals that -everybody had heard of. This book had been in print about thirty years -before I ever saw it, and the first impression it made on my mind was -that the author was “clean daft.” At the same time, through all his work -there was a “method in his madness,” going to show the care he had taken -to exclude or suppress any little fact that might lead to detection and -exposure. As an illustration of his methods I will take the following -pedigree, at random, as given by him and copied, literally, by Mr. Bruce, -following the particular form of the latter: - - CENTAUR, b. h. foaled 1767, bred by ——; owned in Virginia, got - by imported Stirling (Evans’) (foaled 1762). - - 1st dam by imp. Aristotle (imported 1764). - - 2d dam by imp. Dotterel. - - 3d dam by imp. David (imported 1763). - - 4th dam by imp. Ranter (imported 1762). - - 5th dam by imp. Othello (imported 1755). - - 6th dam by imp. Childers (imported 1761). - - 7th dam an imported, thoroughbred mare. - -Now, what do we know about this pedigree that has been indorsed and -published, just as here stated, by two stud-book makers? They do not -pretend to know by whom he was bred, nor do they know in what part of -Virginia he was owned, but they assume to know perfectly well each cross -in his pedigree and that his seventh dam was an imported, thoroughbred -mare. The dates of importations in parentheses in the foregoing have -been placed there by myself for the sake of the exhibit. The horse -Dotterel, the original of that name and by the same reputed sire, never -left England, and it is probable this Dotterel is mythical. Now, let us -analyze this pedigree by the aid of the searchlight of dates. Ranter, -imported 1762, might have had a filly to his credit in 1763. This filly -at two years old might have been bred to David and produced a filly in -1766. This filly at two years old might have been bred to Dotterel and -produced a filly in 1769. This filly at two years old might have been -bred to Aristotle and produced a filly in 1772. This filly, at two years -old, might have bred to Evans’ Stirling (or Starling), and produced the -colt Centaur in 1775—_but he was foaled in 1767_. Not once in a million -times would this succession of possibilities occur, but if they did occur -in this case the pedigree of Centaur still remains absolutely impossible, -for four generations of horses cannot be crowded into five years. This -exhibit fairly illustrates the character of Mr. Edgar’s work, and being -right on the border line between the “native” race horse and the modern -“thoroughbred” we see just how they compressed the breeding of eight -generations into the space of fifteen or sixteen years. If we were to -compare the English with the American methods of manufacturing pedigrees, -it would be hard to determine which was the more shamefully dishonest. -Mr. Edgar was fiercely dissatisfied with the indifference of horsemen to -his enterprise, and with the lack of support which they rendered him. He -went forward with his second volume and professed to have completed it, -but announced that it should never be put in type until the horsemen of -the country should assist and support him. In the event of their failing -to do so he threatened to sink his manuscript twenty feet deep in the -center of the Dismal Swamp, where no mortal would ever find it. The -second volume never appeared, and it is to be hoped he carried out his -threat. - -For the second attempt at compiling a stud book of American Race Horses -I must, myself, plead guilty. Some time in the “fifties” I came into -possession of a number of volumes of the “old” _Spirit of the Times_, -Skinner’s American Turf Register, three or four volumes of the “English -Stud Book” and a large number of volumes of the _English Sporting -Magazine_. As I was then dabbling slightly around the edges of “horse -literature,” I found this little nucleus of a library very convenient, -but very unsatisfactory in answering questions that came to me, and -which an official position seemed to require that I should be able to -answer. When asked for the pedigrees of other domestic animals I could -take down the Herd Books of the different leading breeds and give precise -information, but when asked about the pedigree of a horse, unless he was -greatly distinguished as a racer, days of solid labor might be expended -on the one question and then not discover the information sought. It -was, perhaps, ten years after this time before I ever saw or heard of -the misbegotten and foolish compilation of pedigrees made by Edgar. For -some years this labor of compilation was prosecuted at odd hours, for -my own personal use and satisfaction, and without the remotest purpose -of ever publishing a stud book. As I plodded my way along, finding what -I supposed to be a fact here and another there, and often conflicting, -I found myself invariably accepting what was longest as a pedigree, -as this feature seemed to be evidence not only of completeness, but -of truthfulness at the same time. As my gleanings grew in volume my -interest in what I was doing became more absorbing and intense, and when -I had completed the search of every page and paragraph of my published -sources of information, up to the close of the year 1839, I found I had -enough matter for a large volume. About this time I came into possession -of a copy of “Edgar’s Stud Book”—and I was greatly perplexed to know -what to do with it. The copyright was dead and it contained a good many -unimportant and utterly unknown things that I had not met with in all my -gleanings. Under these circumstances and considering the fact that it -abounded in the crudest uncertainties, to call them by no harsher name, -I concluded to use his work in all cases where I did not have a pedigree -from other sources, to cut off all imaginary extensions and to insert his -name, in every case, as the source of information and responsibility. The -work then went to press and the first volume of “Wallace’s American Stud -Book” made its appearance in 1871. The time and labor expended on the -first volume made me quite familiar with the leading performers of the -several generations embraced therein, and the work on the second volume -went forward with more ease and rapidity, and in 1871 I had completed the -gleaning of all publications relating to the race horse, up to the close -of 1870. - -This second volume, being about the size of the first, was completed and -put in due form for the compositor, but never was published. The reason -why it was never published may not be without interest to the student -of horse genealogy, and I will, in a few words, state that reason. -Side by side with the progress of the second volume of the runners, -I was carrying forward a careful investigation of the lineage of the -early trotters and their progenitors. As there were no trotting records -giving pedigrees, I was compelled to go back to the breeders as the only -source of reliable information. When I obtained this from intelligent -and reputable people I accepted the information and stood by it as the -truth; and when I came to compare it with the representations of pedigree -made in advertisements of some stallion scion of the family, the truth -began to dawn upon me that advertisements, whether in newspapers or on -crossroads blacksmith-shop doors, with scarcely an exception, were made -up of statements that were utterly false and fictitious. They were made -up for the single purpose of securing patronage, and generally traced -in different directions to famous and well-known horses. The fictitious -extensions of stallion advertisements have served as the basis for the -fictitious extensions of families and tribes. When I came to compare -the extensions of trotting pedigrees with running pedigrees, I could -not discover that the one was any more or less reliable than the other. -They rested on precisely the same basis of stallion pedigrees, and no -difference whether they appeared in Mr. Skinner’s _Turf Register_ or in -a big poster, there was no censorship, and they were both in type—and -whatever was in type was generally supposed to be worthy of belief. In -one respect the pedigrees of running horses are more reliable than the -early advertisements of trotting horses, particularly with those that -raced, for they were required to give the sire and dam when they were -entered in races, and a failure to comply with this rule was penalized. -The sires, therefore, are generally right, but unfortunately the rule did -not require the dam to be named and definitely specified, hence any one -of a dozen unnamed mares by a given horse could be represented in after -years as the dam of that particular horse. Here commenced the trouble -in the unnamed and untraced mares that never have been nor ever can be -identified. On a careful and sorrowful review of my work of many years I -found that I had been working on a wrong basis from the start. Instead of -discovering and arranging a great many valuable truths, as I supposed, -I had devoted years to perpetuating thousands and thousands of fictions -in these unknown, unnamed, and unidentified dams. This is the reason the -second volume of “Wallace’s American Stud Book” never was published. -The only benefit I ever derived from the work was in its educational -aspects. The work made me familiar with the early running-horse history -of this country and of England, and taught me what so many horsemen -should learn—that a truth is always better than a lie. The more carefully -and thoroughly I went into the origin, lineage and history of what we -may call the modern race horse, the more evident it became to my mind -that the great mass of the running horses of our own generation are -carrying, in their pedigrees, the frauds and fictions of the seventeenth -and eighteenth centuries, to say nothing of the innumerable deceptions -and tricks of our own century. To accept and propagate these untruths is -simply to, in a manner, indorse them, and an attempt to eliminate them -would invoke the clamors of a continent. Hence, more than twenty years -ago, I washed my hands of all responsibility for the pedigrees of English -race horses, and turned my attention to establishing the lineage of the -American trotter, on sure foundations, and building him up into a breed. - -The third attempt at compiling the pedigrees of running-bred horses was -made by Mr. Sanders D. Bruce, of New York, and as it followed Edgar and -Wallace, it was made up chiefly of what he found in these works. The -conscienceless fictions of Edgar were accepted without hesitation or -remorse, and the central aim seemed to be to make every pedigree as long -as possible, whether true or false. No fictitious stallion advertisement -was ever too absurd to serve as a basis for the pedigrees of all his -kindred. Mr. Bruce accepted everything and rejected nothing, and it is -not probable he ever investigated a pedigree in his life. His rule of -action seems to have been to please his customers, and to scrupulously -avoid all public discussions of pedigrees. This was the politic course to -pursue, for any attempt to defend the monstrosities it contained would -have wiped it out of existence very quickly. Bruce’s Stud Book seems to -have been supported by a few individuals, from the beginning, as a kind -of eleemosynary institution, and it is not likely it will ever rise above -that condition. - -The substantial correctness of the generations extending back for a -period of sixty or eighty years, and in some cases even a little further, -is a very valuable contribution to our store of knowledge in this -department of industry, but, unfortunately, the generations beyond those -that may be classed as recent very largely rest upon foundations that are -fictitious and fraudulent. - -These fictions and frauds are so general and common in the remote -extensions on the female side of the pedigree that when we find a -string of ten or perhaps twenty dams and not one of them named, known -or identified until we strike the twenty-first, and she described as -“thoroughbred, imported mare,” we know that this is the work of the -professional “pedigree maker,” and not more than once in a hundred times -will we be mistaken. This is alike true of both English and American -pedigrees of race horses. The modern crosses are comparatively honest, -but the remote extensions, through the maternal lines, in both countries -are chiefly the products of a venal imagination. - -There are some foundation truths in the history and development of the -English and American race horse—for they are both one in blood—to which -I must briefly advert before dismissing this topic. In announcing the -conclusions which I have reached, I am fully conscious that I will come -in contact with preconceived opinions that have been very prevalent, if -not universal, for at least two centuries. - -1. There were race horses in England that had been racing and breeding -for centuries before the first Saracenic horse was brought there, and -it was not an uncommon thing for the native to beat the exotic, when he -first arrived. There had been racing in America, by what we will call the -native stock—but they were all English and Dutch—for about one hundred -years before the first English race horse reached this country. - -2. These horses had been selected with care and bred for centuries with -more or less intelligence, with the single purpose of increasing their -speed. During those centuries there were not so many writers on biology, -heredity, etc., as we have now, but the old aphorism, “Like begets -like”—a complete epitome of all science on this subject—was just as well -known and as universally believed a thousand years ago as it is to-day. -We may, therefore, safely conclude that at the close of the sixteenth -century there were many native English horses, descended from lines and -tribes that had been selected, raced and bred for generations, that were -fully the equals of the best of the exotics, that were brought in about -that time. - -3. The native stock of England at the close of the sixteenth century, was -the stock from which the American colonies received their first supplies, -except the few brought from Utrecht, in Holland, to the Dutch Colonists -in New York. When brought across the Atlantic, especially in Virginia, no -time was lost in continuing their development as race horses, which was -carried forward for nearly one hundred years before the first English -race horse was imported for their improvement. Their regular racing was -at all distances, up to four miles. - -4. On this basis of the native English blood, common to both countries, -the breed of English and American race horses was built up. The foreign -elements brought into England were chiefly from the Barbary States and -from Turkey. This exotic blood certainly had a very marked effect upon -the horse stock of Britain, but it cannot be said, with certainty, that -it increased the speed of the race horse. All the experiences of the past -hundred years with these foreign strains have gone to show that instead -of increasing the speed they have retarded it. - -5. The list of the foundation stock of the English race horse as given -by Mr. Weatherby, in the first volume of the English Stud Book, and -reproduced in the preceding chapter, is worthy of very careful study, -especially by those who seem to think that the English race horse is -descended, without admixture, from the Arabian horse. The striking -feature of that list is the overwhelming preponderance of other blood -than the Arabian, even if we accept all that is called Arabian as -genuine. Mr. Darley’s horse, called an Arabian, and Lord Godolphin’s -horse, called an Arabian, count for more than all the others put -together, in the make-up of the English race horse. Mr. Darley’s horse -came from a region remote from Arabia and where a thousand good horses -are bred for one in Arabia, and should be called a Turk. Lord Godolphin’s -horse—“the great unknown”—will ever remain unknown. He seems to have been -traced to France, and, after studying his portraiture, it is probable he -was a French horse. - -6. Taking this list of foundation stock and viewing it from the -standpoint of the greatest lenity and liberality that a sound and careful -judgment can accord, we find that the inheritance of Arabian blood in the -veins of the English race horse, if there was any such inheritance at -all, was strictly infinitesimal. This historical fact in the foundation -of the race horse, showing the inutility of Arabian blood, whether -genuine or spurious, has been fully confirmed in great multitudes of -trials, in both nations, during the past hundred years. In no case has it -been a benefit, but always a detriment. - -7. The race horse has been bred through centuries for the single purpose -of speed. Through all his generations he has been the product of the -brains, judgment and skill of his successive masters. Parents were -selected that could go out and win the prizes from their fellows. The -next generation was not only the product of running parents, but parents -that were from running families. Thus grew up the pedigree of the -race horse under the direction of thought and judgment. Pedigrees are -practical things and full of winners, and in no sense made more valuable -by having some supposed “Arabian” cross away back ten generations, that -never ran in his life. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—VIRGINIA. - - Hardships of the colonists—First importations of horses—Racing - prevalent in the seventeenth century—Exportation and then - importations prohibited—Organized horse racing commenced 1677 - and became very general—In 1704 there were many wild horses - in Virginia and they were hunted as game—The Chincoteague - ponies accounted for—Jones on life in Virginia, 1720—Fast - early pacers, Galloways and Irish Hobbies—English race horses - imported—Moreton’s Traveler probably the first—Quarter racing - prevailed on the Carolina border—Average size and habits of - action clearly established—The native pacer thrown in the shade - by the imported runner—An Englishman’s prejudices. - - -The colony of Virginia, settled at Jamestown, May 13, 1607, was subjected -to a succession of dissensions, privations and disasters extending -through a number of years. The elements of which this first plantation -was composed were heterogeneous, and many of them wholly unsuited to -battle with the hardships and privations of the wilderness. A very large -proportion of the adventurers were mere idlers at home, descended from -good but impecunious families, and had never done an honest day’s work in -their lives. Too proud to labor even if they had known how, hunger and -rags soon made them the most unhappy and discontented of mortals. The -governmental affairs of the colony fell into confusion, like the people -forming it, and we have no official record of what was done for a number -of years. All that is known today of what transpired in the early years -of the colony has been gleaned from the personal correspondence of actors -in the many strifes that came so near destroying them all. These letters -are, generally, so strongly imbued with partisan feeling that there seems -to be no room left to tell us anything about the industrial growth of the -colony, either in planting or breeding. The excerpts, therefore, relating -to the early horses of Virginia which I have been able to gather from a -great many sources, will fall far short of being complete, but I think -they will serve as a basis upon which to form an intelligent estimate of -the Virginia horses of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and as -to the nineteenth, the newspapers will furnish everything what is needed. - -It is evident that the fleet of three vessels which took out to Virginia -the first adventurers took also some horses and mares with them; for -the governor and council, who went out the next year, in reporting the -condition of the colonists to the home company, under date of July 7, -1610, use this language: - - “Our people, together with the Indians, had, the last winter, - destroyed and killed up all our hogs, inasmuch as of five or - six hundred, as it is supposed, there was not above one sow - that we can hear of left alive, not a hen or a chick in the - fort, and our horses and mares they had eaten with the first.” - -From a letter written by M. Gabriel Archer, who arrived in Virginia -August 31, 1609, we gather the following facts: - - “From Woolwich, the fifteenth day of May, 1609, seven sail - weighed anchor and came to Plymouth the twentieth day, where - George Somers, with two small vessels, consorted with us. There - we took into The Blessing, being the ship wherein I went, six - mares and two horses, and the fleet layed in some necessaries - belonging to the action; in which business we spent time till - the 2d of June, and then set sail to sea, but crossed by South - West winds, we put into Falmouth, and there stayed until the - 8th of June, then gate out.” - -Now, as The Blessing was probably about the average size of the rest of -the fleet, I think it is reasonable to conclude that each of the other -vessels took some horses also. In a report of a voyage to Virginia, dated -November 13, 1611, we find the following statement: “They have brought to -this colony one hundred cows, two hundred pigs, one hundred goats, and -seventeen horses and mares.” In 1614 the Virginians made a raid on Port -Royal, in what was then called New France, and carried off to Virginia, -among other captures, a number of horses, mares and colts. A second raid -in the same quarter seems to have resulted in carrying off wheat, horses, -clothing, working tools, etc. - -Mr. Harmor, writing in 1614, in his “True Discourse on the Present State -of Virginia,” says: “The colony is already furnished with two hundred -neat cattle, infinite hogs in herds all over the woods, some mares, -horses and colts, poultry, great store, etc.” - -In 1894, in the Public Records Office in London, I found that the -Virginia Company had sent out four mares, February, 1619, on The Falcon. -And further, I found a kind of summary of what the company had done in -the past toward populating and supplying the colonists with live stock. -It is stated that they had sent twelve ships, taking out one thousand -two hundred and sixty-one persons, making the total number in Virginia -at that date about two thousand four hundred. The exportations include -five hundred cattle, with some horses and goats, and an infinite number -of swine. In 1620 the company ordered twenty mares to be sent over, at -a cost, delivered, of fifteen pounds each. From the price of horses in -England at that day, I would infer that somebody was making money out of -the colonists. - -In a little work published in London, 1646, entitled “A Perfect -Description of Virginia,” the author says that “There are in Virginia, -of an excellent raise (race), about two hundred horses and mares.” It -is evident that this statement is a mere estimate, and I am disposed to -think it a very wild estimate from what follows in a very few years. It -is true that horses do not propagate and increase as fast as any other -variety of domestic animals, but under the circumstances every effort -would be made to increase the stock, and from what follows, I think my -criticism will be sustained. - -In the legislation of the colony we find no mention of horses, till the -year 1657, when the exportation of mares was prohibited. Eleven years -after this (1668) this restriction was removed and the exportation -of both mares and horses permitted. The very next year, 1669, the -importation of more horses was prohibited by legislative enactment. From -this it would seem that there were already too many horses in the colony, -or possibly some horse breeder had begun to realize that there were -better horses in some of the other colonies that were finding a market in -Virginia, and they thus sought “protection” for their own stock. - -This prohibition could not have been aimed at the mother country, -for the prices obtained would not justify the cost and risk of a sea -voyage. We must, therefore, conclude that it was intended to shut out -the New England colonies, which were already shipping horses to all -the settlements on the seaboard, as well as to some of the West India -Islands. In this we see at what an early date commenced the interchange -of commodities among the colonies. As early as 1647 the Dutch authorities -at New Amsterdam authorized Isaac Allerton to sell twenty or twenty-five -horses to Virginia. - -The court records of Henrico County, Virginia, for the year 1677 contain -three distinct trials growing out of horse races for that year. In one -case the contest was for three hundred pounds of tobacco; in another -the winner was to take both horses; in the third the amount at issue -does not appear. From the readiness at sharp practice and from the -cunning dodges to get clear of paying a bet it is very evident that the -principals and the witnesses were well up in all the tricks of racing -as it was practiced at that early day. How long before 1677 racing was -practiced in Virginia I have no means of determining, but the next year -and the next, continuing to the end of that century, the records of the -court speak for themselves. In these trials I find the names of Thomas -Jefferson, Jr., grandfather of President Jefferson, and also the name of -Benjamin Harrison, the ancestor of two presidents, although they were not -principals in any of the cases. - -In Beverley’s History of Virginia, published in London, 1705, at section -ninety-four, we have the following: - - “There is yet another kind of sport, which the young people - take great delight in, and that is the hunting of wild horses; - which they pursue, sometimes with dogs and sometimes without. - You must know they have many horses foaled in the woods of the - uplands, that never were in hand and are as shy as any savage - creature. These having no mark upon them belong to him that - first takes him. However, the captor commonly purchases these - horses very dear, by spoiling better in the pursuit, in which - case he has little to make himself amends, besides the pleasure - of the chase. And very often this is all he has for it, for the - wild horses are so swift that ’tis difficult to catch them; and - when they are taken ’tis odds but their grease is melted, or - else being old they are so sullen that they can’t be tamed.” - -In the number of _Wallace’s Monthly_ for September, 1877, p. 684, will -be found a very interesting article from the pen of the late Dr. Elwood -Harvey, on “The Chincoteague Ponies,” that have from time immemorial -occupied, in a wild state, the islands of Chincoteague and Assoteague off -the eastern shore of Virginia and Maryland. The traditions relating to -their origin are very hazy and improbable, and the most reasonable one, -because it is within the range of possibilities, is that a Spanish ship -was wrecked off this part of the coast and the original ponies were on -board and swam ashore. It is well established that they have occupied -the islands for more than a hundred years. They are about thirteen hands -high, uniform in shape and resemble each other except in color, for all -colors prevail. Some of them pace a little, and they have rather light -manes and tails, and no superabundance of hair on the fetlocks. Now, the -horses of Virginia, at the period of which Mr. Beverley writes, and -of which I will have something further to say as we progress, were but -little if any larger than these semi-wild inhabitants of the islands; -they were of all colors and many of them paced. As it is well known that -the action of the ocean, so unaccountable to all human ken, one year -builds up a dike connecting islands with the mainland, and the next year, -perhaps, washes it out again, we can thus easily understand how a herd of -these semi-wild animals may have been caught and kept there. In this way, -it seems to me, the origin of the Chincoteague ponies may be easily and -rationally accounted for, without any shadow of violence to the clearest -reasoning. Mr. Hugh Jones, who, in many directions, seems to have been -a closer observer of the life of the colonists than any of the other -tourists whose writings we have examined, wrote a little work entitled -“The Present State of Virginia,” which was published in London, 1724, -expressing himself as follows, on page 48: - - “The common planters, leading easy lives, don’t much admire - labor or any manly exercise except horse-racing, nor diversion - except cock-fighting, in which some greatly delight. This - easy way of living, and the heat of the summers, make some - very lazy, who are then said to be climate struck. The saddle - horses, although not very large, are hardy, strong, and fleet; - and will pace naturally and pleasantly at a prodigious rate. - They are such lovers of riding that almost every ordinary - person keeps a horse, and I have known some spend the morning - in ranging several miles in the woods to find and catch their - horses only to ride two or three miles to church, to the - courthouse or to a horse race, where they generally appoint to - meet on business, and are more certain of finding those they - want to speak or deal with than at their home.” - -Mr. Jones here places us in close contact with the character and -habits of the people of that day, as well as with the character and -qualifications of their horses. It is not to be inferred, I think, that -all their horses were pacers, but that all their saddle horses were -pacers there can be little doubt. This is the first intimation we have -from Virginia that some of their pacers were very fast, and when Mr. -Jones says “they could pace naturally and pleasantly at a prodigious -rate,” he means that the speed was marvelous, wonderful, astonishing. -This “prodigious rate,” in a good measure, balances Dr. McSparran’s -account of the Narragansett, which he had seen go a mile “in a little -over two minutes and a good deal less than three,” and gives strength -to the statement of Mr. Lewis, that when a boy he had ridden in pacing -matches and return matches between the Rhode Islanders and the Virginians. - -In the _Virginia Gazette_, under date of January 11, 1739, we find the -following advertisement, to which we invite special attention, as it -brings out some facts which, inferentially, throw a great deal of light -upon horse racing, up to that period: - - “This is to give notice that there will be run for at Mr. - Joseph Seawall’s, in Gloucester County, on the first Tuesday in - April next, a Purse of Thirty Pistoles, by any horse, mare or - gelding; all sized horses to carry 140 lbs. and Galloways to - be allowed weight for inches, to pay one Pistole entrance, if - a subscriber, and two if not, and the entrance money to go to - the second horse, etc. And on the day following, on the same - course, there will be a Saddle, Bridle and Housing, of five - pounds value, to be run for by any horse, mare or gelding that - never won a prize of that value, four miles, before. Each horse - to pay five shillings entrance and that to go to the horse that - comes in second. And on the day following there is to be run - for, by horses not exceeding thirteen hands, a hunting saddle, - bridle and whip. Each horse to pay two shillings and sixpence - at entrance, to be given to the horse that comes in second. - Happy is he that can get the highest rider.” - -The first point suggested by this advertisement is that there were no -distinctions made except by size, and that, at this date, 1739, there -were no English race horses then in Virginia. The second point is that -there was such a thing as “horse size” but what size this was I have -not been able to discover. The third point is that Galloways were -allowed weight for inches. They were evidently below “horse size.” But -they were expected to enter for the big purse of the meeting, and they -must, therefore, have ranked as good race horses; but what did they -mean by “Galloway?” This is the only instance in which I have met the -term in Virginian history, although it is well known in general horse -lore. “Galloway” is an old name of a territorial division of Scotland, -embracing Wigtonshire, part of Ayrshire, etc., in the southwestern -part of that country, and was at one time famous for the excellence of -its pacers, and it is probable they were to be found there after the -influx of eastern blood had driven the pacer from all other portions of -Great Britain. The Irish Hobbie, always undersized, was a famous race -horse, as well as a pacer, many generations before the period now under -consideration. The name “Galloway” is only known in history and is not -to be found on any modern map. I have learned by many experiences that -the name is very generally believed to be Irish and is confounded with -“Galway,” an Irish county. It is known that an Irish gentleman shipped -many cattle to the colony, and it is quite possible that he shipped -horses also, and if this reasoning be right, these “Galloways” may have -been Irish “Hobbies.” It will be observed, also, that the distance to be -run is not definitely stated, but it is fairly to be concluded that the -race of the second day was to be four miles, and none of them less than -one mile, and that in heats. Races of four-mile heats were very common -long before the first English race horse was imported. - -We here have a stock of horses that the people of Virginia have bred and -ridden and raced for a hundred years, and we know comparatively nothing -about them. They seem to have been specially adapted to the saddle, but -they could run four miles, or they could run a quarter of a mile, like an -arrow from a bow. They were not a breed, although selecting and crossing -and interbreeding for a hundred years would make them quite homogeneous. -There is a romantic interest attaching to these little horses, for we -have reached the middle of the eighteenth century, and all the successive -idols of this race-loving people are about to be dethroned by their own -act, and their homage transferred to a stranger—a larger and finer animal -and faster over a distance of ground. Whatever of glory and honor, to say -nothing of money, that was to be achieved from this time forward was to -be ascribed to the newly arrived English race horse. But the truth should -not be concealed that this old stock furnished half the foundation, in -a vast majority of cases, for the triumphs of future generations of the -Virginia race horse, and the same may be said of the old English stock -upon which the eastern blood was engrafted. About the middle of the -eighteenth century the line was drawn, and there was thereafter developed -the engrafting of the new upon the old. In 1751-52, Moreton’s imported -Traveller was there, and he was the only English race horse advertised -that year. There may have been two or three others, but they had not made -themselves known to the public, and I very much doubt whether there was -any other. A very few years later there were many others, and some of -them of great celebrity. - -Mr. J. F. D. Smith made an extended tour of the colonies, especially -of Virginia, before the Revolutionary war, and he suffered some of the -inconveniences growing out of the rising hostility to the mother country. -In speaking of quarter racing, he says: - - “In the southern part of the colony and in North Carolina, - they are much attached to Quarter Racing, which is always a - match between two horses to run one quarter of a mile, straight - out, being merely an exertion of speed; and they have a breed - that perform it with astonishing velocity, beating every other - for that distance with great ease, but they have no bottom. - However, I am confident that there is not a horse in England, - nor perhaps in the whole world, that can excel them in rapid - speed; and these likewise make excellent saddle horses for the - road.” - -It will be observed that Mr. Smith speaks of these heavily muscled -horses as a _breed_, which expression, I suppose, is intended to be used -in a restricted sense. In the many generations of horses that would -necessarily succeed each other in a century, in the hands of a people -so devotedly fond of racing, it is merely an exercise of common sense, -among barbarous as well as civilized people all over the world, to “breed -to the winner.” In this way, and without any infusion of outside blood, -there would be improvement in the strength and fleetness of all animals -bred for the quarter path. He remarks further that “these likewise make -excellent saddle horses for the road.” In that day nothing was accepted -as a “saddle horse” that could not take the pacing gait and its various -modifications. This was true of Virginians of that day, and it is still -true of their descendants who have built up new States further west. - -In the early days, as already intimated, it was the habit of Virginians -to brand their horses and then turn out all not in daily use to “hustle” -for their own living. As a matter of course these animals would often -stray long distances away, and not a few never were found. In due time, -legislation provided for the recovery of estrays, embracing all kinds -of domestic animals as well as negro slaves. Fortunately this enables -me to reach what may be considered “original data,” in determining the -size and habits of action of the early Virginian horses. As the field -of my examination, I have taken the _Virginia Gazette_, for the years -1751 and 1752, published at Williamsburgh, and in these volumes I find -a great many advertisements of “Strayed or Stolen” animals scattered -through the pages; and in the second especially a great many “Taken Up” -advertisements appear. In a very large proportion of these notices, -perhaps a majority of them, all the description that is given is the -color, sex and brand, with occasionally some natural mark. As a matter -of course these are of no value for the object in view. In some cases -the size is given without the gait, and in others the gait is given -without the size, in a few both size and gait are given. The range of -size is from one of fifteen hands down to one of twelve hands, with more -of thirteen hands than any other size, either above or below. The true -average of the whole number is a little over thirteen hands and one inch, -and none of them are called ponies. As further evidence of the small size -of the colonial Virginia horses we find that in 1686 the legislature of -Virginia passed an act providing for the forfeiture of all stallions -under thirteen and a half hands high found running at large. It provided -that any person might take up such stallion and carry him before a -justice of the peace, and if he measured less than thirteen and a half -hands, the justice was required to certify to the measurement and the -facts, and the horse passed legally to his new owner. - -As to the gaits I find just twice as many pacers as trotters. -Double-gaited animals, of which there were a few, I have here classed -with the pacers. That many of these little fellows were very stout and -tough is fully demonstrated by the fact that they could run heats of -four miles with a hundred and forty pounds on their backs. This closes -the first epoch in the history of the Virginia horse. The fleet and -compact little horse of thirteen to fourteen hands had had his day, and -he was now about to be overshadowed by a greater in speed and a greater -in stature. Much of the blood of the little fellow that could run four -miles and pace “at a prodigious rate,” was commingled with the blood of -the English race horse, but whatever its triumphs, the lately arrived -“foreigner” took the credit. A man would have been pronounced “clean -daft” if at that time he had dreamed that one hundred and forty years -later the blood of this little pacer would stand at the head of the great -trotting interest of the world. The tough little fellow has retained his -qualities through all the generations in which he has been neglected, -despised and forgotten, until he was taken up twenty odd years ago, and -now the names and achievements of the great pacers are as familiar to -the whole American people as ever were the name of the greatest running -horses. It is not known how long he continued to be a factor in the -racing affairs of Virginia, but probably not later than about 1760. - -From about 1750 to 1770 seems to have been a period of great prosperity -in Virginia and, notwithstanding the general improvidence of the times, -many of the large landholders and planters were getting rich from their -fine crops of tobacco and their negroes. This prosperity manifested -itself strongly in the direction of the popular sport of horse racing -and improving the size, quality, and fleetness of the running horse. -England had then been selecting, importing Eastern blood, and “breeding -to the winner” for a hundred years, with more or less intelligence and -success, while the colonists had rested content with the descendants of -the first importations from the mother country. Doubtless progress had -been made here too, but it was as the progress of a poor man against -another with great wealth and backed by the encouragements of royalty. -The English horse could then run clear away from the Saracenic horse, his -so-called progenitor, and he was very much larger than that “progenitor.” -We can understand how the speed might be increased by its development in -a series of generations and by always breeding to the fastest, but the -increase of size can hardly be accounted for as the result of climatic -causes—but we are getting away from the thought before us. When the -Virginia planter found he had a handsome balance in London, subject -to his draft, he at once ordered his factor to send him over the best -racing stallion he could find. The action of one planter stirred up -half a dozen others who felt they could not afford to be behind in the -matter of improvement, but more especially that they could not afford -to be behind in the finish at the fall and spring race meetings of the -future. These importations went on continuously for about twelve years, -and until they were interrupted by the excited relations and feelings -between the colonies and the mother country and the preparations for the -War of the Revolution, which was then imminent. After the close of the -Revolution a perfect avalanche of race horses was poured upon us, some of -which were good, but a great majority of them were never heard of after -their arrival, on the race course or elsewhere. But up to the close of -the century they had not succeeded in exterminating the pacer—the saddle -horse of a hundred generations. - -As a specimen of how absurdly a man can talk and even write on subjects -of which he knows nothing, I cannot refrain from giving the following -from what an Englishman had to say in 1796 about the horses and -horsemanship of Virginia: - - “The horses in common use in Virginia are all of a light - description, chiefly adapted for the saddle; some of them are - handsome, but are for the most part spoiled by the false gaits - which they are taught. The Virginians are wretched horsemen, - as indeed are all the Americans I have met with, excepting - some few in the neighborhood of New York. They ride with their - toes just under the horse’s nose, and their stirrup straps left - extremely long, and the saddle being put three or four inches - on the mane. As for the management of the reins, it is what - they have no conception of. A trot is odious to them, and they - express the utmost astonishment at a person who can like that - uneasy gait, as they call it. The favorite gaits which all - their horses are taught are a pace and a _wrack_. In the first - the animal moves his two feet on one side at the same time - and gets on with a sort of a shuffling motion, being unable - to spring from the ground on these two feet, as in a trot. We - should call this an unnatural gait, as none of our horses would - ever move in that manner without a rider; but the Americans - insist upon it that it is otherwise, because many of their - colts pace as soon as born. These kind of horses are called - “natural pacers” and it is a matter of the utmost difficulty to - make them move in any other manner. But it is not one horse in - five hundred that would pace without being taught.” - -There can hardly be a doubt that our English friend in his “Travels -Through the States” noted and wrote down just what he thought he saw, -and when he saw anything that he never had seen in England, he was -ready to either deny its existence altogether or to insist that there -was some mistake about it. Poor man, he could not understand how there -could be anything outside of England that could not be found in England. -His vision, mental and physical, seems to have been restricted to the -shores of his own island home, and he was probably a descendant of a -very good man we once heard of. As you sail up the Firth of Clyde you -pass an island of three or four miles in extent, called Cumbrae. At -the head of ecclesiastical affairs in the island was a very pious man, -some generations back, and every Sunday morning he prayed that the Lord -would bless the “kingdom of Cumbrae and the adjacent islands of Great -Britain and Ireland.” The author of “Travels Through the States” was -evidently one of the very numerous descendants of this good man, as -they are scattered all over England, and as I am a strong believer in -the laws of heredity, I can hardly avoid this conclusion. Indeed, some -of the numerous tribe, tracing their genealogy through many generations -back to “The kingdom of Cumbrae,” have found their way across the water, -and at another place I will pay my respects to them. But to return to -our traveler: there can be no doubt about his never having seen a pacer -in England, for the last one had disappeared before his day, unless an -occasional one might have been found in the old province of Galloway, in -the southern part of Scotland. If he had known the history of the horses -of his own country he would have known that from the time of King John -down to that of James I., the pacer was the most popular and fashionable -horse in England, and that the nobility and gentry used no other kind -for the saddle. He was always of “a mean stature,” but he was compact, -hardy and strong, and could carry his burden a long journey in a day with -great ease and comfort to his rider. In the reign of Elizabeth, he was -kept separate from others, and bred as a breed on account of his easy, -gliding motion, which he transmitted to his progeny. At the time of the -plantation of the English colonies in this country the pacers were very -numerous, and as they were just the type of horse suited to wilderness -life, a very large proportion of those selected were pacers. The pacers -our traveler saw in Virginia were the lineal descendants of the original -English stock brought over by the adventurers, and the awkward riding -charged upon the Virginians, with some evident exaggerations, was wisely -and sensibly adapted to the action of the horses they were riding. The -criticism of the long stirrups is wholly unjust, as they are just the -right length for the “military” seat, and nobody in this country when -mounted on a _real saddle horse_ would ever think of taking any other. -The Englishman, when mounted on his “bonesetter,” is compelled to have -his stirrups short so that he can rise and fall with every revolution the -horse makes on the trot to save himself from being shaken to death. This -up and down, up and down, tilt-hammer seat, if it can be called “a seat” -at all, is one of the most ungraceful things, especially for a lady, that -can be conceived of in all the displays of good and bad equestrianism. -The English have been compelled to adopt it because they have no trained -saddle horses, and a lot of brainless imitators about our American cities -have followed them because “it is English, you know.” If the English had -pacers and horses trained to the “saddle gaits,” they never would have -anything else, and the tilt-hammer “seat” would disappear from Rotten Row -and everywhere else. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—NEW YORK. - - Settlement of New Amsterdam—Horses from Curaçoa—Prices of - Dutch and English horses—Van der Donck’s description and size - of horses—Horses to be branded—Stallions under fourteen hands - not to run at large—Esopus horse—Surrender to the English, - 1664—First organized racing—Dutch horses capable of improvement - in speed—First advertised Subscription Plate—First restriction, - contestants must “be bred in America”—Great racing and heavy - betting—First importations of English running horses—Half-breds - to the front—True foundation of American pedigrees—Half bushel - of dollars on a side—Resolutions of the Continental Congress - against racing—Withdrawal of Mr. James De Lancey—Pacing and - trotting contests everywhere—Rip Van Dam’s horse and his cost. - - -For several years after Henry Hudson, an Englishman in the employ of -the Dutch, discovered the harbor of New York and the great river which -took his name, in the year 1609, there is uncertainty and doubt as to -the nature of the settlement. For a time it seems to have been merely a -trading post, occupied only by those in the employment of the company -that owned it, and without many of the elements requisite to make up -a permanent colony. At Fort Orange (Albany) and at Esopus (Kingston), -the conditions were the same as at New Amsterdam, as New York was then -named. The first party of immigrants that seemed to have the elements of -permanent colonization about it arrived in 1625, and consisted of six -families and several single men, making in all forty-five persons, with -furniture, utensils, etc., and one hundred and three head of cattle. -Doubtless some of these “cattle” were horses, and the general instead -of the specific term was used in enumerating them. Very little is known -of the early horse history of the New Netherlands, as the whole region -was then named; there can be no doubt, however, that they increased and -multiplied. Sometime, probably about 1643, a cargo or two of horses were -brought up from Curaçoa and Azuba, in the Dutch West Indies, but the -climatic change was too great for them, and they did not do well, being -specially subject to diseases from which the Dutch horses seemed to have -complete immunity. In 1647, Isaac Allerton, as agent, was authorized to -sell twenty or twenty-five of these horses to Virginia, and whether the -authorities were able thus to get clear of a bad investment does not -appear from the existing records. In a report to the home company, made -in 1650, I find the following prices were given at that time: A young -mare with second foal, one hundred and fifty florins; stallion, four or -five years old, one hundred and thirty florins; milch cow, one hundred -florins. The same report makes a comparison by giving the prices of -New England horses, as follows: A good mare one hundred to one hundred -and twenty florins; stallion, one hundred florins; milch cow, sixty to -seventy florins. Neither horses nor cows were then allowed to be shipped -out of the province without permission of the council. - -Adrien Van der Donck wrote a description of New Netherlands which was -published 1656, in which he speaks of the horse stock as follows: - - “The horses are of the proper breed for husbandry, having been - brought from Utrecht for that purpose; and this stock has not - diminished in size or quality. There are also horses of the - English breed which are lighter, not so good for agricultural - use, but fit for the saddle. These do not cost as much as the - Netherlands breed and are easily obtained.” - -From a large number of facts collected for the years 1777 and 1778 the -horses then averaged about fourteen hands and one inch, and when compared -with earlier data it is evident they had increased in height. In the -gaits of those advertised, fifteen both paced and trotted, nine trotted -only, and seven paced only. As this was in the period of the Revolution, -and right in the center of hostilities, some allowance should be made for -horses from other colonies. - -The people of this colony, like those of all the others, branded their -horses and turned them out to seek their own living in the summer season, -and this resulted in many losses, and oftentimes in much bad feeling. -The Dutch were not accustomed, in the “old country,” to building fences -around their crops high enough and strong enough to keep out all the -droves and herds of animals running at large. In the line of improvement -and increase of size in their horses, they provided that all stallions -running at large, of two years and nine months old, must be fourteen -hands high or be castrated. This law was in force in 1734, and no doubt -was effective. Among the many laws for the suppression of vice of -different kinds, I find one prohibiting horse racing on Sunday, and from -this we might infer that it was not forbidden on other days of the week. - -In old newspapers, advertisements, etc., we sometimes come across “Esopus -Horses, Esopus Mares,” and, for years, I was not able to tell what this -term meant. The locality of Kingston was originally called Esopus, and in -that neighborhood there were several farmers who bred horses largely, at -an early day in the history of the colony, and the locality became famous -for the character and quality of the horses produced there. They were of -the best and purest Dutch blood, and for what we would call “all-purpose -horses” their fame was very wide in that day. Hence I infer that the term -“Esopus” was used to indicate what was considered the best type of Dutch -horses. There is danger of going astray in the meaning of the term “Dutch -horses,” as in later times it was applied to the great, massive draft -horses of Pennsylvania. They were better “for agricultural purposes,” as -Van der Donck puts it, than the Connecticut horses, because they were -larger and stronger, but they were sprightly and active and some of them -could run very well. They had a fine reputation in the adjoining colonies. - -New Amsterdam, and consequently all the plantations in New Netherlands, -surrendered to Colonel Nicolls, commanding the British forces, August -27, 1664. Colonel Nicolls remained as governor of the colony three or -four years and until he was succeeded by Governor Lovelace. Among his -early official acts, Governor Nicolls laid out a race course on Hempstead -Plains, and named it Newmarket, after the famous course in England. -No engineering or grading was necessary, as nature had already made a -perfect course without stick or stone or other obstruction. The first -race was run 1665, and although it was a long distance from the city, -the presence of the governor gave the occasion prestige and there was a -great gathering of the gentry from town, and the farmers of Long Island. -These meetings were kept up annually by the appointment of succeeding -governors, and after a time they were held twice a year, spring and -fall. There are some very important facts about these races that are not -known and probably never will be known, namely, who were the nominators -and what breed of horses were entered in these contests. With these -two essential facts left out the value of the information is greatly -impaired. As it is known, however, that there were but two breeds or -types of horses that could have been engaged in these contests, it -becomes a matter of interest to reach a conclusion as to which were the -victors. Mr. John Austin Stevens has done some very excellent work on -this part of the horse history of New York, but I cannot agree with him -in his characterization of the Dutch horses as being Flemish. They did -not come from Flanders, but from Utrecht. They were not great unwieldy -brutes, such as we would associate with Flanders, but hardy, compact -animals that could make their way in the wilderness. Although larger, -it does not follow that they could not run as fast or even faster than -the New England ponies. All breeds of horses were very much smaller -two hundred years ago than they are now. These races were instituted, -evidently, for the improvement of the breed of horses in the colony, and -the great majority of these horses were the descendants of the original -stock brought from Utrecht. We must, therefore, conclude that they were -not slow, heavy, unwieldy animals with no action, as the language of Mr. -Stevens would seem to imply, but capable of improvement in the direction -of speed. No doubt there were very many New England horses in the colony, -“lighter and better adapted to the saddle,” but neither the interests nor -the pride of the old Dutch settlers would have permitted them to support -racing for a period of more than eighty years, unless the early Utrecht -blood was represented. Besides this, the weights carried, one hundred and -forty pounds, and the distance, generally two-mile heats, were conditions -that were strongly against the New Englanders, even if they were lighter -of foot. With these two breeds in the field, we may accept it as an -inevitable sequence that the superior qualities of the one would very -soon be engrafted on the other, and by this process of breeding, a better -type would be produced than either of the originals. This first step was -only a prelude to the next, and that again to the next, until the common, -plain lesson was thoroughly learned, that if a running horse was wanted -the way to get him was to breed to a running horse that had proved he -was a running horse. The improvement became very wide and general, and -occasionally an animal was produced with such phenomenal speed that he -was barred from stakes and purses. On this foundation, and this alone, -the running turf was built up and continued for about eighty years, with -occasional intervals, when the gamblers made it so nasty that no decent -people would go near it. - -The first subscription plate race of which we have any trace is to be -found in the _New York Gazette_, of September 27, 1736, of which the -advertisement is given below. The course indicated is believed to have -been on the Church Farm, west of Broadway, and not far from where the -Astor House now stands. There is no account of what horses won, and all -we know is just what is in the advertisement. - - “On Wednesday, the 13th of October next, will be run for, on - the course at New York, a plate of twenty pounds’ value, by any - horse, mare or gelding, carrying ten stone (saddle and bridle - included), the best of three heats, two miles each heat. Horses - intended to run for the plate are to be entered the day before - the race, with Francis Child, on Fresh Water Hill, paying a - half pistole each, or at the post on the day of running, paying - a pistole. And the next day being the 14th, will be run for, - on the same course, by all or any of the horses that started - for the twenty-pound plate (the winning horse excepted) the - entrance money, on the conditions above. Proper judges will be - named to determine any disputes that may arise. All persons on - horseback or in chairs, coming into the field (the subscribers - and winning horse only excepted) are to pay sixpence each to - the owner of the grounds.” - -Passing on to 1747 we find a duplication of the foregoing for the plate -race of that year, with some variations. Entries are restricted to -animals that never won a plate before “on this island,” and a horse -named Parrot is not permitted to compete. This race was advertised -to take place on the Church Farm. The next that I will notice is the -advertisement of this same stake for 1751, when the weight was reduced to -eight stone, and in addition to the usual exclusion of previous winners, -we have for the first time a restriction of the entries to animals “_bred -in America_.” At the May meeting at Hempstead Plains, the year following, -1752, the entries are again restricted to animals “bred in America.” -From this, then, we are able to fix the precise period when English Race -Horses were first brought to this colony. At this time there were two or -three other courses on Manhattan Island, besides several noted speeding -grounds on the roads and elsewhere, for the trotters and the pacers, of -which no advertisements appear, and consequently no notice was taken by -the newspaper press. - -From about 1760 up to the time when the Revolutionary struggle began -to engross and absorb all thought and all action, racing received a -tremendous impetus, not only in this colony but in others. Ten or twelve -years before this a very few rich men in Maryland, Virginia and South -Carolina commenced importing English running-bred horses with great -success, and Mr. James De Lancey and other rich men of this colony were -only a year or two behind them. This fancy grew and spread until a -great many breeders and planters of the richer class had imported stock -of their own, while their less wealthy neighbors were well supplied -with half-breds. These half-breds were, for a short time, classed by -themselves and purses were offered and run for, restricted to this class. -After experimenting with animals bred in this way it was found that not -a few of them were able to hold their own in any company. Mr. Morris’ -mare Strumpet was only half-bred, but she was able to beat many of the -imported animals, as well as the full-breds that started against her. -From this it would appear that breeding for speed for a hundred years had -produced results in this country as well as in England. These experiments -led many owners of old-fashioned stock to try it, and right there is -where thousands and thousands of our best old American pedigrees end. -The decade from 1750 to 1760 witnessed a complete transformation from -the old methods to the new, from the old blood to the new, and more than -all from the old managers to the new. During the next decade, from 1760 -to 1770, the new blood came out in great strength, and the saturnalia of -horse racing grew more and more furious. Purses of a hundred dollars, as -in the olden time, sprang up to ten times that sum, and matches were made -for sums that were fabulous in that day. One match, between Mr. Delaney -of Maryland and Mr. De Lancey of New York, specified the consideration on -each side as a half bushel of silver Mexican dollars, and the Marylander -had the satisfaction of carrying home a bushel of silver dollars. The -great struggle, in New York, for supremacy on the turf was between the De -Lancey family and the Morris family. These two families had been bitter -political rivals for years, and when they met on the turf it was for -“blood.” The De Lanceys were Tories and the Morrises were Whigs, and this -intensified the feeling that had so long existed between them. When the -Continental Congress adopted that remarkable resolution, advising the -people to abstain from horse racing, cock fighting, gambling and some -other more slight offenses, on the grounds of “economy,” in view of the -approaching conflict with the mother country, the effect was thrilling -and electrical. Every man who loved his home and his country obeyed it. -True, as I have said, it was drawn in the form of advice and in the -interests of “economy,” but there was but one great evil, one great -prodigality at which it was aimed, and that was the gambling connected -with horse racing. It was well aimed and struck the bull’s eye. It came -in the midst of preparations for the greatest race meetings ever then -projected, but everything was dropped and there it lay through all the -years of the bloody struggle and until peace again smiled upon a land -of free men. Before avowed hostilities commenced, Mr. James De Lancey, -one of the first and largest importers and breeders of his day, sold out -every animal of the horse kind that he possessed and retired to England. -Thus, as the colonial period drew to its close, the brave little colonial -horse that had weathered the storms of a hundred winters and carried his -master in safety and comfort through all that time, is superseded by -another race, and no one has ever attempted to write even so much as his -epitaph. - -As the contests of speed considered, up to this point, have all been -at the running gait, I must not close my review of this colony without -giving some attention to the pacers and the trotters. At these gaits -all sources of information are almost hopelessly barren of facts and -incidents. We know that the running horses of the colonial period were -the saddle horses of the country, and we know that the best and most -fashionable saddle horses were pacers. When we connect these two facts -and place them alongside of the pacing and trotting experiences of -Pennsylvania and New Jersey, we have no difficulty in reaching the safe -conclusion that the same conditions would produce the same results as -in those two States. Pacing and trotting contests were just as frequent -and as exciting in this colony as in any other, but they were sustained -chiefly by road-house keepers and butchers, and were never advertised. -Matches were made one hour and decided on the road in the next. In the -“Annals of New York,” compiled and published in 1832, by John F. Watson, -we find the following curious, but very valuable, scrap of horse history: - - “Some twenty or thirty years before the Revolution, the steeds - most prized for the saddle were pacers, since so odious deemed. - To this end the breed was propagated with much care. The - Narragansett pacers of Rhode Island were in such repute that - they were sent for, at much trouble and expense, by some few - who were choice in their selections. It may amuse the present - generation to peruse the history of one such horse, spoken of - in the letter of Rip Van Dam of New York, in the year of 1711, - which I have seen. He states the fact of the trouble he had - taken to procure him such a horse. He was shipped from Rhode - Island in a sloop, from which he jumped overboard when under - sail, and swam ashore to his former home. Having been brought - back he arrived in New York, in thirteen days’ passage, much - reduced in flesh and spirit. He cost thirty-two pounds and his - freight fifty shillings. This writer, Rip Van Dam, was a great - personage, he having been president of the Council in 1731, and - on the death of Governor Montgomery that year, he was governor, - ex-officio, of New York. His mural monument is now to be seen - in St. Paul’s Church.” - -As New England saddle horses were only worth forty dollars in 1650, and -this horse cost more than four times as much, when horses were more -plentiful, we must conclude that he was a fine specimen of the breed, and -was, probably, bought for stock purposes. The date of this transaction is -a significant fact that should not be forgotten, as 1711 is the same year -in which the first of the two great founders of the English race horse, -Darley Arabian, was brought to England. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—NEW ENGLAND. - - First importations to Boston and to Salem—Importations - from Holland brought high prices—They were not pacers and - not over fourteen hands—In 1640 horses were exported to - the West Indies—First American newspaper and first horse - advertisement—Average sizes—The different gaits—CONNECTICUT, - first plantation, 1636—Post horses provided for by law—All - horses branded—Sizes and Gaits—An Englishman’s experience - with pacers—Lindsay’s Arabian—RHODE ISLAND, Founded by Roger - Williams, 1636—No direct importations ever made—Horses largely - exported to other colonies 1690—Possibly some to Canada—Pacing - races a common amusement—Prohibited 1749—Size of the - Narragansetts compared with the Virginians. - - -In 1629 the London founders of the plantation of Massachusetts Bay sent -out six vessels laden with emigrants, horses, cattle, goats, etc. These -vessels brought some twenty-five head of mares and stallions, that -were valued at six pounds each and all owned by the company in London, -except three mares from Leicester, that were owned by private parties. -At that time there seems to have been some rivalry between Boston and -Salem as a shipping point, but this fleet came to Boston harbor. This -same year (1629) Salem seems to have had six or seven mares and one -stallion, besides forty cows, and forty goats. From this it might be -safely inferred that a part of this fleet put into Salem harbor, or that -there may have been another and somewhat earlier shipment of which we -have no details. Salem was really founded in 1626, and the settlement -at Charlestown, Boston, dates from the same year. The next year about -sixty head were shipped to the plantation, but many were lost during the -voyage, of both horses and cattle. Several other shipments followed, -but nothing worthy of special note, till 1635, when two Dutch ships -arrived at Salem with twenty-seven mares, valued at thirty-four pounds -each, and three stallions. Some writers have spoken of these mares as -“Flanders mares,” but I have not been able to find any evidence or even -indication that this might have been the fact. The records show they -were Dutch ships, and that on a given day they sailed out of the Texel, -a Dutch port, far away from Flanders. I think, therefore, we are safe in -concluding they were “Dutch mares,” and they should be so designated. -Just about this period they were bringing Dutch horses from Utrecht, in -Holland, to the Dutch colony at New Amsterdam, and it was well known -in Holland as well as in New England that the Dutch horses brought -much better prices in New England than the English importations. It is -probable, further, that these Dutch traders were looking out for a choice -of markets, as between New England and New Netherlands. These mares -were valued at thirty-five pounds each, the record says, but we are not -informed as to the price that was really paid for them. There is a very -wide discrepancy between the figure at which these mares were “valued” -and the cost of the mares that were brought from England. The English -company charged the colony six pounds each for the horses sent from -there, and ten pounds freight. - -I have labored assiduously to get at such data as would afford a safe -basis upon which to determine the size and other qualities of these -Dutch horses. They were larger than the English horses of that period -and they were more muscular, with greater weight of bone. They were, -doubtless, better adapted to the various offices of the “general purpose” -horse than their English contemporaries, in every respect, except the -saddle. There is no distinctive evidence that they were pacers or could -go any of the saddle gaits, in their own right. It is probably safe to -conclude that the original importations would not average more than -fourteen and a half hands high, and very likely the exact truth, if -it could be reached, would place them below that figure rather than -above it. The process of reducing the size commenced as soon as they -arrived: for the English horses had saddle qualities which the Dutch -did not possess, and everybody wanted a saddle horse. Still the Dutch -blood was highly prized, and a hundred and fifty years afterward it -was no uncommon thing, especially in the valley of the Connecticut, -to meet with the advertisements of stallions seeking patronage on the -strength of “Dutch blood.” This, for a time, was a puzzle to me, but -as we consider the horse interests of the region of the Hudson and the -Mohawk Valley extending eastward and that of eastern Massachusetts -extending westward along with the current of emigration, it is not -difficult to understand how the blood of the Dutch horse should have -become so generally diffused. On the one hand we had the much-desired -saddle qualities, and on the other we had the much-desired increase of -size without deterioration in appearance. Thus owners were accommodated -and the horse stock of the country was improved by the interbreeding -of the two nationalities. It is not necessary to further particularize -different importations. It is sufficient to say that they were very -numerous, and the multiplying of the stock was carried forward with vigor -and success. Five years later—1640—the colonists not only had all the -horses they needed, but they shipped a cargo of eighty head to Barbadoes. -From the colony of Massachusetts Bay all the plantations of New England -secured their foundation stock of horses, hence they are here considered -collectively. - -The people of the Plymouth plantation were very slow in providing -themselves with horses, and it was not till after 1632 that they had any. -It is hard to conceive of a colony like that of Massachusetts Bay living -and flourishing for a period of, say, eighty years without a newspaper, -and yet such is the fact. The Boston _News-Letter_, the first newspaper, -so called, in this country, was established May 29, 1704, and it lived -many years. The early colonial newspapers, from one end of the land to -the other, were anything and everything but newspapers, as we understand -the meaning of the title in our day. If a boy fell off a building in -London and broke his leg, six weeks before, it was liable to appear as an -item of “news” in the local American newspaper, but if the same accident -happened the week before, in a neighboring town, it was never mentioned. -The name “newspaper” attached to such publications was a fraud. - -The following is a copy of the first horse advertisement ever published -in this country, and for that reason it is worthy of preservation. It was -taken from the Boston _News-Letter_ of November 19, 1705: - - “Strayed from Mr. John Wilson of Braintree, at Mr. Havens’ - in Kingston, in Narragansett, about a fortnight ago, a - sorrel mare, low stature, four white feet, a white face, - shod all round, her near ear tore, has a long white tail and - mane. Whoever will give any intelligence of her ... will be - sufficiently rewarded.” - -As this was in the period when the Narragansett pacers had reached their -greatest fame, we might argue that this mare had been sent down to -Kingston from Braintree, Massachusetts, to be wintered and to be bred -in the spring to some famous horse in Kingston, the very center of the -horse-breeding interests of that day. - -Under the date of June 17, 1706, I find a bay horse advertised as -“strayed or stolen: fourteen hands high, hardly possible to make him -gallop,” and October 28, 1706, a black gelding “fourteen hands high, -paces, trots, and gallops.” Then in the years 1731 and 1732 I find a -“black mare fourteen and three-quarter hands, trots and paces;” a “black -horse twelve hands,” no gait given; “black gelding, fourteen hands, -races, trots, and gallops;” “bay horse large, good pacer;” “roan mare, -fourteen hands, paces and trots.” But the field which I specially gleaned -was for the years 1756-59, where I found the average height was fourteen -hands one inch, the data including eight pacers and two trotters. This, -I think, may be taken as fairly representative of the size and habit -of action of Massachusetts horses in the first half of the eighteenth -century. - -In 1636 the first plantation was made in Connecticut at Hartford by the -Rev. Thomas Hooker and over a hundred of his congregation with him. They -left nothing behind, but brought all their domestic animals to their new -home. I have not been able to discover just how many horses they brought -with them, but in a few decades they had a great abundance and to spare. -In 1653 the General Court at New Haven made provision for keeping public -saddle horses for hire and fixed the rate of charges for their use. It -also prohibited the sale of horses outside of the colony. In 1658 all -horses, young and old, had to be branded by an officer appointed for -that purpose, and it required several years of legislation before the -system of branding, selling and recording could be so perfected as to -prevent dishonesty and frauds. In 1674 an act was passed providing and -enjoining that all colts entire and stallions running at large, under -thirteen hands high, should be gelded. This law also required a good -deal of amending before it could be made to work smoothly. The size of -the Connecticut horses about the time of the Revolution was an average -of thirteen hands three inches, thus ranging below the other New England -colonies. In 1778 horse racing was prohibited under the penalty of -forfeiture of the horse and a fine of forty shillings. In 1776 a careful -compilation of the gaits of the horses of that period, embracing nineteen -individuals, taken as they came, showed that fifteen were pacers, or -pacers and trotters, and four were trotters only. As an evidence of -the quality of the Connecticut pacers, take the following passage from -a little volume published 1769, in England, entitled “A Voyage to North -America,” by G. Taylor, Sheffield, England, 1768-69: - - “After dinner at New London, Conn., Mr. Williams and I took - post horses, with a guide to New Haven. Their horses are, in - general of less size than ours, but extremely stout and hardy. - A man will ride the same horse a hundred miles a day, for - several days together, in a journey of five or eight hundred - miles, perhaps, and the horse is never cleaned. They naturally - pace, though in no graceful or easy manner, but with such - swiftness and for so long a continuance as must seem incredible - to those who have not proved it by experience.” - -This is a very different view of the pacer from that expressed by another -Englishman who visited Virginia in 1796. He had never seen a pacer before -and he was wholly unwilling to believe his host when he assured him it -was a natural gait and that many colts paced from the day they were -foaled. This, to the mind of the Englishman could not be true, he says, -“for none of our horses ever move in that manner.” (See Virginia, pp. -117-118). - -The most noted horse ever owned in Connecticut, at least in colonial -days, was the horse named and known in later times as Lindsay’s Arabian. -When I was younger I accepted the marvelous story of the origin and early -history of this horse, of which a brief account is given in the chapter -on the “American Race Horse,” to which reference is here made. This -acceptance on my part of the romantic story was largely superinduced by -a statement made by a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, -that he had examined the animal when he was old and found on three of -his legs undoubted physical evidence that they had at one time been -broken. This appeared in a reputable publication, but when compared with -some other facts in the history of the horse that are known, there can -hardly be a doubt that the examination by the justice was a fiction. -When I began to realize that the marvelous story was a mere fiction my -“wrath waxed hot” against the people of “the land of steady habits,” to -say nothing of “wooden nutmegs,” until Mr. O. W. Cook made it very plain -that the people of Connecticut never had heard of the remarkable story. -(See _Wallace’s Monthly_, Vol. VI., p. 251). Thus it became evident -that the whole story had been fabricated in Maryland and was a kind of -“green goods” method for catching the unwary. These are my apologies -to the general public and especially to the Connecticut public for -supposing them guilty of any such fraud. The naked truth of the matter -is, that while this horse may have been imported from England, his public -advertisements clearly indicate that his owners knew nothing of his blood -or early history. - -The colony of Rhode Island was planted by Roger Williams and his -followers in 1636, and the first patent giving it a legal existence -was obtained 1647. It was an offshoot from Massachusetts and a protest -against the intolerance of that colony in religious affairs. For several -years I made renewed and persistent efforts to discover whether in -the early colonial period Rhode Island had ever imported any horses -from foreign countries, and after exhausting every source of recorded -information, I have not been able to find a single intimation of such -importation. It is evident, therefore, that the famous Narragansett -pacer is simply the result of carefully selecting and breeding from -the best and the fastest of the descendants of the English pacers, to -be found everywhere in the colony of Massachusetts. The superiority of -the Narragansett pacer over all others of his kind seemed to suggest -the probability that he must have possessed blood that was superior to -all others, and to supply this “want,” a Rhode Islander advanced the -claim that his grandfather had imported the original stock from Spain. -Unfortunately for this “claim” there were two difficulties in the way -of accepting it. First, there were no pacers in Spain, and second, the -Narragansett pacers were famous for their speed and value before the -grandfather was born, or at least before he was out of his swaddling -clothes. - -The horse interests of Rhode Island seem to have been active and -successful from the very founding of the colony, and the fame of her -pacers extended to all the American colonies at a very early day. When -the authorities made their report to the Board of Trade at London, in -1690, showing what they had produced and where and how they had disposed -of their surplus, they place horses at the head of their products and -state that they are shipped to all the English colonies on the American -coast. This statement is sustained by corresponding facts that are known -in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Trading with the French colonies -in Canada was rigorously prohibited, but it is quite probable that many a -good pacing horse found his way to the St. Lawrence in exchange for pelts -and furs. But, as the Narragansett and the pacer generally will be fully -considered in another part of this volume, the reader is referred to the -chapters wholly devoted to those topics. - -That racing was a common amusement of the people of Rhode Island is fully -established by the very best of contemporaneous evidence, and by the -silver plate prizes won, that are said to be still in existence in some -of the old families. Attempts have been made to laugh this statement out -of court, on the grounds that Rhode Island was a Puritan colony, and -such a thing as a horse race would not be tolerated for a single day. -This attempt shows a great deal more smartness than knowledge, for Rhode -Island was not a Puritan colony, as that term is generally understood, -but had for its very foundation opposition to the spirit of intolerance -that prevailed in all the other New England colonies. But, what is still -more conclusive, the legislature of the colony in 1749 enacted a law -prohibiting all racing, under a penalty of forfeiture of the horse and -a fine of one hundred dollars. As in other colonies not in New England -racing and betting had become so common that the moral sense of the -people rose up and abolished it. If there had been no racing there would -have been no law to wipe it out. - -When the Rev. Dr. McSparran, of Rhode Island, made a trip in Virginia -and rode the Virginia pacers some hundreds of miles, early in the last -century, he seems to have observed them closely and spoke very highly of -them, but he said they were not so large and strong as the Narragansetts, -nor so easy and gliding in their action. It might be suggested that this -opinion was the natural result of esteeming one’s own as better than -those of a neighbor, but he was certainly right in the matter of size. In -1768 the Rhode Island horses averaged fourteen hands one inch, while the -Virginia horses averaged (1750-52) thirteen hands one and three-quarter -inches, making a difference of three and one-quarter inches in height. -In the matter of gait they were not all natural pacers, for out of -thirty-five there were eight that did not pace, and some of the others -both paced and trotted. From this it may be inferred that breeders, in -order to increase the size, had incorporated more or less of the blood of -the early Dutch importations. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -COLONIAL HORSE HISTORY—PENNSYLVANIA, NEW JERSEY, MARYLAND, CAROLINA. - - Penn’s arrival in 1682—Horse racing prohibited—Franklin’s - newspaper—Conestoga horses—Sizes and gaits—Swedish - origin—Acrelius’ statement. NEW JERSEY—Branding—Increase of - size—Racing, Pacing, and Trotting restricted—MARYLAND—Racing - and pacing restricted 1747—Stallions of under size to be shot. - NORTH CAROLINA—First settlers refugees—SOUTH CAROLINA—Size - and gait in 1744—Challenges—No running blood in the colony - 1744—General view. - - -When William Penn arrived on this side of the water (1682) and took -possession of his princely gift from Charles II., he found the eastern -border of his new province already occupied, though sparsely, by an -industrious and enterprising people. The old Swedish colonists as well as -a sprinkling of Englishmen and other nationalities had been there for a -good many years, and were beginning to get the necessaries as well as the -comforts of life about them. For their numbers, they had a fair supply of -horses, cattle, sheep, and swine; and the growing of cereals and fruits -of all kinds showed encouraging progress, with the promise of plenty. -The new proprietor was gladly welcomed and his rule proved kindly and -beneficent. In a letter to Lord Ormonde, after his arrival, Mr. Penn, in -describing the condition of things in his new colony, says: “The horses -are not very handsome, but good.” The public affairs of Penn’s grant, -before his arrival, had been administered in the name of the Duke of -York, from about the time New Amsterdam had surrendered to the English, -and hence we find sundry regulations with regard to the horse in force -before that event. - -The first of these, having the efficacy of law, was in the year 1676, -requiring all horses to be branded, and officers appointed to do the -branding and keep a record of the fact. Besides the individual brands, -each town had its own brand that had to be applied, and by this double -marking it was supposed that strays could be identified with certainty. -Another provision was that no mares should be exported to Virginia or -Barbadoes or other foreign plantations. Again, every owner was supposed -to keep a certain number of horses at home, for daily use, and he was -allowed to keep twice that number running at large. In 1682 no stone -horse under thirteen and one-half hands high was allowed to run at -large. This was afterward changed to thirteen hands. In 1724 this law -was revised and re-enacted so that colts “of comely proportions” and not -more than one year and a half old, if thirteen hands high, might run at -large; but if older than eighteen months they must be fourteen hands high -or suffer the penalty, which was castration. In 1750 horse racing of all -kinds was prohibited, under a severe penalty. - -In that grand old repository of ancient, curious, and valuable things -relating to colonial affairs, the New York Historical Society, to which -I am greatly indebted, I found a file of the _Pennsylvania Gazette_, -commencing with the year 1729, published by “B. Franklin, printer.” -In that day the term “editor” or “reporter” was not known in the -vocabulary of any well-regulated newspaper office, and for anything of -a local character you had to look in the advertising columns. To these -I resorted, as usual, and they presented results that were a great -surprise to me. Pennsylvania has long been famous for the production -of great massive draft horses, and before the days of railroads just -suited, with six or eight of them in a team, for the transportation of -freights from the seaboard to the Ohio River. This was a great business -at the beginning of this century and for forty or fifty years afterward. -The fame of those great teams, the great wagons and the great loads -they hauled over the mountains, spread far and wide, and as a special -designation that went with them they were called Conestoga horses, and -the wagons were called Conestoga wagons, named after a creek in Lancaster -County, Pennsylvania, where many large horses were bred. There was no -particular line of blood to be followed, for a large horse bred west -of the mountains was just as certainly a Conestoga as though he had -been bred in Lancaster County. The Conestoga was simply the horse that -was best suited for a big team with an enormous load, and he varied in -size from sixteen and one-half to eighteen hands in height and from one -thousand six hundred to one thousand nine hundred pounds in weight. These -measurements he reached by breeding for the one purpose of strength -and weight. It is safe to conclude that in the latter part of the last -century breeding animals of large size were brought over the water, for -we can hardly conceive of their being descended from the little pacers -preceding them only fifty or sixty years. - -The Pennsylvania horses of the first half of the last century were -remarkably uniform in size, and from a large number of cases in which -the size is given I find the exact average was thirteen hands one and -one-quarter inches. Of the twenty-eight animals in which the habit of -action is given, twenty-four were pacers, three both paced and trotted, -and just one is given as a natural trotter. Here we have two very -striking facts—the low stature and the uniformity of the pacing gait. -These horses average a quarter of an inch below the Virginians, the next -lowest, and a higher ratio of pacers than in any other colony. There must -have been some reason or reasons for this, and I will suggest two which -strike me as probably effective in producing these results. The earliest -settlers in Southeastern Pennsylvania were the Swedes. They brought their -horses with them from the Old World, and they were undoubtedly pacers, -but I have no means of determining anything about their size. This may be -an important factor in determining the uniformity of the gait, as well as -the diminutive size. The other consideration that I will present is the -fact that the pacer was more fashionable in and about Philadelphia, then -the leading city of the continent, than in any other section or portion -of the colonies. It is a fact that seems to be fully established, that -early in the last century the breeding of pacing horses was carried on in -the region of Philadelphia, with much spirit and intelligence, and that -pacing stallions for public service were carefully selected for their -shapeliness and speed. It is also a fact that all horses that could not -pace were, in the public estimation, classed as basely bred. - -The Swedes and Finns planted a colony on the west bank of the Delaware in -1638, and as they were an industrious and thrifty people they prospered -and extended their plantation up the river as far as Philadelphia. This -territory was then claimed by the Dutch of New Netherlands, and they -overcame the Swedes in 1655, and ten years later they in turn had to -surrender to the English. Of the early Swedes, the Rev. Acrelius wrote -and published, in the Swedish language, a very valuable account of -his people. In speaking of their horses he says: “The horses are real -ponies and are seldom over sixteen hands high [evidently a misprint and -should read “thirteen” instead of “sixteen”]. He who has a good riding -horse never employs him for draft; which is also the less necessary, as -journeys are for the most part made on horseback. It must be the result -of this, more than of any particular breed in the horses, that the -country excels in fast horses, so that horse races are often made for -very high stakes.” Such horses often sold for sixty dollars in our modern -money. The question of the pacers of Philadelphia will be considered more -at length in the chapters devoted to the history of the pacer. - -NEW JERSEY is not known to have made any direct importations of horses -from the old country. Lying between New York on the east and Pennsylvania -on the west, she had abundant opportunity to get her supply of horses -from her neighbors on either side, to say nothing of the overflow from -Virginia about 1669. Like all the other colonies, as early as 1668 her -horses were ordered to be branded and then suffered to roam at large and -find their own living. Not much attention seems to have been given to the -idea of improvement in the size and quality of the stock till 1731, when -it was provided by law that all colts of eighteen months old, running at -large and under fourteen hands high, should be gelded. I have not made -any attempt to get at the exact average size of the Jersey horses, nor to -ascertain the ratio of pacers among them, for we know the environments -and the sources of supply, and in knowing these we know just what the -Jersey horses were—a large majority of them were pacers and they were not -over fourteen hands high. - -The statutes of this colony, enacted 1748, furnished the first real -evidence of record, with one exception, going to show that pacing and -trotting races, as well as running races, were the common amusement of -the people in the first half of the last century. They were so common, -indeed, that the legislative authorities declared them a nuisance -and restricted them to certain days in the year. That this was not a -“moral spasm,” as some might call it, that had seized the legislative -authorities of that particular year, is evident from the fact that, -afterward and from time to time, this statute was amended, and always -in the direction of greater restrictions and greater severity. This is -sufficient evidence that the moral sense of the community sustained the -lawmakers in pronouncing it a nuisance, to be abated. It is not probable -that pacing and trotting races were any more common or more demoralizing -in New Jersey than in some of the other colonies, but they seem to have -been content with fulminating against “horse racing” without specifying -the different gaits at which the horses might go in the race. Until this -old colonial statute was discovered, it was not possible to prove by -contemporaneous evidence that there had been any pacing or trotting races -before the first decade of the present century. This, however, adds to -their antiquity more than a hundred years. - -MARYLAND was really the first in point of time to legislate for the -suppression of pacing, as well as running races, but the old statute, -enacted in 1747, was not discovered till very recently. This proves that -pacing races were very common in Maryland one hundred and sixty years -ago, but it says nothing about trotting races. It will be observed that -in the New Jersey statute the different kinds of racing are placed in -this order: “Racing, pacing and trotting,” and I take this to mean the -order of their prominence. Applying this method to Maryland, it may be -inferred that trotting races were infrequent and practically unknown, -and hence not enumerated as offensive. Taking these two cases together, -I think we are justified in concluding that the pacer antedated and -preceded the trotter in all turf sports. No doubt he was faster then -than the trotter, and he has maintained his superiority, in that respect -at least, to this day. Maryland was a great racing colony and it was -afterward a great racing State. This statute did not sweep over the -whole colony, but applied only to the race course at Newmarket, and Anne -Arundel and Talbot counties. As I understand the matter, this statute was -enacted specially at the request of the Society of Friends, and for the -protection of their yearly meetings. - -With Pennsylvania on the one side and Virginia on the other, it is not -necessary to spend any time on the sizes and gaits of the horses of -Maryland, for they were simply duplicates of those in the two colonies -with which they were in constant intercourse and trade. In the matter -of undersized stallions running at large Maryland was more in earnest -and more savage than any of the other colonies. For, by an act of -Legislature, passed 1715, it was provided that any person finding an -entire colt eighteen months old, or an unbroken stoned horse, running at -large, no difference what his size, might shoot him upon the spot. - -NORTH CAROLINA was first permanently settled by a colony from Virginia, -led by Roger Green, July, 1653. For some years previous to this it had -been the refuge of Quakers and others fleeing from the persecutions and -proscriptions that prevailed in Virginia at that time, against all who -did not conform to the ritual of the English church. These refugees and -colonists took their horses and all they had with them, and as this was -but a few years before there was an overproduction of horses in Virginia, -and great droves were running wild without an owner, we may conclude they -cost but little and that they spread rapidly in the new colony. As we -thus know whence they came, we necessarily know what they were in size -and gait, and we need not trace them any further. - -SOUTH CAROLINA received her colonial charter in 1663, and the -earliest newspaper that I have found was for the year 1744, from the -advertisements in which I have extracted the following data as to size -and gait. In the first four and the last four months of the _South -Carolina Gazette_ for 1744 I find thirty horses advertised as strayed -or stolen, in which the size is given, and they average within a small -fraction of an inch of thirteen and one-half hands, and of this number -three are given as fifteen hands, which was considered, in that day, a -large horse. Out of this number the gait is given in only twelve cases, -ten of which were pacers, one paced and trotted, and one trotted only. -The foundation horse stock of South Carolina was obtained chiefly, if not -wholly, from Virginia, and the practice of branding and turning out, to -roam at large, prevailed everywhere. - -In the issues of the _Gazette_ for this year (1744) I find but one -advertisement of a stallion for public service, and he is called the -“famous racing horse named Roger,” and is advertised as a great, race -horse, but there is no attempt to give a pedigree or to claim that he -possessed any blood that was not the inheritance of all others. Another -advertisement is a lengthy challenge from Joseph Butler to run his -gelding Chestnut against any horse, mare or gelding for five hundred or -one thousand pounds “inch and weight,” the lowest horse carrying thirteen -stone. No mention or reference is made to his blood, and from these two -facts we may reasonably infer that at that time there were no strains of -blood, known to the Carolinians, specially bred to run. The distance to -be run is not definitely mentioned, but it was on a road from one point -to another, and I suppose it was about two and a half, or possibly three -miles. This was three years before the first English race horse was -imported into Virginia. It has been represented that an old gentleman, -whose name is forgotten, imported into South Carolina a number of English -race horses at a period long anterior to this, but that claim has never -been in a shape that placed it above very grave suspicion and doubt; and -the claim accompanying it, in the way of apology, that the old man would -never allow any of his horses to race, did not improve its credibility. -From the advertisements just referred to, it seems evident that there was -no distinctively English running blood in the colony till after this date. - -This review of the horses of the colonial period embraces all that I -have been able to glean of the character, qualifications, size and -habit of action of the earliest importations and their descendants. -Their diminutive size will be a surprise to my readers as it has been -to me, and the overwhelming ratio of pacers to trotters will be a still -greater surprise. The importance of increasing the size by judicious -selections of the largest seems to have been ever present to the minds -of the colonists, but not much could be accomplished in that direction, -under the system prevalent everywhere of roaming at large. The little -pacers were great saddle horses, and down to the days of good roads and -wheeled vehicles they were deemed indispensable. That there were race -horses among them at the running, pacing and trotting gaits there is -indisputable evidence, covering about a hundred years of the colonial -period, but there is no record of the rate of speed. The pacer was the -favorite and fashionable horse of that period, and after something has -been said about the Canadian horse we will take up his history and treat -it with that fullness its importance demands. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -EARLY HORSE HISTORY—CANADA. - - Settlement and capture of Port Royal—Early plantations—First - French horses brought over 1665—Possibly illicit trading—Sire - of “Old Tippoo”—His history—“Scape Goat” and his - descendants—Horses of the Maritime Provinces. - - -Before taking up the two provinces of the Dominion—Quebec and Ontario—to -which reference is made in this volume as “Canada,” there is an incident -in the history of Nova Scotia, full of sadness, that I cannot pass over -without mention. The French made a settlement here in 1602, and named the -country New France. The settlement to which I refer was at Port Royal, -afterward named Annapolis by the English. This seems to have been a -thrifty and flourishing little plantation, far removed from all outside -associations, except the savages of the forests, with whom they lived in -peace. The first horses brought to North America were owned and bred by -the people of Port Royal. In November, 1613, Captain Argall, of Virginia, -organized a plundering expedition, and having learned of the defenseless -condition of Port Royal from Captain John Smith, he sailed up there with -two or three ships, captured the place and carried away horses, cattle, -sheep, wheat, farming utensils, and indeed everything their ships would -carry, and then sailed away to Virginia. This raid was without authority -or orders, but it was winked at by the officials, and forthwith a second -raid was made by Argall, and all that had been left in the first was -carried away in the second, as well as some of the inhabitants. - -The pacer of Canada, generally believed to be of French origin, has -long been an object of diligent investigation, without reaching any -satisfactory results. Again and again I have gone over the first -half-century of the history of the French plantations on the St. -Lawrence; examining everything in the English language that held out any -hope of throwing light upon the question, but nothing was revealed. The -trouble was that my search stopped a little short of the date when the -first horses arrived. The management of the affairs of the plantations -on the St. Lawrence being in a company located in France, there was a -lack of vigor, not much growth, and still less profits to the projectors -of the colony. The energies of the people seemed to be directed almost -wholly to collecting and trading in peltry instead of building up a -commonwealth from the productions of the soil. For half a century these -primitive people lived without horses. Their farms, if they could be -called farms, all had a frontage on the water, running back in narrow -strips to the highlands. They did their plowing with cattle and their -canoes supplied the place of the saddle horse, the family carriage and -the lumber wagon to carry the scanty surplus of their little farms to -market. At last the company in France, holding direction and control, got -out of the way, and the king of France assumed direct authority over the -affairs of the plantation. On June 30, 1665, the Marquis de Tracy arrived -at Quebec, as viceroy, with a numerous suite of retainers and a regiment -of French soldiers. Two months later a large fleet arrived bringing -many colonists, embracing artisans, farmers, peasants, etc., with their -families, and a good number of horses, the first that had ever been seen -on the St. Lawrence. There is a tradition that a horse had been sent over -to the governor in 1642, but it is probable he was lost on the voyage, as -the older people of the colony had no recollection or knowledge of any -such animal. These colonists came from the ancient province of Picardy, -not now to be found on the modern maps of France, but it lay on the -English Channel in the extreme northwest of France. As it is expressly -stated that these colonists came from Picardy, it is fair to conclude -that the horses came from that portion of the kingdom also. At this -period in history there had been no wars between France and England for -many years, and commercial as well as social intercourse had long been -cultivated between the people on both sides of the channel. We know but -little of the early horse history of France, but in our own time we know -that France has been largely benefited by the diffusion of the English -blood among her horse stock, so we may conclude that if a man in Kent had -a horse that a man in Picardy wanted, he very soon got him in the way of -legitimate trade. I think, therefore, it is safe to conclude that the -horse stock of Northwestern France and the horse stock of England were -very much the same in appearance, action and blood. On this basis of -reasoning, which involves no improbabilities, we may conclude that the -same proportion of the horses from Picardy were natural pacers. - -There is another theory, giving the Canadian pacer an Anglo-American -origin, that commends itself to the unbiased judgment with even greater -force than the one just suggested. Various writers have talked about -the “French characteristics” of the Canadian pacer, and all that, when -probably not one of them ever saw a horse that he _knew_ to be French. -The early pacers—the pacing-bred pacers—all have more or less strongly -marked resemblances, especially in conformation, and it makes no -difference whether they come from Canada or whether their habitat has -been south of Mason and Dixon’s line for two hundred and fifty years. -When we look at a pacer, therefore, we may as well be honest and say we -don’t know whether he resembles the horses that reached the St. Lawrence -in 1665, or those that reached Massachusetts Bay in 1629. The theory -that the French Canadians got the foundation of their pacing stock from -the New England colonies rests upon two well-known facts. First, the -colonies had a great abundance of such horses for sale; and second, they -were within reach of and purchasable by the Canadians. To these two facts -rendering the theory possible, we have others which render it probable. -The jealous restrictions sought to be imposed on both the English and -French colonists by the home governments of both people strongly indicate -that there was no small amount of illicit trading, and this trading, -in the very nature of things, must have been between the English and -French. Toward the close of the seventeenth century the English colonies, -especially Rhode Island, had far more horses than they needed for home -use, and they did a thriving business in exporting them to different -parts. These were just the kind of horses the Canadians needed for their -wild life in the wilderness; they were cheaper than they could be brought -from France; the water way of Lake Champlain was convenient; pelts and -furs were a desirable commodity of exchange, and there was no cordon of -customs officers to keep the willing traders apart. Of these theories we -consider the second the more probable of the two, and if we accept it -we reach the conclusion that the so-called “French” Canadian pacer is -merely a descendant of the old English pacer brought over by the early -New England colonists. Objection has been presented to this theory, on -the grounds that the powerful confederation of the Six Nations Indians -interposed an insurmountable barrier to all trade, whether legitimate or -illicit, between the Canadians and the colonists of New England. This -objection is certainly conclusive as applied to the different periods -of hostilities, but the hostilities were not continuous. During both -the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries there were periods of -years at a stretch when there were no hostilities, and when there was -nothing to prevent the Canadian and the Yankee from coming together and -exchanging what they each had that the other wanted. The border abounds -in traditions of the incidents connected with this illicit trading, but -we need not go to the border in the wilderness to learn that the desire -to “beat the customs” is almost universal. We can see it manifested every -day at the docks in New York, when a steamer arrives from abroad. The -fine lady, with her gloves and lots of other lingerie that she has been -contriving all the way across how best to keep from the sight of the -officer, is no better and no worse than the “Canuck,” who in a retired -place at midnight trades his peltry to the Yankee for his horse. If the -Canadian pacer did not have his origin in New England it was not because -he could not be carried across the border. - -When we enter upon the consideration of the actual performers descended -from the original Canadian stock, we find both pacers and trotters of -speed and merit, but in attempting to trace them to their particular -ancestors we find ourselves in a labyrinth from which there seems to be -no deliverance. In the midst of this darkness I am glad to be able to -say there is a ray of light that illumines much that has been obscure. -The greatest progenitor of trotters and pacers that Canada has produced, -“Old Tippoo,” has been fully identified in his true origin, and he has -been well named “The Messenger of Canada.” He seemed to be known all -over Canada as the greatest of their trotting and pacing sires, and many -attempts were made through several years to give his pedigree, but in all -these attempts there were elements of weakness and in many of them very -bald absurdities. - -When the roan gelding Tacony made his record of 2:27, away back in 1853, -the performance was looked upon as something that would not be surpassed -in a generation at least. Then when Toronto Chief made his saddle record -of 2:24½, ten or twelve years later, and it was found that he and Tacony -were both descended from a Canadian horse called Tippoo, the inquiry -became quite active as to what Tippoo was, and all kinds of imaginable -stories were told about him. In the search for the history and breeding -of the horse Tippoo, extending through more than twenty years, many -curious and some impossible things were developed, and as these old -“fads” may come as new discoveries in future generations, I will mention -two or three of them here. The first of these untruthful statements to -assume tangible form was to the effect that Tippoo was imported from -England, and that he was got there by Nesthall’s Messenger. I never -could tell how or where this story originated, but it first appeared in -the pedigree given to Toronto Chief when he went into the stud on Long -Island. This was settled by the facts, expressed in very few words, that -the horse was not imported, but bred in Canada, and that there was no -such horse in England as “Nesthall’s Messenger.” - -The next representation came from an old horseman, Mr. V. Sheldon, of -Canton, New York, a very intelligent and careful correspondent, who -had given much labor to the question. He had learned from different -sources, that were satisfactory to his mind, that a Mr. Howard, a -traveling preacher, had ridden a mare from Lowville, New York, over into -Canada; that this mare was in foal “by a very noted horse that stood -at Lowville;” that when the mare became too heavy for his use under -the saddle he sold her to Isaac Morden, and that the foal she dropped -was the famous Tippoo. The name of the “very famous horse that stood -at Lowville” was not remembered, but as Ogden’s Messenger was there -at that time—1816-17—the conclusion followed that he was the horse. -This representation was far from complete, but as there was nothing -unreasonable about it, and nothing known to be untrue, I accepted it for -a time, awaiting further light. - -The third representation came from Mr. Lewis T. Leavens, of Bloomfield, -Ontario, who was born 1792, and was, therefore, old enough to have had -some personal knowledge of the horse. But whether his knowledge was -personal or only traditional cannot now be made to appear. He says that -Tippoo was got by a horse called Escape, and I will ask the reader to -note this name “Escape” as we progress. He says that “when Escape was on -the ocean, the vessel encountered a severe gale, and the horse had to be -thrown overboard, and he was picked up the ninth day off the coast of -Newfoundland, on a bar, eating rushes.” This silly and ridiculous story -had been told and possibly believed by some fools more than a hundred -years before the dates here implied by Mr. Leavens. It is probable it -was first told as a joke, by some wag in Rhode Island, when asked about -the origin of the Narragansett pacers. He replied that the original -Narragansett “was caught swimming in mid-ocean, when a ship came along, -lassoed him, pulled him on board, and landed him safely in Narragansett -Bay.” The vitality of the joke probably had its origin in the experience -of Rip Van Dam, when in 1711 he went up to Narragansett for a flying -pacer, which is related in another part of this volume. Mr. Leavens -speaks of the Rev. Erastus as the owner of the dam, and the breeder of -the horse; but he says the horse did not come into possession of Isaac -Morden till he was six or eight years old. The date of his death is -fixed by Mr. Leavens in 1835, and while he is more definite than our -information from other sources, all agree he died from a kick about that -year. - -The next representation that seems to be worthy of noticing is a -communication that appeared in the New York _Sportsman_, written by -somebody who signs himself “Dick.” Whether “Dick” is in earnest and -believes what he writes, or whether he is merely trying to “sell” -somebody, we will leave for him to decide. He seems to depend upon -Mr. Morden, at one time the owner of the horse, as the source of his -information. “Dick” says the sire of Tippoo was imported into New York in -1811, and was called Fleetwood. Why did he not tell us by whom the horse -Fleetwood was imported? If there was a man in New York in 1811 so big a -fool as to import an English stallion at great expense, and then send him -up to the wilderness of Canada where there was neither money nor mares, -his name should be handed down as a historical curiosity. The whole story -is a “fake.” - -In January, 1883, I received from the Hon. J. P. Wiser, of Prescott, -Ontario, the following letter, which he had just received from the writer: - - WELLINGTON, December 27, 1882. - - As the origin of the Tippoo horses seems to be a mystery to you - I will tell you. Erastus Howard was a traveling preacher in - those days, and he traveled on horseback. He bought in Kingston - a dark chestnut mare and bred her to a horse called “The Scape - Goat,” brought from Narragansett Bay, in Rhode Island. The - horse was a large brown horse, and could rack (pace) faster - than he could run. The colt was coal black and large, and was - sold to Mr. Wilcox, who named him Tippoo Sultan. His gait was - like the “Scape” some, but soon squared off to a trot, and the - way he could go was dreadful. In June, 1836, he broke his leg - and was lost. - - WILSON SERLS. - -This short letter was a great surprise, for never before had I heard -of Mr. Serls. Through the kindness of Mr. Wiser he had entered the -discussion, evidently without knowing anything about what representations -had been made by others. His short, crisp sentences seemed to be an -epitome of a history of this horse, which he might be able to give. It -will be observed that the traveling preacher, Erastus Howard, is still -in the foreground, and that Mr. Leavens’ “Escape” and Mr. Serls’ “Scape -Goat” are evidently one and the same horse, and thus these two men -practically confirm each other, so far as the identity of the horse is -concerned. No time was lost in preparing a series of questions to be -submitted to Mr. Serls, embracing the sources of his information, for -although well advanced in years he certainly could not have had personal -knowledge of what he testified. These questions not only covered the -minute points in the history of the matter, but they were so framed as -to test the accuracy and honesty of his memory. In due time they came -back fully and satisfactorily answered, and as these answers embrace -many things that my readers care nothing about I will condense them into -narrative form. - -Mr. Serls derived his information from his uncle, Stephen Niles, the -brother of his mother. In 1798 Stephen Niles took a band of horses to -Prince Edward County, and stopped with an uncle of his who was then a -member of the provincial parliament, living on the Bay of Quinte. His -uncle prevailed upon him to settle there. In 1800 he was married, and -bought a farm of two hundred acres four miles west of Wellington, where -he lived many years, and the place is still known as Niles’ Corners. -He was an orthodox Quaker in his religious belief, and for a number of -years he was one of the bench of magistrates for Prince Edward County. -When the War of 1812 broke out he was employed by the British forces in -procuring hay and grain for the mounted troops. In 1858 he died, leaving -an honorable name behind him. - -At the close of the war the military authorities sold off a large number -of horses to the highest bidder, and Mr. Niles was present when the -traveling preacher, Erastus Howard, bid off a dark chestnut mare for -ninety-three dollars, at Kingston. This mare afterward became the dam -of the famous Tippoo, and as a matter of course nothing can ever be -known of her breeding. In 1816 a man from Rhode Island, whose name is -not definitely remembered, but believed to be Williams, traveled the -horse Scape Goat through Prince Edward County, and he stopped one day -and night in each week at the house of Stephen Niles, and during that -season Mr. Howard bred his chestnut mare to this horse, and, as already -said, the produce was Tippoo. This black colt passed into the hands -of Mr. Wilcox, who gave him his name, and he afterward passed through -several other hands before he reached Mr. Morden about 1826, and he died -ten years later from the effects of a kick. As the horse Scape Goat was -brought from Narragansett Bay, and as he was a remarkably fast pacer, -there can be no mistake in calling him a “Narragansett Pacer.” He was -considerably larger than the average of that tribe, but this does not -vitiate his title to a place in that family. It seems he was only kept in -Prince Edward County the one season, and his owner, not being satisfied -with the extent of his earnings, took him back to Rhode Island. Thus, the -horse that has been proudly designated as “Canada’s Messenger,” was the -son of a Narragansett pacer. In his younger days, Tippoo paced like his -sire, but as he grew older the trotting gait was more fully developed. - -It is safe to say that the immediate progeny of Tippoo were numerous, and -it is safe to say that some of them, either as trotters or pacers, were -fast for their day, but it must be confessed that we know very little -about the way they were bred. One son was called Sportsman, but nothing -is known of his dam and very little of the horse himself beyond the fact -that he was the sire of the roan gelding Tacony, that trotted some great -races about 1853, and made a record of 2:27. This horse had a son called -Young Sportsman, that was more widely known as “the Sager Horse,” and his -horse became the sire of the trotting mare Clara, or Crazy Jane, as she -was at one time called, that made a record of 2:27 in 1867. Beyond these -two representatives of the Sportsman line, I have not been able to go. It -has been claimed that another son of Tippoo, called Wild Deer, was the -sire of the Sager Horse, but it does not seem to be well sustained. There -was a son called Wild Deer, and several others that have been mentioned -by turf writers, but no particulars of any value have been given. - -Warrior, or Black Warrior, as he is sometimes called, was a brown horse -and not a black, as his latter name would imply. He was a son of old -Tippoo and his dam was a black mare owned and ridden by an officer in an -English regiment, known as the First Royals. She was a black mare and -after she was sold out of the service she was called “Black Warrior,” -and this name was transmitted to her son. This mare was for a long time -represented as the dam of Royal George, but she was the dam of his sire. -This horse was bred at Belleville, Ontario, and about 1840 a certain Mr. -Johnston was moving from Belleville to Michigan. He had this horse with -him, which, becoming lame on the way, he traded to a Mr. Barnes, living -about twenty miles south of London, Ontario. He was a valuable horse and -left many very useful animals. Many of his get were pacers, and he was -kept by Mr. Barnes till he died. - -Royal George was a brown-bay horse, foaled about 1842, and was got by -Warrior, son of Tippoo. His dam was the off one of a pair of bay mares -taken to that vicinity from Middlebury, Vermont, by a Mr. Billington. -This mare got her foot in a log bridge and the injury made her a -comparative cripple for life. Being thus unfitted for road work, Mr. -Billington sold or traded her to Mr. Barnes. She was bred to Warrior -and produced Royal George. It is said by those who knew both animals, -that this mare was a better trotter than Warrior, and from this springs -the argument that Royal George had a trotting inheritance from his dam -as well as from his sire. To learn whence this inheritance came, I have -labored assiduously for years without being able to technically determine -it. The single fact that her sire in Vermont was known as “the Bristol -Horse,” is beyond all doubt, but as Mr. Billington was not living when -this search was commenced, it has not been possible to determine just -what horse is meant by “Bristol Horse.” At one time Harris’ Hambletonian -was known very widely as “Bristol Grey” or “Bristol Horse,” and this -is the only horse in the records so designated. It may, therefore, be -assumed as more than a probability that this was the sire of the dam of -Royal George. - -When three or four years old he was sold by Mr. Barnes to James Forshee, -and he was known as “the Forshee Horse” for several years. He was sixteen -hands high, not very handsome, but well formed, with plenty of substance -and stamina, good action, and a first class “business” horse for anything -that was wanted of him. In the stud, at low prices, he was largely -patronized, and during the other months of the year he was employed in -all kinds of drudgery. From Forshee he passed to Frank Munger, and from -Munger to Mr. Doherty, of St. Catherines, for four hundred dollars, and -he gave him the name of Royal George, and kept him many years. In 1858 W. -H. Ashford, of Lewiston, New York, bought him and kept him two or three -years there and at Buffalo. He seems to have passed into Doherty’s hands -again, and died at St. Catherine’s, December, 1862. It is not known that -he ever had any training as a trotter except what he got from his owner -on the road, and there is no tradition of his ever having been in a race -but once, and that was on the ice at Hamilton, about 1852, against the -famous State of Maine, for a considerable wager. In this contest he was -the winner. His highest rate of speed was about 2:50 under the saddle. -He was strongly disposed to pace, but when he got down to his work his -gait was a square, mechanical trot. He left a numerous progeny with a -heavy sprinkling of pacers among them; they were generally of fine size -and very useful animals. Many of his sons were kept entire and that -whole region of Ontario was filled up with Royal Georges, to say nothing -of the large numbers that were brought across the border. He left one -representative in the 2:30 list, and five sons that became sires of -performers. - -Toronto Chief was the best son of Royal George, according to the records. -He was a brown horse, foaled 1850, and was bred by George Larue, of -Middlesex County, Ontario. His dam was a small bay mare by a horse called -Blackwood, and his grandam was by Prospect. The horse Blackwood “was -bought of a Frenchman below Montreal in 1837,” and that is all that can -be said of his blood. He was a horse of fine size and went with great -courage. Toronto Chief passed through several hands before he reached -his owner, A. Bathgate, of New York. He was a horse of great speed for -his day, having a record of 2:31 in harness and 2:24¼ under saddle. He -left three representatives in the 2:30 list, and among them the famous -Thomas Jefferson, 2:23, with thirty-nine heats to his credit. Six of his -sons became sires of trotters, and five of his daughters producers. Like -all the other minor families, the Royal George family is surely being -absorbed or submerged in trotting strains of more positive and uniform -prepotency. - -It is probably true that Old Columbus and Old St. Lawrence were both -descended from the Tippoo family, as they were both bred in Canada and -seemed to possess and transmit the same characteristics as the Royal -Georges possessed, in conformation and gait. Their descendants were -not numerous, but so many of them were able to show such a rate of -speed, either at the lateral or diagonal gait, that they left a distinct -trace on the trotting stock of the United States. Old Pacing Pilot has -always been classed as a Canadian, but no trace of his origin has ever -been secured, and it is impossible at this day to give any definite -information as to whether he was brought from Canada or not. Some forty -or fifty years ago the “Canadian pacers” were so highly esteemed for -their speed that very many horses were called “Canadians” that never -saw Canada. The original Tom Hal was purchased in Philadelphia as early -as 1828, and was always called a Canadian. He was the progenitor of -the great pacing family still bearing his name, that is doubtless the -most noted pacing family now in existence. Sam Hazzard, it is said, was -brought from Canada about 1844, and left some noted descendants. Many -others might be named, but as they never gained great celebrity, and as -their origin is not fully established, I will leave the Canadians for -future investigators. - -The rich province of Ontario has always been, in all its ways, the most -English section of the Canadian Confederation, and in nothing more than -in horsemanship. True, it is now a great trotting region, but running is -and always has been the sport of the rich and fashionable, and almost -all the English horses imported in Canada have gone to Western Ontario. -On the other hand, in the Maritime Provinces—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, -and Prince Edward Island—running races have never been popular, except -at Halifax, which is a great military station and socially and otherwise -much influenced by its English army and navy residents. It is the only -point in the provinces where running meetings are given or where the -running horse is at all cherished. For generations the principal sport of -the people of these provinces has been trotting and pacing races, winter -and summer, for ice racing is very general and very popular, through -Maritime as well as Western Canada, the numbers of great bays and wide -rivers affording ample courses, everywhere, throughout the long winters. -Though there is, through these provinces, a generous sprinkling of horses -called French Canadian, it is a fact that when we write the horse history -of Maine we have written that of the Maritime Canadian provinces. The -best of the early trotting stock of these provinces came from Maine, -and the most and the best of the old-time trotters of New Brunswick, -Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island were of tribes loosely described -as Maine Messengers. For this there are ample geographical and natural -reasons. That part of Quebec nearest them has never been rich in horses -nor in anything else which the Provincials want, or in which they trade. -The people of eastern New England are their natural trading neighbors, -and the city of St. John, New Brunswick, especially in the past, the -common market place; and almost all the earlier Maritime trotting sires -trace through St. John to Maine, or some of the other New England -States. It is a fact, too, that for generations enterprising horsemen, -in the lower provinces, have been importing American trotting stallions -for service, and to-day the trotting stock of these provinces is very -thoroughly Americanized. While the exportation of horses, principally to -Boston and Bangor, is one of the industries of Nova Scotia and of Prince -Edward Island especially, almost without exception trotting and pacing -stallions in use there are imported American horses, or the descendants -of American trotting sires; while, as we have noted, the foundation stock -came chiefly from Maine, and in very small degree from Ontario or Quebec. -In either of the Maritime provinces it is a rarity to find a trotting -horse that has not more or less of American blood. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -ANTIQUITY AND HISTORY OF THE PACING HORSE. - - The mechanism of the different gaits—The Elgin Marbles—Britain - becomes a Roman province—Pacers in the time of the - Romans—Bronze horses of Venice—Fitz Stephen, the Monk of - Canterbury—Evidence of the Great Seals—What Blundeville - says—What Gervaise Markham says—What the Duke of Newcastle - says—The amble and the pace one and the same—At the close of - Elizabeth’s reign—The Galloways and Hobbies—Extinction of the - pacer—The original pacer probably from the North—Polydore - Virgil’s evidence—Samuel Purchas’ evidence—The process - of wiping out the pacer—King James set the fashion—All - foreign horses called “Arabians”—The foreigners larger and - handsomer—Good roads and wheeled vehicles dispensed with the - pacer—Result of prompting Mr. Euren—Mr. Youatt’s blunder—Other - English gentlemen not convinced there ever were any pacers. - - -In considering the antiquity and history of the pacing horse, it seems -to be necessary that we should have a clear perception of the mechanism -of the gait from which he takes his distinctive name and the relation -which that mechanism bears to other gaits or means of progression. In -the study of this mechanism we learn the combination by which we unlock -the mystery that has puzzled so many breeders of the past and present -generations. Some have maintained that the pace is a combination of the -trot and the gallop, while a smaller number have maintained that the fast -trot was a combination of the pace and the gallop. It is quite evident, -as I will be able to show, that neither of these parties has ever given -any careful attention and study to the mechanism of the different gaits. -The most simple and least complicated method of illustrating this -mechanism of movement is furnished in the human means of progression. At -the walk, a man steps off with his left foot and the heel of that foot -strikes the ground before the toe of the right foot leaves it. Then the -right foot advances and strikes the ground before the toe of the left -foot leaves it. This is the natural “heel and toe” walk, and the speed -may be increased by quickening the step and extending the stride, so -far as physical conformation will permit. Still greater speed becomes -a succession of bounds, the propelling foot leaving the ground before -the advanced foot strikes it. This is running, the highest rate of speed -attainable, and in every revolution, for a space, the whole body is in -the air. In the action of the horse, with four legs, we find greater -complication, which I will try to make clear. - -[Illustration: STAR POINTER. - -By Brown Hal, strictly pacing bred, record 1:59¼, 1897.] - -First, all horses walk, all horses pace or trot, and all horses gallop. -The walk is easily analyzed, for it is slow and the movement of each -limb can be followed by the eye. Each foot makes its own stroke upon the -ground, and we count one, two, three, four in the revolution. - -Second, at the gallop, which is a succession of leaps, each limb, as -shown by the instantaneous photograph, performs its own function, whether -in rising from the ground, flying through the air, or in striking the -ground again. There is harmony in all, but there is no unity in any two -or more of them, and when they strike the ground again you hear the -impacts, one, two, three, four, in a cluster. The conventional drawing -of the running horse in action is impossible in nature, and a wretched -caricature of the action as it is. As in the walk, so in the run, we -count four impacts in the revolution. - -Third, at the pace the horse advances the two feet, on the same side, -at the same time, and when they reach the ground again there is but one -impact; then the two feet on the other side are advanced and strike in -the same way. Thus, the rhythm of the action strikes the ear as that of -the movement of an animal with two feet instead of four. In this there -can be no mechanical mistake, for in the revolution of the four-legged -pacing horse we count one, two, and in the revolution of the two-legged -man we count one, two. The conclusion, therefore, seems to be inevitable -that the two legs on the same side of the pacing horse act in perfect -unison in performing the functions of one leg. At the trot the horse -advances the two diagonal feet at the same time, and when they reach -the ground again there is but one impact; then the two other diagonal -feet are advanced and strike in the same way. Thus, the rhythm of the -action strikes the ear as that of the movement of an animal with two feet -instead of four. In this there can be no mechanical mistake, for in the -revolution of the four-legged trotting horse we count one, two, and in -the revolution of the two-legged man we count one, two. The conclusion, -therefore, seems to be inevitable that the two diagonal legs of the -trotting horse act in perfect unison in performing the function of one -leg. In the mechanism of the gait then that is midway between the walk -and the gallop there is no difference in results, nor distinction in the -economy of motion, except that the pacer uses the lateral legs as one, -and the trotter the diagonal legs as one. In use, there is a vertical -distinction, if that term should be allowed, between the gait of the -pacer and the trotter. The action of the pacer is lower and more gliding -which fits him for the saddle, while the action of the trotter is higher -and more bounding which makes him more desirable as a harness horse. -In the processes of inter-breeding to the fastest, this distinction, -if it be a distinction, seems to be coming less real, or at least less -observable. - -While the essential oneness of the pace and the trot is indicated above -from the mechanism and unity of the two gaits, there is a great mountain -of evidence to be developed when we reach the consideration of breeding -subjects, in which we will meet multitudes of fast trotters getting fast -pacers, and fast pacers getting fast trotters; fast pacers changed over -to fast trotters and fast trotters changed over to fast pacers, and the -final evidence that speed at the one gait means speed at the other. -Having briefly explained what a pacer is, it is now in order to take up -the question of whence he came. - -On the summit of the Acropolis, in Athens, stand the ruins of the -Parthenon, a magnificent temple erected to the goddess Minerva. The -building was commenced in the year B.C. 437, and was completed five years -afterward. All the statuary was the work of the famous Phidias and his -scholars, made from Pentelic marble. This noted building resisted all the -ravages of time, and had, in turn, been converted into a Christian temple -and a Turkish mosque. In 1676 it was still entire, but in 1687 Athens was -besieged by the Venetians, and the Parthenon was hopelessly wrecked. As -a ruin it became the prey of the Turks and all other devastators, and in -order to save something of what remained of its precious works of art, -Lord Elgin, about the year 1800, brought home to England some portions -of the frieze of the temple, with other works of Phidias, in marble, -sold them to the government, and they are preserved in the British -Museum. This frieze is a most interesting subject to study, not only as a -specimen of Greek art of the period of Pericles, but as a historic record -of the type and action of the Greek horses of that day. It consists -of a series of white marble slabs, something over four feet wide, upon -which are sculptured, in high relief, the heroes and defenders of Athens, -mounted on horses, and some of these horses are pacing, while others are -trotting and cantering. This is the first undoubted record we have of the -pacer, and it is now over two thousand three hundred and thirty years old. - -Britain became a Roman province in the reign of Claudius, in the first -part of the first century of the Christian era, and it continued under -the Roman yoke until A.D. 426, when the troops were withdrawn to help -Valentinian against the Huns, and never returned. When Julius Cæsar -first invaded Britain, in the year B.C. 55, he found the inhabitants -fierce and warlike and abundantly supplied with horses and war chariots. -These chariots were driven with great daring and skill, and the fact -was thus demonstrated that this kind of warfare was not a new thing to -the Britons, and that they were not to be easily subdued. The next year -he returned again, but the second seems to have been no more successful -than the first expedition. But little is known of the extent of territory -overrun or the result of these invasions beyond the fact that no -settlement was made then, and none till about ninety years afterward, -when under the reign of Claudius, a strong military colony was planted -there and Britain became a Roman province. During these centuries of -bondage we know practically nothing of the lives of the slaves and but -little of their masters, except the remnants of military works for -aggression and defence, and the magnificent roads they constructed -where-ever they moved their armies. In relation to their horses, I will -make a few extracts from a work published about the beginning of this -century, by Mr. John Lawrence, a man of great research and intelligence, -besides of a wide acquaintance with the practical affairs of the horse, -and, I may add, altogether the most reliable writer of his period. He -says: - - “In forming the paces, if the colt was not naturally of a proud - and lofty action, like the Spanish or Persian horses, wooden - rollers and weights were bound to their pastern joints, which - gave them the habit of lifting up their feet. This method, - also, was practiced in teaching them the ambulatura, or amble - (pace), perhaps universally the common traveling pace of the - Romans. - - “That natural and most excellent pace, the trot, seems to - have been very little prized or attended to by the ancients, - and was, indeed, by the Romans held in a kind of contempt, - or aversion, as is demonstrated by the terms which served to - describe it. A trotting horse was called by them _succussator_, - or shaker, and sometimes _cruciator_, or tormentor, which bad - terms, it may be presumed, were applied specially to those - which in these days we dignify with the expressive appellation - of ‘bone-setters.’” - -The statuary of the early ages furnishes some excellent illustrations -of the gait of the horse at that period of the world’s history. The -four bronze horses on St. Mark’s in Venice are known throughout the -world, and they are in the pacing attitude. The forefoot that is -advanced is possibly a little too much elevated to strike the ground -the same instant the hinder foot should strike it, but the whole action -indicated is undoubtedly the lateral action. The date of these horses -is lost in history, but it is supposed they were cast in Rome, about -the beginning of the Christian era. Their capture in Rome and transfer -to Constantinople, then their capture by the Venetians and transfer to -Venice, next their capture by Napoleon and transfer to Paris, and then -their restoration to Venice, are all matters of history. - -William Stephanides, or Fitz Stephen, as he was called, a monk of -Canterbury, was born in London, lived in the reigns of King Stephen, -Henry II., and Richard I., and died 1191. He wrote a description of -London in Latin, which was afterward translated by John Strype, and -printed, from which I take the following extract: - - “There is without one of the gates, immediately in the suburb, - a certain smooth field (Smithfield) in name and reality. There - every Friday, unless it be one of the more solemn festivals, is - a noted show of well-bred horses exposed for sale. The earls, - barons and knights who are at the time resident in the city, - as well as most of the citizens, flock thither either to look - or to buy. _It is pleasant to see the nags with their sleek - and shining coats, smoothly ambling (pacing) along, raising - and setting down, as it were, their feet on either side; in - one part (of the field) are horses better adapted to the - esquires; those whose pace is rougher, yet expeditious, lift up - and set down, as it were, the two opposite fore and hind feet - (trotting) together._” - -After locating and describing the pacers in one part of the field and -the trotters in another, Fitz Stephen goes on to take a look at the -colts, then horses of burden, “strong and stout of limb,” and then -their chargers in their galloping action. He next gives a very spirited -description of the race, when the people raise a shout and all the other -horses, cattle, etc., are cleared away, that the contestants may have -an unobstructed field. It is a fact worthy of note that every English -writer on the race horse, for the past century or two, has quoted a part -of the above paragraph from Fitz Stephen as the first known and recorded -instance of racing in England, but left one of the most important parts -out. Even Mr. Whyte, one of the most prominent of modern writers, in his -“History of the British Turf,” seems to have followed some other writer, -in the omission; or possibly, as he never had seen a pacer in England, he -concluded that Fitz Stephen had only imagined that he saw, in one part -of the field, horses moving at the lateral gait. In the paragraph quoted -above, I have italicised that part of the description which English -writers on turf subjects have omitted with remarkable uniformity. - -This seems to have been the period in which the pacing horse reached the -highest point in official and popular appreciation, at least since the -days of the Roman occupation of Britain. In speaking of this period, -Mr. Lawrence says: “All descriptions of saddle horses were taught to -amble” (that did not amble naturally), “and that most excellent and -useful gait, the trot, was almost entirely disused.” In addition to the -evidence of Fitz Stephen, we have that furnished by the Great Seals of -a succession of sovereigns commencing with Richard I., and continuing -to Elizabeth. These seals represent a knight in armor, mounted on a -pacing horse in action, and perhaps the most conspicuous, at least the -clearest, impression that has come down to us is that of King John, used -at Runnymede, when he yielded to the demands of his barons and granted -the Magna Charta. This act secured the liberties of the Anglo-Saxon race -for all time and in all climes. - -Mr. Thomas Blundeville was, probably, the first writer on the horse who -undertook to publish a book in the English language on that subject. -This book, entitled “The Art of Riding,” was merely a translation from -the Italian, with some brief observations on English horses added to it. -The first edition, it is said, was published in London, 1558, the year -that Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne. The only edition which I have -been able to find in the British Museum is that of 1580, in old English -black letter. In quoting from the old authors of that period I will seek -to avoid confusion by using the modern orthography. In speaking of the -horses of his day he says: - - “Some men would have a breed of great trotting horses meet for - the war and to serve in the field. Some others again would have - a breed of ambling horses of a mean stature for to journey and - travel by the way. Some, again, would have a race of swift - runners to run for wagers or to gallop the buck, or to serve - for such like exercise for pleasure. But the plain countryman - would have a breed only for draft or burthen. - - “The Irish Hobbie is a pretty fine horse, having a good head - and a body indifferently well proportioned, saving that many - of them be slender and pin-buttocked. They are tender-mouthed, - nimble, pleasant and apt to be taught, and for the most part - they be amblers and thus very meet for the saddle and to travel - by the way. Yea, and the Irishmen, both with darts and light - spears, do use to skirmish with them in the field, and many of - them do prove to that use very well, by means they be so light - and swift. - - “Let those mares that shall be put to the stallion be of a high - stature, strongly made, large and fair, and have a trotting - pace as the mares of Flanders and some of our own mares be. For - it is not meet, for divers reasons, that horses of [service - stallions] should amble. But if any man seeks to have a race - of ambling horses, to travel by the way, then I would wish his - stallion to be a fair jennet of Spain, or at least a bastard - jennet, or else a fair Irish ambling Hobbie; and the mare to be - also a bastard jennet, bred here within this realm, having an - ambling pace, or else some other of our ambling mares, so that - the mare be well proportioned. And if any man desires to have - swift runners let him choose a horse of Barbary or a Turk to be - his stallion, and let the mare, which shall be put unto him, - be like of stature and making unto him, so nigh as may be, for - most commonly, such sire and dam such colt.” - -It is evident Mr. Blundeville was not much of a friend of the pacer, but -as an honest writer he considers things as he finds them. Unfortunately -he throws no light upon just what he means by the term “Spanish Jennet,” -and a definition of that term, as used in the sixteenth century, would -throw much light on passages from following writers in later periods. -Everybody knows he was a small Spanish saddle horse, but nobody knows -just what gait he took. To use Blundevilles own language, “The pace of -the jennet of Spain is neither trot nor amble, but a comely kind of going -like the Turke.” - -Mr. Gervaise Markham published several revised and enlarged editions of -his work on the horse, the last of which I have been able to examine -being printed in London, 1607, the same year the colony was planted at -Jamestown, Virginia. In this edition he devotes nine short chapters or -paragraphs to the pacer. In quoting from him I will again use the modern -methods of spelling. He says: - - “First to speak of ambling in general. It is that smooth and - easy pace which the labor and industry of an ingenious brain - hath found out to relieve the aged, sick, impotent and diseased - persons, to make women undertake journeying and so by their - community to grace society; to make great men try the ease of - travel, more willing to thrust themselves into the offices of - the commonwealth, and to do the poor both relief and service. - It makes them when necessity, or as the proverb is, “when - the devil drives,” not to be vexed with the two torments, a - troubled mind and a tormented body. To conclude, ambling was - found out for the general ease of the whole world, as long as - there is either pleasure, commerce or trade amongst the people. - Now for the manner of the motion and the difference betwixt - it and trotting. It cannot be described more plainly than I - have set down in my former treatise; which is that it is the - taking up of both legs together upon one side and so carrying - them smoothly along to set them down upon the ground even - together, and in that motion he must lift and wind up his fore - foot somewhat high from the ground, but his hinder foot he must - no more than take from the ground, as it were, sweep it close - to the earth. Now, by taking up both his legs together on one - side, I mean he must take up his right fore foot and his right - hinder foot. For, as in the contrary pace, when a horse trots - he takes up his feet crosswise, as the left hinder foot and the - right fore foot, etc.” - -Mr. Markham, in his edition of 1607, then goes on in six or eight -chapters acknowledging that many foals pace naturally, and to show how -the foal may be trained to pace. His methods are very cruel, in many -cases, and very crude throughout; but it clearly demonstrates the fact -that in the sixteenth century the pace was a very general gait among -English horses. In these chapters we find the toe weight first introduced -as well as the trammels or hopples. The most striking fact brought out in -these chapters is the discovery that more than three hundred years ago -Englishmen were using the same devices to convert trotters into pacers -that we are now using to convert pacers into trotters. He takes notice -that Mr. Blundeville had advised those who wished to breed amblers to -select a Spanish jennet or an Irish Hobbie, and objects to the former on -the grounds that their paces are weak and uncertain. From this I conclude -that the gait of the jennet, whatever it might have been, was not a habit -of action fixed in the breed, and that its transmission was doubtful. - -Mr. Markham then goes on further to explain the mechanism of the trot -and the pace and incidentally introduces the rack or single-foot action, -which, I think, is the first time I have found it in any English writer. -He says: - - “The nearer a horse taketh his limbs from the ground, the - opener and evener and the shorter he treadeth, the better will - be his pace, and the contrary declares much imperfection. If - you buy a horse for pleasure the amble is the best, in which - you observe that he moves both his legs on one side together - neat with complete deliberation, for if he treads too short - he is apt to stumble, if too large to cut and if shuffling or - rowling he does it slovenly, and besides rids no ground. If - your horse be designed for hunting, a racking pace is most - expedient, which little differs from the amble, only is more - active and nimble, whereby the horse observes due motion, but - you must not force him too eagerly, lest being in confusion he - lose all knowledge of what you design him to, and so handle his - legs confusedly. The gallop is requisite for race horses.... - If he gallop round and raise his fore legs he is then said to - gallop strongly, but not capable of much speed, and is fitter - for the war than racing.” - -In 1667 the Duke of Newcastle published his famous work on the horse -under the title, “A New Method and Extraordinary Invention to Dress -Horses, and Work them According to Nature and also To Perfect Nature by -the Subtilty of Art which was Never Found Out, but by the Thrice Noble, -High, and Puissant Prince, William Cavendish, Duke, Marquess, and Earl of -Newcastle, etc., etc.,” followed with twelve other titles and offices. -The book was dedicated to “His Most Sacred Majesty, Charles the Second,” -and is pretentious and magniloquent in its letter press and its make-up -as it is in its title. In this work there is a great deal of bad English, -some sense, and much nonsense, all mixed up with a strut of superiority -that His Grace, no doubt, felt justified in enjoying after his long -years of beggary in Antwerp. In giving the _natural_ gaits of the horse -he places the walk first, then the trot and next the amble, which he -describes very minutely as follows: - - “For an amble he removes both his legs of a side, as, for - example, take the far side, he removes his fore leg and his - hinder leg at one time, whilst the other two legs of the near - side stand still; and when those legs are on the ground, which - he first removed, at the same time they are upon the ground - the other side, which is the nearer side, removes fore leg and - hinder leg on that side, and the other legs of the far side - stand still. Thus an amble removes both his legs of a side and - every remove changes sides; two of a side in the air and two - upon the ground at the same time. And this is a perfect amble.” - -The duke seems to have been somewhat profuse in the use of words, and -not very happy in his use of them, but after all we know just what he -means. The description of the movement is that of the clean-cut pace, and -our object in introducing it here is not only to show that the pace was -then a well-known and natural gait in England, but also to show that the -_pace_ and the _amble_ are one. In itself, the word “amble” is a better -word than “pace,” for the latter is often used in referring to a rate of -speed without regard to the particular gait taken by the horse, but in -this country it is now universally understood to apply to the lateral -motion, and it would not be wise at this day to attempt to change it. -There is an undefined supposition in the mind of some people that the -amble is something different from the pace, that it is a slower and -less pronounced gait, and hence we are often told a given horse did not -pace, but “he ambled off.” In all that we have found in the writings of -the past, and in all that I have seen with my own eyes, I have not been -able to discover that there is any distinction between the amble and the -pace. The only distinction is not in the gait itself, but in the fact -that our ancestors, four hundred years ago, used the word “amble” to -express precisely the same thing that their descendants now express by -the word “pace.” The only sense in which the word “amble” is used among -the horsemen of this country is to describe a kind of slow, incipient -pace that many horses, both runners and trotters, show when recalled for -a fresh start in scoring for a race. This probably indicates, whether -in the case of a runner or a trotter, that somewhere, not very far -removed, there is a pacing inheritance, and this incipient amble, as it -is sometimes called, comes from that inheritance. It is also possible -that it may arise from the excitement of the start and the confusion -consequent upon the contest. - -At the close of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, about the beginning of the -seventeenth century, the pacing horse of England was at the highest point -of his utility and fame. He was the horse for the race course, he was -the horse for the hunting field, and he was the horse for the saddle. He -was able to beat King James’ Arabian, and with the few Barbs that had -then been brought in, the historian informs us, he was able to hold his -own. There were two tribes of his congeners, the Galloway and the Irish -Hobbie, the former from Southwestern Scotland and the north of England, -and the latter from Ireland. These tribes were chiefly pacers, and not a -few of them were distinguished as running horses. The Bald Galloway, as -he was called, was a grand representative of his tribe. He was simply a -native pony with a bald face, and he was a capital runner for his day, -and a number of his get were distinguished runners. True, he is tricked -out in the Stud Book with a pedigree, wholly fictitious, and that nobody -ever heard of for a hundred years after he was foaled, but that did -not prevent his daughter Roxana, when bred to Godolphin Arabian, from -producing two of his greatest sons, Lath and Cade. This topic, however, -has already been considered in the chapter on the English Race Horse. -The Galloways were very famous as pacers in their day, and it seems they -were about the last remnants of the pacing tribes to be found in England. -It seems, also, that long after they had ceased to be known on the -other side their descendants were still known by the same designation in -Virginia. From the history of the times, it appears that a wealthy Irish -gentleman invested quite largely in shipping live stock to Virginia, and -there can hardly be a doubt that his shipments included some of the Irish -Hobbies. - -While the opening of the seventeenth century witnessed the supremacy of -the English pacer, in the uses and enjoyments of the lives of the people, -during the whole course of its succeeding years he was battling for his -existence, and at its close he was nearly extinct. At the close of Queen -Anne’s reign there were still a few Galloways left, but in the early -Georges there were no longer any survivors, and Great Britain was without -a pacer in the whole realm. The extinction of a race of horses that had -been the delight of the kings, queens, nobility, and gentry of a great -nation for many centuries is, perhaps, without a precedent in the history -of any civilized people, and the causes which produced this wonderful -result are well worthy of careful study. In looking into these causes we -must consider the facts as we find them. - -As we have no guide, either historic, linguistic or ethnographic, by -which we can certainly determine the blood of the original inhabitants -of the British Isles, it is not remarkable that we should be in profound -ignorance as to the blood of their horses. They were, doubtless, like -their masters, of mixed origin, and through all the centuries their -appearance would indicate that they have been bred and reared in a -nomadic or semi-wild state, in which only the toughest and fleetest -had survived. A good many years ago I met with a theory, advanced by -somebody, that the original horse stock of Britain came from the North, -but there were no reasons given to support it. I have no hesitation in -accepting this theory, as far as it distinguishes between the North -and the South, for some Northern countries produce vast numbers of -natural pacers, as Russia, for instance, but I have never learned that -any Southern country produced pacers. Certainly the shaft horse of -the Russian drosky has been a flying pacer for generations, and great -numbers of them are produced in Russia, especially in the eastern part -of the empire. As these pacers are produced in a natural and semi-wild -state, it must be conceded that habits of action have been inherited -from their ancestors in the remote past. Historically, we know that -the Phœnicians, when they ruled the trade of the world, supplied the -whole of the northern coast of Africa, from Egypt to Algiers, and the -southern coast of Spain, with horses, about a thousand years before the -Christian era. Now, the horses of those regions are the descendants of -the original stock carried there by the Phœnicians, and we know their -habit of action is not that of the pacer. Hence the conclusion that the -English pacer came from the North and not from the South. In speaking of -the difference in the gaits of Northern and Southern horses, Mr. John -Lawrence specifies the horses of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, etc., and says: -“They are round made, but with clean heads and limbs; their best pace -is the trot (or pace), which indeed is the characteristic pace of the -Northern, as the gallop is of the Southern horse.” Other writers speak -of the trot (or pace) as common to Northern horses, but as not common -to Southern horses. Now, as all Southern horses do trot, and as these -writers could not fail to know that they trotted, at some rate of speed, -we must construe their terms so as to be consistent with plain, common -sense. There was something in the “trot” of the Northern horse altogether -different from the “trot” of the Southern horse that rendered his habit -of action more conspicuous, probably by his higher rate of speed, but -still more probably by the peculiar mechanism of his lateral action. If -we insert the word “pace” instead of the word “trot,” the meaning of -these old writers becomes very plain and in harmony with other known -facts. Neither does it militate against the theory that the inhabitants -of Britain may have secured their original horse stock from the Phœnician -merchants; but if they did, it seems quite evident that at a later date -they supplemented their supply from the pacing element from the North. - -At the close of the fifteenth century Polydore Virgil, an Italian -ecclesiastic, came to England and wrote a descriptive history of the -British Islands in Latin, which was published about 1509. Part of -this history was very clumsily translated about the time the English -language began to assume its present form in literature and learning. -In speaking of the horses of the country, he seems to have been greatly -surprised with the pacers, and treats them as a curiosity. He says: “A -great company of their horses do not trot, but amble, and yet neither -trotters nor amblers are strongest, as strength is not always incident -to that which is most gentle or less courageous.” It will be observed -that these observations were made nearly four hundred years ago, and that -the surprise of the Italian was not at merely seeing a few pacers which -he had never seen in his own country, but that “the great company” of -English horses were pacers. As I have here given an instance showing the -surprise of an Italian at finding pacers, I will follow it with another -showing the surprise of an Englishman at not finding any pacers. The -chaplain of the Earl of Cumberland, on his several voyages of discovery -in South America and the West India Islands, about 1596, made elaborate -note of what he saw and learned of the new countries which the English -then visited for the first time. These notes passed into the hands of -that wonderfully prolific writer, or rather compiler, Samuel Purchas, -from whose fourth volume, page 1171, the following paragraph is taken: - - “And I wot not how that kind of beast [speaking of cattle] - hath specially a liking to these Southerly parts of the world - above their horses, none of which I have seen by much so tall - and goodly as ordinarily they are in England; they were well - made and well mettled, and good store there are of them, but - methinks there are many things wanting in them which are - ordinary in our English light horses. They are all trotters, - nor do I remember that I have seen above one ambler, and that - was a little fiddling nag. But it may be if there were better - breeders they would have better and more useful increase, yet - they are good enough for hackneys, to which use only almost - they are employed.” - -The surprise of the Englishman at finding no pacers in South America -seems to have been as great as that of the Italian at finding so many of -them in England, one hundred years earlier. These horses were strictly -Spanish, and probably were descended from those brought from Palos in -1493 by Columbus, the first horses that ever crossed the Atlantic. The -“one little fiddling nag” that showed some kind of a pacing gait may have -been of English blood and captured from some English expedition, several -of which were unfortunate; or his failure to trot may have been the -result of an injury. It should not be forgotten that in that period every -sea captain was out for what he could capture, and this was especially -the case as between the English and the Spanish. These are the outlines -of the principal points of evidence that the pacing habit of action came -from the North and not from the South. That there were pacers in both -Greece and Rome before the Christian era, and perhaps later, there can be -no doubt, for they were both overrun and devastated again and again by -the hordes of Northern Barbarians, bringing their flocks and their herds -and their families, as well as their horses, with them. - -This question naturally suggests itself here: “If the English pacer had -been the popular favorite of the English people for so many centuries, -how did it come that he and his habit of action had been so completely -wiped out in one century, the seventeenth?” This question might be -answered in very few words, by saying the people thought they were -getting something better to put in his place. In reaching this conclusion -I will not pretend to say the judgment of the people was not right, that -is, if they exercised any judgment in the case. “Jamie the Scotsman” -when on the throne set the fashion in the direction of foreign blood -by paying the enormous price of five hundred pounds for the Markham -Arabian. The Duke of Newcastle, when he was young, had personally seen -this horse, and while he thought he was a true Arabian, he described him -as a very ordinary horse in his size and form, and an entire failure as -a race horse. It seems that any average native pacer could outrun him, -but he carried the badge of royalty, and that was sufficient to make him -fashionable, as he was not only the king’s horse, but was himself a royal -Arabian. The weak place in the character of James I., in addition to his -intolerable pedantry, was his inordinate ambition to be considered the -wisest sovereign who ever sat upon a throne since the days of Solomon. -His courtiers, nobility, and all who approached him understood his -weakness, and a little quiet praise of the great superiority of the -Arabian blood in the horse, over all other breeds and varieties, was -always grateful to the monarch, for he was the original discoverer and -patentee of that blood. Then and there, in order to praise the wisdom -of a foolish king, a foolish fashion grew into a foolish notion that -has afflicted all England from that day to this. No humbug of either -ancient or modern times has had so long a run and so wide a range as -the miserable fallacy “that all excellence in the horse comes from the -Arabian.” Notwithstanding the thousand tests that have been made and the -thousand failures that have invariably followed, from the time of King -James to the present day, there are still men writing books and magazine -articles on the assumption that “all excellence in the horse comes from -the Arabian,” without ever having devoted an honest hour to the study of -the question as to whether this is a truth or a fallacy. This craze for -Arabian blood was the primary cause of the extinction of the pacer, and -this craze was so strong in its influence that when a foreign horse was -brought in, no difference from what country, if he were of the lighter -type he was called an Arabian and so advertised in order to secure -the patronage of breeders. Horses brought from the African coast were -invariably classed as Arabians, notwithstanding they and their ancestors -were in Africa more than a thousand years before there were any horses in -Arabia; and the same may be said of Spain. But as this line of inquiry -has already been considered in another chapter, I will get back to the -immediate topic. - -The process of breeding out the pacer did not commence in real earnest -until the middle of the seventeenth century, when the Stuarts regained -the sovereignty of Great Britain in the person of Charles II. Released -from the restraints of Puritan rule, the Restoration brought with it a -carnival of immorality and vice, for the court and the courtiers set the -fashion and the people followed. As the breeding interest of the period -of which we now speak has already been considered in the chapter on the -English Race Horse, I will not further enlarge upon it. The light, or -running and hunting, horses of England of that day were not all pacers, -but they were all of the same type and the same blood, hence when I -speak of the pacers I include their congeners. They were small—less than -fourteen hands high—and not generally handsome and attractive. In general -utility they were ahead of the importations, and doubtless many of them -could run as fast and as far as the foreign horses, but the foreigners -had the advantage in size, especially the Turks and the Neapolitans; -besides this, they were more uniformly handsome and attractive in their -form and carriage. It is also probable that the outcross from the -strangers to invigorate the stock was needed and resulted in the increase -of the size of the progeny. This latter suggestion is inferential and has -been sustained by many similar experiences, but without this as a start -it would be exceedingly difficult to account for the rapid increase in -the height of the English race horse. It is certainly true that the chief -aim of the English breeder of that day was to increase the size, without -losing symmetry and style, and if he found that foreign upon native blood -gave him a start in that direction, he was wise in the commingling. -Another consideration, growing out of the rural economy of the people, -doubtless had a very wide influence in the direction of wiping out the -pacer, in this period of transition. Long journeys in the saddle became -less frequent, good roads began to appear and vehicles on wheels took -the place of the saddler and the pack horse. To get greater weight and -strength for this service, recourse was had to crosses with the larger -and courser breeds, and through these channels have come the giants and -the pigmies of the modern race course. Under the changed conditions of -travel and transportation it is not remarkable that the people should -have been willing to see their long-time favorites disappear, for it -is known to every man of experience that the pace is not a desirable -gait for harness work. No doubt the pacer is as strong as the trotter -of the same size and make-up, but in his smooth, gliding motion there -is a suggestion of weakness communicated to his driver that is never -suggested by the bold, bounding trotter. The antagonism between the -pacers and the new horses of Saracenic origin was irreconcilable and -one or the other had to yield. As the management of the contest was in -the hands of the master the result could be easily foreseen, for if one -cross failed, another followed and then another, till the Saracenic blood -was completely dominant in eliminating the lateral and implanting the -diagonal action in its stead. - -As no home-bred pacer, of any type or breed, has been seen in England for -nearly two hundred years, it is not remarkable that Englishmen of good -average intelligence, for the past two or three generations, have lived -and died supposing they knew all about horses, and yet did not know there -had ever been such a thing in England as a breed of pacing horses. When, -some eighteen or twenty years ago, I called the attention of Mr. H. F. -Euren, compiler of the Hackney Stud Book, to the early English pacers as -a most inviting field in which to look for the origin of the “Norfolk -Trotters,” he was surprised to learn that such horses had existed in -England, but he went to work and gathered up many important facts that -appear in the first volume of the Hackney compilation. Many of these -facts, but in less detail, had already appeared, from time to time, -in _Wallace’s Monthly_, but Mr. Euren’s was the first modern English -publication to place them before English readers. From this prompting, -Mr. Euren did well, but we must go back a little to see how this subject -was treated by English writers of horse books, who wrote without any -promptings from this side. - -Mr. William Youatt was a voluminous writer on domestic animals, and at -one time was looked upon as the highest authority on the horse, both -in England and in this country. He seems to have been a practitioner of -veterinary surgery, and from the number of volumes which he published -successfully, he must have been a man of ability and education. There can -be no question that he knew a great deal—quite too much to know anything -well. The first edition of his work on the horse was published in 1831, -and soon after its appearance several publishing houses in this country -seized upon it as very valuable, and each one of them soon had an edition -of it before the public. It purports to have been written at the instance -of “The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.” This declaration -was a good thing, in a commercial view, and no doubt it did much in -extending the circulation of the book. Without tarrying to note several -minor historical blunders, I will go direct to one relating to the gait -of the horse, which is now under consideration. In his fourth edition, -page 535, he incidentally discusses the mechanism of the pace, and after -speaking of the Elgin Marbles, to which I have referred at the beginning -of this chapter, and after conceding that two of the four horses are not -galloping but pacing, he says: - - “Whether this was then the mode of trotting or not, it is - certain that it is never seen to occur in nature in the - present day; and, indeed, it appears quite inconsistent with - the necessary balancing of the body, and was, therefore, more - probably an error of the artist.” - -This remark is simply amazing in an author who pretentiously undertakes -to instruct his countrymen in the history of the horse when he knows -nothing about that history. If he had gone back only twenty-two years, -“Old John Lawrence,” in his splendid quarto, would have told him about -the pacer. If he had gone back one hundred and sixty years, the Duke of -Newcastle would have explained to him the complete and perfect mechanism -of the pacing gait. If he had gone still further back and examined -Gervaise Markham, Blundeville, Polydore Virgil, and Fitz Stephen the -Monk, of the twelfth century, any and all of them would have explained -to him the pacing habit of action and shown him that for many successive -centuries the pacing horse was the popular and fashionable horse of -the realm. If Mr. Youatt had lived to see John R. Gentry pace a mile -in 2:00½; Robert J. in 2:01½, and dozens of others in less than 2:10, -he might have changed his mind and concluded that it was possible, -after all, for a horse to travel at the lateral gait without toppling -over. From Mr. Youatt and a few other modern English authors, most -of our American writers on the horse have derived what little mental -pabulum they thought they needed, and thus an error at the fountain has -been carried into all the ramifications of our horse literature. Only -two or three years ago a very intelligent gentleman, who had attained -great eminence as a veterinary surgeon, especially for his knowledge -and treatment of the horse’s foot, seriously and in good faith stoutly -maintained that the pacing habit of action was merely the result of an -abnormal condition of the foot, and that all pacers would trot just as -soon as their feet were put in the right shape. We must not laugh at -this wild notion, for it is really no worse than Mr. Youatt’s doubting -whether it was possible for a horse to balance himself at the lateral -motion. Neither gentleman seemed to know anything about the fact that -it was a matter of inheritance, and that the lateral habit of action -had come down by transmission through all the generations for a period -of more than two thousand years. It is hardly necessary to say that the -gentleman who was so confident that the pace was merely the result of the -abnormal condition of the feet brought his notions about the pacer from -across the water. He was an Anglo-American, and could make a pacer into -a trotter in a jiffy, by using the paring-knife. He was an intelligent -man and a skillful veterinarian, but there were no pacers in England -and there should be none here. Toward the close of the chapter on The -Colonial Horses of Virginia, will be found the observations of an English -tourist in 1795-96 who is very certain that there is some mistake about -the pacer, and will not be convinced there are any, unless they are -artificially created. Having now completed what I had to say about the -old English pacer, it is next in order to consider his descendants in -this country and the relations they bear to the American trotter. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE AMERICAN PACER AND HIS RELATIONS TO THE AMERICAN TROTTER. - - Regulations against stallions at large—American pacers taken - to the West Indies—Narragansett pacers; many foolish and - groundless theories about their origin—Dr. McSparran on the - speed of the pacer—Mr. Updike’s testimony—Mr. Hazard and - Mr. Enoch Lewis—Exchanging meetings with Virginia—Watson’s - Annals—Matlack and Acrelius—Rip Van Dam’s horse—Cooper’s - evidence—Cause of disappearance—Banished to the frontier—First - intimation that the pace and the trot were essentially one - gait—How it was received—Analysis of the two gaits—Pelham, - Highland Maid, Jay-Eye-See, Blue Bull—The pacer forces - himself into publicity—Higher rate of speed—Pacing races - very early—Quietly and easily developed—Comes to his speed - quickly—His present eminence not permanent—The gamblers carried - him there—Will he return to his former obscurity? - - -In the several chapters devoted to “Colonial Horse History” will be -found all the leading facts that I have been able to glean from the -early sources of information. With the exceptions of the horses brought -from Utrecht in Holland to New Amsterdam (New York), two shiploads that -sailed out of the Zuider Zee and landed at Salem, Massachusetts, and -those brought from Sweden by the colonists that settled on the Delaware, -all the early importations came from England. As much the larger number -of those from England and Sweden were pacers, the breeds and habits of -action were soon mixed up, as those who had no pacers wanted pacers for -the saddle, and those who wanted more size, regardless of the gait, -were always ready to supply their want by an exchange of their saddle -horses for more size. The Dutch horses were certainly something over -fourteen hands and the English and Swedish horses were perhaps nearer -thirteen than fourteen hands. The colonists from the first, and from one -end of the land to the other, seem to have appreciated the importance -of increasing the size and strength of their horse stock, and this was -very hard to do under the conditions then prevailing of allowing their -horses to roam at large. Hence, stringent regulations were adopted in -all the colonies against permitting immature entire colts and stallions -under size to wander where they pleased. It is doubtful whether these -regulations were any more effective than those of Henry VIII., for while -there was some increase, it was hardly perceptible until after the close -of the colonial days. The real increase did not commence till the farmers -had provided themselves with facilities for keeping their breeding stock -at home. - -[Illustration: JOHN R. GENTRY. - -By Ashland Wilkes, pacing record 2:00½, 1896.] - -It is very evident from the statistics of size and gait, as given in -the chapters referred to above, that our forefathers wisely selected -the most compact, strong and hardy animals they could find in England -as the type best adapted to fight their way against the hardships of a -life in the wilderness of the new world. There have been some attempts, -wholly fanciful and baseless, to trace importations from other countries, -outside of those mentioned above, but all such attempts have proven -wholly imaginary and worse than futile. In less than twenty years after -the New England colonies received their first supply they commenced -shipping horses by the cargo to Barbadoes and other West India Islands. -This trade was cultivated, extended to all the islands, and continued -during the remainder of the seventeenth and practically the whole of the -eighteenth century. The pacers of the American colonies were exceedingly -popular and sought after by the Spanish as well as the Dutch and English -islands. Indeed, the planters of Cuba alone carried away at high prices -nearly all the pacers that New England could produce. They knew nothing -about pacers for the saddle until they had tried them and then they -would have nothing else. These continuous raids of the Spaniards of the -West Indies upon the pacers of New England, and Rhode Island especially, -has been assigned, by the local historians of that State as one of the -principal causes of the decadence and practically final disappearance of -the Narragansett pacer from the seat of his triumphs and his fame. It -is just to remark here, in passing, that if there had been pacers among -the horses of Spain, the Spanish dependencies would have secured their -supplies from the mother country and not have come to Rhode Island and -paid fabulous prices for them. - -As all the pacing traditions of this country to-day point to the -horses of Narragansett Bay as the source from which our modern pacers -have derived their speed, we must give some attention to the various -theories that have been advanced as to the origin of the Narragansett -horse. In time past, and extending back to a period “whereof the memory -of man runneth not to the contrary,” the horse world has been cursed -with a class of men who have always been ready to invent and put in -circulation the most marvelous and incredible stories about the origin of -every remarkable horse that has appeared. Some of these wiseacres have -maintained that the original Narragansett pacer was caught wild in the -woods by the first settlers on Narragansett Bay, while others (and this -seems to be of Canadian origin) have insisted that when being brought to -this country a storm struck the ship and the horse was thrown overboard, -and after nine days he was found off the coast of Newfoundland quietly -eating rushes on a sand bar, where he was rescued and brought into -Narragansett Bay. This story of the marine horse probably had its origin -in the experiences of Rip Van Dam, which will be narrated further on. -Another representation, coming this time from a very reputable source, -has been made as to the origin of the Narragansett horse, and as many, no -doubt, have accepted it as true, I must give it such consideration as its -prominence demands. Mr. I. T. Hazard, a representative of the very old -and prominent Hazard family of Rhode Island, in a letter to the Rev. Mr. -Updike, makes the following statement: - - “My grandfather, Governor Robinson, introduced the famous - saddle horse, the Narragansett pacer, known in the last century - over all the civilized parts of North America and the West - Indies, from whence they have lately been introduced into - England, as a ladies’ saddle horse, under the name of the - Spanish Jennet. Governor Robinson imported the original from - Andalusia, in Spain, and the raising of them for the West India - market was one of the objects of the early planters of this - country. My grandfather, Robert Hazard, raised about a hundred - of them annually, and often loaded two vessels a year with - them, and other products of his farm, which sailed direct from - the South Ferry to the West Indies, where they were in great - demand.” - -This theory of the origin of the Narragansett came down to Mr. Hazard -as a tradition, no doubt, but like a thousand other traditions it has -nothing to sustain it. Opposed to it there are two clearly ascertained -facts, either one of which is wholly fatal to it. In the first place, -there were no pacers in Andalusia or any other part of Spain, and in the -second place, these horses, according to official data, were the leading -item of export from Rhode Island in 1680, and Governor Robinson was not -born till about 1693. As impossibilities admit of no argument, I will -not add another word to this “Andalusian” origin tradition, except to -say that a hundred years later, when the pacing dam of Sherman Morgan -was taken from Cranston, Rhode Island, up into Vermont, she was called -a “Spanish mare,” because Mr. Hazard had said the original Narragansett -had come from Spain. The story of the descendants of the Narragansetts -having been carried from the West Indies to England, and there introduced -under the name of the Spanish Jennet as a lady’s saddle horse, is wholly -imaginative. The Spanish Jennet, whatever its gait may have been, was -well known in England many years before the first horse was brought to -any of the American colonies. (See extracts from Blundeville and Markham -in Chapter XII.) - -After several years of fruitless search for some trace of the early -importations of horses into the colony of Rhode Island, I have reached -the conclusion that probably no such importations were ever made. The -colony of Massachusetts Bay commenced importing horses and other live -stock from England in 1629, and continued to do so for several years -and until they were fully supplied, as stated above. In 1640 a shipload -of horses were exported to the Barbadoes, and it was about this time -that Rhode Island began to assume an organized existence. Her people -were largely made up of refugees from the religious intolerance of the -other New England colonies, and they brought their families and effects, -including their horses, with them. The blood of the Narragansett pacer, -therefore, was not different from the blood of the pacers of the other -colonies, but the development of his speed by the establishment of a -pacing course and the offering of valuable prizes, naturally brought the -best and the fastest horses to this colony and from the best and fastest -they built up a breed that became famous throughout all the inhabited -portions of the Western Hemisphere. The race track, with the valuable -prizes it offered and the emulation it aroused, was what did it. As the -question of origin is thus settled in accordance with what is known of -history and the natural order of things, and as the Narragansett is the -great tribe representing the lateral action then and since, we must -consider such details of history as have come down to us. - -The Rev. James McSparran, D.D., was sent out by the London Society -for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, to take charge of -an Episcopal church that had been planted some years before in Rhode -Island. He arrived in 1721, and lived till 1759. He was an Irishman, and -appears to have been somewhat haughty and irascible in his temperament -and was disposed to find fault with the climate, the currency, the -people, and pretty much everything he came in contact with. He was -a man of observation, and during the thirty-eight years he spent in -ministering to the spiritual wants of his flock, he was not unmindful -of what was passing around him, and made many notes and reflections on -the various phases of life as they presented themselves to his mind, and -especially on the products and industries of the colony. These notes and -observations he wrote out, and they were published in Dublin in 1753, -under the title of “America Dissected.” - -His writings do not discover that he was a man of very ardent piety, -but he was honored as a good man while he lived, and was buried under -the altar he had served so long. His duties sometimes called him away -into Virginia, and, in speaking of the great distance of one parish from -another, he uses the following language: - - “To remedy this (the distance), as the whole province, between - the mountains, two hundred miles up, and the sea, is all a - champaign, and without stones, they have plenty of a small - sort of horses, the best in the world, like the little Scotch - Galloways; and ’tis no extraordinary journey to ride from - sixty to seventy miles or more in a day. I have often, but - upon larger pacing horses, rode fifty, nay, sixty miles a day, - even here in New England, where the roads are rough, stony and - uneven.” - -The reverend gentleman seems to assume that his readers knew the Scotch -Galloways were pacers, and with this explanation his observations are -very plain. He makes no distinction between the Virginia horse and his -congener of Rhode Island except that of size, in which the latter had the -advantage. In speaking of the products of Rhode Island he says: - - “The produce of this colony is principally butter and cheese, - fat cattle, wool, and fine horses, which are exported to all - parts of English America. They are remarkable for fleetness and - swift pacing; _and I have seen some of them pace a mile in a - little more than two minutes, and a good deal less than three_.” - -When I first read this sentence in the reverend doctor’s book I confess -I was not prepared to accept it in any other light than that of a wild -enthusiast, who knew but little of the force of the language he used. To -talk about horses pacing, a hundred and fifty years ago, in a little more -than two minutes and a good deal less than three, appeared to be simply -monstrous. The language evidently means, according to all fair rules of -construction, that the mile was performed nearer two minutes than three, -or in other words, considerably below two minutes and thirty seconds. I -doubt not my readers will hesitate, and perhaps refuse, to accept such a -performance, just as I did myself till I had carefully weighed not only -the character of the author of the statement, but the circumstances that -seemed to support it. If the learned divine had known no more of the -world and its ways than many of his profession, I would have concluded he -was not a competent judge of speed; but he was a man of affairs, and knew -perfectly well just what he was saying. The question naturally arises -here as to what opportunities or facilities the doctor had for timing -those pacers of a hundred and fifty years ago. In a note appended to the -above extract by Mr. Updike, the editor of the work, I find the following: - - “The breed of horses called Narragansett pacers, once so - celebrated for fleetness, endurance and speed, has become - extinct. These horses were highly valued for the saddle, and - transported the rider with great pleasantness and sureness of - foot. The pure bloods could not trot at all. Formerly they had - pace-races. Little Neck Beach, in South Kingston, of one mile - in length, was the race course. A silver tankard was the prize, - and high bets were otherwise made on speed. Some of these prize - tankards were remaining a few years ago. Traditions respecting - the swiftness of these horses are almost incredible.” - -The facts stated by Mr. Updike in this note are corroborated from other -sources, and may be accepted as true. These were the opportunities -and facilities the doctor had for holding his watch, and nobody will -doubt they were sufficient to enable him to be a competent witness. -In connection with this subject, and as another footnote, Mr. Updike -introduces a letter from Mr. I. T. Hazard, which brings out another very -curious fact in the history of the pacer. The Hazard family was very -eminent in Rhode Island, and many of its members have occupied positions -of high honor and responsibility for several generations. The date of -the letter is not given, and we may infer it may have been written fifty -years ago, or perhaps more. Mr. Hazard says: - - “Within ten years one of my aged neighbors, Enoch Lewis, since - deceased, informed me he had been to Virginia as one of the - riding boys, to return a similar visit of the Virginians in - that section, in a contest on the turf; and that such visits - were common with the racing sportsmen of Narragansett and - Virginia, when he was a boy. Like the old English country - gentlemen, from whom they were descended, they were a - horse-racing, fox-hunting, feasting generation.” - -This paragraph from Mr. Hazard’s pen has been the subject of very -deliberate consideration. The first promptings of my judgment were -to doubt and reject it, especially on account of the absence of date -to the letter, and of the remote period in which Mr. Enoch Lewis -must have visited Virginia. Another question, as to why we have not -this information from any other source except Mr. Hazard, presented -itself with no inconsiderable force. After viewing the matter in all -its bearings I am forced to concede that it is likely to be true. -These visits must have taken place before the Revolution, and from -the construction we are able to place upon the dates, this was not -impossible. It is a fact that I do not hesitate to announce that before -the Revolution racing in all its forms was more universally indulged in -as an amusement than it ever has been since. This was before the days of -newspapers, and all we can possibly know of the sporting events of that -period we must gather up from the detached fragments that have come down -to us by tradition. There was a strong bond of sympathy and friendship -between the followers of Dr. McSparran in Rhode Island, surrounded as -they were by Puritans, and their co-religionists in Virginia. They were -accustomed to maritime life, and had abundance of vessels fitted up -for the shipment of horses and other live stock to foreign ports. To -take a number of their fastest pacers on board one of their sloops and -sail for Virginia would not have been considered much of an adventure. -These visits were not only occasions of pleasure and festivity, with -the incidental profits of winning purses and bets, but they were a most -successful means of advertising the Narragansett pacer; and through these -means alone the market was opened, as Dr. McSparran expresses it, in -all parts of British America. When we consider the widespread fame of -these Rhode Island horses, and that there were no other means by which -they could have achieved it, except by their actual performances, we are -forced to the conclusion that they were carried long distances, and in -many directions, for purely sporting purposes. That these visits would -result in the transfer of a good number of the best and fastest horses -from Narragansett to Virginia would be a natural sequence, and thus, in -after years, we might look for a strong infusion of Narragansett blood in -the Virginian pacing-horse. - -It appears to be a law of our civilization that each generation produces -somebody who, out of pure love for the curious and forgotten, devotes -the best years of his life to hunting up old things that have well-nigh -slipped away from the memory of man. In this class Mr. John F. Watson -stands conspicuous in what he has done for Philadelphia and New York. -In 1830 he published a work entitled “Annals of Philadelphia and -Pennsylvania,” in two volumes, and among all the antiquated manners and -habits that he again brings to our knowledge, he has something to say -about the horse of an early day: - - “The late very aged T. Matlack, Esq., was passionately fond of - races in his youth. He told me of his remembrances about Race - Street. In his early days the woods were in commons, having - several straggling forest trees still remaining there, and - the circular course ranging through those trees. He said all - genteel horses were pacers. A trotting-horse was deemed a base - breed. These Race Street races were mostly pace-races. His - father and others kept pacing stallions for propagating the - breed.” - -Mr. Watson further remarks, on the same subject: “Thomas Bradford, Esq., -in telling me of the recollections of the races, says he was told that -the earliest races were scrub and pace-races on the ground now used as -Race Street.” - -The Rev. Israel Acrelius, for many years pastor of the Swedish church of -Philadelphia, wrote a book early in the last century, under the title, -“History of New Sweden,” which has been translated into English. In -describing the country and people, in their habits and amusements, he -thus speaks of the horse: - - “The horses are real ponies, and are seldom found over thirteen - hands high. He who has a good riding horse never employs him - for draught, which is also the less necessary, as journeys, for - the most part, are made on horseback. It must be the result of - this, more than to any particular breed in the horses, that the - country excels in fast horses, so that horse races are often - made for very high stakes.” - -It will be noted that Mr. Acrelius does not say that these races were -pacing-races; but when his remark is taken in connection with what -Mr. Matlack said about the pacers, and when it is considered that he -is speaking of the speed of the saddle horses as such, we can easily -understand his true meaning. In our turf history I supposed I was getting -well back when I reached the great race between Galloway’s Selim and Old -England, in 1767, but here we find that race was comparatively modern, -and that the pacers antedated the gallopers by many, many years. - -In 1832 Mr. Watson did the same service for New York that he had done for -Philadelphia, and published his “Annals of New York,” in which we find -the piece of horse history embodied in the extract printed on pages 126 -and 127, to which the reader will please turn. - -It is hardly possible to be mistaken in assuming that Rip Van Dam’s -letter was written to some person in Philadelphia, and that Mr. Watson -saw it there. I would give a great deal for the sight of it; and if it -has been preserved in any of the public libraries of that city, either -in type or in manuscript form, I have good hopes of yet inspecting it. -In one point of view, it is of exceeding value, and that is its date. -It is fully established by this letter that, as early as 1711, the -Narragansetts were not only established as a breed or family, but that -their fame was already widespread. This, of necessity, carries us back -into the latter part of the seventeenth century, when their exceptional -characteristics were first developed, or began to manifest themselves. In -reaching that period we are so near the first importations of horses to -the colonies that it is no violence to either history or good sense to -conclude that the original Narragansett was one among the very earliest -importations. This plays havoc with some Rhode Island traditions, as will -be seen below; but with 1711 fixed as a point when the breed was famous, -traditions must stand aside. - -While on this matter of dates, it may not be unprofitable to compare the -advent of the Narragansett with the well-known epochs in horse history. -Every schoolboy knows that the Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Arabian, -say twenty years after, were the great founders of the English race -horse. The Narragansetts had reached the very highest pinnacle of fame -before the Darley Arabian was foaled. Darley Arabian reached England -about the same year that Rip Van Dam’s Narragansett jumped over the side -of the sloop and swam ashore, and this was eighty years before there was -an attempt at publishing an English stud book. When Janus and Othello, -and Traveller, and Fearnaught, the great founders of the American race -horse, first reached Virginia, they found the Narragansett pacer had -been there more than a generation before. On the point of antiquity, -therefore, the Narragansett is older than what we designate as the -thoroughbred race horse, and if he has a lineal descendant living to-day -the pacer has a longer line of speed inheritance, at his gait, than the -galloper. - -The only attempt at a description of this breed that I have met with is -that given by Cooper, the novelist, in a footnote to “The Last of the -Mohicans.” This note may be accepted as history, so far as it goes, and -pretends to be history; but I am not prepared to admit that all the breed -were sorrels. This color, no doubt, prevailed in those specimens that -Mr. Cooper had seen or heard of, but I think all colors prevailed, as in -other breeds. He says: - - “In the State of Rhode Island there is a bay called - Narragansett, so named for a strong tribe of Indians that - formerly dwelt on its banks. Accident, or one of those - unaccountable freaks which nature sometimes plays in the - animal world, gave rise to a breed of horses which were once - well known in America by the name of Narragansetts. They were - small, commonly of the color called sorrel in America, and - distinguished by their habit of pacing. Horses of this race - were, and still are, in much request as saddle-horses, on - account of their hardiness, and the ease of their movements. As - they were also sure of foot, the Narragansetts were much sought - for by females who were obliged to travel over the roots and - holes in the new countries.” - -Without having a minute description of so much as a single individual -of the race, I can only infer, from general descriptions, as to what -their family peculiarities of form and shape may have been. It is fully -established that they were very compact and hardy horses, and that they -were not large; perhaps averaging about fourteen and a quarter hands in -height. I have met with no intimation that they were stylish or handsome, -and we think it is safe to conclude that they were plain in their form, -and low in their carriage. From my conceptions of the horse I think one -of the better-shaped Canadian pacers, of fifteen hands or thereabouts, -might be accepted as a fair representative of the Narragansett of -a hundred and fifty years ago. He was fleet, hardy, docile, and -sure-footed, but not beautiful, and it is reasonable to suppose that the -lack of style and beauty was one of the leading causes of his becoming -extinct in the land of his nativity. - -In considering the causes which resulted in what we may call the -dispersal of the Narragansett pacers, and their extinction in the seat -of their early fame, we must be governed by what is reasonable and -philosophical in the industrial interests of the people, rather than look -for some great overwhelming disaster, like an earthquake, that ingulfed -them in a night. In speaking of this dispersal, and the causes which led -to it, Mr. Hazard says: - - “One of the causes of the loss of that famous breed here was - the great demand for them in Cuba, when that island began to - cultivate sugar extensively. The planters became suddenly rich, - and wanted the pacing-horse for themselves and their wives and - daughters to ride, faster than we could supply them, and sent - an agent to this country to purchase them on such terms as he - could, but to purchase them at all events. I have heard my - father say he knew the agent very well, and he made his home - at the Rowland Brown House, at Tower Hill, where he commenced - purchasing and shipping until all the good ones were sent off. - He never let a good one escape him. This, and the fact that - they were not so well adapted to draught as other horses, was - the cause of their being neglected, and I believe the breed is - now extinct in this section. My father described the motion - of this horse as differing from others in that his backbone - moved through the air in a straight line, without inclining the - rider from side to side, as the common racker or pacer of the - present day. Hence it was very easy; and being of great power - of endurance, they would perform a journey of a hundred miles - in a day, without injury to themselves or rider.” - -We can understand very well how an enormous and unexpected demand from -Cuba without restriction as to price, should reduce the numbers of the -breed very materially. But it is a poor compliment to the intelligence -and thrift of the good people of Narragansett to say that, because there -was a lively demand, they killed the goose that laid the golden egg every -day. It is a slander upon that Yankee smartness which is proverbial to -conclude that they deprived themselves of the means of supplying a market -that was making them all rich. We must, therefore, look for other causes -that were more potent in producing, so marked a result. - -After more than a hundred years of faithful service, of great popularity, -and of profitable returns to their breeders, the little Narragansetts -began to disappear, just as their ancestors had disappeared a century -earlier. Rhode Island was no longer a frontier settlement, but had grown -into a rich and prosperous State. Mere bridle paths through the woods had -developed into broad, smooth highways, and wheeled vehicles had taken -the place of the saddle. Under these changed conditions, the little -pacer was no longer desirable or even tolerable as a harness horse, and -he was supplanted by a larger and more stylish type of horse, better -suited to the particular kind of work required of him. This was simply -the “survival of the fittest,” considering the nature of the services -required of the animal. The average height of the Narragansett was not -over fourteen hands and one inch. His neck was not long, even for his -size; he dropped rapidly on the croup, and his carriage was low, with -nothing of elegance or style in his appearance. His mane and tail were -heavy, his hind legs were crooked, his limbs and feet were of the very -best, but aside from his great speed and the smoothness of his movements -under the saddle, there was nothing very desirable or attractive about -him. In a contest with a type of the harness horse, at least one hand -higher, of high carriage and elegant appearance, there could only be one -result, and that soon decided. - -As in England, so in this country, the blood of the running horse soon -worked the extermination of the pacer; not because it was stronger in -reproducing itself, perhaps, but because it had the skill and fancy of -the breeder enlisted in selecting and mating so as to make the expunging -process complete. Only a few years ago a pacing horse could hardly be -found in any of the older settled portions of the country, especially -where running blood had become fashionable. He was literally banished to -the frontiers of Canada, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and -especially in the latter two States, where his blood is still appreciated -and preserved for the luxurious saddle gaits which it alone transmits. -In many individual cases he has shown wonderful power in meeting and -overcoming antagonistic elements, but with the tide of running blood all -against him, it was only a question of time as to how soon he would be -totally submerged. - -It is only a quarter of a century ago that the first volume of “Wallace’s -American Trotting Register” was published, and then began the great task -of bringing order out of chaos. In a historical introduction to that -work, I inserted the following: - - “So many pacing horses have got fast trotters, so many pacing - mares have produced fast trotters, and so many pacers have - themselves become fast trotters, and little or nothing known of - their breeding, that I confess to a degree of embarrassment, - from which no philosophy relieves me. If the facts were limited - to a few individual cases we could ignore the phenomena - altogether, but, while they are by no means universal, they - are too common and apparent to be thus easily disposed of. I - am not aware that any writer has ever brought this question - to the attention of the public; much less, attempted its - discussion and explanation. Indeed, it is possible that the - observations of others may not sustain me in the prominence - given these phenomena, but all will concede there are some - cases coming under this head that are unexplained, and perhaps - unexplainable. It is probable trotters from this pacing origin, - and that appear to trot, only because their progenitors paced, - will not prove reliable producers of trotters. Such an animal - being in a great degree phenomenal, should not be too highly - prized in the stud, till he has proved himself a trotting sire - as well as a trotter.” - -This very comprehensive little paragraph, put modestly and tentatively -rather than positively, contained a germ of thought that is to-day -exerting a very wide influence. So far as my knowledge goes, this was -the first time in which the public attention had ever been called to the -intimate relations between speed at the pace and speed at the trot. Some -laughed at it as not practical, others sneered at it as a theoretical -abstraction, a few gave it some thought, while the writers who never -think left it severely alone. It required the cumulative experiences -of nearly ten years before horsemen generally began to think about it, -and then ten more before the germ had matured itself in the minds of -all intelligent men who were able to divest themselves of their earlier -prejudices. The great primary truth now stands out in high relief that -the pace and the trot are simply two forms of one and the same gait, -that lies midway between the walk and the gallop. At last the truth, -dimly foreshadowed in the paragraph above, is received and accepted, in -some form or other, almost if not quite universally. This fact and its -acceptance are now shown in all the recorded experiences of racing, and -especially in the origin and habits of action of many of the heads of -trotting and pacing families, to which the reader is referred. - -At the beginning of Chapter XIII. I have labored to make plain the -proposition that the pace and the trot are simply two forms of one and -the same gait. This is evident from the fact that this gait, in one form -or the other, is the intermediate link between the walk and the gallop, -and this is true among nearly all quadrupeds. I have also there shown, -and I think beyond cavil, that the mechanism of the pace and the trot is -the same, and especially in the fact that in both forms two legs are used -as one leg. That is, if the two legs on the same side move together, we -call it the pace, and if the diagonal legs move together we call it the -trot. The rhythm is the same and the sound is the same, and by the ear no -man can tell whether the movement is at the lateral or diagonal motion. -In all the varieties of steps that a horse may be taught, and in all the -methods of progression that he may naturally adopt, there is no step -or movement in which he uses two legs as one except in the pace or the -trot. From the place, therefore, which these two forms of the gait hold, -indifferently, in animal movement, between the walk and the gallop; from -the unity of action and result in the use of the same mechanism, and from -the wide disparity between the mechanism of this gait and that of all -other gaits in the action of the horse, we must conclude that the pace -and the trot are one and the same gait. - -Another evidence of the unity of the two forms of the trot is to be found -in the great numbers of pacers that have been changed over to trotters -and the astonishing readiness with which they took to the new form of -action. To go back no further than the records sustain us, we find that -the converted pacer Pelham was the first horse that ever trotted in 2:28. -This was in 1849, and four years later the converted pacer Highland Maid -trotted in 2:27. Twenty years later, Occident, another, trotted in 2:16¾. -These were champions of their day, and when we come a little nearer we -find that Maud S. was a pacer and Sunol was a pacer, although neither -of them ever paced in public, and the fact that they ever paced at all -was held as a kind of “home secret.” Since the days of Pelham, literally -thousands of horses have been changed from pacers to trotters, and some -hundreds have been changed from trotters to pacers successfully. Then -there are quite a number, like Jay-Eye-See, 2:10 trotting and 2:06¼ -pacing, that have made fast records at both gaits. - -At one time the pacing horse Blue Bull stood at the head of all sires -of trotters in this country, and it is not known or believed that he -possessed a single drop of trotting blood. He was a very fast pacer and -could do nothing else, and a large percentage of the mares bred to him -were pacers, and practically all the others had more or less pacing -blood, but his great roll of trotters in the 2:30 list was the wonder of -all horsemen of that period. Certainly the average of the elements in -his inheritance would place him very low in theory, but in practice he -struck back to some ancestor that was strongly prepotent. The trouble in -his case is practically the same as in all other pacing stallions—the -inheritance traces back to a period more remote than any of the fast -trotting stallions, but at intervals it has been neglected and not -developed until it has become weak and uncertain from lack of use. The -same may be said of the Copperbottoms, Corbeaus, Flaxtails, Hiatogas, -Davy Crockets, Pilots, Rainbows, Redbucks, St. Clairs, Tippoos, and Tom -Hals, as well as other heads of minor families that will be considered in -their proper places. - -The changes that have been wrought in the status of the pacer have -been truly wonderful. Instead of being hidden away as an outcast -and a disgrace to the family, condemned to a life of inferiority and -drudgery, he has been brought out and exhibited to the public as a son -and heir and the equal of the best. In looking back over the trotting -records of twenty years ago, any one will be surprised to observe that -at all the leading meetings of the whole country there were no pacing -contests. Occasionally at the minor and local meetings of the middle -Western States, a pacing contest would be given for a small purse, in -which local and obscure horses only would be engaged. Very naturally -the owners of pacing horses protested against this practical exclusion -of their favorites from the trotting meetings, and employed all their -energies in begging for admission. When they began to be really clamorous -the managers of trotting tracks argued that there could be no profit to -them in opening pacing contests, for nobody cared about seeing a pacing -match, that the entries would not fill, and especially that there would -be no betting, that, consequently, the pool-sellers would have nothing -to divide with the management. As the receipts for pool-selling and all -other gambling privileges were making the track managers rich, they were -very slow about admitting an untried element that might diminish their -profits. But gradually and patiently the pacers worked their way into the -exclusive circle, and when they appeared everybody, especially in the -Eastern States, was surprised to see what excellent horses they were and -the terrific speed they showed. Instead of the typical pacer, as formed -in the popular mind, with the low head, bull neck, low croup, hairy legs, -exuberant mane and tail, and generally “Canuck” all over, that would stop -at the end of the first half-mile, here was an array of horses that in -make-up and gameness would average just as well as the same number of -trotters. This was a revelation to great multitudes of people, and from -that time forward the pacer had a fair show, on his merits. For hundreds -of years the pacer, with very few exceptions, has been able to show a -little higher rate of speed than the trotter. When Flora Temple smashed -all records in 1859 by trotting in 2:19¾, Pocahontas had drawn a wagon, -five years earlier, in 2:17½; and when Maud S. trotted in 1885 in 2:08¾, -this beat all laterals as well as diagonals, except Johnson, who the year -before had paced in 2:06¼. In 1894 Alix trotted a mile in 2:03¾, which -stands the best at this writing, but the same year Robert J. paced in -2:01½, and John R. Gentry in 2:00½ in 1896. - -It is not my purpose here to undertake to discuss the reasons for the -almost continuous supremacy of the pacer over the trotter, for there is -no data from which I might frame a conclusion that would really “hold -water.” At best, therefore, I can only suggest two or three thoughts. -Speed at the pace is older, and has been longer in the process of -development, than speed at the trot. In 1747 pacing races had then been -fashionable in Maryland, and had been carried on in that colony time -out of mind, but we have no trace of trotting races. One year later -(1748) “running, pacing and trotting” races had become so numerous and -so common in the colony of New Jersey that they were declared a nuisance -and suppressed by the legislative authority. My impression from the -language of the act is that it was aimed chiefly at the running and the -pacing races, and that the trotters were not very numerous. It seems to -be a reasonable conclusion that this racing mania in New Jersey took its -rise about 1665, when Governor Nicolls established the Newmarket race -course on Long Island, and if so, it had been growing in strength for -over eighty years, and if we add the time from then till now we find that -the speed of the pacer has been going on almost continuously for over two -hundred years in our own country. There is another fact entering into the -rural life of colonial times that must not be left out of consideration. -The pacer was the universal saddle horse, and the trotter never was -tolerated for that service. Every farmer’s son had his saddle horse, and -when two of them met what so natural and common as to determine then -and there which was the faster, if a little stretch of road offered? -In these neighborhood rivalries, if not in actual racing, the instinct -of speed at the pace was kept alive and developed, from generation to -generation. If I am right in this little study of colonial life, we can -understand that the inheritance of speed at the pace has come down to our -own time through a great many generations of pacers, and hence the pace -is the faster gait. There is one fact in our own experience that seems to -sustain this with great force, and that is the small amount of “pounding” -that the pacer requires in order to reach the full development of his -powers. There is no need of driving a pacer to death in order to teach -him how to pace, for he already knows how to pace, and all that is needed -in the way of training is to get him into high condition. It may be -possible that the lateral action is faster than the diagonal because it -is less complicated, but I can see no anatomical reason for this, as the -two legs in both gaits act as one leg. The only difference I can see in -practice is that the trotter has more up-and-down motion than the pacer; -that is, he bounds in every revolution, describing a series of depressed -curves with his back as he moves, while the pacer rises less from the -ground with his hind feet and seems to glide instead of bound; in other -words, there is less action thrown away by the pacer than the trotter, -and this may arise from the more complex action in the diagonal than in -the lateral motion. - -The pacer has reached a higher acclivity than the trotter, but he is not -so well assured in his footing. His present popularity and his upward -flight are phenomenal, but the causes that have sent him there are -abnormal and not lasting. In his best individualities he is simply a -gambling machine when in the hands of unscrupulous men, to be manipulated -in whatever direction he will make the most money. Racing, at whatever -gait, is not necessarily demoralizing nor disreputable, but when it -falls into the control of the “professionals” it becomes both. So long -as it remains under the control of the breeders it is not only honorable -and legitimate for them to develop and race their stock, but it is a -necessary adjunct to their business, for they must thus bring their -products before the public, if they expect to make their business pay. -Breeders should not own race tracks, or if they do, they should have no -part nor lot in the percentage uniformly paid for the gambling privilege. - -The history of racing in this country teaches over and over again that -whenever the breeding and racing interest falls into the control of -gamblers, down goes the whole interest and honest men suffer with the -rogues. The grasping track managers are to-day complaining loudly that -they cannot afford to give trotting meetings unless they are allowed to -bring in the pool-sellers and make them divide the “swag” with the track. -Every attempt by legislatures to make gambling on races a felony outside -the race track and a virtue inside is a most arrant humbug and most -destructive in its results. It makes the race track a cesspool of every -vice, and a stench in the nostrils of every honest man and decent woman. -The moral sense of the people all over this country is being aroused, and -if public gambling cannot be suppressed on horse races, then history will -repeat itself and horse racing will be wiped out. The gamblers and their -friends will sneer at this as “puritanism,” but no difference about the -name—it will come. - -But, destructive and ruinous as gambling on races may be to the life -and moral character of young men, as well as to the material interests -of honest and reputable breeders, it hardly comes within my province to -discuss it further in this place, and therefore I will return to the -consideration of the pacer. As the historical periodicity is now looming -in sight when the moral sense of the people will command the suppression -of racing of every kind, the question becomes exceedingly pertinent as -to what is to become of the pacer? He will no longer be of any value as -a gambling machine, the days of the saddle horse are past as a means -of travel, except by a few about the parks of the cities, and however -uppish and handsome he may be, he is not and never will be a desirable -driving horse in harness. We have already used sufficient of his blood to -create the American Saddle Horse, and if the saddle horse shall produce -“after his kind” we need no more infusions from the pure pacer. In the -trotter his blood has leavened everything, and in some lines more than we -desire or need. He has been a great source of trotting speed, and if, as -I am inclined to believe, Messenger’s power to transmit trotting speed -came from the old English pacer, then the pacer is the only source of -that speed. Under the condition of things as here foreshadowed he will -probably sink back into the obscurity from which he emerged twenty years -ago. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE AMERICAN SADDLE HORSE. - - The saddle gaits come only from the pacer—Saddle gaits - cultivated three hundred years ago—Markham on the saddle - gaits—The military seat the best—The unity of the pace and - trot—Gaits analyzed—Saddle Horse Register—Saddle horse - progenitors—Denmark not a thoroughbred horse. - - -In the preceding chapters the pacer has been considered from the -standpoint of his antiquity, history, speed at the pace, and his -contributions to speed at the trot. We now come to consider him as the -founder of the best and most delightful type of saddle horses in the -world. This estimate of his quality and value had a solid foundation -in the judgment and habits of our ancestors at an early period in our -history. When our patriotic forbears entered upon the struggle for -independence, they were fully alive to the necessity of foreign sympathy -and aid. For this purpose agents were sent abroad to enlist the good -feelings and, if possible, secure co-operation of foreign governments, -especially that of France. Mr. Silas Dean was sent to Paris, and in a -communication to the secret committee of Congress, under date of November -28, 1776, he writes: “I wish I had here one of your best saddle horses, -of the American or Rhode Island breed—a present of that kind would be -money well laid out with a certain personage.” This was probably intended -as a present to Marie Antoinette, or some other person having great -influence at court. It further indicates that “the American or Rhode -Island Saddle Horse” was at that period, in Mr. Dean’s opinion at least, -the best in the world. (See Dean Papers, New York Historical Society, -Vol. I., p. 377.) - -To the man of average intelligence and candor on horse subjects it -certainly is not necessary to enter upon an elaborate discussion to -show that the saddle gaits come from the pacer, but a certain class -of writers, who neither declare nor attempt to prove their position, -constantly imply that the saddle gaits came from the “thoroughbred.” As -it is better, therefore, to make everything plain as we go along, I will -very briefly consider this point. Twelve years ago, through _Wallace’s -Monthly_, I presented the following questions to all gentlemen interested -in saddle-horse affairs and acquainted with saddle-horse history: “Are -all the tribes and families noted for their saddle qualities descended -in whole or in part from pacing ancestry?” In order to cover the whole -question, no difference from what standpoint it might be considered, I -added the following: “Has any family or subfamily of saddle horses come -from pure running ancestry and without any admixture of pacing blood?” To -these questions Major Hord, then editor of the _Spirit of the Farm_, at -Nashville, Tennessee, a gentleman of very wide and accurate knowledge on -this subject, but strongly in favor of running blood, made the following -response through his paper: - - “We can only draw conclusions from established facts in - reference to these questions, for we do not think they can - be answered otherwise, as the original ancestry of our best - saddle families is more or less clouded in obscurity. It is an - established fact, demonstrated by experience, that in order to - get a saddle horse, the quickest and most successful way is to - get in the pacing blood; it matters not how good or bad the - other blood may be, a strong dash of pacing blood will almost - invariably improve the animal for saddle purposes, and never, - under any circumstances, does a pacing cross detract from an - animal’s qualities for the saddle. Judging from these facts, we - conclude that all our saddle families are descended, at least - in part, from pacing ancestry. On the other hand, all our best - saddle families have a strong infusion of thoroughbred running - blood. This blood, however, is valuable only for the courage, - bone, and finish it gives the animal, for it imparts none of - the saddle gaits; and while we have secured the best results - in breeding the saddle horse by mixing the running and pacing - blood, we have observed that too much running blood in the - stallion detracts from his success as a sire of saddle stock. - As a rule, no trainer’s skill can make a good saddle horse out - of a thoroughbred runner, whereas if you mix two or more strong - pacing crosses on top of the running blood, a child can gait - the produce to the saddle. We have sometimes seen good saddle - horses that were thoroughbreds, but have never seen a perfect - one. Our observation and experience lead us to the conclusion - that the natural saddle gaits come from the pacers, but to the - runner we are indebted for the size, style, bone and finish of - our saddle stock.” - -In this reply, when the author says “all of our saddle families are -descended, at least in part, from pacing ancestry,” and when he adds -to this that “running blood imparts none of the saddle gaits,” he has -answered both questions very fully and very satisfactorily. The argument -that running blood gives bone and finish, and all that, is very well -as a theory of breeding, but it has nothing to do with the questions -propounded. As all families of saddle horses have pacing blood, and as -there is no family without it, it may be taken as settled that the saddle -gaits come from the pacer. - -I notice that at least one of the present saddle gaits was cultivated -more than three hundred years ago. Mr. Gervaise Markham, a writer of the -sixteenth century, and probably the second English author on the horse, -says: “If you buy a horse for pleasure the amble is the best, in which -you observe that he moves both his legs on one side together, neat with -complete deliberation, for if he treads too short he is apt to stumble, -if too large to cut and if shuffling or rowling he does it slovenly and -besides rids no ground. If your horse be designed for hunting, a racking -pace is most expedient, which little differs from the amble, only is -more active and nimble, whereby the horse observes due motion, but you -must not force him too eagerly, lest being in confusion he lose all -knowledge of what you design him to, and so handle his legs carelessly.” -The orthography of the work “rack” as used by Markham is “wrack,” and -this is the only place I have met with it in any of the old authors. -Webster defines the word “rack” as “a fast amble,” but Markham uses it -in contradistinction from the amble. It is worthy of note here that the -word “rack” is older than the word “pace,” in its use as designating -the particular gait of the horse, and through all the centuries it has -been retained. Of all the gaits that are subsidiary to the pace and -derived from that gait, the rack is probably the most common, and in -many sections of the country the pacer is called a racker. Racking is -often designated as “single-footing,” and in this gait as well as in -the running walk and fox trot, there are four distinct impacts in the -revolution. It follows, then, that they are not susceptible of a very -high rate of speed. - -In all the services which the horse renders and in all the relations -which he bears to his master, there is no relation in which they can be -made to appear to such great mutual advantage as when the one animal is -carrying the other on his back. There is no occasion on which a beautiful -horse looks so well as when gracefully mounted and skillfully handled by -a lady or gentleman. And, I will add, there is no occasion when a lady or -gentleman, who is at home in the saddle, looks so well as when mounted -on a beautiful and well-trained American horse. England has no saddle -horses, and never can have any till she secures American blood and adopts -American methods. The shortening of the stirrups and the swinging up -and down like a tilt-hammer is not, with our English friends, a matter -of choice, but a necessity to avoid being jolted to death. Their very -silly imitators, on this side, think they can’t afford to be out of the -fashion, because “it’s English, you know.” For safety, true gentility, -and comfort the military seat is the only seat, and if you have a horse -upon which you can’t keep that seat without punishment, he is no saddle -horse. If your doctor tells you that your liver needs shaking up, mount -an English trotting horse, but if you ride for pleasure and fresh air, -get a horse that is bred and trained to the saddle gaits. There is just -as much difference between the two horses as the difference between a -springless wagon on a cobble-stone pavement and a richly upholstered -coach on the asphalt. - -The American Saddle Horse has an origin as well as a history. His origin -dates back thousands of years, and his history has been preserved in art -and in letters since the beginning of the Christian era. For centuries -he was the fashionable horse in England, and the only horse ridden by -the nobility and gentry. Away back in the reign of Elizabeth it was not -an uncommon thing to use hopples to teach and compel trotters to pace, -just as in our day hopples are often used to teach and compel pacers to -trot. In the early settlement of the American colonies pacers were far -more numerous than trotters, and this continued to be the case till after -the War of the Revolution. The great influx of running blood after that -period practically banished the pacer to the western frontiers, where a -remnant has been preserved for the uses of the saddle; and on account of -his great speed and gameness he has again returned to popular favor in -our own day. - -The walk and the canter, or short gallop, are gaits that are common to -all breeds and varieties of horses, but what are known as “the saddle -gaits” are derived wholly from the pace and are therefore considered -modifications or variations of the pace. In regions of country where -the saddle horse is bred and developed these gaits are well known among -horsemen and riders as the rack (single-footing), the running-walk, and -the fox-trot. These gaits are not easily described so as to be understood -without an example before the eye. The rack is the most easily explained -so as to be comprehended, and it is sometimes called the slow pace. In -this movement the hind foot strikes the ground an instant before the fore -foot on the same side, then the other two feet are moved and strike in -the same way; thus there are four strokes in the revolution, in pairs. -As each foot has its own stroke we see the appositeness of the phrase -“single-footing.” The four strokes are in pairs, as one, two—three, -four, and in many cases as the speed of the horse increases the interval -between the strokes is lost and the horse is at a clean rapid pace. As -a matter of course none of these gaits in which the horse makes four -strokes instead of two in the revolution can be speedy. They are not -developed nor cultivated for speed alone, but for the comfort and ease of -the rider and the change from one to another for the rest and ease of the -horse. - -These “saddle gaits” are always derivatives from the pace, and I never -have seen one that did not possess more or less pacing blood. A careful -examination of the first and second volumes of “The National Saddle -Horse Register” establishes this fact beyond all possible contradiction. -This work is a very valuable contribution to the horse history of the -country, but it is a misfortune that more care has not been taken in the -exclusion of fictitious crosses in a great multitude of pedigrees. This -trouble is specially apparent among the supposed breeding of many of -the old stallions that are inserted as “Foundation Stock.” The tendency -throughout seems to be to cover up and hide away the very blood to -which we are indebted for the saddle horse, and to get in all the blood -possible that is in direct antagonism to the foundation of the saddle -gaits. It can be accepted as a fundamental truth in horse lore, that from -the day the first English race horse was imported into this country to -the present day, which covers a period of about one hundred and fifty -years, nobody has ever seen, either in England or in this country, a -thoroughbred horse that was a pacer. When the old race horse Denmark -covered the pacing daughter of the pacer Cockspur, the pacing blood of -the dam controlled the action and instincts of the colt, and in that colt -we have the greatest of saddle-horse sires, known as Gaines’ Denmark. - -As this horse Denmark was by far the greatest of all saddle-horse -progenitors, and as his superiority has been widely attributed to his -“thoroughbred” sire Denmark, the son of imported Hedgford, I have taken -some pains to examine his pedigree. His sire was thoroughbred, his dam -and grandam were mongrels, and the remoter crosses were impossible -fictions. The fact that he ran four miles cuts no figure as evidence -of purity of blood, for horses were running four miles in this country -before the first “thoroughbred” was born. Of the fourteen stallions that -are inserted as “Foundation Stock,” it is unfortunate that the choice -seems to be practically restricted to the State of Kentucky, while the -States of Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee, to say nothing of Illinois, -Missouri, etc., have produced numbers of families and tribes that are -much more prominent and valuable from the true saddle-horse standpoint -than some that appear in the select list of fourteen. It is doubtless -true, however, that more attention has been paid to symmetry and style, -and to the correct development and culture of the true saddle gaits, in -Kentucky than in any of the other States. With such horses as Gaines’ -Denmark, John Dillard, Tom Hal, Brinker’s Drennon, Texas, Peters’ -Halcorn, and Copperbottom the list is all right, but the other half-dozen -are mostly young and have hardly been heard of outside of their own -immediate neighborhoods. It is a notable fact that old Pacing Pilot does -not appear as the progenitor of a saddle family. - -In considering the comparative merits of the leading foundation stallions -we find that Denmark was not a success in any direction except as the -sire of handsome and stylish saddle horses. John Dillard may not have -been the equal of Denmark, in the elegance of his progeny, but he far -surpassed him in his valuable relations to the trotter. His daughters -became quite famous as the producers of trotters of a high order, and -they have over twenty in the 2:30 list. The Tom Hals have developed -phenomenal speed at the pace, and a great deal of it, interspersed with -but few trotters. - -Of late years many owners of the very best material for saddle stock have -given their whole attention to the development of speed, either at the -lateral or diagonal motion, because it has been deemed more profitable. -In thus selecting, breeding and developing for extreme speed, the -adaptation to saddle purposes has been lost or bred out. While it is true -that some colts come into the world endowed with all the saddle gaits, it -is also true that skill and patience are requisite in teaching the saddle -horse good manners. There is no imaginable use to which the horse can be -put where he will show his beautiful form and thorough education to so -great advantage as under the saddle. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE WILD HORSES OF AMERICA. - - The romances of fifty years ago—Was the horse indigenous - to this country?—The theories of the paleontologists not - satisfactory—Pedigrees of over two millions of years too - long—Outlines of horses on prehistoric ruins evidently - modern—The linguistic test among the oldest tribes of Indians - fails to discover any word for “Horse”—The horses abandoned - west of the Mississippi by the followers of De Soto about 1541 - were the progenitors of the wild horses of the plains. - - -Fifty years ago there was much that was romantic and mysterious in our -conceptions of the real character and origin of the vast herds of wild -horses that abounded on our Western plains, and the same remark applies -to their congeners on the pampas of South America. The wild horse and -the Indian opened up a most inviting field for the writers of romance, -and current literature was flooded with “Wild Western” stories, with -the horse and the Indian as the leading characters. We are now one -generation, at least, this side of the time when stories of this kind are -either sought or read, but we are not past the period when the origin -or introduction of the horse on this continent may be considered with -interest and profit. Before touching upon the wild horse, as known in our -early history, however, it may be well to consider, briefly, the question -as to whether he may not have been indigenous to this continent. - -In our generation the spade has become a wonderful developer of the -truths of ancient history. The buried and forgotten cities of the old -world are being unearthed in Europe, Asia and Africa, and thousands -of works of art and learning that had vanished from the face of the -earth are again restored to the knowledge of the human race. In a -kindred branch of investigation the geologists and paleontologists have -been delving into the bowels of the earth—not to find what previous -generations of men had left behind them, but to find what life was -myriads of ages before man was placed on the earth. Out of the rocks -they have, literally, quarried many strange examples of animal life -that lave been buried millions of years, and hundreds of feet below the -present surface. Among these strange petrefactions that were thus buried -when the earth was young, there is one that has been widely exploited as -the “Primal Horse,” that is, the animal from which our present horse was -finally evolved. There are three or four specimens of this petrefaction -now on exhibition in this country, the first having been discovered -by Professor Marsh, of Yale College, and now in the museum of that -institution. Nearly twenty years ago Professor Huxley, the great English -naturalist, delivered a lecture in this city on the Marsh petrefaction as -his text, in which he told us that the “Primal Horse” had, originally, -five toes on each foot, that after an indeterminate geological period he -lost the two outside toes on the hind feet, and after another million -years, more or less, he lost the outside toes of the fore feet, thus -leaving him ready to go on developing the middle toe into the foot and -hoof of the horse while the outside toes disappeared. In proof of this -he offered the fact that horses of this day have splint bones on each -side of the leg, under the knee, and these bones are the remnants of the -outside toes. This was the explanation which the learned professor gave -in disposing of the outside toes when there were but three toes on each -foot, but he failed to explain what had become of the outside toes when -there were five on each foot, and there his whole explanation toppled to -the ground. - -In the American Museum of Natural History, in this city, there is a very -fine representative of this particular type of petrefactions. It is -about fifteen inches high, with a head that is disproportionately large, -and a tail that is long and slender, suggesting that of a leopard. On -each fore foot this animal has four toes, or claws, as we might call -them, and on each hind foot three claws. With these claws this little -animal might dig in the ground, or he might climb a tree when necessary -for either safety or food. Each one of these toes has its own distinct -column of joints and bone extending to the knee, and there is no material -difference in the size and strength of these different columns. Now, -with three toes and three columns only, we can accept or reject, as we -please, Professor Huxley’s method of getting the two superfluous ones -out of sight by pointing to the splint bones on the leg of a modern -horse and saying these are the remnants of the outside toes. But, in the -meantime, neither Mr. Huxley nor anybody else has told us what became -of the outside toes and their columns in cases where there were five -toes. It will not do to chuck these out of sight and say nothing about -them; they must be accounted for or the theory fails. In the specimen now -under examination the fore feet are each supplied with four toes, and -each toe is supported by its own distinct column of bone. Here we meet -with the same difficulty as in the case of five toes, for we have more -material than the Huxley theory is able to provide for. This theory has -been generally accepted among specialists, in this line of investigation, -and they all point to the splint bones, as already stated, as the -remnants of the two toes, adhering to the main column. This leaves the -one superfluous toe wholly unprovided for, and thus the theory discredits -itself and leaves the question in a shape that is entirely unsatisfactory -and unacceptable to the understanding. - -The teeth of this specimen, in their shape and arrangement, very strongly -resemble the teeth of the horse. Upon this one fact is placed the chief -reliance to sustain the claim that this was the “Primal Horse,” but -this fact, when taken without the support of other facts, simply proves -that the animal was herbivorous, subsisting on the same kind of food as -the horse, but it does not prove that he was a horse. The teeth are an -excellent starting point, and we admit their arrangement and resemblance -to the teeth of the horse, but the rules of comparative anatomy, as well -as common sense, require that at some other point or points there should -be at least a suggestion of resemblance. In this case there is absolutely -no resemblance, but a very marked and unmistakable divergence. The foot -of this little animal, fifteen inches high, bears no more resemblance -to the foot of the horse than the foot of the dog bears to the foot of -the horse. Indeed, the foot of the specimen before us, whether provided -with three, four or five claws, very strikingly resembles the foot -of the dog. The arrangement of the different specimens of the feet, -commencing with the smallest with four toes and ending with the perfect -and full-grown foot of the horse as we know him, intended to illustrate -the process of evolution, is a very interesting study, but when you have -done with the last foot with claws and reach forward for the first foot -with a hoof, you find there is an impassable gulf between them, over -which the theory of Evolution has not been able to construct a bridge. -But there is another consideration that is final and that cannot be -overcome by any theory whatever. According to the chronology widely -accepted among geologists, this little animal was buried in the sand -more than two millions of years ago, and in a grave more than a hundred -feet below the general surface of the country in which he was found. In -some great upheaval or cataclysm of the earth’s surface, this little -animal, with all his contemporaries, perished, and there perished with -him all possibility of propagating his race. It is only a waste of time, -therefore, to speculate upon what a certain race of animals might have -produced in our day, when they were all cut off two millions of years -ago. With this disposition of the little animal with the variety of toes, -quarried from the rocks and by courtesy here called the “Primal Horse,” -we reach another prehistoric epoch in our inquiry, but much less remote -than the one just considered. - -From the incredible numbers of wild horses on our Western plains and on -the pampas of South America, at a very early period in history, it became -a question of some interest with many thinking men as to whether the -horse was not indigenous on this continent. It is within the knowledge -of everybody that this continent was inhabited by a mysterious and -unknown race of people long before it was visited by Europeans. These -mysterious people seem to have been driven out by the fierce and warlike -savages who occupied the country at the time of its discovery, and even -they knew nothing about the people who had preceded them. In very many -localities the vanished people left behind them marks, numerous and -unmistakable, that they had made considerable progress in the arts of -civilized life. Writers have generally designated them as “the Mound -Builders,” because they heaped great _tumuli_ of earth over the graves of -their distinguished dead, but the real “Mound Builders” did far more than -this, for with immense labor they built great, strong defenses for their -protection against their enemies. When we go further West and South, into -the fertile valleys among the mountains, we find still later traces of -these unknown people in the ruins of buildings and dwellings erected, -with infinite labor, traces of irrigating canals, etc., but we still fail -to come up with them, or any trace of their history. In that region ruins -of this type are designated as “Aztec Ruins,” but this title puts us no -further on the way of who the builders were. In 1877 a correspondent of -a Colorado newspaper, who seemed to write intelligently and candidly, -described some of those ruins which he found in the valley of the Las -Animas, in Southwestern Colorado. He speaks of a valley fifteen miles -long and seven miles wide, on the Animas River, and says this valley was -covered with dwellings built of stone, but he gives particular attention -to a row of buildings built of sandstone laid in adobe mud. These -buildings are about three hundred feet long and three hundred feet apart, -as I understand the writer, and extend a distance of six thousand feet. -The outside walls are four feet thick and the inside ones from one and a -half to three feet thick; there are rooms still left and walls remaining -that indicate a building four stories high. In some of the rooms there -are writings that never have been deciphered, and in one of them there -are drawings of tarantulas, centipedes, horses and men. The word “horses” -riveted my attention, and connected with it there were several things -to be considered. First, were the drawings really intended to represent -horses? Second, if so might they not have been placed there long after -the builders had disappeared and in recent years? Third, if placed there -by the builders, what was their date, and were they before or after the -introduction of the horse into Mexico by the Spaniards? The possibility -of ever obtaining any satisfactory information about these drawings and -their date seemed very remote, but after watching and waiting for about -eighteen years, I have recently received two letters that settle the -whole matter so far as these particular ruins are concerned. - -Mr. Charles McLoyd, a very intelligent gentleman of Durango, Colorado, -who has made a special study of the Cliff Dwellers and kindred subjects, -in that part of the world, writing under date of January 10, 1895, says: - - “I am unable to inform you in regard to the pictures on those - particular ruins, but can say that in no other locality have - I found pictures of horses or anything to indicate that these - prehistoric races had any knowledge of the animal. If such - pictures existed we would be unable to determine anything - definite from them; or in other words, it would not show that - the horse was on this continent before the Spaniards brought - him, but rather that the people who constructed the buildings - lived here after the Spaniards came. I have often seen pictures - of horses on the walls of cañons, but there is no question - but they were the work of the present Indians. We often find - associated with them pictures of railroad trains, etc., that - indicate that some of them are of very recent date. To sum the - matter up, would say that, so far, there is no evidence that - these races had any knowledge of the horse, or had ever seen - the Spaniards.” - -Mr. John A. Koontz, of Aztec, New Mexico, writes under date of January -24, 1895. He knows all about the ruins in question, for he owns the land -on which they are situated, and puts the whole matter very clearly, as -follows: - - “I know nothing of the drawings of horses and other animals on - the walls of the ‘Aztec Ruins’ here that Mr. Wallace speaks - of. I think the drawings were all in the imagination of the - correspondent to whom Mr. Wallace refers. I have been familiar - with the ruins for fourteen years and this is the first time I - have ever heard of any drawings of horses on any of the walls. - There are drawings on some rocks some miles from the ruins, but - from their nature I have considered them the work of the modern - Indians. These ruins were visited by a party of archeologists - two years ago, who spent several weeks here, and made a survey, - with maps and general drawings of the same. They decided that - the main building had, originally, over seven hundred rooms.” - -These letters are conclusive, so far as the region of the Las Animas is -concerned, and with that region knocked out there is not enough left -to justify further search for evidence that the prehistoric races had -any knowledge of the horse. Nothing remained then but the linguistic -test, and in 1885 I had such an opportunity for applying this test as -may never occur again. This test formulated itself in my mind, in this -shape: “Did any of the nations or tribes of the aboriginal inhabitants -of this continent have a word in their language indicating a horse?” -When in California I applied to Mr. Bancroft, the compiler and publisher -of the great documentary history of the Pacific coast, who then had a -large corps of skilled translators at work on his famous compilation, and -submitted my question. He introduced me to his principal linguist, who -knew not only Spanish, English and other modern languages, but also the -language of the Indians of the coast, the mountains and the plains, of -the period covered by the question. The question did not seem to be new -to him, and he answered with the candor and conscientiousness of a man -who knew what he was saying, that there was no word in any of the Indian -tongues, ancient or modern, that represented the horse. This settled the -question of the supposed prehistoric character and rank of the horse, and -we are thus driven to accept the infinitesimally small number left behind -by Cortez, Nunez and De Soto as the seed from which sprang the countless -thousands of wild horses that for generations roamed the Western plains. - -The story of the Conquest of Mexico is full of blood and cruelty, but -as we have nothing to do with any part of the story except so much -of it as relates to the introduction of the horse to the continent of -North America, it will require but small space to tell it. Cortez sailed -from Cuba for Yucatan, February, 1519, with an army of six hundred and -sixty-three men, two hundred Indians and sixteen horses. This wholly -inadequate supply of cavalry was the weak place in his venture, but the -horses could not be had in Cuba, without paying an incredible price. -Those he was able to secure cost from four to five hundred _pesos de oro_ -each. The _peso_ was the Spanish dollar. The expedition was nominally -fitted out for Yucatan, but its real aim was the heart of Mexico. In -his first fight with the Indians near the coast, men mounted on horses -were feared by the natives as monstrous apparitions. This overwhelming -fear of the horse may seem to some of my readers as overdone by the -historian, but it seems to have been the common experience of all the -different nations and tribes of Indians wherever the horse made his first -appearance in battle. In the first battle two of the horses were killed, -and in the second another was killed, and all that remained were more or -less severely wounded. Cortez was afterward joined by Alvarado, at Vera -Cruz, with twenty horses and one hundred and fifty men. In making his -official reports directly to the home government in Spain instead of the -governor of Cuba, Cortez gave mortal offense to that dignitary, and he -sent out an armada under Narvaez to supersede Cortez and return him in -chains to Cuba. This armada consisted of eighteen vessels, carrying nine -hundred men, eighty of whom were cavalry. After some diplomacy, Cortez, -feeling that with his little handful of men he was wholly unable to meet -Narvaez, he did all he could to avoid a conflict. Each party knew the -exact strength of the other, and as Narvaez began to threaten, Cortez -determined to fight for his rights and his liberty. He then had but five -men mounted, but he took advantage of the carelessness of his adversary, -made a night attack in the midst of a tempest, and captured Narvaez and -his whole army. The private soldiers of that day, like their commanders, -had no idea or principle to fight for except for plunder, and they -were always ready to attach themselves to the most successful robber. -Cortez was their ideal leader, and at once he had a new army of devoted -followers. He then had eighty-five mounted men, and he felt strong enough -to hold and rule the great country he had conquered. Mexico was conquered -in 1521, and the news of the vast amount of treasure captured brought -a great crowd of emigrants from Spain and from all her dominions. -The Spaniards, like other nations of Southern Europe, kept their -horses entire and whenever representatives of both sexes strayed away, -reproduction would follow. As the country became more tranquil, and as -the tide of European settlers kept pouring in, we can easily understand -how the little bands of estrays should grow into larger bands and soon -become as wild as though they had never seen a human being except to flee -from him. - -The explorer De Soto sailed for Florida in 1539, in search of gold. He -had in his command five hundred and thirteen men, exclusive of sailors, -and two hundred and thirty-seven horses, besides some for the purpose of -bearing burdens, the number not given. In all his weary journey of three -years he found the Indians active, hostile, and courageous fighters. In -one of his first battles he lost twelve horses, and had seventy wounded. -He pursued many phantoms in search of gold, in different directions, -but his general course was westward and northwestward. He was the first -European to discover the Mississippi River, not far from the mouth of -the Arkansas, and there he was buried in the middle of the river, to -prevent the Indians from discovering he was dead and from desecrating his -remains. His followers then determined to push on westward to Mexico, -and reached as far as the borders of Texas, probably, when they became -discouraged with the magnitude of the difficulties that surrounded -them, and determined to return and seek an outlet from the wilderness -by water. On this last journey, west of the Mississippi, they suffered -their greatest loss of horses. They had not been shod for more than a -year, and a great many were lame and unable to travel. When the Spaniards -had completed their boats and were ready to leave the scenes of their -sufferings and disasters, they turned loose upon the bank of the river -their four or five remaining horses, which manifested great excitement, -running up and down the bank neighing for their masters, as they sailed -away. This alarmed the Indians and they ran into the water for safety. - -The Indians were afraid of the horses and the horses were afraid of the -Indians. It seems to be a fact, observed in all the early intercourse -of the Spaniards with the Indians, that universally they had a kind of -superstitious awe of the horse as a superior being, and it is probably -due to this awe that the Indians did not utterly destroy every horse that -fell out of the ranks or that escaped in the wilderness. As I understand -the history of this terrible exploration, when the Spaniards crossed the -Mississippi they had two hundred and fifty men and one hundred and fifty -horses, and when they came back and were ready to sail they had but four -or five horses left. It is fair, therefore, to conclude that the greater -portion of these hundred and fifty head was scattered in the wilderness -as they went out and as they returned. This provides a sufficient -breeding basis for the countless multitudes of descendants, and places -that nucleus in the right region to nourish them in a feral state. - -While this exploration of De Soto seems to furnish a breeding basis of -sufficient breadth to account for all the wild horses that have appeared -on this continent, there is another consideration that we must not -overlook, and that is the inborn tendency of the domestic horse to become -wild when in wild associations. By turning to the chapter on the colony -of Virginia you will see that there were many wild horses there at the -beginning of the last century. On the frontiers, near the habitat of -wild horses, they became a great nuisance to the settlers in “coaxing” -away their domestic horses and making them as wild as the wildest. These -accretions to their strength from the domestic horse have been going -on for generations, and thus the wild horse became conglomerate in -the elements of his blood, with the Spanish traits still predominant. -Fifty or a hundred years ago the pens of many writers were employed -in idealizing “The Wild Horse of the Desert.” He was made the leading -figure in many a romance, and the hero of many a triumph. Tom Thumb, -the great trotter that was taken to England, astonished all the world -with his speed and his endurance, and, following the fashion of the day, -he was represented to have been caught wild on the Western plains. For -many years the wild horse was the “fad” of American writers, just as the -Arabian was of English writers, and the writers on one side were just -about as far from intelligence and truth as those on the other. When, -forty years ago, great droves of the half-breeds, Mustangs, were brought -from the plains to the border prairie States, seeking a market, the -scales began to drop from the eyes of the worshipers of the wild horse. -They were homely little brutes, and they were as tough as whit-leather. -But the countless multitudes that roamed at will over their grazing -grounds, making the earth tremble when they moved, have dwindled down to -a few insignificant bands, and the whole glamour around the wild horse of -the desert has vanished. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -MESSENGER AND HIS ANCESTORS. - - Messenger the greatest of all trotting progenitors—Record of - pedigrees in English Stud Book—Pedigrees made from unreliable - sources—Messenger’s right male line examined—Flying Guilders’ - “mile in a minute”—Blaze short of being thoroughbred—Sampson, - a good race horse—His size; short in his breeding—Engineer - short also—Mambrino was a race horse with at least two pacing - crosses: distinguished only as a progenitor of coach horses and - fast trotters—Messenger’s dam cannot be traced nor identified— - Among all the horses claiming to be thoroughbred he is the only - one that founded a family of trotters—This fact conceded by - eminent writers in attempting to find others. - - -Having completed a brief historical sketch of horse history from the -beginning, and many events connected therewith, we are now ready to -consider the American Trotting Horse, as the culmination of what has been -written. Thus far we have met with much pretentious nonsense, claiming to -be history and written by men who never gave the subject the study of an -honest hour. The horse is honest enough, but the rule seems to be almost -universal that whenever men commence to write about him they are guided -by their imagination and not by the facts. As to what we are to meet in -the coming chapters, I can only say that, unfortunately, “the fathers -have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” The -instinct to misrepresent has been transmitted, and I cannot promise that -we will find any great moral improvement among the horsemen of our own -country and generation. - -For more than three-quarters of a century, and indeed from the first -trotting experiences of this country that have been preserved, it -has been the unanimous judgment of all who have given any thought or -attention to the subject that the imported English horse, Messenger, was -the great central source of trotting speed. As the years have rolled by -this opinion has increased in strength until it has become an intelligent -and demonstrated belief. When, forty years ago, a horse was found able -to trot a mile in two minutes and thirty seconds, the speed was deemed -wholly phenomenal, but that speed has been increased, second by second, -until we are now on the very brink of two minutes. In this process every -second and fraction of a second that has been cut off has been so much -additional proof of the universal belief that Messenger was the chief -progenitor of the American trotter. He is not the only source of trotting -speed, but he is the chief source. Whence he derived this distinctive -power to transmit trotting speed will be made more clear as we proceed. -His blood left no deep nor lasting impress upon the running horses of the -country, and it is seldom we meet with any trace of it in the running -horse of to-day, but it is prominent and conspicuous at the winning post -of every trotting track on this continent. This will be made apparent -when we come to consider the details and the merits of the mighty tribes -and families that have descended from him. - -Several years ago I promised to write a volume on “Messenger and his -Descendants,” and I have often been reminded of that unfulfilled -promise, which I will here try to redeem. When that promise was made I -had written many things about Messenger, but since then I have secured -very many valuable facts that, I think, will far more than compensate -for the delay. There is still much that is unknown and much that is only -partially known of the origin and history of Messenger and his ancestors, -and in considering the questions that will arise as the discussion -progresses, I will not submit to a slavish acceptance of whatever has -come down in the shape of stallion advertisements, or as unsupported -traditions, and then recorded as facts by people who knew nothing about -them, and made no effort to know. I shall look for the facts that are -known to be facts, or such evidence as is reasonable and commends itself -to an unbiased judgment, and then reach such conclusions as right reason -shall dictate. The pedigree of Messenger, or rather the pedigree of -Messenger’s reputed grandam, appears in the English Stud Book in the -editions of 1803 and 1827, in the following form: - - REGULUS MARE (Sister to Figurante). Her dam by Starling, out of - Snap’s dam. - 1769, b. f. by Herod (dam of _Alert_). } - 1770, bl. c. _Hyacinth_, by Turf. } Mr. Vernon. - 1771, bl. c. _Leviathan_ (aft. Mungo), by Marske. Lord Abingdon. - 1773, — f. by Turf. } - 1774, — f. by Ditto (dam of _Messenger_). } - 1777, bl. f. by Dux. } Lord Grosvenor. - 1780, b. f. by Justice (dam of _Equity_). } - 1782, b. c. Vulcan, by Justice. Mr. Panton. - 1783, b. c. _Savage_, by Sweetbriar. } - 1784, b. f. _Ariel_, by Highflyer (dam of Mr. } Mr. Bullock. - Hamilton’s Swindler, by Bagot). } - -This is all we have of the pedigree of Messenger as recorded in the -English Stud Book, and this record, on its face, has a very suspicious -appearance. Messenger had run some races at Newmarket and a place must be -provided for him in the Stud Book. He always ran as a son of Mambrino, -and there is no doubt this is correct, as it so appeared in the Racing -Calendar, long before the days of the Stud Book. But nobody, either then -or later, seemed to know anything about his dam. Toward the close of this -chapter I will give an exhaustive review of the many troubles in which -these two fillies by Turf seem to be involved. - -Messenger was by Mambrino, he by Engineer, he by Sampson, he by Blaze, he -by Flying Childers, and he by the Darley Arabian. We give the right male -line here for the reason that there can be no doubt as to the accuracy of -this line, for it has been preserved in contemporaneous racing records. -The trouble, where any trouble exists, is all with the dams of these -horses which at best are only matters of the most uncertain tradition. A -writer in the Edinburgh _Review_ for July, 1864, covers the whole ground -when he says: “The early pedigrees (in the Stud Book) are but little to -be relied upon, as they seem for the most part to have been taken from -traditional accounts in the stable, from descriptions at the back of -old pictures, and from advertisements, none of which had to pass muster -at the Herald’s College.” This is in full accordance with our American -experiences and it is entirely safe to say that the great body of our old -American pedigrees, especially in their remote extensions, are more or -less fictitious. The industry of producing great pedigrees out of little -or nothing has long been pursued on both sides of the water, and it would -be very difficult to determine which side had the better of it. - -Before attempting to analyze the pedigree of Messenger, or rather that -of his dam, with which the chief difficulty lies, we will go back to -the head of the male line and consider each successive generation. The -Darley Arabian, one of the most distinguished of all the founders of the -English thoroughbred horse, was brought from Aleppo, about the year -1710. He did not cover many mares except those of his owner in Yorkshire, -but he was very successful. Childers, commonly called Flying Childers, -was foaled 1715. He was got by the Darley Arabian out of Betty Leeds, -a distinguished lightweight runner, by Careless. Childers was the most -distinguished race horse of his day, and the fabulous story of his having -run a mile in a minute was circulated, believed and written about for -generations. He ran a trial against Almanzor and Brown Betty over the -round course at Newmarket (three miles, six furlongs and ninety-three -yards) in six minutes and forty seconds, “and it was thought,” says the -old record, “that he moved eighty-two feet and a half in a second of -time, which is nearly at the rate of one mile in a minute.” This was the -basis of the legend “A Mile in a Minute,” and it has lived till our own -day, just as many a traditional pedigree has lived. If we accept the time -as given by the old chroniclers, of which we have very grave doubts, -Childers ran at the rate of one minute and forty-five seconds to the -mile, and he covered a distance of fifty feet and about two inches to the -second of time. The pedigree of Childers on the maternal side is one of -the oldest in the Stud Book, and we are not aware that any charges have -ever been made against its substantial authenticity. - -BLAZE, the son of Childers, was foaled 1733, and was out of a mare known -as “The Confederate Filly,” by Grey Grantham; her dam was by the Duke of -Rutland’s Black Barb, and her grandam was a mare of unknown breeding, -called “Bright’s Roan.” Here the maternal line runs into the woods, but -this is not the only defect in the pedigree, for the dam of Grey Grantham -was also unknown. In order to give a clear idea of just how Blaze was -bred, taking the Stud Book for our authority, we will here tabulate the -pedigree for a few crosses. - - { Darley Arabian - { Childers { { Careless. - { { Betty Leeds { Sister to Leeds. - Blaze { - (1733). { { Browlow Turk. - { { Grey Grantham { Blood unknown. - { Confederate Filly { - { Daughter of { Black Barb. - { Brights Roan, unknown. - -Certainly this horse cannot be ranked as thoroughbred under any -rule, English or American, that has ever been formulated. Only three -generations away we find two animals of hopelessly unknown breeding. -Mr. Henry F. Euren, compiler of the English Hackney Stud Book, has given -Blaze a new place in horse genealogy, and this new place affects the -American trotter, remotely, outside of the line through Messenger. Mr. -Lawrence, the best English authority on horse matters in the latter part -of the last and the beginning of the present century, had maintained, -confessedly on tradition only, that Old Shales, the great fountain head -of the English trotters of a hundred years ago, was a son of Blank, by -Godolphin Arabian. On this point Mr. Euren has got farther back and found -earlier evidence in printed form that Blaze and not Blank was the sire of -Old Shales. We combated this claim for a time, but in the introduction -to his Stud Book he has made out a very good case, and we have hardly a -doubt but that he is correct. In speaking of the breeding of Shales, and -of his dam being a “strong common-bred mare,” he says: “It is of interest -to examine the pedigree of the sire (Blaze) to determine whether yet -stronger racing or pacing elements existed on that side.” After giving a -tabulation of the pedigree he continues: “There would thus appear to have -been a large proportion of English (native) blood in the dam of Blaze, -though no one can say what was its character—whether running, trotting, -or ambling.” In referring to the fact that Bellfounder was a descendant -of Old Shales, the son of Blaze, Mr. Euren makes this practical -application of the incident: - - “The fact that in the seventh generation from Blaze, on each - side, the reunion of the blood in Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, the - sire of so many fast American trotting horses, should have - proved to be of the most impressive character, would appear to - warrant the conclusion that there was a strong latent trotting - tendency in the near ancestors, on one, if not on both, sides - of Blaze.” - -These two points from a very high English authority—that Blaze was -not thoroughbred and that he was the sire of Shales, a great trotting -progenitor, must have due weight in reaching sound conclusions. - -SAMPSON, the son of Blaze, was foaled 1745, and he has occupied a very -prominent and at the same time unique place in running-horse history. He -was not only a great race horse, at heavy weights, but he was considered -phenomenal in his size and strength, and in his lack of the appearance -of a race horse. Some of his measurements have come down to us, and as -they are reliable data as to what was considered a remarkably large and -strong race horse a hundred and forty years ago, we will reproduce them -here in order that the curious may compare them with the average race -horse of this generation: - - Height on the withers, 15 hands 2 inches; dimensions of fore - leg from the hair of the hoof to middle of fetlock joint, 4 - inches; from fetlock joint to bend of the knee, 11 inches; from - bend of knee to elbow, 19 inches; round fore leg below knee, - narrowest part, 8½ inches; round hind leg, narrowest part, 9 - inches. - -These measurements may not seem to merit any particular attention at this -day, but a hundred and fifty years ago they were considered phenomenal -in the race horse. But we are not left to the dry details of a certain -number of inches and fractions of an inch upon which to base a just -conception of the strength and substance of this horse. A number of -historians have told us of the merriment among the grooms and jockeys -when Sampson made his first appearance on the turf. The question was, -“Has Mr. Robinson brought a coach horse here to run for the plate?” The -laugh was on the other side at Malton that day, however, when the “coach -horse,” carrying one hundred and forty pounds, won the plate in three -heats. The distance was three miles, and Sampson was then five years old. -At long distances and at high weights Sampson was a first-class race -horse for his day. But, notwithstanding all this, we are told that his -blood never became fashionable, for there was a widespread conviction -that he was not running-bred on the side of his dam. The historians tell -us that he transmitted his own coarseness and lack of the true running -type in a marked degree, which was very evident in his grandson, Mambrino. - -His pedigree has been questioned from the day of his first appearance -to the present time, and we have made a very careful study of all the -facts at our command. In the first edition of his Stud Book (1803) Mr. -Weatherby gives his dam as by Hip; g. d. by Spark, son of Honeycomb -Punch; g. g. d. by Snake and out of Lord D’Arcy’s Queen. This has not -been materially changed in any of the subsequent editions, and we think -it may be taken for granted that the horse was advertised under this -pedigree. Mr. Weatherby commenced work on pedigrees in 1791, and avowedly -accepted the best information he could get with regard to old pedigrees, -regardless of the source. We are not aware that he ever investigated -anything outside of his office work, or if he did he never gave the -public the benefit of the details of his investigations. John Lawrence -commenced work on horse history long before Mr. Weatherby commenced -as a compiler of pedigrees, and he was altogether the ablest writer -of his day, or perhaps we might add, of any other day. He was a clear -and independent thinker and a vigorous writer. In his “History of the -Horse in all His Varieties and Uses,” on page 281, he thus discusses the -question of Sampson’s pedigree: - - “Nobody yet ever did, or ever could assert positively that - Jigg was not thoroughbred, but the case is very different with - respect to Sampson; since nobody in the sporting world, either - of past or present days, ever supposed him so. Nor was the said - world at all surprised at Robinson’s people furnishing their - stallion with a good and _true_ pedigree, a thing so much to - their advantage. Having seen a number of Sampson’s immediate - get, those in the Lord Marquis of Rockingham’s stud and others, - and all of them, Bay Malton perhaps less than any other, in - their _heads_, size and form, having the appearance of being a - degree or two deficient in racing blood, I was convinced that - the then universal opinion on that point was well grounded. I - was (in 1778) an enthusiast, collecting materials for a book - on the horse. It happened that I wanted a trusty and steady - man for a particular service, and opportunely for the matter - now under discussion, a Yorkshire man about threescore years - of age was recommended to me, who had recently been employed - in certain stables. I soon found that his early life had been - spent in the running stables of the North, and that he had - known Sampson, whence he was always afterward named by us ‘Old - Sampson.’ He was very intelligent on the subject of racing - stock and his report was as follows. He took the mare to Blaze, - for the cover which produced Sampson, helped to bit and break - the colt, rode him in exercise and afterward took him to Malton - for his first start, where, before the race, he was ridiculed - for bringing a great coach horse to contend against racers. On - the sale of Sampson this man left the service of James Preston, - Esq., and went with the colt into that of Mr. Robinson. His - account of Sampson’s dam was that she appeared about three - parts bred, a hunting figure and by report a daughter of Hip, - which, however, could not be authenticated; and the fact was - then notorious and not disputed in the Yorkshire stables.... - Mr. Tattersall lately stowed me a portrait of Sampson in his - flesh, in which this defect of blood appears far more obvious - than in one which I had of him galloping.” - -Again, in his great quarto work, issued 1809, Mr. Lawrence reiterates his -belief that Sampson was not thoroughbred. He says: - - “I am by no means disposed to retract my opinion concerning - Robinson’s Sampson. Not only did the account of the groom - appear to me to be entitled to credit, but the internal - evidence of the horse’s having had in him a cross of common - blood is sufficiently strong by the appearance both of the - horse himself and of his stock; an idea in which every - sportsman, I believe, who remembers Engineer, Mambrino and - others will agree with me.” - -Here then, we have the answer to the whole inquiry reduced to its -simplest form. The groom who coupled the mare with Blaze from which -came Sampson says the mare was called a Hip mare, but that her pedigree -was really unknown. For the intelligence and honesty of this groom Mr. -Lawrence does not hesitate to vouch, and he adds the common belief of -all the Yorkshire sportsmen of that day, who knew the mare, that she was -of unknown breeding. This evidence is further supplemented by the family -characteristics of the stock descended from Sampson, to say nothing -of the great lack of “blood” in the appearance of Sampson himself. As -against this we have the dry, unsupported assertion of Mr. Weatherby, -forty years after the event, and probably copied from an advertisement of -the horse. In view of all this we must tabulate the pedigree of Sampson -as follows: - - - { Childers { Darley Arabian. - { { Betty Leeds. - { Blaze { - Sampson { { Confederate Filly { Grey Grantham. - (1745). { { D. of Black Barb. - { Called a Hip Mare - { (Unknown). - -ENGINEER, son of Sampson, was a brown horse, foaled 1755, and was out -of Miner’s dam, by Young Greyhound; grandam by Curwen’s Bay Barb, and -the next dam unknown. This is all the pedigree that has ever been -even claimed for this horse, and it falls far short of the rank of -thoroughbred. That the eye may take it all in at a glance we will here -put it into tabular form. There is a discrepancy of one year between -Weatherby and Pick in the age of the horse, and we find Pick is right in -giving his date as 1755. - - { Blaze { Childers. - { Sampson { { Confederate Filly. - Engineer { { Unknown. - (1755). { - { Miner’s dam { Young Greyhound { Greyhound. - { { Pet mare. - { - { D. of Bay Barb { Unknown. - -Notwithstanding the absence of Eastern blood, Engineer was a race horse -of above average ability, although not so good as another son of Sampson -called Bay Malton. A few of his sons aside from Mambrino ran respectably, -and his daughters were, at one time, highly prized as brood mares. - -MAMBRINO, the son of Engineer, was a great strong-boned grey horse, bred -by John Atkinson near Leeds in Yorkshire, and was foaled 1768. His dam -was by Cade, son of the Godolphin Arabian; g. d. by Bolton Little John; -g. g. d. Favorite by a son of Bald Galloway, etc. The Cade mare produced -Dulcine, a noted performer, and the mare Favorite was a distinguished -performer herself. The poverty of this pedigree is all on the side of the -sire, as will be seen by a brief tabulation. - - { Blaze. - { Engineer { Sampson { Unknown. - { { - { { { Young Greyhound. - Mambrino { { Miner’s dam { D. of Bay Barb. - (1768). { - { { Godolphin Arabian. - { { Cade { Roxana. - { Daughter of { - { { Bolton Little John. - { Daughter of { Favorite. - -It is worthy of note here, as a curious fact, that Mambrino had two -pacing crosses. Roxana, the dam of Cade, was by Bald Galloway and -Favorite was by a son of Bald Galloway. This horse Bald Galloway was a -distinguished representative of the famous old tribe of pacers known as -the “Galloways,” from the province of Galloway in Southwestern Scotland. - -Mambrino was not put upon the turf till he was five years old, and he -proved himself a great race horse in the best company and for the largest -class of stakes. He was on the turf most of the time for five or six -years and until he was beaten by Woodpecker in 1779, in which race he -broke down. He was beaten, but four times, and paid four forfeits. He -went into the stud in the spring of 1777, although he ran after that, at -10gs. 10s. 6d. to cover thirty mares besides those of his owners. In 1779 -he was again in the stud, in Cambridgeshire as before, at the same price; -1781 he covered at 50gs. 10. 6d.; 1784 at 15gs. 10. 6d.; 1785 at 25gs. -10s. 6d.; 1786 he dropped back to 15gs. 10s. 6d. - -We give these prices to show the variations in the estimated value of -his services. As a sire of race horses Mambrino was not successful. Some -fifteen or twenty of his progeny ran more or less respectably, but none -of them was at all comparable with himself. While he was a comparative -failure as a racing sire there was another qualification in which he -attained great eminence and distinction. In the second volume of Pick’s -Turf Register, published 1805, on page 266, we find the following -paragraph appended to the history there given of this horse: - - “Mambrino was likewise sire of a great many excellent hunters - and strong, useful road horses. And it has been said that from - his blood the breed of horses for the coach was brought nearly - to perfection.” - -This paragraph, considering its date (1805), the authority from which -it comes, and the peculiar circumstances which prompted its utterance, -has a most striking significance. After years of familiarity with Mr. -Pick’s works we can say freely that we never have been able to find any -allusion or reference to the qualities of any horse portrayed by him -other than his running qualities. This reference to the adaptabilities of -the progeny of Mambrino stands alone. The “blood that brought the breed -of coach horses nearly to perfection” must have been blood that gave -the “breed” a long, slinging, road-devouring trot, as well as size and -strength. The very same qualifications were observed and noted in the -descendants of Mambrino in this country forty and fifty years ago, and at -no time in our history have we had such unapproachable coach horses as -the great-grandsons of Mambrino. What has been said, therefore, by Mr. -Pick of the “coach-horse” qualities of the descendants of Mambrino in -England has been fully realized and verified in his descendants, through -Messenger, in this country. - -The question here arises whether Mambrino ever showed any remarkable -trotting action himself that would seem to justify this estimate of the -trotting action of his descendants? Several writers, and among them Mr. -Lawrence, have spoken of this peculiarity of Mambrino’s incidentally, -but the most tangible account we have of it is furnished by an English -writer to the _Sporting Magazine_, who dates his letter from the -“Subscription Rooms, Tattersall’s, 1814.” These “subscription rooms” -were the very focus of sporting events, and this writer seems to be -unusually intelligent on this class of subjects. The object and point -of his communication is to prove that no thoroughbred horse could be -developed into a fast trotter. “Hence,” he says, “no thoroughbred was -ever known capable of trotting sixteen miles within the hour, and only -one stands on record as having trotted fifteen miles within one hour. -That was Infidel, by Turk, who performed it in the North, carrying -nine or ten stone. Several race horses have been supposed capable of -trotting fourteen miles in one hour, and it is reported that the late -Lord Grosvenor once offered to match Mambrino to do it for a thousand -guineas.” Now this writer does not say that Lord Grosvenor really made -such an offer, but only that he was “reported” to have made it. This -does not prove that the offer was formally made, but it does prove that -Mambrino had a very remarkable trotting step or such a topic would not -have been considered at Tattersall’s subscription rooms. As this writer -seems to refer to Mambrino and Infidel only as exceptional horses for -their trotting step among thoroughbreds, we may take it for granted that -Mambrino was considered exceptional, in his day. It is not probable that -he was ever trained an hour at the trot, and we must conclude, therefore, -that whatever speed he showed was his natural and undeveloped gait. It -will be observed that Mr. Pick’s paragraph was dated 1805, and the letter -from the “subscription rooms” 1814, so that they could not have been mere -reflections of theories advanced on this side of the Atlantic in relation -to Messenger being a great source of trotting speed. These two facts -were on record long before any “Messenger theories” were in existence, -and those “theories” were formulated long before these two facts were -known. The conclusions reached on both sides of the water are entirely -harmonious, but they were reached in complete independence of each other. - -MESSENGER, son of Mambrino, was a grey horse about fifteen hands two -inches high, with strong, heavy bone and a generally coarse appearance -for a horse represented to be thoroughbred. From the Racing Calendar, and -not from the Stud Book, we learn that he was foaled 1780, and came out -of a mare represented to be by Turf, and she out of a mare by Regulus, -son of Godolphin Arabian, etc., as represented by Mr. Weatherby in his -Stud Book. By looking back to the beginning of this chapter the form in -which the entry appears in the Stud Book will be fully comprehended. The -identity, history, and breeding of the dam of Messenger is the central -point in this inquiry, and we must do our work carefully and thoroughly. -From the form of the entry in the Stud Book, it will be understood that -the breeder of each animal is supposed to appear opposite the foals -of his own breeding, but this we have found in more than a thousand -instances to be wholly imaginary on the part of the compiler. If the -animal ran, the name of the party running him is far more apt to appear -than the name of the breeder. It will be observed, also, that the Turf -fillies of 1773 and 1774 appear without their color being known. These -fillies seem to be put in there to partially fill the gap between 1771 -and 1777. Mr. Pick says the dam of Messenger was black, but he gives no -account of her further than that. Whether Mr. Pick was indebted to Mr. -Weatherby, or Weatherby to Pick, I cannot say, but they both give the -pedigree just as we have given it in this country. I am not inquiring -whether these authorities agree on this pedigree, but whether they knew -anything about it, and whether there is such agreement in details between -them as will support each other. - -The first question that arises in every man’s mind is, whether there is -any further trace of this Turf mare, the reputed dam of Messenger, in -the Stud Book, by whom was she bred and owned, and by whom was Messenger -bred? Pick says the Turf mare was bred by Lord Bolingbroke, and Weatherby -says she was bred by Lord Grosvenor. To test the question whether either -is right, I have gone through the English Stud Book, page by page, and -pedigree by pedigree, wherever I found the name of Lord Bolingbroke, or -Lord Grosvenor, to see if any trace of the Turf mare could be found. I -found no shadow of trace. The certificate of pedigree that came across -the ocean with Messenger represents him to have been bred by John -Pratt, and Mr. Pick, or rather his successor, Mr. Johnson, says he was -bred and owned by Mr. Bullock. These clear and explicit declarations -gave new hopes of finding something of the Turf mare, and at it I went -again, and searched every pedigree that had the name of Mr. Pratt or Mr. -Bullock attached to it, with no better results than before. Now, Lord -Bolingbroke, Lord Grosvenor, Mr. Pratt and Mr. Bullock were all breeders, -and if any of them ever owned the dam of Messenger and bred from her, -none of her produce was ever recorded or ever started in a race. - -Thus, the more we search for the truth about Messenger and his origin, -the more dense becomes the mystery. When we find an English authority -that seems clear, we find another that contradicts him, and probably -neither of them knows anything about it beyond uncertain tradition. When -we consider these contradictions of authorities in connection with the -fact that men were just as prone to lie and fix up a bogus pedigree a -hundred years ago as they are to-day, and that stud-book makers were just -as liable to be deceived then as now, we must conclude that there is room -for very serious doubts as to whether Weatherby or Pick knew anything -about the pedigree of Messenger, or by whom he was bred. - -In pushing our inquiries still further in search of this mare, we must -consider somewhat in detail Mr. Weatherby’s methods and the degree of -responsibility he assumed for the accuracy of his compilations. In 1791 -he published what he called “An Introduction to a General Stud Book,” -containing, as he says, “a small collection of pedigrees which he had -extracted from racing calendars and sale papers, and arranged on a -new plan.” In May, 1800, he issued a supplement to his “Introduction” -bringing down the produce of mares to 1799. In 1803 he issued what we -suppose is the first edition of the first volume of the Stud Book. The -title-page reads, “The General Stud Book, containing pedigrees of race -horses, etc., from the Restoration to the present time.” The imprint is, -“Printed for James Weatherby, 7 Oxenden Street, etc., London, 1803.” The -volume contains three hundred and eighty-four pages, while the edition -of 1827 contains four hundred and forty-eight pages. There is no “Volume -I.” on the title-page, nor is there any indication that this is a -continuation or revision of any preceding work. It brings down the list -of produce in many cases to and including 1803, but none later than that -year, so there can be no mistake as to when it was issued. - -I have been thus particular in identifying this first edition of the -first volume of the English Stud Book, for it gives us an insight into -the methods employed by Mr. Weatherby in the progress of his work. -Upon a careful comparison of the editions of 1803 with 1827 extending -through the letters A, B, and M, we find that he has thrown out more -than ten per cent. of the entire families in the edition of 1803. By -“entire families” I mean brood mares, with their lists of produce. In -making these exclusions he seems to have confined himself to what may be -considered the historic period, at that day, and did not go back further -than about twenty years. Beyond that period everything was traditional, -and he appears to have shrunk from all responsibility of attempting the -exclusion of families. On and near the border line between these periods -he seems to have taken the responsibility of cutting off a great many -individuals of doubtful identity, even though the family was left to -stand on its uncertain basis of tradition. I cannot say positively that -the dam of Messenger and her sister were cut off with the multitude -of others, but I can say that neither of them ever appeared again in -the Stud Book. Other members of the family of the Regulus mare have -places for their descendants in subsequent volumes, from which I would -infer that Mr. Weatherby considered her breeding all right, but the two -fillies, one of them the dam of Messenger, have been treated as spurious -and wholly omitted from the records. These are the facts relating to -these two fillies claimed originally to be by Turf, and there can be no -moral doubt that they were omitted or excluded because Mr. Weatherby -deemed them unsustained and probably spurious. - -In confirmation of the facts and circumstances already adduced, going to -show that Messenger was not thoroughbred, we are now ready to consider -one of the strongest arguments that can be advanced in support of that -conclusion. This argument is founded on the laws of nature and is not -dependent upon the mere writing down of uncertain traditions. Messenger -possessed and transmitted qualities that no thoroughbred horse has ever -transmitted, from the period when the breed of race horses was formed to -the present day. It is practically conceded on all hands that Messenger, -by his own power and by his own right, founded a family of trotting -horses, and this fact will be fully demonstrated in coming chapters. It -is equally plain and, with honest and intelligent people, it is accepted -with equal readiness, that no thoroughbred horse has ever done this. This -declaration has been much controverted, but always in a general way and -without specifying any particular thoroughbred horse that had succeeded -in establishing a family of trotters. In the progress of a discussion of -this point with the late Charles J. Foster, a very clear and able writer, -he was directly challenged, in a manner that could not be dodged, to name -the thoroughbred horse outside of Messenger, that had accomplished this -feat. Greatly to my surprise, and I might say, gratification, he came -back at me with _two of Messenger’s sons_—Hambletonian and Mambrino. Thus -he conceded the whole contention, for out of, literally, thousands he had -to come back to two sons of Messenger. - -In reply to an article in _Wallace’s Monthly_ for December, 1887, going -to show that Messenger was not a thoroughbred horse, Mr. Joseph Cairn -Simpson, of California, an able man and a lifelong advocate of more -running blood in the trotter, wrote a review of the article in question. -After admitting the full force of the demonstration that Messenger was -not a thoroughbred horse, there is one sentence to which Mr. Simpson -cannot subscribe, and he quotes it as follows: “Complete and conclusive -as these facts may be, there is still another fact equally complete and -still more convincing. Messenger possessed and transmitted qualities -that no thoroughbred horse, in the experience of man, ever possessed -and transmitted.” This was a declaration of Messenger as a progenitor -against the whole world of thoroughbreds, and Mr. Simpson felt that he -could not let it pass unchallenged, and after scratching about among -the thousands of thoroughbreds without finding anything, like poor Mr. -Foster, he “acknowledges the corn,” and comes back with Mambrino, _the -son of Messenger_, without, seemingly, once realizing that he was proving -my contention. - -The theory that if any other English race horse had been in Messenger’s -place and bred upon the same mares and had his progeny developed as -Messenger’s were developed, he would have produced the same results, has -always been very popular with the advocates of “more running blood in the -trotter.” No doubt there are still some honest, but not well-informed -people, who hold to this view merely because they have never heard of any -other imported English horses that were contemporaneous with Messenger, -and hence have concluded there were none. If Messenger had been all -alone during the twenty years of his stud services, as this theory -assumes, there might be some reason to doubt whether some other English -race horses might not have done just as well in establishing a line or -tribe of trotters. But was he alone? From the close of the Revolutionary -War to the end of the last century was a period of great activity and -enterprise in the way of importing running horses from Great Britain. The -blood of Herod and English Eclipse was in the highest estimate, not only -in the old but in the new world, and a great many distinguished horses -were brought over possessing those favorite strains. During that period -racing was carried on with just as much spirit and _éclat_ on Long Island -and the river counties of New York, New Jersey, and some of the eastern -counties of Pennsylvania as it was in Virginia and South Carolina. Horses -of the most fashionable lineage were sought after and patronized, not by -a few great breeding establishments, but by the farmers generally, in all -the region here designated. The following list of imported English race -horses is made up of animals that were contemporaneous with Messenger, -covering the same mares and the offspring subjected to precisely the -same treatment and conditions. The list is limited to what may be called -the trotting latitudes, and embraces such animals only as were brought -into New Jersey, New York and Eastern Pennsylvania. We will not only -give their names, but the blood elements also, so that all can see that -Messenger not only had competitors but competitors of the highest grade -of running blood. - - Admiral, by Florizel, son of King Herod. - Ancient Pistol, by Ancient Pistol, son of Snap. - Arrakooker, by Drone, son of King Herod. - Baronet, by Vertumnus, son of Eclipse. - Benjamin, by Ruler, son of Young Marske. - Creeper, by Tandem, son of Dainty Davy. - Deserter, by Lenox, son of Delpini, by Highflyer. - Dey of Algiers, Arabian. - Diomed (Tate’s), by Phenomenon, son of King Herod. - Driver, by Saltram, son of Eclipse. - Drone, by King Herod. - Dungannon (Young), by Dungannon. - Expedition, by Pegasus, son of Eclipse. - Express, by Postmaster, son of King Herod. - Exton, by Highflyer, son of King Herod. - Florizel, by Florizel, son of King Herod. - Grand Seignor, Arabian. - Highflyer (1782), by Highflyer. - Highflyer (1792), by Highflyer. - Highlander (Brown), by Paymaster. - Highlander (Gray), by Bordeaux. - Honest John, by Sir Peter Teazle. - Joseph, by Ormond, son of King Fergus. - King William, by King Herod. - King William, by Paymaster. - Light Infantry, by Eclipse. - Magnetic Needle, by Magnet. - Magnum Bonum, by Matchem. - Nimrod, by King Fergus. - North Star, by North Star, son of Matchem. - Paymaster, by Paymaster. - Prince Frederick, by Fortunio. - Punch, by King Herod. - Revenge, by Achilles. - Rodney, by Paymaster. - Royal George, by Jupiter, son of Eclipse. - Royalist, by Saltram. - Slender, by King Herod. - Sour Crout, by Highflyer. - Venetian, by Doge. - Yorkshire, by Jupiter, son of Eclipse. - -Here we have forty-one imported English stallions, contemporaneous with -Messenger, occupying the same territory and covering the same mares that -he covered. With the exceptions of two or three they were all ranked -as not only thoroughbred, but they possessed the most fashionable and -successful blood that England had then produced. A few of them were taken -southward after a time, but the great body of them lived out their days -here. - -To this great array of imported English running horses we might add -hundreds of their sons, and yet not find one that claimed to be -thoroughbred that ever became a trotting progenitor or founded a family -of trotters. Mr. Foster and Mr. Simpson, by far the two ablest writers on -the wrong side of the question that this country has produced, with this -list of forty English stallions before them from which to select their -proof that Messenger was not the only progenitor of trotters, were at -last compelled to take two of Messengers sons, as trotting progenitors, -to prove that their sire was not a trotting progenitor. If the -intellectual powers of these two gentlemen had enabled them to scratch -ever so little beneath the glittering surface of the word “thoroughbred,” -they would have saved themselves from this humiliating exhibition of -absurdity. - -What was true of Messenger’s contemporaries is equally true of all the -strictly thoroughbred stallions that have lived on the earth from his -day to the present. No one of them has ever founded a trotting family -and no one of them has ever got a trotter out of a mare of his own kind. -Out of the half-dozen instances on record where a thoroughbred horse has -got a trotter there is no one instance in which the dam did not have -a strong pacing or trotting inheritance. If we accept the known and -recorded experiences of the past seventy years, in the trotting world, we -find two great facts on every page of the record. First, Messenger left -a family of trotters; second, no other thoroughbred horse did that. It -follows, then, that if Messenger transmitted capacities different from -those transmitted by thoroughbred horses, he must have had a different -inheritance from thoroughbred horses, and if different, then that -inheritance could not have been thoroughbred. From the facts we have -developed in the history of his English ancestors; from the ten thousand -demonstrations of his American descendants, and from the great laws which -govern the transmission of special capacities, we are forced to the -conclusion that Messenger was not a thoroughbred horse. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -HISTORY OF MESSENGER. - - Messenger’s racing in England—His breeder unknown—Popular - uncertainty about the circumstances and date of - his importation—The matter settled by his first - advertisement—Uncertainty as to his importer—Description of - Messenger by David W. Jones, of Long Island—Careful consensus - of descriptions by many who had seen Messenger—His great and - lasting popularity as a stock horse—Places and prices of his - services for twenty years—Death and burial. - - -Messenger made his first appearance on the turf in October, 1783, then -three years old, and ran twice, successfully, that year. He continued -on the turf till November, 1785, winning eight races, losing six and -receiving forfeits in two. Most of his races were practically matches, -and all were single dashes but one, in which he was beaten. Two of his -winnings were less than a mile, five at the distance of a mile and a -quarter, and one at two miles. These distances are approximate. He was -beaten at two and a quarter miles, three, and three and a half miles. He -never appeared in any great racing event, but seemed to be managed with a -special view to picking up small prizes at short distances. His owner and -manager, Mr. Bullock, was a very shrewd “professional” at Newmarket, he -had quite a number of horses in the same stable with Messenger and some -of them seem to have been selected always to run for the more valuable -prizes. Considering the short distances he was able to run and the -unimportant character of the contests in which he was engaged, we must -conclude that Messenger was a very ordinary race horse. - -It is not known by whom Messenger was bred. In his first advertisement in -this country it is stated that he was bred by John Pratt, of Newmarket, -but in the fourth volume of Pick’s “Turf Register,” continued by Johnson, -it is stated explicitly that he “was bred by and the property of Mr. -Bullock, of Newmarket.” Mr. John Pratt was a breeder as well as a racing -man of some prominence, in his day, and the certificate of pedigree from -him and purporting to have been issued by him was probably a fraud, as -he died May 8, 1785. This was while Messenger was still on the turf, -and owned and controlled by Mr. Bullock for two years previous to this, -still no mention is made of the fact, and Mr. Pratt is made to say that -he sold him to the Prince of Wales, while all the evidence, which must -necessarily be of a negative character, goes to show that the Prince of -Wales never owned him. Mr. Pratt was a Yorkshire man, of Askrigg, in the -North Riding, and although he died at Newmarket we have no trace of any -of the family from which the dam of Messenger was said to have descended -ever being in his possession. Besides this, it is not likely that the -importer of Messenger got a certificate from him two years after his -death. - -The different representations that have been made about Messenger’s -importation would fill a much larger space than would be profitable. -About no horse has there been so much written, and about no horse -has there been so little really known. His character and memory have -never suffered defamation, for every writer was a eulogist of the -most enthusiastic type, whether he knew anything of his hero or not. -As a specimen of the admiration which he excited, it has been told a -hundred times that when the horse came cavorting down the gangplank -from the ship, with a groom hanging on to each side of his head, -literally carrying them for some distance before he could be checked, -an enthusiastic horseman shouted out, “There, in that horse a million -dollars strikes American soil.” This story has been told so often, even -in England, that no doubt many people believe the startling prophecy -was really uttered. Indeed we have heard the name of the prophet, but -as he was a distinguished New Yorker and as debarkation took place at -Philadelphia, we never have been able to fully reconcile the actor with -the occasion. The reputed prophecy, like the reputed pedigree, seems -to have been an afterthought, but unlike the pedigree it proved true, -whether uttered or not. Some said he was imported 1785, while others -dribble along through the intermediate years till 1800 was fixed upon -with great positiveness as the precise year. One of these gentlemen, we -remember very well, was entirely confident he returned to England and -was brought back again after a number of years. Less than twenty years -ago the breeding world was favored with scores upon scores of this kind -of teachers, not one of whom knew what he was talking about. The most -surprising example of this kind of writing, however, is furnished by Mr. -C. W. Van Ranst, himself, who was part owner of the horse a number of -years. In a communication published in Skinner’s “Turf Register,” 1831, -he says Messenger was imported into New York in 1792, and in the same -publication for 1834 he says he was imported into New York 1791. As the -sequel will show, Mr. Van Ranst, although his owner, had no definite -knowledge of the early history of the horse. - -From some slight investigations I became satisfied, years before, that -Messenger made his first appearance in this country at Philadelphia, and -that he was imported into that city instead of New York. In that view all -the writers of the whole country were opposed to me; but, as it became -more and more evident that those writers were merely copying from one -another and that none of them had ever made an honest search for the -truth, I resolved to follow my own convictions and to commence there an -investigation that would settle the matter one way or the other. In a few -hours after reaching that city I found a file of the old _Pennsylvania -Packet_, and in the number dated May 27, 1788, an advertisement of which -the following is a true copy: - - JUST IMPORTED - - The capital, strong, full blooded, English stallion, - - MESSENGER. - - To cover mares this season at Alexander Clay’s, at the sign of - the Black Horse, in Market Street, Philadelphia, at the very - low price of three guineas each mare, and one dollar to the - groom. - - Messenger was bred by John Pratt, Esq., of Newmarket, who - certifies the following pedigree. The grey horse Messenger - was bred by me and sold to the Prince of Wales; he was got by - Mambrino (who covered at twenty-five guineas a leap). His dam - by Turf, his grandam by Regulus; this Regulus mare was sister - to Figerant and was the dam of Leviathan. JOHN PRATT. - -The performance of Messenger has been so very great that there need only -be a reference to the racing calendar of the years 1783, 1784 and 1785. - -Any mare missing this season shall be served the next gratis, provided -they continue the same properties, on paying the groom’s fees. - -This is a literal copy of the first printed announcement of Messenger in -this country, and there are two very striking features connected with -it, namely, its bad grammar and the absence of the name of the importer -and owner. The former we may attribute to the times, but to the latter -I have been disposed to attach no trifling significance. It is a fact -that till this day we have no direct information as to who imported this -horse. The name “Benger” was developed indirectly as the man, but not -till years after the horse was dead, and probably the importer too, did I -learn from an advertisement of a son of his that stood in Jersey that the -importer’s name was “Thomas Benger.” In 1791 and for two years afterward -he was advertised to stand at “Mount Benger, two miles from Bristol, -Pennsylvania.” When I visited Bristol for the purpose of identifying -“Mount Benger,” which I supposed was the country seat of the owner of -Messenger, I was greatly surprised to find that none of the “oldest -inhabitants” had ever heard of such a place, and when I was informed -that there was no locality within half a dozen miles of Bristol where -the ground rose to a hundred feet above the level of the Delaware River, -the name “Mount Benger” assumed the character of an absurdity as well -as a myth. From a very intelligent man of middle age, who had learned -the blacksmith trade with his grandfather, I learned that he had often -heard his grandfather speak of Messenger, and as having put the last set -of shoes on him when he was taken away to New York the fall the yellow -fever was so bad in Philadelphia. The tradition was still preserved in -the family that Messenger reared up in crossing the river in a boat, and -struck his groom on the head with one of those shoes, from the effects -of which he died. As our informant was able to name two other horses, -Governor and Babel, brought over by Mr. Benger, we were ready to accept -his tradition that he lived at a point known in old times as “China -Retreat,” two miles below Bristol on the Delaware. This point has been -known later as “White Hall.” - -After all traditions were exhausted, without yielding anything tangible -or satisfactory, we turned with great confidence to the records of the -county of Bucks, in which Mr. “Benger” had lived for a number of years. -After a diligent and protracted search, embracing a number of years -before and after his known residence in the county, we were not able to -discover that any person by the name of “Benger” had ever owned a foot of -real estate in the county or had been in any way publicly connected with -its affairs or its administration. We had search made in Philadelphia -with the same fruitless results. There is a faint tradition that Thomas -Benger, if that was his name, was a fox-hunting Irish baronet, and if -this was so, it is probable he returned to the old country about the time -he sold Messenger in 1793. However this may be, the owner is forgotten, -but his horse will live forever. - -Among the many eulogies and word-paintings of Messenger, by writers -who knew the horse personally, we select the following from the pen -of the late David W. Jones, of Long Island, as the most striking and -picturesque. He says: - - “Having scanned in my boyhood the magnificent form and bearing - of this noble old horse, and for more than half a century - having drawn reins over his descendants, I have for a length of - time felt it incumbent to furnish such facts and impressions, - as, when considered with those of others, will give the younger - portion of the present generation, as well as posterity, a - fair knowledge of the general characteristics of the noblest - Roman of them all. The first time I ever saw old Messenger - my father sent me to the farm of Townsend Cock, Esq., of the - County of Queens, L. I., where the horse was then standing, - to receive his services. On my arrival at his harem, I found - the groom, whom I knew, and he at once placed me with the mare - a short distance from the stable, by the side of a barrier - erected for security. Having at home heard frequent and long - discussions in relation to the wonder I was now to behold, you - may suppose I was all eyes. Presently the stalwart groom, James - Lingham, with, at the extreme end of the bridle rein, all the - blood of all the Howards, turned the angle of the stable and - came in full view. The moment the old horse caught sight of - the paragon of beauty I had brought to his embrace, he threw - himself into an attitude, with the grandeur of which no other - animal can compare, and at the same moment opened his mouth, - and distending his nostrils, raised his exultant voice to such - a pitch as gave unmistakable evidence of the capacity of his - lungs and the size of his windpipe. Indeed, if his nostrils - were as much larger than ordinary as my boyish vision pictured - them, I can almost suppose that Mr. McMann with his little bay - mare (Flora Temple), and sulky, could drive in at one, down the - windpipe, turn under his immensely long arching loin and out at - the other.... At that early day I was only impressed by those - extraordinary developments; but in after years as I sit behind - his offspring, they invariably remind me of what was then to - my youthful judgment less apparent—the extraordinary strength - of his loin, the length and beautiful molding of the buttock, - the faultless shape of the crupper bone, giving an elegant set - to his fine flowing tail, as well as the remarkable swell of - his stifle, altogether forming a most perfect and powerful hind - quarter.” - -A good many years ago I made a special study of all that had been written -about Messenger, and I was fortunate in being able to supplement this -information by interviews with a few old gentlemen who knew the horse -personally. Nearly all that generation of horsemen had passed away before -I commenced this personal search for them. But a few then remained with -excellent memories and with characters above suspicion or reproach. From -these sources I gathered a great many incidents, facts and descriptions -which I succeeded in harmonizing, to my own mind at least, and thus was -able, to compile a complete description of the horse at every point. That -description was written out more than twenty years ago, and in presenting -it now I will not change a single word. At the time it was written, -as will be seen from its perusal, I had really no doubt the horse was -thoroughbred. It will not be charged, therefore, that the coarse traits -brought out in the description were influenced in any degree by a theory -of his breeding: - -“Messenger was a grey, that became lighter and flea-bitten with age. -He was fifteen hands three inches high, and for a thoroughbred his -appearance was coarse. He did not supply the mind with an idea of beauty, -but he impressed upon it a conception of solidity and power. His head was -large and bony, with a nose that had a decided Roman tendency, though -not to a marked degree. His nostrils were unusually large and flexible, -and when distended they were enormous. His eye was large, full, very -dark and remarkably brilliant. In this particular he does not appear to -have inherited the weakness of his great-grandsire, Sampson. His ear was -larger than usual in the blood horse, but thin and tapering and always -active and expressive. The windpipe was so unusually large and stood -out so much as a distinct feature that it marred what otherwise would -have been a gamelike throat-latch and setting on of the head. His neck -was very short for a blood horse, but was not coarse and thick like a -bull’s; neither did it rise into such an enormous crest as that of his -sire. It was not a bad neck in any sense, but like Lexington’s of our -own day, it was too short to be handsome. His mane and foretop were thin -and light. His withers were low and round, which appears to have been -a family characteristic in the male line, back for three generations -at least. His shoulders were heavy and altogether too upright for our -ideas of a race horse. His barrel was perfection itself, both for depth -and rotundity. His loin was well arched, broad and strong. His hips and -quarters were ‘incomparably superior to all others.’ The column of the -vertebra being of unusual depth and strength, gave the setting on of the -tail a distinctive, but elegant character. The tail was carried in fine -style; like the mane, it was not in superabundant quantity, but there was -no such scantiness as to detract from the beauty and grace of the animal. -His stifles were well spread and swelling, but there appears to have been -no unusual development at this point. From the stifle to the hock and -from the elbow to the knee, no writer that we can now recall has given us -any description of either length or strength. We may, therefore, take it -for granted that these points had no unusual development of muscle, but -were in harmony with the general contour and make-up of a great strong -horse. His hocks and knees were unusually large and bony, with all the -members strong and clearly defined. The cannon bones were short and flat -and the ligaments back of them were very large and braced a good way off, -so that the leg was broad and flat. Mr. Jones says this part of the limb -was of medium size, but other writers all agree that he had an unusual -amount of bone at this point. Considering the whole style and character -of the horse, and especially the character of his ancestors in the male -line, and of Turf, the [reputed] sire of his dam, all of whom were -distinguished for their quantity of bone, we are disposed to think Mr. -Jones’ memory has not served him with entire accuracy in this particular. -The conviction is reasonable and grows out of evidence that comes from -every quarter, and we have no disposition to surrender it, that the bones -of Messenger’s limbs were unusually large and strong for those of a -thoroughbred. His pasterns and feet were all that could be desired, and -as an evidence of the excellence and health of his underpinning several -writers have put it on record that whether in the stable or on the show -ground he never was known to mopingly rest one leg by standing on the -other three, but was always prompt and upright. This is our conception -of the form and appearance of the horse as we have reached it after a -diligent and careful study of all that has been said by those who saw him -while he lived. From this description it is a very easy matter to pick -out the features which gave him his coarse and badly bred appearance. -His big head, long ears, short neck, low withers, upright shoulders, -large bones and, possibly, coarse hair, complete the catalogue. From -these features the purity of his blood has been doubted and denounced, -just as that of his sire, his grandsire and his great-grandsire had -been denounced. The coarseness, the cart-horse appearance was in the -family, but it did not seem to prevent some of them from beating some -of the best that England produced in successive generations. There are -many traditions that have been handed down to us concerning his temper, -some of which, no doubt, have accumulated and gathered strength and -ferocity in the years through which they have rolled. There have been -perhaps half a dozen stories about his killing his keepers, but we -are not able to say whether any one of them is true. It is known with -certainty, however, that he was willful and vicious and would tolerate no -familiarity from strangers.” - -The ownership of Messenger, after he was transferred from Philadelphia -to New York, like his earlier history, seems to be very much muddled. -Henry Astor, a New York butcher, certainly bought him in the fall of -1793, and located him at Philip Platt’s, four miles from Jamaica, on -Long Island. In the spring of 1796 Mr. Cornelius W. Van Ranst bought -one-third interest in him and removed him to Pine Plains in Dutchess -County, New York, and, without specifying the time, he says he afterward -purchased the remaining two-thirds, for which he paid two thousand seven -hundred and fifty dollars. There appears to have been some mistake about -this, for in 1802 we find Henry Astor, of New York, conveying one-third -interest in the horse to Benjamin B. Cooper, of Camden, New Jersey. Some -other parties also claim to have owned an interest in the horse, and I -heard that there was a lawsuit about him between Astor and Van Ranst. -The latter claims to have owned an interest in him till the time of his -death, in 1808. It is not known how much Mr. Astor paid for him when he -bought him, nor have I any data from which to determine the probable -market value of the horse except that Mr. Van Ranst says he paid two -thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars for two-thirds of him. If we -accept this as a basis, he must have been valued at about four thousand -one hundred and twenty-five dollars. It is true, beyond doubt, that -for several years he brought to his owners a net annual rental of one -thousand dollars. This would indicate a very large patronage at very high -prices for those times. For the twenty years of his stud services in this -country, we find him located as follows: - -1788, at Alexander Clay’s, Market Street, Philadelphia, at $15 the season -and $1 to the groom, privilege of returning. - -1789, at Thomas Clayton’s, Lombard Street, Philadelphia, at $10 the -season and $1 to the groom. - -1790, at Noah Hunt’s, in the Jersies, near Pennington, at $8. - -1791, at “Mount Benger,” two miles from Bristol, Bucks Co., Pa., at $16. - -1792, at the same place and the same price. - -1793, at the same place and the same price. - -1794, at Philip Platt’s, fifteen miles from New York and four from -Jamaica, Long Island, at $25 the season. - -1795, at the same place and the same price, when, as Mr. Van Ranst -expressed it, “he took with our horsemen.” - -1796, at Pine Plains, Dutchess County, N. Y., where he covered 106 mares -at $30 the season. - -1797, I have no advertisement for this year, but it is probable he was at -the same place at the same price. - -1798, at Pine Plains, as before, and the terms $30 for the season and $40 -to insure. - -1799, I have no definite trace of him this year, but there are some -indications he was in West Jersey. - -1800, for the spring season he is not located, but he made a fall season -at John Stevens’ in Maidenhead, Hunterdon Co., N. J. - -1801, at Goshen, Orange Co., N. Y., and I have seen the book account of -expenses, etc., while he was there. - -1802, at Cooper’s Ferry, opposite Philadelphia, Pa., but the price of -services is not mentioned. - -1803, at Townsend Cock’s, near Oyster Bay, Long Island, at $20 the season. - -1804, at the same place and the same price. - -1805, at Bishop Underhill’s, in Westchester Co., N. Y., fifteen miles -from Harlem Bridge. Price reduced to $15. - -1806, back again at Townsend Cock’s, and the terms fixed at $15 for the -season, and $25 to insure. - -1807, again at Bishop Underhill’s on the same terms as before, and this -was the last of his twenty years’ stud services. It will be observed -that the horse is located every year except two, and these locations -are determined, not by tradition or hearsay, but by copies of his -advertisements for each year. In giving the prices charged for his -services I have given the value of the guinea or the pound as five -dollars. - -Messenger died January 28, 1808, in the stable of Townsend Cock, on Long -Island, in his twenty-eighth year. This date has been as familiar to all -intelligent horsemen for the last forty years as any prominent event in -the history of the nation. The news of the death of the old patriarch -spread with great rapidity, and soon the whole countryside was gathered -to see the last of the king of horses and to assist at his burial. His -grave was prepared at the foot of a chestnut-tree some distance in front -of the house, and there he was deposited in his holiday clothing. In -response to the consciousness that a hero was there laid away forever -a military organization was extemporized, and volley after volley by -platoons was fired over his grave. Some of the young men and boys who -witnessed and participated in the ceremonies of the occasion were still -living twenty years ago, and as they related the incidents of the -occasion to me, their recollections seemed to be as clear and bright as -though the occurrence had been of yesterday. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -MESSENGER’S SONS. - - Hambletonian (Bishop’s) pedigree not beyond doubt—Cadwallader - R. Colden’s review of it—Ran successfully—Taken to Granville, - N. Y.—Some of his descendants—Mambrino, large and coarse - in appearance—Failure as a runner—Good natural trotter—His - most famous sons were Abdallah, Almack and Mambrino - Paymaster—Winthrop or Maine Messenger and his pedigree and - history—Engineer and the tricks of his owners—Certainly - a son of Messenger—Commander—Bush Messenger, pedigree - and description—Noted as the sire of coach horses and - trotters—Potomac—Tippoo Saib—Sir Solomon—Ogden Messenger, dam - thoroughbred—Mambrino (Grey)—Black Messenger—Whynot, Saratoga, - Nestor, Delight—Mount Holly, Plato, Dover Messenger, Coriander, - Fagdown, Bright Phœbus, Slasher, Shaftsbury, Hotspur, - Hutchinson Messenger and Cooper’s Messenger—Abuse of the name - “Messenger.” - - -It is not my purpose to write a history of all the descendants of -Messenger, for that would fill several volumes and would be simply -writing over again the trotting and pacing records of the past twenty -years. I will, therefore, limit the chapters on this topic to such of -his descendants as have demonstrated the value and prominence of their -blood, as a factor, in the make-up of the American Trotter. Naturally, -the immediate progeny of Messenger will first demand consideration, and -then will follow the succeeding generations that have written their own -history in the official records of trotting and pacing. Completeness -of description and space occupied will be determined, chiefly, by the -prominence and historic value of the animal under review. In this scope -and without following any chronological order, I will try to embrace all -that is known that would be of value to the student of trotting-horse -history. - -HAMBLETONIAN (BISHOP’S), originally called HAMILTONIAN.—This was a -dark-bay horse about fifteen hands two inches high. He was bred by -General Nathaniel Coles, of Dosoris, Long Island, and was foaled 1804. -He was got by Messenger, his dam Pheasant (the Virginia Mare), said -to be thoroughbred, by imp. Shark and grandam by imp. Medley. I first -unearthed the pedigree of this “Virginia Mare” in the advertisement of -Hambletonian for 1814 when he was owned by Townsend Cock and standing -that year at Goshen, New York. The “Old Turfman,” Cadwallader R. Colden, -was thoroughly familiar with all turf subjects in the early years of -this century, and was the best turf writer of his generation. He had no -patience or tolerance with frauds in pedigrees and always exposed them -without mercy. He stoutly maintains that the pedigree of the “Virginia -Mare” was bogus, and, to use his own language, he says: - - “When Hambletonian became a public stallion, his owners were - in a dilemma; a _pedigree_ was necessary, so to work they - went, and, as many had done before and as many are doing now, - _made one_; and in his handbills his dam was given as bred in - Virginia, and got by imported Shark, with a train of maternal - ancestors, with as much truth, and affording as much ability to - trace it or discover the breeder of the dam, as though they had - said _hi, cockalorum jig_.” - -Mr. Colden goes into the pedigree of this mare and the non-racing -character of her family at great length, and it cannot be denied that -he has the whole argument. As a specimen of sharp and interesting turf -writing of that period and from that pen, I must commend my readers to -turn to this article, which will be found in _Wallace’s Monthly_, Vol. -II., p. 67. - -With the probabilities all against the truthfulness of the pedigree of -the dam, as given, it is certainly true that he was a running horse and -attained distinction in his day. I have no full list of his performances -at hand, but the following may be taken as a fair summary of his -principal achievements. He ran at Newmarket in the spring of 1807 (then -three years old), one mile, beating General Coles’ colt Bright Phœbus, -Mr. Terhune’s bay filly, and distancing two others. He also ran, two days -after the above race, four heats of a mile each, beating Bright Phœbus -again and distancing three others. In the fall of 1808 he ran five weeks -successively, and the three last weeks he won three four-mile purses, -running the distance in shorter time than it ever had been run in the -State of New York. I must say here that these races were run on the then -Harlem course, which was not a full mile in length. - -While Hambletonian was on the turf, Tippoo Sultan, a grandson of -Messenger, beat Bond’s First Consul in a famous four-mile race, and Mr. -Bond determined that he would find a horse that would be able to lower -Tippoo Sultan’s colors, and it was thought there was nothing in the -North able to do it except Miller’s Damsel, so he made a match for four -thousand dollars a side on condition that Damsel should prove not to be -in foal. But the mare proving to be in foal the match was off. He then -took Hambletonian into his stable and offered to match him for the same -amount against Tippoo Sultan, but he went amiss and the match was off. -This incident is here introduced to show that whatever his real merits, -Hambletonian had some reputation as a running horse. It was said that -the secret of Mr. Colden’s hostility to the “Virginia Mare” and her -descendants was because those descendants were always able to beat the -descendants of his fashionably bred mare Matilda. Whatever the motive in -exposing a pedigree that has never been fully established, there is one -particular and that the most important of all particulars, in which Mr. -Colden has done justice to Hambletonian. He says: “_Hambletonian got some -excellent roadsters, good trotters._” - -There seems to be no description of this horse extant that is fully -satisfactory. For some seasons he was in the hands of Mr. Daniel T. -Cock, who in 1869 furnished me the following: “He was a dark bay, a -little heavy about the head and neck, fifteen and a half hands high, and -rather an upright shoulder. Back, loin and hind quarters as good as were -ever put on a horse. Fore legs a little light, but hind legs strong and -good—pretty straight. He was a beautiful saddle horse, notwithstanding -his head and ear were a little coarse.” Other persons who had seen him -have described him as “a great strong horse, with bone and substance -enough to pull the plow or do any other kind of drudgery.” It has been -said that he had a fine open trotting gait and that, in a cutter with old -Isaac Bishop behind him, he was able to show the boys the road. - -In 1807 he became the property of Townsend Cock, of Long Island, and he -remained on the turf till 1810, when he was put in the stud. That and the -following season he was at the stable of his owner; 1812 at Cornwall; -1813 at Fishkill; 1814 at Goshen; 1815-16 at Fishkill; 1817 at White -Plains. In the winter of 1819 Mr. Cock sold him to Stephen and Smith -Germond of Dutchess County, New York, and Isaac Bishop of Granville, New -York. The latter was probably the real owner, and the horse then became -known as “Bishop’s Hambletonian.” He made several seasons in the region -of Granville and was back in Dutchess County 1823 and 1824. The next year -he was at Granville—1825. He made one season, at least, at Burlington, -Vermont, and some seasons or parts of seasons at Poultney, Vermont. It is -said he lived till 1834. - -At Wallingford, Vermont, he was bred upon the “Munson Mare,” said to be -a daughter of imported Messenger, and doubtless either by him or one -of his earlier sons, and the produce was Harris’ Hambletonian, also -known as “The Remington Horse” and Bristol Grey, and this son became -the progenitor of a great tribe of trotters, known as the “Vermont -Hambletonians,” some of which were very fast pacers, among them the -famous Hero, the fastest of his generation. Another son of Mr. Bishop’s -horse was the Judson Hambletonian, that was the sire of the Andrus horse, -that got the famous Princess, that was pitted against Flora Temple. He -was also bred on his half-sister, Silvertail, by Messenger, and produced -One Eye, a very fast mare, the grandam of Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, and -I have always thought that this combination was the very cream of the -pedigree of that great horse. He was also bred on a daughter of Mr. -Coffin’s son of Messenger and produced Whalebone, that was the phenomenal -long-distance trotter of his generation. His son, Sir Peter, out of an -unknown mare, was also a famous old-time trotter. One of his daughters -was bred to Coriander, son of Messenger, and the produce was Topgallant, -the fastest horse of his time. These individual enumerations might be -extended indefinitely, but I have given enough to show that he was not -merely a progenitor of trotting speed in remote generations, but that -speed came directly from his own loins. Another most significant fact is -here brought to light, namely, that when bred back upon the blood of his -own sire he achieved his greatest successes. - -MAMBRINO.—This great son of Messenger was a bright bay with a star and -one white ankle. He was fully sixteen hands high, with great length of -body and generally of coarse appearance. He was foaled 1806, and was -bred by Mr. Lewis Morris, of Westchester County, New York. His dam was -by imported Sour Grout, out of a mare by imported Whirligig, and she out -of the famous Miss Slammerkin, that is a well-known landmark reaching -beyond the Revolution. The late William T. Porter, of the _Spirit of the -Times_, stoutly maintained that Mambrino was not a thoroughbred horse, -and his reasons seemed to rest wholly upon his coarse and cart-horse -appearance. Technically, Mr. Porter was right, but the trouble did not -rest with the dam, as he seems to have supposed, for I have seen the -original certificate of breeding in the handwriting of Mr. Morris, his -breeder, and there is no slip on that side of the pedigree. Mr. Morris -was a prominent breeder and racing man for many years and his character -was without taint. The pedigree is a very long one and I would be very -far from vouching for the truth of the remote extensions, but back to the -mare by Cub, imported by Mr. De Lancey, who bred Miss Slammerkin, there -can be no mistake. - -In the spring of 1810, then four years old, he was purchased of his -breeder by Major William Jones, of Queens County, Long Island, and in the -autumn of that year he was trained and ran for the two-mile purse at the -old Newmarket Course, Long Island, and it is said gave some evidence that -he could run, but after that he was never trained nor started in a race, -from which we may conclude he was not a race horse, or his owner, who -bred and ran his horses, would have given him another trial. - -In 1811 he was put in the stud and made the season at Huntington, Long -Island, in charge of Ebenezer Gould. It is not known where he made the -season of 1812, but probably in Orange or Dutchess County. The years -1813-14-15 he was in charge of my late highly esteemed and venerable -correspondent, David W. Jones, on the borders of Queens and Suffolk -counties, Long Island, where he covered about two hundred and fifty -mares. In 1816 he was in one of the river counties, in 1817 at Fishkill, -and 1818 at Townsend Cock’s, Long Island. In later years he changed hands -many times, at from two hundred to two hundred and fifty dollars, and -there is no published trace of him till we find that he made the seasons -of 1825 and 1829 at Pleasant Valley, Dutchess County, and he died the -property of Benjamin Germond, on the farm of Azariah Arnold in Dutchess -County, about 1831. - -He took his beautiful color from his dam and transmitted it with great -uniformity. His general structure was after the Messenger model, -especially in the large bones and joints of his limbs. His head was -long and bony and his ears were large and somewhat heavy. He was too -high on his legs and his general appearance was coarse, all of which he -transmitted. In speaking of his offspring Mr. Jones remarks: “When young -they were somewhat leggy and lathy, but spirited, stylish and slashing -in action. When matured, he must indeed be fastidious who would crave -another.” With regard to his gait Mr. Jones uses the following very -emphatic language: “I have been the breeder of some, and the owner of -many good horses, and with the best opportunities of judging, having -ridden him (he was never driven) many, many miles, I say, with entire -confidence, he was the best natural trotter I ever threw a leg over. His -walk was free, flinging and elastic; his trot clear, square and distinct, -with a beautiful roll of the knee and great reach of the hind leg.” In -the absence of actual training and timing, it is hardly possible to get -better evidence that Mambrino was a natural trotter that might have been -developed to a considerable rate of speed. It would be interesting to -know just why the horse “never was driven.” Did he show an unconquerable -aversion to harness, and did Abdallah inherit this aversion? This -description of Mambrino’s gait was written in 1866, and the writer had -spent a long lifetime in an intimate personal knowledge of many, or -indeed most, of the best early trotters that this country had produced. - -The only one of his immediate progeny that attained distinction as a -trotter was the famous Betsey Baker. This mare was very prominent among -the best of her day, and was able, on one occasion at least, to beat -the great Topgallant, and in tandem with Grey Harry when she was old -she trotted in 2:41¾-2:43¾. Others of his progeny were trotters of some -merit, but none of them especially distinguished on the turf. His three -sons, Abdallah, Almack and Mambrino Paymaster, are the bright links in -the chain extending from Messenger to the two-minute trotter that will -keep his memory green as long as there is a trotting horse on the earth. -Abdallah at the head of the Hambletonians, Almack at the head of the -Champions, and Mambrino Paymaster at the head of the Mambrino Chiefs -embrace the major portion of the great trotters of this generation. - -WINTHROP, OR MAINE MESSENGER.—Perhaps no son of Messenger, not excepting -Hambletonian and Mambrino, produced a more marked effect upon the stock -of any part of the country than this horse did in the State of Maine. -The impress he there made was not only remarkable at the time, but it is -still felt and acknowledged in his descendants to this day. There have -been many conflicting statements made to the public about him and his -history, but I think I am now able to give, in authentic and reliable -form, all that is really known of his origin and history. He was foaled -about 1807 and was among the last colts by the imported horse, but -unfortunately we know nothing of the blood of his dam. Mr. Alvan Hayward, -for many years a citizen of Kennebec County, Maine, but more recently of -York, Livingston County, New York, says his dam possessed some imported -blood; but as all his records and memoranda were burned up in 1845 he is -not able to give the pedigree of the mare that produced him. - -Mr. Hayward bought the horse about 1817 or 1818, in the village of Paris, -Oneida County, New York, of a man by the name of Rice or Wright, but -did not remember which. He took him to Winthrop, Maine, where he was -first known as “Messenger,” then as “Kennebec Messenger,” or “Winthrop -Messenger,” and when he became old, as “Old Messenger.” The earliest -contemporaneous account I have of this horse is his advertisement for the -season of 1819, which I copy from the Hallowell _Gazette_ of May 12, of -that year, and is as follows: - - “THE VALUABLE HORSE MESSENGER. - - “The subscriber hereby recommends to the public and all who - feel interested to improve in the breed of good and serviceable - horses, the good horse Messenger, that stock so well known and - approved of on Long Island, New York, and Pennsylvania. Said - horse was raised on Long Island, and owned by Mr. Rylander, a - gentleman who has taken the greatest pains to import the best - breed of horses that came to his knowledge. Said horse is a - silver grey, well proportioned, of a large size, and a good - traveler. Gentlemen who are desirous of raising good horses - will do well to call and see for themselves. - - “The Messenger will stand for the most part of the time in the - village at Withrop Mills. - - ALVAN HAYWARD. - - “Winthrop, May 1st, 1819.” - -From the foregoing it will be seen that the new element, brought out in -the history of this horse is the statement that he was owned at one time -by Mr. Rylander, of Long Island. There were two brothers of this name, -and they imported a great many horses, but never before had I heard their -names connected with Winthrop Messenger. This carries us back to a period -in the history of the horse before he was taken to Oneida County. - -Colonel Stanley, a prominent banker of Augusta, and at one time a leading -horseman and stage proprietor, bought Messenger of his kinsman, Hayward, -and owned him some seven years. He says the horse was brought to Maine as -early as 1816, and that his Uncle Hayward had certificates that he was -got by imported Messenger, out of a mare well-bred and part of imported -blood. - -In a communication from Mr. Sanford Howard, who had been prominently -connected with the breeding interests of the country for many years, the -following description is given: - - “I saw him several times, first in 1828. In the latter years of - his life he stood mostly at Anson, on the Kennebec River, and I - think died there about 1831 [he died at Dixfield]. He appeared - like an old horse when I first saw him, older, perhaps, from - being much afflicted with grease, which had become chronic, - and at length had almost destroyed his hoofs; so that the last - time I saw him he was nearly incapable of locomotion. His - feet and legs looked like those of an elephant. This trouble - was transmitted to his offspring through several generations - (though not invariably so), and constituted, perhaps, in - connection with, in many cases, a flat foot and low heels, - their greatest defect. - - “Mr. Hayward states, in concluding his letter, that he has no - doubt the horse he took to Maine was got by imp. Messenger. - The remark is probably elicited by intimations that he might - have been gotten by a son of Messenger. I presume Mr. Hayward’s - belief was well founded. As imported Messenger did not die - until the 28th of January, 1808, there is no discrepancy - between that event and the age of Mr. H.’s horse. At the same - time I must admit that Maine Messenger hardly looked like a - half-blood horse. He was pretty large, rather short-legged, - thick-set, with heavy mane and tail, very hairy legs, long - hair on his jaws, and was heavy coated (in winter) all over - his body. These characteristics were sometimes accounted for - by saying he was probably out of a Dutch mare, meaning such - mares as the Dutch farmers of New York kept. I never heard of - any claim being set up for his speed in trotting, and I presume - he was never tried at running. He was strong and plucky, and - the story was told at Winthrop that on an occasion when all - the stallions of the neighborhood were brought out to be - shown, they were put to a trot in sleighs for half a mile or - so, and Messenger was beaten. Whereupon his owner proposed - that the horses should each draw a sled with six men on it up - to Winthrop hill, and be timed. It was done, and Messenger - beat them all. I think the first of his offspring that became - noted for fast trotting was a gelding called Lion, taken to - Boston by a well-known horse dealer by the name of Hodges, - of Hallowell, Maine. He was sold, I think, for four hundred - dollars, which made quite a sensation among the Kennebec - farmers who had any stock of the same sort. I do not recollect - the rate of speed this horse showed, but a mile in three - minutes was then considered wonderful, and probably this was - about his rate. Other horses of the stock were soon brought - out as fast travelers. I remember a friend of mine showing me - some young horses he was training, and I rode with him after - several of them. They were _natural trotters_, and would do - _nothing but trot_, even under severe applications of the whip. - But I think the second generation from Mr. Hayward’s horse - were generally faster trotters than the first. They were also - generally handsomer horses, not so rough looking. Nearly all - the horses of this stock which have acquired a reputation in - Massachusetts, New York, etc., as fast trotters, had not more - than a quarter of the blood of the horse that Mr. Hayward took - to Maine, and consequently had not more than an eighth of the - blood of imported Messenger. - - “The mares that produced these horses were of no particular - blood. Various stallions had been kept in that section. Morgans - from New Hampshire and Vermont, with an occasional change to - the French Canadians, and now and then a quarter or half bred - horse from New York or New Jersey.” - -This excellent communication from Mr. Howard is especially valuable, -as the conclusions drawn by an accurate and competent observer from a -personal acquaintance with the original horse and his progeny. There are -some inferences, however, that may be drawn from Mr. Howard’s letter -that would be unjust to this distinguished animal. His general coarse -appearance, in connection with which Mr. H. says, “he hardly looked like -a half bred horse,” was a prominent feature in the family. Mambrino, -a very high-bred son of old Messenger, was very coarse, and the same -remark was often made about him. The quantity and length of his coat in -the winter of his old age are not conclusive against his pretensions to -a large share of good and pure blood. They are the results oftentimes -of neglect and ill health. It is somewhere stated that the famous Sir -Archy before he died looked exceedingly shaggy, his hair being fully -three inches long. Mr. Howard expresses the opinion that “the second -generation from Mr. Hayward’s horse were generally faster trotters than -the first.” In many instances this, no doubt, is true, for it would be -altogether contrary to the uniform laws which govern these things if -development and use did not strengthen and intensify the instinct to trot -in successive generations. If Mr. Howard is right, and we do not doubt he -is, the increased capacity did not grow out of the dilution of the blood, -but out of the strengthening of the instinct by culture and use. At the -time Mr. Howard made this remark he evidently did not know that the -famous old-time trotters, Daniel D. Tompkins and Fanny Pullen, were both -immediately from the loins of Winthrop Messenger. In their day these two -were classed among the best and fastest trotters that the world had then -produced. The facts that both these animals were the immediate progeny of -Winthrop Messenger were never brought to light for many years, and all I -will say about them now is that they do not rest on shadowy traditions or -suppositions, but are fully and circumstantially established. - -In a letter written by Mr. Hayward, May 12, 1852, in speaking of the -useful and everyday qualities of this horse’s progeny, he used the -following language: - - “The stock produced by that horse I consider superior, as - combining more properties useful in a horse than any other - stock I have ever been acquainted with, being good for draft, - for carriage, for travel, for parade, or any place where - horses are required. They had great bottom and strength, and - were of hardy constitution. There are some horses in this town - twenty-two years old, that were by a son of Winthrop Messenger, - which I brought with me when I left Maine. They have always - been accustomed to draw the plow and to perform other hard - labor, and yet they have the appearance of young horses, and - will now do more service than many horses of seven or eight - years old.” - -Among the several sons of imported Messenger whose names are conspicuous -as the progenitors of great tribes of the most distinguished trotters I -know of no one entitled to a higher place on the roll of fame, all things -considered, than this one that went to Maine, and there laid a foundation -that has made the State famous throughout the length and breadth of the -land for the speed and stoutness of its trotting horses. - -With such noted performers from his own loins as Fanny Pullen and Daniel. -D. Tompkins, and in the next generation the famous Zachary Taylor, this -horse made about the best showing of all the sons of Messenger, but as -his line failed to produce a Rysdyk’s Hambletonian or a Mambrino Chief, -it dropped to a place somewhat removed from the front of the procession. - -ENGINEER was a grey horse, about sixteen hands high and very elegant in -his form, style and proportions. The earliest account we have of him is -in the spring of 1816, when he was advertised in _The Long Island Star_ -to stand at the stable of Daniel Seely, near Suffolk Court House, and -at Jericho, in Queens County. He was in charge of Thomas Jackson, Jr., -generally designated as “Long Tom.” He was then well advanced in years, -but no attempt was made to give his age. Mr. Daniel T. Cock, in charge -of Duroc and one or two other stallions, was then in sharp competition -with Engineer, and he assures me he was a horse of large size, great -share of bone and sinew, most elegant form, and a fine mover. His elegant -appearance was so captivating that he was a very troublesome competitor. - -The advertisement referred to contains the following very unsatisfactory -paragraph relating to his pedigree, viz., “The manner he came into -this country is such that I cannot give an account of his pedigree, -but his courage and activity show the purity of his blood, which is -much better than the empty sound of a long pedigree.” This was a most -unexpected discovery, for I had always understood that Engineer was a -son of Messenger and never had heard of this mystery before. It is here -intimated that the horse was imported, and the story that Jackson told -was that he was brought from England to Canada by a British officer, and -by some surreptitious means found his way from Canada to Long Island. -What appears to be the real history of the horse, and the version -accepted afterward by everybody on the island, will be found in the -following extract from a letter written by David W. Jones, February 28, -1870. He says: - - “I can well account for Mr. Cock’s recollections of the history - of the first Engineer. Thomas Jackson and George Tappan, - noted owners and keepers of stallions on Long Island and in - the counties of Orange and Dutchess, in the course of their - peregrinations met with a person in possession of this horse, - who offered him for sale. Impressed with his fine appearance - and pedigree, they at once entered into negotiations for - his purchase, and finally obtained him at so low a price as - to cause strong suspicions that he was not honestly in his - vendor’s possession. They, however, determined to take the - chances, and at once brought him to Long Island, their place - of residence, and determined on what they deemed a harmless - representation in regard to his history; for this they had - several motives. First, Messenger stallions were then very - numerous on Long Island; their blood coursed in the veins of - nearly every brood mare. Secondly, imported stallions were much - desired, and by a little added fiction they could give him - considerable _éclat_, and thirdly, in case of his having been - unjustly obtained this would afford the best means of disguise. - Accordingly they represented him as having been imported from - England to Canada and ridden in the army by Gen. Brock, who, - in an engagement with our troops, was shot and killed. The - horse, escaping into our lines, was secured by our soldiers and - brought to the State of New York. On these representations they - claimed to have purchased him. No pedigree, as I recollect, - was attempted to be given, and though many doubted the truth - of this statement, there was no evidence to controvert it. - For a length of time this story was adhered to; but after - several years, when all fears of difficulty had subsided, - they acknowledged the deception. Mr. Tappan, who resided but - a few miles from me, was a man of more than ordinary candor - and fairness, for one of his position and employment. I knew - him well, and occasionally rendered him a favor by preparing - his horse bills. On one of these occasions, at my house, he - gave a full and particular statement of the whole affair. Some - of the details have escaped me, but the essential facts are - distinctly recollected. The owner, with Engineer in possession, - was met at some public place and the purchase completed, and - this statement then made, ‘that he had become involved in debt, - and that his creditor had begun a prosecution, with a view - to levy on the horse, the only property he possessed, and he - was determined not to lose all.’ This was certainly enough to - arouse their suspicions with regard to his history. He declared - the horse was bred and raised in Pennsylvania and that he was - got by imported Messenger. Whether any further pedigree was - given is not recollected. He was at this time (1814) a horse - considerably advanced in years and perfectly white. Mr. Tappan - also told me that he had afterward traced the horse, and was - entirely satisfied of the former owner’s veracity. I will not - apologize for the length of this statement, being desirous of - giving you all the information here possessed and probably all - that can now be obtained.” - -I am not aware that in the past sixty years any question has ever been -raised as to the truth of the universally accepted statement that -Engineer was a true son of Messenger, and I would not have disturbed -it now, nor thought of doing so, had it not been for that remarkable -advertisement discovered in the obscure Long Island paper. That was -contemporaneous history, however, and it must either be explained or -accepted. The question has been examined down to the bottom by one of the -most conscientious and capable men of his generation, in this department -of knowledge. His verdict has been accepted as the truth by all parties -of that day, and I cannot reject it. - -It is not known that any of his immediate progeny attained distinction -on the trotting turf. Several of his sons bore his name in the stud and -while their blood seemed to be helpful in the right direction, only one -of them made any mark as a sire of speed, and that was the horse known as -Lewis’ Engineer, the sire of the world beater, Lady Suffolk. Burdick’s -Engineer, another son, was taken to Washington County, New York, and got -the dam of the famous Princess, which produced the great Happy Medium. -In all these instances there was commingling with other strains from -Messenger. - -COMMANDER.—This was a grey horse, fully sixteen hands high and of massive -proportions. He was a son of imported Messenger and out of a mare by -imported Rockingham. This Rockingham was not a thoroughbred horse. -Commander was bred in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and found his way to -Long Island about 1812, where he was liberally patronized. His name -frequently occurs among the remote crosses of good pedigrees, but his -fame rests wholly on the progeny of his son, Young Commander, who was -the sire of Screwdriver, Screws, Bull Calf and other good ones. This -horse Young Commander was sometimes called “Bull” and sometimes “American -Commander.” - -MESSENGER, (BUSH’S), generally known as BUSH MESSENGER. This son of -Messenger was bred by James Dearin, of Dutchess County, New York, and -was foaled 1807. His dam was a Virginia mare, named Queen Ann, by Celer, -son of imported Janus, and out of a mare by Skipwith’s Figure, son of -imported Figure, and she out of a mare imported by Colonel Miland, of -Virginia. This pedigree was not accepted without some misgivings, but -as it was possible and as it had been indorsed sixty years ago by -Cadwallader R. Colden and published before that by Mr. Dearin, I am -disposed to accept it as reliable. - -He was sixteen hands high, a light grey, becoming white with age. He -was excellent in form and probably the most handsome and attractive -of all the sons of Messenger. The first public notice we have of him, -he was advertised at the stable of his breeder, six miles south of -Poughkeepsie, in 1813. Soon after this he became the property of Philo -C. Bush, and this was the first horse, he says, that he ever owned. This -Mr. Bush was a noted “character” in his day. From early manhood, through -good and evil report, and until he died a very old man in poverty and -want, he was a habitue of the race track. He knew all about race horses -and their breeding, and he could prattle pedigrees from morning till -night. Added to this knowledge which his life pursuits had placed in -his possession, he was endowed with a most vivid imagination which was -brought into the most active play whenever he found it necessary. To -maintain his “reputation” it seemed to be a necessity that he should be -able to extend all pedigrees laid before him and give the remote crosses, -whether he knew anything about them or not. He was the author of the -running pedigree given to the dam of Major Winfield—Edward Everett, son -of Hambletonian—and on it money was won in a bet. An investigation of -just two minutes disclosed the facts that by established and known dates -the whole thing was utterly impossible. He was literally a very “racy” -_raconteur_, but his reminiscences soon became tedious, notwithstanding -their brilliancy, and it was always important to have a call to some -business that cut off further entertainment from his _répertoire_. - -Mr. Bush says he paid one thousand seven hundred and forty dollars and -a silver watch for this horse, and with him he got an elegant suit of -clothing that had belonged to imported Express. It is said that he never -ran but one race and that was at Pine Plains, in which he distanced -all his competitors in the first heat. In 1816 Mr. Bush kept him at -Kinderhook; 1817 at Kinderhook and Schodack; 1818 at Kinderhook and -Albany; 1819-20 at Utica. In the autumn of 1820 he was sold to Dr. -Millington, of Crooked Lake, Herkimer County, and he was kept there -1821-22. He was then sold to Edward Reynolds, of East Bloomfield, where -he was kept three or four years, after which he made one or more seasons -at Le Roy, and he died at East Bloomfield in July, 1829. This horse had -probably more trotting speed than any of the other sons of Messenger. Mr. -Bush assured me that he could trot very fast for a horse of that day, and -when led by the side of another horse he could beat three minutes very -easily, but as we have to take Mr. Bush’s assertions _cum grano salis_, -we fortunately have very reliable testimony of contemporaneous date and -from a source wholly disinterested. I have before me a letter written -by Judge J. Porter, of East Bloomfield, dated June 4, 1828, in reply to -inquiries from some correspondent about the horse, his terms, etc. He -writes as follows: - - “I should think he was a very swift _trotter from what I have - seen_, and very sprightly and nearly white. He has got a - great number of fine colts in this town which are three years - old; and the probability of their drawing on the old horse’s - business is the reason of his being removed to Le Roy and - Batavia.” - -Whether Judge Porter was a horseman or not he certainly reflected, in -this remark which I have emphasized, the leading quality for which Bush -Messenger was distinguished in that region _and in that day_. - -Although he was certainly a very fast natural trotter, it is not known -that he was ever trained an hour in his life, neither is it known that -any fast or trained trotters ever came from his loins. This was the -period of fast mail coaches running from Albany to Buffalo, and as the -old proprietors of those great lines were pushed westward from State to -State until they finally were driven across the Mississippi, I have many -times heard them talk of the great slashing grey Messenger teams that -would carry their coaches along at ten miles an hour, and lament that -there were no such horses nowadays. There were other sons of Messenger -and many grandsons, all known as “Messengers,” but as a progenitor of -horses suited to the stage coach this particular one that broke his neck -in trying to get out of his inclosure was the premier. He probably came -nearer filling the place in this country that his grandsire filled in -England—English Mambrino—than any other one of the tribe, for we can -truly say of him, as Pick said of his grandsire, “from his blood the -breed of horses for the coach was brought nearly to perfection.” - -POTOMAC was a bright bay, fifteen and a half hands high, and was bred by -Daniel Youngs, of Oyster Bay, Long Island. He was foaled 1796 and got by -imported Messenger; dam by imported Figure; grandam by Bashaw. He was -put on the turf in the spring of 1799 and was a respectable race horse -at short distances. He ran against and beat some of the best of his day. -He was on the turf about three years. In the midst of his racing career -he was purchased by Mr. Van Ranst for five hundred pounds. In 1802 he -was owned by Major William Jones, of Cold Spring Harbor, and made some -seasons there. In 1806 he was at New Windsor, Orange County, New York. In -1808 he was in charge of Thomas Jackson, at Rahway, New Jersey, and 1811 -at Crosswicks, near Trenton, New Jersey. It is probable he died about -this time, as we find no further trace of him. Most of his stock were -bays, of good size, and very salable animals. Nothing can now be recalled -that connects him with any of the trotting strains coming from his sire. -He was not strictly running-bred on the side of his dam. - -TIPPOO SAIB was a bay horse with one white foot and was fully sixteen -hands high, with plenty of bone. He was foaled 1795, got by imported -Messenger; dam Mr. Thompson’s imported mare by Northumberland; grandam -by Snap, etc. His fine size and elegant pedigree made Tippoo Saib a -very desirable horse to breed to, but for some cause he did not appear -much on the turf. He ran a few races and went into the stud early, in -the neighborhood of Trenton, New Jersey, and in the following year was -at Goshen, Fishkill, and Pine Plains, New York. My impression is he was -then returned to West Jersey and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he was -probably owned in his latter days. His sons Tippoo Sultan, Financier and -others, acquired great fame on the turf. His connection with the trotting -lines of descent is very distinct, but not very prominent. - -SIR SOLOMON was got by imported Messenger; dam Camilla by Cephalus; -grandam Camilla by imported Fearnought and out of imported Calista, etc. -He was foaled about 1800, bred by General Gunn, of Georgia, who seems -to have kept Camilla and perhaps others in the North for the purpose -of breeding. The pedigree on the side of this dam is an excellent one -and would seem to justify the owner in seeking to get the best crosses -possible into his stud. When five years old he was sold to Mr. Bond, of -Philadelphia, for two thousand dollars. His races were numerous and often -successful, beating some of the best horses of his day, and among them -the famous Miller’s Damsel, also by Messenger, over the Harlem Course in -heats of four miles. Not much is known of his stud services, and he seems -to have been kept several years in Union County, New Jersey. He seems to -have labored under the disadvantage of having a greater horse of the same -name—Badger’s Sir Solomon by Tickle Toby—in competition with him, and -thus the son of Tickle Toby would steal many a chaplet from the brow of -his namesake, the son of Messenger. - -OGDEN MESSENGER was a grey horse, foaled 1806, got by imported Messenger; -dam Katy Fisher, by imported Highflyer; grandam a mare imported -by H. N. Cruger in 1786, by Cottager; great-grandam by Trentham; -great-great-grandam by Henricus; great-great-great-grandam by Regulus. -The pedigree of this dam is correct, and she was doubtless entitled to -rank as thoroughbred. This horse was bred by Mr. Cruger, and at three -years old was sold to David Ogden, and that summer he was pastured on the -farm of Major William Jones, of Long Island, from whose books we have -the foregoing facts. Mr. David W. Jones remarks: “I retain a perfect -recollection of him. He was at that time a large overgrown colt, not -particularly ugly nor exceedingly coarse, but having no special beauty -nor finish. I cannot better describe him than to say he was a coarse -pattern of a fine horse, with marked traits of his lineage.” Mr. Jones -evidently saw him at his worst age and before he fully reached his -maturity. - -Judge Odgen, his owner, was a large landholder in St. Lawrence County, -New York, and in the spring of 1810 he removed from New Jersey to an -island of eight hundred acres in the St. Lawrence river, opposite the -village of Haddington, and took the horse, then four years old, with him. -It is not known that he ever ran a race for money, and it is not probable -he ever did, for it was his owner’s aim and object to improve the stock -of the country as well as his own, in which he was successful. After five -or six years he was taken to Lowville in Lewis County, and made several -seasons there in charge of Charles Bush, and from this fact he came to -be known there, locally, as Bush Messenger. Thus it happened that there -were two sons of imported Messenger in the State of New York at the same -time, and both known as Bush Messenger, and to these we might add a -grandson and a great-grandson in the State of Maine, and at later date -both named “Bush Messenger.” It was at one time supposed that Mr. Ogden’s -horse while at Lowville became the sire of the famous Tippoo of Canada -that became the head of a very valuable tribe of trotters and pacers, -but later developments showed that this was a mistake. (He appears to -have alternated in his services between Lewis and Jefferson counties, -but whether weekly or yearly I cannot state. He was taken to Lowville as -early as 1815 and was there five or six years.) - -The facts about this horse have been developed from much correspondence -with different parties, but more especially from Mr. V. Sheldon, of -Canton, New York, and from Mr. P. F. Daniels, of Prescott, Ontario. Both -men knew the horse personally, and Mr. Daniels was seventy-five years -old when he wrote. He still had a very clear recollection of the horse -in his appearance and style of action. In describing him he says: “He -was peculiarly marked about his hocks and knees, having a series of dark -rings about his limbs, continuing at intervals down to his hoofs, and -many of his sons and daughters were marked the same way.” Having ridden -him many times he says: “He; had a long flinging step and was a fast -trotter. His action was high and not easy to the rider, and he could not -widen behind as some of our modern trotters.” - -When Mr. Daniels was a young man he was engaged in carrying the mail, -and in March, 1821, he believes it was, Judge Ogden gave him an order to -bring the horse home from Lewis County. He led him all the way behind his -mail conveyance and delivered him safely to young Mr. Ogden, who gave -him to an Irish groom named Daley, and Daley remarked he would soon make -him look like another horse. That night he gave him an overfeed of corn -and he died of colic. He was never advertised while at home and he was -not very liberally patronized. The Freemans and the Archibalds, however, -Mr. Daniels says, bred to him largely. His stock were good and many of -them excellent, especially those descended through his sons Blossom and -Freeman’s Messenger. - -MAMBRINO (GREY).—This son of Messenger was foaled about 1800, his dam -was by Pulaski, grandam by Wilkes; great-grandam by True Briton. He was -bred by Benjamin C. Ridgeway, near Mount Holly, New Jersey. In 1807 he -stood at Flemington under the name of Fox Hunter. He was purchased by -Richard Isaac Cooper, who resold him to William Atkinson for about one -thousand two hundred dollars. He was a flea-bitten grey, mane and tail -white, handsome and stylish, about sixteen hands high, head medium size, -and a good, well-formed horse at every point, except his feet, which were -big and flat. He was probably never harnessed and was a very popular -stallion in Salem and adjoining counties for many years. Mr. Atkinson was -a very prominent and influential member of the Society of Friends, and -“Billy” Atkinson was always a welcome guest as he traveled through Salem, -Gloucester, and Burlington counties with his horse, and his genial good -humor made him as popular as his horse. He always claimed great speed -for his horse; but owing to his position in the society he never could -gratify his friends by showing it. When his offspring came into service -they were not only performers of great merit on the road and the course, -but they had bone and substance that fitted them for every kind of labor -required of them. All the Quakers had Mambrinos and nothing else, after -“Billy” Atkinson and his horse had been among them a few years. Some of -his descendants attained to great local fame as trotters and some did -well as runners. He was a very valuable horse and left a wonderfully -numerous and valuable offspring. - -BLACK MESSENGER.—Among all the progeny of Messenger, this is the only one -that I can now recall that was black. He was bred by William Haselton, -of Burlington County, New Jersey, and out of a mare highly prized in the -Haselton family, but her blood cannot now be traced. He was foaled in -1801 and on the death of Mr. Haselton in 1804 he was sold to Charles or -Richard Wilkins of Evesham, ten miles from Camden, New Jersey, who owned -him till he died at an advanced age. As the birth of this horse is fixed -by documentary evidence at 1801 it suggests that Messenger was kept in -Burlington County, New Jersey, the unplaced season of 1800. Still as he -was at Lawrenceville in the fall season of 1800 it is possible the mare -was sent to him there. He was full sixteen hands high and possessed great -muscular development and strength of bone. He was not handsome, but his -figure and style were very commanding. In his day he was regarded as one -of the best natural trotters ever in Burlington or Gloucester counties. -This was not the claim of his owner merely, but the unprejudiced opinion -of all the horsemen who knew him. His stock were very highly prized as -horses suited to all purposes and especially for fast road work. Some of -them were greatly distinguished locally as fast trotters, and among them -was Nettle, the dam of the famous Dutchman, that was the greatest trotter -of his day. - -WHYNOT MESSENGER, Pizzant’s Messenger, Austin’s Messenger, and Cousin’s -Messenger were all sons of Messenger and got by him while he was in West -Jersey, but as nothing has been developed concerning their maternal -breeding nor the character of their progeny, I will pass them over with -this bare record that such horses existed. - -SARATOGA.—This son of Messenger was a flea-bitten grey and was foaled -about 1805. It is believed he was bred on Long Island, but nothing -is known of the blood of his dam. He was driven in harness and did -service in several counties in Pennsylvania, and was sold at auction in -Philadelphia to James Dubois of Salem, New Jersey. He was a great, strong -horse, and was kept at work on the farm of his owner, covering mares only -as opportunity offered. He was a slashing trotter, but it was only when -his owner was away from home and got an extra drink or two that anybody -ever had an opportunity to see how fast he could go. A number of his -progeny were fast trotters; among them a mare called Charlotte Gray that -was the fastest of her day in all that region. Among his sons, one called -Dove was greatly distinguished in the stud. - -NESTOR AND DELIGHT.—These were sons of Messenger, the former bred in -Orange County, New York, in 1802, and was at Warwick in that county, 1807 -in charge of Nehemiah Finn. The latter was bred in Westchester County -in 1806, and made the season of 1827 at Warwick, New York, in charge of -John G. Blauvelt, and is probably the horse that was more widely known as -Blauvelt’s Messenger. The breeding of the dams of both these horses is -very uncertain. - -MOUNT HOLLY was a grey horse, fifteen and a half hands high. He was -foaled about 1807 and was bred by Colonel Udell, of Long Island. His dam -was by Bajazet, and his grandam was by Bashaw. Not much is known of him -till he was well advanced in years and was taken to Dutchess County. -Daniel T. Cock knew him well on the island, and he assured me he was a -trotter in the true sense of the word. The late Mr. Daniel B. Haight, a -horseman of excellent judgment and knowledge, knew him very well, and he -describes him as of the true Messenger grey, and a smooth, well-finished -horse all over. His offspring were smooth, handsome, and remarkably -tough, and from their kindly tempers they were easily managed and made -horses fit for any service. The most noted of his get were the famous -trotters Paul Pry and Mr. Tredwell’s grey mare that went to England. -His cross appears in the pedigrees of many trotters and is very highly -prized to this day. In the latter part of his life he was owned by Jacob -Husted, of Washington Hollow, New York, and made several seasons there. -His sight failed entirely as he grew old, and he died about 1835. With -two such performers from his own loins as Paul Pry and the Tredwell mare, -it cannot be doubted that he inherited and transmitted the true Messenger -“trotting instinct,” and that without any assistance from the blood of -his dam. - -PLATO was a large brown horse, fully sixteen hands high, and was a full -brother to Bishop’s Hambletonian, being by Messenger, out of Pheasant. -He was bred by General Coles, of Long Island, and was foaled 1802. As -he matured the general judgment was that his limbs were too light for -his body, and this is the only instance that I can recall where the get -of Messenger failed at this vital point. He was trained and ran a few -races, and from a trial with Miller’s Damsel General Coles said he was -the best horse that ever ran against that famous mare. In a race against -his half-brother, Sir Solomon, he won the first heat of four miles and -broke down in the second, which finished him as a race horse. He was a -larger and a handsomer horse than his full brother Hambletonian, but at -no other point was he so good. When they stood in the same stable he was -advertised at a lower price. He was a number of years in the stud on Long -Island, New Jersey, and the river counties of New York, and after 1816 at -Pine Plains there is no further trace of him. In his physical structure -and doubtless, in his mental structure also, he took after his dam, and -the only link now recalled coupling him with the trotter is the fact that -he was the sire of the dam of Lewis’ Engineer, that was the sire of the -great Lady Suffolk. - -DOVER MESSENGER was a grey horse, and was got by imported Messenger, but -the blood of his dam and the year he was foaled are unknown. He was kept -several seasons at South Dover, Dutchess County, New York, and left a -very valuable progeny strongly endowed with the instinct to trot. He was -taken to the town of Russia, in Herkimer County, where he died. There -was a younger horse bearing practically the same name, a son of Mambrino -Paymaster, with which this horse has often been confounded. - -CORIANDER.—This son of Messenger was a bay horse, about fifteen and a -half hands high; was foaled in Queens County, New York, about 1796, and -his dam was by Allen’s Brown Figure; grandam by Rainbow; great-grandam by -Dauphin. He seems to have been kept on Long Island as long as he lived. -His progeny was much like their sire, and Mr. D. W. Jones describes them -as “clean, wiry, and brilliant. In their make-up there seemed nothing -wasted and nothing wanted.” He ran some races, as did many of his get. -He was bred upon one of the early daughters of Hambletonian, and she -produced the great trotter “Old Topgallant,” the sensation of his period -and one of the most famous of the very early trotters. One of the most -remarkable facts in the history of this remarkable old gelding is that he -ran some races before he was trained to trot. - -FAGDOWN.—This son of Messenger was bred on the Jersey side of the -Delaware, not far from Philadelphia, and was foaled, I think, in 1803. -His dam was represented to be by Diomed, and if this be correct it must -have been Tate’s imported Diomed that was imported into New Jersey -and kept there a number of years. This was a bay horse and must not -be confounded with the chestnut horse of the same name imported into -Virginia. Fagdown became vicious and dangerous, and from this trait in -his character he was generally called the “Man Eater.” He was kept in the -region of Philadelphia and south of there for many years, and left a very -numerous and very valuable progeny. They were noted for their superior -qualities as road horses, and some of them were very fast, for their -day. For a number of years no family of horses were so popular about -Philadelphia as the Fagdowns. He had a son called Cropped Fagdown that -was fast, and another son called Jersey Fagdown that trotted some races -against the great Andrew Jackson. Another son, named after his sire, was -bred in Northeastern Maryland, and was taken to Eastern Ohio in 1829, -and he was kept in Columbiana, Mahoning, and Jefferson counties for at -least ten years. He was never in a race nor never trained, but his Quaker -patrons all insisted that when led by the side of another horse he could -trot as fast as a pretty good horse could run. This grandson of Messenger -was the sire of the grandam of Wapsie, the well-known trotter and sire of -Iowa. - -BRIGHT PHŒBUS was foaled 1804, the same year as Hambletonian. He was out -of the imported Pot-8-os mare, and his breeder, General Coles, of Long -Island, sold him to Bond and Hughes, of Philadelphia. His most noted -achievement was at Washington, D. C., in 1808, when in a sweepstakes he -more than distanced the great Sir Archy, by catching him when he had the -distemper. His racing career was respectable, but not brilliant, and when -that ended it is not known what became of him. - -SLASHER, SHAFTSBURY, HOTSPUR.—There was quite a famous brood mare -owned somewhere in Jersey called Jenny Duter, or Jenny Oiter, as some -authorities have it. She was got by True Briton; dam Quaker Lass by -imported Juniper; grandam Molly Pacolet, by imported Pacolet, etc., -tracing on six or eight more crosses that are all fudge. This mare was -bred to Messenger about 1801, and produced Shaftsbury; her daughter by -Liberty was bred to him about the same time and produced Slasher, and -about the same time her granddaughter by Slender was also bred to him and -produced Hotspur. These three sons of Messenger do not seem to have ever -been trained, and very little of their history can be traced, except that -they were kept as stallions in different parts of New Jersey. It is not -known that their blood has had any influence upon the American trotting -horse. - -MESSENGER (HUTCHINSON’S).—This was a large grey horse, foaled in 1792, -and bred by Mathias Hutchinson, of Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. His -dam was by Hunt’s Grey Figure, son of imported Figure. He was kept in -Monmouth County, New Jersey, 1797, and it is probable that he was often -represented as imported Messenger himself. I have no knowledge of this -horse or his progeny beyond the mere facts here given. - -MESSENGER (COOPER’S).—This son of imported Messenger was generally -known as “Cooper’s Grey” and sometimes as Ringgold. He was sixteen -hands high and was foaled about 1803. He was bred in Montgomery County, -Pennsylvania, and was kept about Philadelphia, on both sides of the -Delaware, till 1821, when he was sold by the administrators of Jacob -Kirk, and it has been said he was taken to the Wabash by Amos Cooper. He -ran some races when he was young, and was a horse of a good deal of local -fame. He was liberally patronized in the stud and left valuable progeny. -It has been suggested that probably he was the sire of Amazonia, the dam -of Abdallah; but as there is nothing to support this suggestion except -the mere matter of location, and as all that has ever been claimed for -her paternity is that she was by “a son of Messenger,” we must not forget -that there were plenty of other sons of Messenger in the same locality -that might have been her sire. - -The name “Messenger” was more sadly abused in its duplication in the -closing of the last and the early decades of the present century than -that of any other horse, or perhaps of all other horses of that period -put together. Multitudes of his sons were called “Messenger,” and, in -the next generation, multitudes of his grandsons gloried in the same -cognomen, and thus generation after generation perpetuated it, in -widening circles, till “confusion became worse confounded,” leaving the -historian in helpless and hopeless ignorance as to what was true and -what was false. When grey horses in the second, third, or fourth remove -from the imported horse became old, it required but little “diplomacy” -to satisfy the public that they were true sons of the original, and this -became the custom. - -[Illustration: ALIX. - -By Patronage, record 2:03¾, the fastest to this date.] - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -MESSENGER’S DESCENDANTS. - - History of Abdallah—Characteristics of his dam, - Amazonia—Speculations as to her blood—Description of - Abdallah—Almack, progenitor of the Champion line—Mambrino - Paymaster, sire of Mambrino Chief—History and pedigree—Mambrino - Messenger—Harris’ Hambletonian—Judson’s Hambletonian—Andrus’ - Hambletonian, sire of the famous Princess, Happy Medium’s dam. - - -ABDALLAH.—This grandson of Messenger has been popularly and justly -designated as the “king of trotting sires of his generation.” He was bred -by John Tredwell, of Queens County, Long Island, and was foaled 1823. -His sire was Mambrino, son of Messenger, and his dam was Amazonia, one -of the most distinguished trotters of her day. Concerning the breeding -and origin of Amazonia there has been great diversity of opinion among -horsemen and a great amount of controversy among writers. It is not my -purpose to enter into a discussion of the questions raised on this point, -but I would hardly be doing justice to history to pass it over unnoticed. -I will, therefore, try to give a brief synopsis of the history and the -arguments urged, and refer the reader to the first and second volumes of -_Wallace’s Monthly_ for a more extended consideration of the questions -raised. - -The first representation of her pedigree was that she was a daughter of -imported Messenger, and the next was that she was by a son of Messenger. -On the first claim, that she was by Messenger, no argument was possible, -one way or the other, on account of dates; but against the second claim, -that she was by a son of Messenger, the arguments were numerous and -vehement. All these arguments were based wholly upon her coarse external -conformation and the absence of all resemblance to the Messenger family. -Among the supporters of this view were many of the most intelligent and -trustworthy horsemen of the whole country. Indeed, the preponderance of -intelligence as well as numbers seemed to be on that side. That she had -“coarse, ragged hips,” that she had a “rat tail,” that she “had hair -enough on her legs to stuff a mattress,” that she was “a muddy sorrel,” -etc., were all urged to prove that she was not by a son of Messenger. It -is true that many entered into this controversy who never saw the mare -and who knew nothing about her appearance, but there were others who knew -her perfectly, among them my venerable friend David W. Jones, to whom -we are all indebted for so many treasures from his storehouse of very -valuable memories. - -On the other side there were some little scraps of history, that at -the vital point may have been history or may have been fiction. In the -certificate of sale of Abdallah, April 27, 1830, to Mr. Isaac Snediker, -his breeder, Mr. John Tredwell, says: “And believe him to be the very -_best bred_ trotting stallion in this country, and be it enough to know -that his sire was Mambrino and his dam Amazonia.” It has been argued -that it would be very inconsistent for a man of Mr. Tredwell’s standing -to certify that Abdallah “was the very best bred trotting stallion in -this country,” if he knew nothing of the blood of his dam, drawing the -inference that he must have known and believed the representations -of his nephew, B. T. Kissam, from whom he got Amazonia. The story of -the original purchase of Amazonia by B. T. Kissam and given to me by -his brother, Timothy T. Kissam, in 1870, is as follows: Amazonia was -purchased by B. T. Kissam, a dry goods merchant of New York, when on an -excursion of pleasure in the vicinity of Philadelphia about 1814. She was -brought out of a team and was then four years old past, his attention -having been called to her as an animal of much promise. He used her for -his own driving a short time and sold her to his uncle, John Tredwell. -“Amazonia was represented to my brother to have been a get of imported -Messenger.” - -Now, in considering whether this scrap of history is probably true, the -geographical question has been urged with telling effect. Messenger had -been kept a number of years on both sides of the Delaware, right on the -way to Philadelphia, his fee had been above that of any other stallion, -and a large percentage of his colts had been kept entire. In no part of -the country, perhaps, were there so many sons of Messenger seeking public -patronage. The geography and the chronology of the question, therefore, -both sustain the probability of its truthfulness. Whether Mr. Kissam -crossed the river at Trenton, or Burlington, or Camden he was right in -the hotbed of the sons of Messenger. “If Amazonia” it has been asked, -“was as coarse and forbidding as represented in her appearance, what -induced Mr. Kissam to buy her?” He wanted a carriage horse and he wanted -one that could not only show good action, but one that had a right of -inheritance to good action. He knew the Messengers and knew that beauty -and style were not family traits in that tribe. Many of them were coarse, -and possibly as coarse as Amazonia. Her very coarseness and lack of style -is, under the circumstances, a strong argument that in choosing her Mr. -Kissam had regard for her Messenger blood. - -Another argument, resting on “the internal evidences,” has been urged -with considerable force and it is very hard to answer it. Amazonia was a -mare of tested and known speed. She was in a number of races to saddle -and had won several of them in less than three minutes along about -1816-18, and when Major William Jones, in 1820, accepted the challenge to -produce a horse that could trot a mile in three minutes for one thousand -dollars, he knew very well what he was doing, for he had seen Amazonia -do it a number of times. Her best time was about 2:54, which in that day -was considered phenomenally fast. If we were to meet a running horse out -on the plains that could run away from all others, we would naturally -and justly conclude that he had some of the blood of the race horse in -his veins. If we have a pacer and we learn he came from a section of the -country where a certain tribe of pacers abounded, we would naturally -conclude that he belonged to that tribe, especially if we knew there -were no other pacers in that section. If we have a trotter that can go -away from all other trotters, and we know that this trotter came from -a section abounding in a family of trotters, and in nothing else that -can trot, we naturally and justly conclude that this trotter came from -some member of that family of trotters. This argument from the “internal -evidences” seems almost axiomatic, and when taken in connection with the -historical argument, unsatisfactory though it be, they together lay the -foundation for a very strong probability that Amazonia was by a son of -Messenger. - -Abdallah was in color a beautiful bay, about fifteen and a half hands -high, and there was a measure of coarseness about him that he could not -well escape, as both his sire and dam were endowed with that undesirable -quality. The one exception to this was in the character of his coat, -which was very fine and glossy when in healthy condition. His reputation -as a great trotting sire was very widely extended during his lifetime, -but his lack of symmetry and his “rat tail,” which he inherited from his -dam, so impaired his acceptability with the public that he never was very -largely patronized. Besides this he had an unconquerable will of his own, -which he transmitted to his offspring very generally. This willfulness -was not a desirable quality in a horse for drudgery, and hence most of -his patrons were such as were seeking for gameness and speed. When he -was four years old he was not in the stud, and it is understood that Mr. -Tredwell undertook to break him thoroughly and train him that year. It is -also understood that when put in harness he kicked everything to pieces -within his reach and that all thoughts of training were soon abandoned. -He never was in harness again until, in extreme old age, he was sold for -five dollars to a fish peddler, and the peddler’s wagon was soon reduced -to kindling wood. - -He was kept at different points on Long Island, and one season in New -Jersey, till the fall of 1839, when he, with Commodore, another son of -Mambrino, was sold to Mr. John W. Hunt, of Lexington, Kentucky, where -they made the season of 1840. Commodore was much the more attractive -horse of the two, and did a large business, while Abdallah was almost -wholly neglected, leaving only about half a dozen colts. Meantime -his progeny on the island began to show their speed and their racing -qualities; a company was formed and he was brought back from Kentucky and -made the seasons of 1841 and 1842 at the Union Course, Long Island. He -was at Goshen, New York, 1843, at Freehold, New Jersey, 1844 and 1845, at -Chester, New York, 1846-47-48, at Bull’s Head, New York, 1849, and did -nothing, then at the Union Course and Patchogue, Long Island, and was not -off the island again. After the period of his usefulness was past his -inhuman owners turned him out on a bleak, sandy beach on the Long Island -shore, and there he starved to death in the piercing November winds, -without a shelter or a friend. - -Abdallah was the sire of Hambletonian, 10, the greatest of all trotting -progenitors and greater than all others combined. This fact alone has -made his name imperishable in the annals of the trotting horse. A number -of his other sons were kept for stallions and some of them lived to old -age, but they were all failures in the stud. His daughters, generally, -proved to be most valuable brood mares, producing speed to almost any -and every cross. A pedigree tracing to an “Abdallah mare” has always -enhanced the value of a family. - -ALMACK.—Mr. John Tredwell bred his famous team of driving mares, Amazonia -and Sophonisba, to Mambrino in the spring of 1822, and the next year -they each produced a bay horse colt that he named Abdallah and Almack. -Sophonisba, the dam of Almack, was a superior mare, but she was not fast -enough for her mate. Almack, however, was a good horse and left some -trotters. I have no particular description of him at hand and nothing -can now be given of his history further than that some of his daughters -produced well and that he seems to have been kept all his life on Long -Island. His dam Sophonisba was got by a grandson of imported Baronet, -as represented, but this is so indefinite as to be unsatisfactory and -suspicious. As none of the Baronets could ever trot, even “a little bit,” -it is evident that whatever trotting inheritance Almack possessed came -to him from his sire. Aside from a number of his descendants that were -recognized trotters of merit there was one in particular that established -Almack as a progenitor of a great family of trotters. A son of his bred -by George Raynor, of Huntington, Long Island, in 1842, and known as the -“Raynor Colt,” out of Spirit by Engineer II., sire of Lady Suffolk, was -led behind a sulky at a fair at Huntington, when he was eighteen months -old, and he went so fast and showed such a magnificent way of doing it, -that he was named “Champion” by William T. Porter, editor of the _Spirit -of the Times_. At three years old he was driven a full mile in 3:05 and -this was a “world’s record” for colts of that age at that time. In 1846 -he was purchased by William R. Grinnell for two thousand six hundred -dollars and taken to Cayuga County, where he founded a great tribe of -trotters that is now known everywhere as the “Champion Family.” A fuller -account of this horse will be found at another place in this volume. - -MAMBRINO PAYMASTER (widely known in later years as Blind Paymaster).—This -was a large, strong-boned, dark-bay horse, sixteen hands and an inch -high. When young he was somewhat light and leggy, but with age he spread -out and became a horse of substance. He was bred by Azariah Arnold, of -the town of Washington, in Dutchess County, New York. There is some -uncertainty about the year this horse was foaled, but it was somewhere -between 1822 and 1826. He was got by Mambrino, son of Messenger, and his -dam was represented to be by imported Paymaster. The late Mr. Edwin -Thorne made a statement a few years ago that in an interview with Azariah -Arnold he said that he did not know or remember the horse that was the -sire of the dam. At that time Mr. Arnold was very old, and doubtless his -mental faculties very much impaired, so it would not be remarkable that -he should have forgotten all about it. On the other hand, Nelson Haight, -Daniel B. Haight, Seth P. Hopson, and others of like high character, -maintain that Mr. Arnold, in his younger days, always represented the -mare to be by Paymaster, and the name of the horse itself is very strong -evidence that he did so represent it, and is a standing proclamation to -that effect. There can be no possible doubt that in earlier life Mr. -Arnold constantly represented this mare to be by Paymaster; neither can -there be any reasonable doubt that when his faculties were impaired -with age he told Mr. Thorne that he did not remember her pedigree. Mr. -Arnold’s neighbors all agree that he was a man of unblemished character -and incapable of a willful misrepresentation, when in possession of -his faculties. Again, that this Paymaster cross was not only possible, -but probable, is shown by the fact that imported Paymaster was kept by -Ebenezer Haight, in the year 1807, in the same township with Azariah -Arnold, and the years 1808 and 1809 in the same part of the county. -Therefore, Mr. Thorne to the contrary notwithstanding, I have but little -doubt that the Paymaster cross is correct. - -He had a small star in his forehead and a little white on one hind foot. -His back, loin and hips were altogether superior, and those who knew him -best say they never saw his equal at these points. His head was large and -bony, with an ear after the Mambrino model. His neck was of medium length -and his shoulder good. His hind legs were quite crooked and too much -cut in below the hock in front, giving the legs at that point a narrow -and weak appearance; his hocks were large and at the curb place showed -a fullness. His cannon bones, all round, were short for a horse of his -size, and his feet were excellent. He was slow in maturing, but when he -filled out he lost all that narrow, weedy appearance which characterized -his colthood. He was not beautiful, but powerful. - -About 1828 he was sold and taken to Binghamton, New York. Meantime his -colts came forward and proved to be so valuable that Nelson and Daniel -B. Haight and Gilbert Jones purchased and brought him back to Dutchess -County about the year 1840. He was not a sure foal-getter, but his -stock proved to be of great value. When brought back from Broome County -he was blind. He made one season on Long Island in charge of George -Tappan; the other seasons till 1847 he was kept in Dutchess County in the -neighborhood of his owners. In 1847 he was sold to Mr. Gilbert Holmes and -taken to Vermont, where he died after getting one colt. Many of his sons -were kept as stallions, but the most famous of his get were the mares -Iola and Lady Moore, and last but not least, his famous son Mambrino -Chief, the founder of a great family of trotters in Kentucky. His stock -were probably more noted and more highly prized than that of any of the -sons of Mambrino that stood in Dutchess County. As Abdallah was the -link by which the greatest of all trotting families are connected with -Messenger, so Mambrino Paymaster is the link through which the family -easily entitled to second place reaches the same illustrious original. - -MAMBRINO JR. (BONE SWINGER) was a beautiful bay horse, foaled 182-, got -by Mambrino, son of Messenger; dam not traced. He was bred on Long Island -and was owned by George Tappan, near Jericho, Long Island. About 1833-4 -he made some seasons at Washington Hollow, Dutchess County. He was about -fifteen hands three inches high and was considered more blood-like and -handsome than most of his family. He was a strong breeder, giving most of -his colts his own elegant color. - -MAMBRINO MESSENGER (commonly known as the Burton Horse) was foaled -about 1821. He was got by Mambrino, son of Messenger; dam by Coffin’s -Messenger, son of Messenger; grandam by Black and All Black; -great-grandam by Feather. He was bred by Abram Burton, of Washington -Hollow, New York. He was a beautiful bay, about fifteen hands three -inches high, and was the same age as Mambrino Paymaster, and they were -rivals for a number of years, each having his friends and adherents. He -was finer in the bone, having more finish and beauty than his rival, and -what was still more effective with the public, he could out-trot him. -Many of his offspring proved to be most excellent roadsters and some of -them were fast. He was probably taken to Western New York, but I have -not found any trace of his location or history. This name, Mambrino -Messenger, was borne by several other horses of different degrees of -affinity to the originals. - -HAMBLETONIAN (HARRIS’) (also known as Bristol Grey and Remington -Horse).—This was a grey horse, about sixteen hands high, and possessed -great strength and substance. When young he was an iron grey and probably -pretty dark, but as he advanced in age he became lighter in color. His -head was large and bony, with great width between the eyes. He was short -in the back, with long hips, and the rise of the withers commenced far -back, showing a fine, oblique shoulder. He was a horse of unusually large -bone formation; his limbs were large, but flat and clean, with a heavy -growth of hair at the fetlocks. He was of docile and kindly disposition -and worked well either alone or with another. His gait was open and -decided and at a walk his long slinging steps carried him over the ground -unusually fast. His speed as a trotter was never developed, but his -action at that gait was so free, open and square that those who knew him -well have insisted that his manner of going indicated the possibility of -great improvement, if he had been handled with that view. His offspring -were slow in maturing, and for many years, indeed till toward the end -of his life, he was not appreciated as a stallion. He was in constant -competition with the little, plump, trim and trappy Morgans, and at three -and four years old his long, lathy, plain colts cut but a sorry figure -against the well formed and fully developed Morgans of their own age. -With such a rivalry, sustained by the question of profit to the breeder -by early sales, it is not remarkable that he should have been neglected, -till it was clearly demonstrated that he transmitted the true Messenger -trotting instinct in greater strength than any of his competitors. - -He was bred by Isaac Munson, of Wallingford, Vermont; foaled 1823, got -by Bishop’s Hambletonian, son of Messenger; dam the Munson mare that was -brought from Boston, 1813. There never has been any question about the -sire of this horse, but up to 1869 the representation made by Mr. Harris -that his dam was an imported English mare was generally accepted as the -truth. I was led to doubt this, and in December of that year I made a -thorough search of the records of the custom-house in Boston, and found -the claim was without any foundation whatever. Through the kindness of -Mr. Henry D. Noble I was enabled to get beyond Mr. Harris, who really -knew nothing about the mare, back to the Munson family, and to Mr. Joseph -Tucker, the earliest and best authority living in 1870. In order that -this evidence may be preserved I will here insert Mr. Tucker’s letter -entire. - - “MILFORD, N. H., May 4th, 1870. - - “MR. J. H. WALLACE, Muscatine, Iowa. - - “DEAR SIR: Yours of 22d of April is duly received and contents - noted. I was 24 years old when first acquainted with the dam - of the ‘Harris Horse,’ so called, in the fall of 1813. Was - then carrying on a farm, now owned by Wm. Randall, Esq., in - this town, for Mr. Israel Munson, a commission merchant then - doing business on India Street, and afterward on Central - Wharf, Boston. I was in Boston in the fall of 1813, as above, - and found the dam (of Hambletonian) and mate in Mr. Munson’s - possession. He said they had been ‘leaders’ in a stage team, - and they acted as if green about holding back, etc. He never - said she was imported from England, neither did I hear such - a story till two or three years ago. The dam was called ‘a - Messenger.’ All the description I can give of her is that she - was a strong, well-built, light dapple grey, and would weigh - ten hundred, certain. The span was well matched. The nigh one - (the dam) was more serviceable than the other. Led them all the - way from Boston behind an ox team; kept them till the middle of - April and then returned the pair to Boston. Mr. Munson drove - them up, only stopping to dinner, when on his way to Vermont - in August, 1814, and I didn’t see them again until December. I - then drove them from Boston to Vermont, and used them a year on - the Munson farm, on Otter Creek, in Wallingford. In June, 1815, - I took them to Phœnix Horse (bay, black mane and tail, good - looking and smart) in Clarendon Flats. Both stood and had foals - the spring after I left Mr. Munson’s employ. The off mare was - occasionally a little lame, I think in the off fore foot, when - hard drove, but the nigh one was perfectly free from lameness - or limping. I left Mr. Munson in the spring of 1816, and know - nothing of mares afterward. - - “Yours truly, - - JOSEPH TUCKER, - - “(By Geo. W. Fox).” - -I have given this letter entire, with the exception of a few closing -sentences, that the public may be able to judge of its authenticity. -That these mares were leaders in a stage team when Mr. Munson bought -them is confirmed by members of the Munson family, and that the nigh -mare was represented to be a Messenger at the time of the purchase I -have not the least doubt. But whether she was really a Messenger is -quite another question. All I can say is, it was possible in the nature -of things; and the employment and qualities of the mare, together with -the representations of Mr. Munson, appear to make it probable. During -the mare’s lifetime I find she was spoken of in the Munson family and -about Wallingford as “the imported Messenger mare” and in this phrase, no -doubt, was the origin of the story that she was herself imported. When -this phrase, through her son, reached the next outer circle, “imported -Messenger mare” no longer meant a mare by imported Messenger, but an -imported mare by Messenger. - -At the point where Mr. Tucker’s knowledge of this mare ceases, -fortunately Mr. Isaac B. Munson, of Wallingford, takes up the history and -carries it forward, with great particularity, to the time of her death -about 1826. She produced several foals by different horses, and while -they were all valuable animals, the only one that is known to history is -the subject of this sketch. When Hambletonian of Vermont was two years -old Mr. Munson sold him to Samuel Edgerton and others, of Wallingford, -and they kept him in the stud till about 1828, when they sold him to Mr. -Eddy, of Bristol, Vermont, and in the hands of the Eddy family he was -kept at Bristol, New Haven, and other points in and about Addison County -till about 1835, when he was kept one or two years again in Wallingford -and adjacent towns. About 1837 he was sold to Joshua Remington, of -Huntington, Vermont, and was taken there. He stood in various parts -of Chittenden County, and became well known as the “Remington Horse.” -Unfortunately there is no guide to dates in these transfers and it is -not known just how long Mr. Remington owned him. He next passed into the -hands of Mr. Russell Harris, New Haven, Connecticut, and remained his -till he died late in the year 1847. - -The location of this horse was unfavorable either to a large or to a -numerous progeny of trotters. He was surrounded with Morgan blood, trappy -and stylish and fast growing in popularity on the supposition that they -were trotters—a most valuable tribe as family horses, but none of them -were able to trot fast without the introduction of trotting blood from -the outside. He lived in a period antedating the real development of the -trotter and the keeping of records of performances, and hence we must -not judge of his merits as a trotting sire by comparing the list of his -performers with lists of later generations. Green Mountain Maid was one -of the best of her day and made a record of 2:28½ in 1853, and the same -year the famous pacing gelding Hero made a record of 2:20½. Probably -the best trotter from his loins was Sontag, with a wagon record in 1855 -of 2:31. This mare was originally a pacer, and whether his dam was by -imported Messenger or not we must conclude that the tendency to the -lateral action was strong in his progeny. Lady Shannon, Trouble, Vermont, -Modesty, and True John were all famous performers in their day. The last -named was kept in the stud a few years and was known as the Hanchett -Horse. He fell into the hands of Sim D. Hoagland, of this vicinity, -became ugly and was made a gelding. As a weight puller he had no equal -in his day. His daughters became the dams of many noted producers and -performers, and through the doubling of his blood and its predominating -influence we have the famous General Knox and his tribe. But few of his -sons were kept as stallions; among them the best known is Hambletonian, -814, known as the Parris Horse and the sire of the stout campaigner, -Joker, 2:22½. Vermont Hambletonian (known as the Noble or Harrington -Horse) was one of his best and best-bred sons. He died in 1865, leaving a -valuable progeny. - -HAMBLETONIAN (JUDSON’S) was a brown horse and resembled his sire -very much in both size and form. He was foaled 1821, got by Bishop’s -Hambletonian, son of Messenger; dam by Wells’ Magnum Bonum. This Magnum -Bonum family abounded in that region, and it was a very good one, -whatever the blood may have been. This horse was bred by Judge Underhill, -of Dorset, Vermont, and sold, 1829, to Dr. Nathan Judson, of Pawlet, -Vermont. He was kept in that region till he died about 1841. His progeny -were very numerous and valuable. - -HAMBLETONIAN (ANDRUS’) was a brown horse nearly sixteen hands high. -He was a well formed and evenly balanced horse, all over, with an -objectionable lack of bone just below the fore-knee. His head and ear -were strongly after the Messenger model. I have never been able to -determine just who bred him, and consequently his blood on the side -of the dam is not fully established. He was foaled about 1840, got by -Judson’s Hambletonian, and out of a mare which Mr. B. B. Sherman says -was by old Magnum Bonum. He seems to have known this mare well and -speaks of her as a very superior animal. This would indicate inbreeding -to the Magnum Bonums, and as they were a light-limbed family we may -account for this horse’s defects in that respect. He was owned a number -of years by Mr. Andrus, of Pawlet, and passed into the hands of G. A. -Austin, of Orwell, Vermont. In 1853-4 Mr. Austin sent him to Illinois, -along with Drury’s Ethan Allen, Black Hawk Prophet, Morgan Tiger and -some other stallions, in charge of Mr. Wetherbee, for sale. In 1854 -they were removed to Muscatine, Iowa, and several of them sold there, -among them the Andrus Horse. He was then stiff in his limbs, showing the -effects of previous neglect and abuse. He died at Muscatine in 1857. -His progeny there were defective in bone. I am told several of his -daughters in Vermont have left good stock there and thus perpetuated -his name in the second and third generations. But his chief title to -fame has been secured to him by his renowned daughter Princess, the dam -of the great Happy Medium. In 1851 Mr. L. B. Adams, who then owned her, -bred the Isaiah Wilcox mare, by Burdick’s Engineer, son of Engineer by -Messenger, to Andrus’ Hambletonian, and, in a nutshell, the union of this -great-grandson of Messenger with this great-granddaughter of Messenger -produced Princess. This pedigree of Princess is incontrovertibly -established and will be given in fuller detail in the history of her son, -Happy Medium. - -[Illustration: HAMBLETONIAN (RYSDYK’S). - -The greatest of all trotting progenitors and the most intensely inbred to -Messenger.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -HAMBLETONIAN AND HIS FAMILY. - - The greatest progenitor in Horse History—Mr. Kellogg’s - description, and comments thereon—An analysis of Hambletonian, - structurally considered—His carriage and action—As a - three-year-old trotter—Details of his stud service—Statistics - of the Hambletonian family—History and ancestry of his dam, the - Charles Kent Mare—Her grandson, Green’s Bashaw and his dam. - - -HAMBLETONIAN, 10.—It has been a matter of constant regret that in -the compilation of the first volume of the Register I attached the -name “Rysdyk’s” to this horse, and this misstep has served as a kind -of apparent justification for very many men to seize upon the name -“Hambletonian,” with their own name as a prefix. This has led to great -confusion and annoyance to all that body of men who have anything to do -with records and correct pedigrees. Fortunately, however, the evil has -become so apparent that many writers are beginning to use the numbers, -and we now very frequently hear men speak of “Hambletonian, 10,” as the -true designation of this horse. - -As no horse of any blood or period in this or any other country has -excited an interest so universal, or represented such a vast sum of money -in his offspring and descendants, I must try to give an account of him -and his family—ancestors and descendants—as full and accurate as the -materials at hand will enable me. He was a beautiful bay color, bred by -Jonas Seely, of Sugar Loaf, Orange County, New York, foaled 1849, got by -Abdallah; dam the Kent Mare, by imported Bellfounder; grandam One Eye, -by Hambletonian, son of Messenger; great-grandam Silvertail, by imported -Messenger; great-great-grandam Black Jin, breeding unknown. He was sold -with his dam, when a suckling, to Mr. William M. Rysdyk, of Chester, in -the same county, and he remained his till he died in March, 1876. He has -been described by a great many writers, but the most minute and accurate -description I have ever seen is from the pen of “Hark Comstock” (Peter C. -Kellogg), which I will here present, and after it note any point upon -which my own judgment differs from his. It should be remembered that this -description was made when the horse was breaking down with the weight of -years: - - Hambletonian, now twenty-six years old, is a rich deep mahogany - bay, with black legs, the black extending very high up on the - arms and stifles. His mane was originally black, and in his - younger days very ornamental; rather light, like that of the - blood-horse, and of medium length, never reaching below the - lower line of the neck, but uniform throughout. His foretop - was always light. At the present time not a vestige of either - remains, they having gradually disappeared until crest and - crown are bald. His tail is long and full. When we first knew - him it was very full, but is also thinning with his advancing - years. The hair of both was black as a raven’s wing, and - entirely devoid of wave or curl. His marks are a very small - star and two white ankles behind, but the coronets being dotted - with black spots, the hoofs are mainly dark. Muzzle dark. Head - large and bony, with profile inclining to the Roman order; jowl - deep; jaws not as wide apart as in some of his descendants, yet - not deficient. Eye very large and prominent, and countenance - generally animated and expressive of good temper. We found - him to measure 10½ inches across the face. Ear large, well - set, and lively. Neck rather short and a little heavy at the - throatlatch, but thin and clean at the crest. His shoulders are - very oblique, deep and strong; withers low and broad; sway very - short, and coupling smooth. The great fillets of muscle running - back along the spine give extraordinary width and strength to - the loin, which threatens to lose the closely-set hip in the - wealth of its embrace. But it is back of here that we find - lodged the immense and powerful machinery that, imparted to - his sons and daughters, has ever placed them in the foremost - ranks of trotters. His hip is long and croup high, with great - length from hip-point to hock. Thighs and stifles swelling with - the sinewy muscle, which extends well down into his large, - clean, bony hocks, hung near the ground. Below these the leg is - broad, flat, and clean, with the tendons well detached from the - bone, and drops at a considerable angle with the upper part of - the limb, giving the well-bent rather than the straight hock. - Pasterns long, but strong and elastic, and let into hoofs that - are perfection. In front his limbs in strength and muscular - development comport with the rear formation. His chest is broad - and prominent; his forelegs stand wide apart (perhaps in part - the result of much covering), and he is deep through the heart; - yet notwithstanding this, and the fact of his roundness of - barrel, there is no appearance of heaviness or hampered action. - - Taken at a glance, the impressive features of the horse are - his immense substance, without a particle of coarseness or - grossness. No horse we can recall has so great a volume of - bone, with the same apparent firmness of texture and true - blood-like quality. Though short-backed, he is very long - underneath. Indeed, he is a horse of greater than apparent - length. We found his measurement from breast to breeching, in - a straight line, greater by four inches than his height at the - withers—a very unusual excess. We also found him two inches - higher over the rump than at the withers, and the whole rear, - or propelling portion of the machinery, would upon measurement - seem to have been molded for an animal two sizes larger - than the one to which it is attached; yet so beautifully - is its connection effected with the whole that there is no - disproportion apparent, either in the symmetry or the action - of the horse. As an evidence of the immense reach which this - admirable rear construction enables him to obtain, it is often - noticed by visitors that in his favorite attitude, as he stands - in his box, his off hind foot is thrown forward so far under - him as to nearly touch the one in front of it—an attitude which - few horses of his proportionate length could take without an - apparent strain, yet which he assumes at perfect repose. When - led out upon the ground his walk strikes one as being different - from that of any other horse. It cannot be described further - than to say that it shows a true and admirable adjustment of - parts, and a perfect pliability and elasticity of mechanism - that shows out through every movement. Many have noticed and - endeavored to account in different ways for the peculiarity, - some crediting it to the pliable pastern, others to surplus of - knee and hock action, etc., but the fact is, there seems to be - a suppleness of the whole conformation that delights to express - itself in every movement and action of the horse. “In his box,” - said a Kentucky horseman, who recently looked him over, “I - thought him too massive to be active, but the moment he stepped - out I saw that he was all action.” - -There is so much in the foregoing description that is intelligent and -just that I hardly feel like reviewing a single phrase. In judging of -the conformation of a horse and determining whether it is good or bad, -at different points, we must have in our mind some ideal standard, by -which we mentally compare one thing with another. The popular conception -of the perfect horse is the picture of the “Arabian,” painted by artists -who never saw an Arabian horse. The next approach to perfection is the -English race horse, but others may insist that the Clydesdale comes -nearer perfection and that he should be the ideal with which the standard -of comparison should be made. It is unfortunate that Mr. Kellogg should -have described Hambletonian as possessing “immense substance, without a -particle of coarseness, or grossness.” He had a remarkably coarse head -in its size and outline, but this is greatly softened by saying “with a -profile inclining to the Roman order.” The ideal muzzle of the English -race horse is so fine that, figuratively speaking, he can drink out of -a tin cup, but Hambletonian could not get his muzzle into a vessel of -much smaller dimensions than a half-bushel measure. “Ear large, well set -and lively.” This is true as to the size of the ears, but not correct, -in my judgment, as to the setting on. As they habitually lopped backward -when in repose, giving a sour and ill-tempered expression, I could not -concede that they were “well set.” The hocks were good and clean, but -the abrupt angle at that point was certainly a coarse feature. The -round meaty withers and the round meaty buttocks were both “coarse and -gross” when looked at from the point of good breeding. His two great, -meaty ends, connected with a long and perfect barrel, two or three sizes -too small for the ends, showed such a marked disproportion that I often -wondered at it. Not one of these criticisms is made in the sense of a -criticism of Mr. Kellogg’s description, but merely as the expression of -a different view on some points, and on those points not mentioned I -most heartily agree with him. He has omitted to give the height of the -horse for the reason that he had shrunken from his normal height just one -inch. When at his best he measured fifteen hands one inch and a quarter. -This shrinkage, in addition to the ordinary results of great age, is -thus explained by Mr. Guy Miller, who knew him better than any other -man except his owner. “His splendid fore hoofs had been ruined by an -operation whereby the arch was lost and the horse during the remainder of -his days stood on his frogs.” He was two inches higher on the hips than -on the withers. - -When the horse was led out his movements were so frictionless and -faultless that he impressed me as the most wonderful horse that I had -ever seen. He seemed as supple as a cat with the power of an elephant. -As he walked he kept pushing those crooked hind legs away under him in -a manner that gave him a motion peculiarly his own, and suggested the -immense possibilities of his stride when opened out on a trot. Plain and -indeed homely as he was he was a most interesting and instructive study -whether in his box or taking his daily walks. The question has been asked -a thousand times whether the speed of Hambletonian had been developed -and how fast he could go. This question I considered very important, in -a philosophical and breeding sense, and in starting in to investigate -it I found two statements, one that the time made at the Union Course -was honest and true, and the other that it was a “put up job” to make -Mr. Rysdyk feel good, and that the time in fact was much slower than -that announced. Each side had its advocates, and it did not take long -to discover that the enemies of Mr. Rysdyk were all on one side and the -more bitter their enmity the more blatant they were in denying the truth -of the time given out for the performance. This party was headed by -one “J. M.,” long distinguished, and will be long remembered in Orange -County, for the virulence of his dislike to Mr. Rysdyk, and as the most -unreliable of all unreliable horsemen. - -In the autumn of 1852 Mr. Rysdyk and Mr. Seely C. Roe, the owner of Roe’s -Abdallah Chief, then four years old, concluded to exhibit their sons of -Abdallah at the fair of the American Institute, in New York, and after -the fair to take their colts, three and four years old respectively, for -a light training for a few weeks. The programme was carried out, and -after reaching the course they started the two colts together, and much -to Mr. Roe’s surprise Hambletonian beat his colt in 3:03. In a short -time Mr. Roe gave his colt another trial in 2:55½. A few days later Mr. -Rysdyk drove his colt in 2:48. Believing then he had the making of the -best trotter in the world and being thoroughly homesick, he packed up -his traps and started for Orange County, and this was the first and the -last training that Hambletonian ever had. When we consider the age of the -colt and how few of that age had then ever reached that mark, the little -then known by amateurs of the arts of training and driving, and the very -limited preparation, we must conclude that this was a remarkably good -performance. - -Was it honestly made? Mr. Roe has been dead a good many years, but the -next day after he returned from Long Island with Mr. Rysdyk he called at -the house of his brother-in-law, David R. Feagles, a very responsible -man, and in the course of the conversation he asked Mr. Feagles if he -had heard the news? “No,” said Mr. Feagles, “what is it?” “Rysdyk’s colt -trotted the Union Course in 2:48. I held my watch and I know it is true.” -Mr. Roe was always steadfast and immovable in this declaration while he -lived. Mr. W. H. Wood, the breeder of Abdallah Chief, says he told him -the time was 2:48, and he had several times heard it disputed in Mr. -Roe’s presence and he had always settled the dispute by giving the same -fact. Mr. David R. Seely said he could not remember the time made, but he -had heard the matter disputed, and Mr. Roe settled it by saying it was -true, that he saw it and held the watch on him when he did it. These men -were as reliable as any in Orange County and their statement of Mr. Roe’s -assertions cannot be doubted. Considering the circumstances, it will -occur to any mind that Mr. Roe was the very best witness to the truth of -this performance that could be produced. He was not only disinterested, -but in building up the reputation of a rival stallion he was testifying -to his own hurt. - -There are other evidences of Hambletonian’s development and speed, but -nothing so definite as the foregoing. He was driven in double team -sometimes with the great trotter Sir Walter. Mr. Kinner, at one time -owner of Sir Walter and other good ones, a horseman of experience and -knowledge of trotting affairs, assured me that Sir Walter had shown a -trial at Centerville track to wagon in 2:32, and this was before he was -driven double, occasionally, with Hambletonian; and that Hambletonian -could out-foot Sir Walter for the first half-mile, but as the young horse -was green and unseasoned, he could not keep up the clip to the finish. He -did not hesitate to express the belief that the team could have trotted -the mile in considerably less than 2:40. There is one fact in connection -with the trial at Union Course that I have omitted in its proper place. -Mr. Rysdyk was a remarkably careful man and always aimed to be inside of -the truth rather than beyond it. He advertised his horse as having made -the trial in 2:48½, as it is probable some of the watches gave that as -the time, instead of 2:48 flat. - -Like all the Abdallah family, Hambletonian matured early, and at three -years was as well advanced as many colts a year older. His stud services -commenced early. When two years old he was allowed to cover four mares -without fee and he got three colts, one of which was afterward known as -the famous Alexander’s Abdallah. When three years old he was offered -for public patronage at twenty-five dollars to insure, and he covered -seventeen mares and got thirteen colts. The next season, at the same -price, he covered one hundred and one mares and got seventy-eight -colts. The next season (1854), being then five years old, the price was -advanced to thirty-five dollars, and he covered eighty-eight mares, -getting sixty-three foals. The price remained at thirty-five dollars -till 1863, when it was advanced to seventy-five dollars. At which price -he covered one hundred and fifty mares. The next season the price was -advanced to one hundred dollars, and he covered two hundred and seventeen -mares, getting one hundred and forty-eight foals. In 1865 the price -was advanced to three hundred dollars and one hundred and ninety-three -mares were covered. In 1866 the price was put at five hundred dollars -and one hundred and five mares were covered. At this price his services -remained ever afterward—one hundred dollars down and the remainder when -the mare proved in foal. In 1867 he covered seventy-seven mares and got -only forty-one foals. This large percentage of failure indicated beyond -question that his procreative powers had been overtaxed and that there -was a general letting down of his vital energies. In 1868 he was not -allowed to cover any mares. In 1869 he again manifested his usual vigor -and he covered twenty-one mares, getting fourteen foals. In 1870 he -covered twenty-two mares and got thirteen foals. From this time forward -his procreative powers dwindled, and in 1875, I think, he got but two -foals, and died the following March. - -It has been estimated that he got about one thousand three hundred -foals, and for several years it was one of the amusing features of horse -literature to see how many writers were able to demonstrate that as a -progenitor of speed he was a failure. This item of one thousand three -hundred foals was taken as the basis of computation, and then with the -small number of forty trotters out of the one thousand three hundred, -the percentage of trotters was very small. The next step was to find -some unknown horse, generally a pacer, that had only two or three foals -to his credit and one of them had made a record of 2:30, thus showing -a much larger percentage than Hambletonian, and by that much he was a -greater sire than Hambletonian. All this foolishness has now subsided in -the face of the fact that the great mass of the trotters of today have -more or less of his blood in their veins, and in a very short time that -blood will abound in greater or less strength in every American trotter. -The tables which here follows will make this fact evident to all who will -study them. - - [Prefatory to these tables and to the other statistics - concerning the present rank of the trotting families given - in the pages following, an explanatory paragraph is in order - so that they may not be misunderstood. (1) They are based - on the tables given in the Year Book for 1896, and I regret - to say that these tables are so emasculated, incomplete, - unsatisfactory and in many cases contradictory one of the other - that it is literally impossible to compile from them statistics - that may be accepted as absolutely correct and letter perfect. - However, as this work is not intended as one for statistical - reference, the tables being approximately correct serve - my purpose, which is merely to show _relatively_ and with - substantial accuracy the standing of the sires and families - embraced to the close of 1896. (2) By the term “standard - performers” is meant horses that have acquired trotting records - of 2:30 or better, or pacing records of 2:25 or better. The - Year Book no longer gives a 2:30 pacing list, and it should - be noted that pacers with records between 2:30 and 2:25 are - not credited in these tables. (3) The tables are designed to - show (_a_) the number of standard performers got by each sire - named. (_b_) The number of his sons that are sires of standard - performers. (_c_) The number of his daughters that are dams of - standard performers. (_d_) The number of standard performers - produced by these sons and daughters, and finally, in the last - column, the total number of standard performers produced in the - two generations—_i. e._, by the sire himself, and by his sons - and daughters. The dates of foaling and death are important in - considering the opportunities of the families embraced.] - -The first table following gives some idea of the supremacy of the -Hambletonian family over all others. When we seek a rival to Hambletonian -as a trotting progenitor we must do so among his sons; and by turning to -the second table it will be noted that many of these outrank the founders -of any and all the other great trotting families. - -FOUNDERS OF THE GREAT TROTTING FAMILIES. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Total No. Standard performers in two generations. - ------------------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - -----------------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - -----------------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - -----------------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - -----------------------------------------+ | | | | - Year died. | | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - Hambletonian | 1849 | 1876 | 40 | 148 | 80 | 1665 | 1705 - Blue Bull | 1858 | 1880 | 60 | 47 | 77 | 211 | 271 - Mambrino Chief | 1844 | 1862 | 6 | 23 | 17 | 119 | 125 - Ethan Allen | 1849 | 1876 | 6 | 22 | 18 | 118 | 124 - Pilot Jr. | 1858 | 1865 | 8 | 6 | 18 | 72 | 80 - George M. Patchen | 1849 | 1864 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 70 | 74 - Champion (807) | 1853 | 1874 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 53 | 61 - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - -In this table Ethan Allen is given as the representative of his family -in preference to his sire, Black Hawk, the real founder, for the reasons -that he was a far greater horse, and makes a better showing than his -sire, and further because he was a contemporary of Hambletonian. For -exactly the same reasons George M. Patchen is given as the representative -progenitor of the Clay line. - -The next table demonstrates what the Hambletonian family has done in the -second and third generations, and the relative standing of the leading -sub-families of the greatest trotting line. It embraces separately -every sire that has to his own credit and to the credit of his sons and -daughters an aggregate of fifty or more standard performers, twenty-three -in all, while the totals to the credit of all the other sons of -Hambletonian are grouped in the last line: - -FAMILIES OF HAMBLETONIAN’S SONS. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Total No. Standard performers in two generations. - ------------------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - -----------------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - -----------------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - -----------------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - -----------------------------------------+ | | | | - Year died. | | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - George Wilkes | 1856 | 1882 | 83 | 94 | 81 | 1801 | 1884 - Electioneer | 1868 | 1890 | 154 | 65 | 43 | 493 | 647 - Happy Medium | 1863 | 1888 | 92 | 51 | 47 | 272 | 364 - Harold | 1864 | 1893 | 44 | 43 | 45 | 248 | 292 - Dictator | 1863 | 1893 | 52 | 44 | 42 | 234 | 286 - Volunteer | 1854 | 1888 | 34 | 40 | 48 | 221 | 255 - Strathmore | 1866 | 1895 | 71 | 26 | 54 | 158 | 229 - Abdallah (15) | 1852 | 1865 | 5 | 14 | 29 | 199 | 204 - Aberdeen | 1866 | 1892 | 45 | 25 | 19 | 110 | 155 - Egbert | 1875 | —— | 75 | 25 | 18 | 74 | 149 - Messenger Duroc. | 1865 | 189- | 23 | 24 | 41 | 125 | 148 - Edward Everett | 1855 | 1878 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 112 | 125 - Administrator | 1863 | 1892 | 14 | 20 | 44 | 93 | 107 - Jay Gould | 1864 | 1894 | 29 | 14 | 28 | 76 | 105 - Victor Bismarck | 1867 | 189- | 31 | 13 | 13 | 64 | 95 - Cuyler | 1868 | 1894 | 15 | 15 | 36 | 74 | 89 - Masterlode | 1868 | 189- | 28 | 17 | 16 | 57 | 85 - Sweepstakes | 1867 | 189- | 35 | 4 | 20 | 39 | 74 - Sentinel | 1863 | 1873 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 57 | 65 - Middletown | 1860 | 1891 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 49 | 63 - Squire Talmage | 1866 | 1891 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 35 | 58 - Dauntless | 1867 | 189- | 31 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 51 - Echo | 1866 | 189- | 16 | 9 | 15 | 34 | 50 - Other sons (125) | —— | —— | 618 | 229 | 412 | 980 | 1600 - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - -This table shows what each horse himself produced, and how his blood is -breeding on through his sons and daughters; and above all it demonstrates -the stupendous fact that in three generations the Hambletonian family has -produced upward of seven thousand standard performers, and all facts and -all experience now beyond cavil justify what I ventured to declare in -_Wallace’s Monthly_ many years ago: “The Hambletonian line stands above -all other lines and must survive because it is the fittest.” - -THE CHARLES KENT MARE, dam of Hambletonian, was a bay, fifteen and -three-quarter hands high, with a star, left forward ankle roan, and -left hind foot white. Her son was long and round, just the opposite of -her sire. Hips rather coarse, and might be considered a little ragged. -Stifles very powerful and well-developed. Her hocks and legs were exactly -represented in her son Hambletonian. Her neck was fine and bloodlike, but -not long. Her head was good, and her eyes remarkably full and bright, -showing considerable white. Her mane was long, but thin, and her tail -was light. Her shoulders were well-sloped, her withers ran up high, and -were thin. Jonas Seely, Sr., having given the old mare One Eye to his son -Charles, she was sold to Josiah S. Jackson, of Oxford, Orange County. -Mr. Jackson bred her to Bellfounder and the produce was the Kent mare. -Although the Seely family owned the stock, originally and afterward, Mr. -Jackson was really the breeder of this mare. Mr. Jonas Seely says she was -got the year Bellfounder stood at Poughkeepsie (1831), but Mr. Rysdyk -says she was got in 1832, when Bellfounder stood at Washingtonville. Mr. -Jackson sold her at three years old to Peter Seely for three hundred -dollars; Mr. Seely sold her soon after to Mr. Pray, of New York, for four -hundred dollars; Mr. Pray sold her to William Chivis for five hundred -dollars; and Mr. Chivis sold her to a gentleman, who was a banker in New -York—name not remembered—to match another as a fast road team. This team -ran away after a time, and she was injured, and became lame. Charles -Kent, a butcher in New York, then bought her and bred her to Webber’s Tom -Thumb, before he came to Orange County. At this juncture, on the earnest -recommendation of Mr. Pray, who had tested the quality of three or four -of the family, Mr. Jonas Seely—Jonas, second—bought the mare of Kent for -one hundred and thirty-five dollars, and took her back to the old place, -where she was bred and produced as follows: - - 1843. Brown filly Belle, by Webber’s Tom Thumb. - 1845. Black gelding, by Webber’s Tom Thumb. - 1846. Chestnut filly (died at 4 years old), by Abdallah. - 1848. Brown filly (died at 4 years old), by Abdallah. - 1849. Bay colt Hambletonian, by Abdallah (mare and colt sold to - William M. Rysdyk, for $125). - 1850. Brown filly (went to Maryland), by Young Patriot. - 1851. Lost foal, by L. I. Black Hawk. - 1852. Brown colt Tippoo Saib, by Brook’s Black Hawk. - 1853. Chestnut colt (died young), by Fiddler. - 1856. Brown gelding, by Plato. - 1859. Bay colt, by Almack, son of Hambletonian. - -In the preceding list there are but two fillies that lived to produce -anything, and one of them is lost from sight. The produce of the first -will be given below. The Patriot filly that went to Maryland was a brown, -and of good size, but nothing further is known of her. - -The Tom Thumb gelding of 1845 was in 1869 a good road horse, and was -owned by George S. Conklin. He was showy and stylish without very much -speed. Her fifth foal, Hambletonian, is known wherever the trotting horse -is known. - -This mare was a trotter of no ordinary merit. She was never in any races, -so far as known, except they might have been of a private nature, but -after she passed into the hands of Peter Seely her speed was pretty well -developed. This is not only shown by the advance in her price from owner -to owner, but it appears to be a well-established fact that when four -years old Peter Seely had her at the Union Course, and he there gave -her two trials to saddle, the first in 2:43 and the second in 2:41. For -a time I was skeptical about these trials, but they seem to be beyond -question. This is considerably faster than any other of the get of -imported Bellfounder ever trotted in this country, and from this we may -conclude that her inheritance from her dam was the great factor in her -speed. - -ONE EYE, the dam of the Kent mare, was a brown, about fifteen hands and -an inch high, with two white feet and perhaps a little white in her -face. With the taste Mr. Seely had of the Messenger blood in Silvertail -he wanted more of it; and when Townsend Cock sent the famous Bishop’s -Hambletonian to Goshen in 1814, Mr. Seely bred his daughter of Messenger -to this son of Messenger and the produce was One Eye. I do not learn -that this mare was handsome, but she was an animal of most remarkable -courage and endurance. The load was never too heavy nor the road too -long. Withal, she had a will of her own and was a little hard to manage -unless she was worked constantly. One day when on her mettle she got an -eye knocked out by accident, and, hence, her name; but the great quality -of this mare was her remarkable trotting action. Those familiar with her -gait, and entirely competent to judge, are enthusiastic in the opinion -that no trotter of the present day ever surpassed, her in a grand open -trotting step. If the patience and skill brought into use in developing -the modern trotter had been expended on her, she doubtless would have -surpassed all of her day, not even excepting her near relation, old -Topgallant. This mare illustrates a point of very great importance. She -was got by a son of Messenger that was a running horse of merit and -able to beat some of the best of his day, and her dam was a daughter of -Messenger. The trotting action of neither sire nor dam had ever been -developed, but when these two Messengers came together, the clean, open, -unmistakable trotting gait was the result. Right at this point and in -this mare, One Eye, we have the incipient cause of all Hambletonian’s -greatness. This mare was bred by Jonas Seely, Sr.; given to his son -Charles, who sold her to his brother-in-law, Josiah Jackson, of Oxford in -Orange County. According the recollection of Mr. Rysdyk, who was entirely -familiar with the Seely family and their affairs, she produced as follows: - - 1829. Bay gelding Crabstick, by Seagull. - 1830. Bay gelding Pray Colt, by Seagull. - 1831. Bay filly Young One Eye, by Edmund Seely’s horse Orphan Boy. - 1833. Bay filly Kent Mare, by imp. Bellfounder. Sold to Mr. Pray. - 1834. Bay filly; sold also to Mr. Pray, by imp. Bellfounder. - Perhaps there was another foal that died. - -The first of her foals, Crabstick, appears to have been well-named. -His temper was anything but smooth and pleasant. He was sold early -to Mr. Ebenezer Pray, of New York, and he soon evinced two traits of -character that did not elevate him in the estimation of his owner. He -would throw every one off that dared to mount him, and when they did get -him under motion he was determined to pace and not trot. On a certain -occasion Mr. Rysdyk visited Mr. Pray, and he was urged to try his skill -in riding Crabstick and see if he could make him trot. The attempt was -long-continued, and embraced up hill, down hill, and level work, but -all to no purpose, as pace he would. At last Mr. Pray proposed to put -him over rails and stakes, placed on the road at intervals of a good -trotting stride, and see if that would make him quit moving one side -at a time. Mr. Rysdyk went up the road and got under good headway, but -just before he reached the rails the horse threw him. He was not much -hurt, mounted again, and then commenced in earnest the fight for the -mastery between the horse and his rider. The value of a neck was nothing -when compared with the great question of who should conquer. The next -attempt was successful, and he went over the rails flying. The intervals -between them were then extended, and he was kept at that most dangerous -exercise till he would trot without rails, and until both horse and rider -were completely exhausted. The horse was conquered, and although always -willful and hard to manage, ever after, when called on to trot, he would -do it. Mr. Pray sold him to Mr. Vanderbilt, and, although kept as a -private driving horse, he was fast for his day, and could go in less than -three minutes at any time. - -Her next foal was sold also to Mr. Pray when five years old, and was -known as the Pray Colt. He was marked just as his brother Crabstick, and, -like him, was somewhat vicious and hard to manage. - -The third foal, Young One Eye, was by Edmund Seely’s horse Orphan Boy, -whose pedigree is not now known. One of her eyes was knocked out by Peter -Seely, accidentally, when breaking her, just as her dam had lost an -eye. She passed out of the hands of the Seely family and her subsequent -history is unknown. If this mare ever produced anything, her history and -that of her descendants would be of great interest and value. - -The question at once suggests itself, Where did Crabstick get his pacing -action? It could not have been from his sire, as he was a son of Duroc, -so said, but it may have come from Seagull’s dam, as we know nothing -of her breeding; or it may have come from old Black Jin, the dam of -Silvertail. If from neither of these we must then conclude it came -from Messenger himself, or rather, through him from some of his pacing -ancestors. It is altogether probable that the strong infusion of pacing -blood in Messenger’s veins was the real element that made him a trotting -progenitor when every other imported English horse failed in that respect. - -Silvertail, the great-grandam of Hambletonian, was a dark brown mare -with white hind feet and a white face. She had a great many white hairs -in her tail and hence she was called Silvertail. She was foaled in 1802 -and was bred by Mr. Jonas Seely, Sr., of Sugar Loaf, Orange County, New -York. She was got by imported Messenger in 1801, the year he stood at -Goshen, New York. Her dam was a great, slashing black mare called “Jin” -that Mr. Seely had used in his business many years, but her origin and -breeding cannot now be found. She must have been a real good one or Mr. -Seely would not have taken her to Messenger. In the summer of 1806, as -was his custom, he was down at New York with a drove of cattle, and his -son Jonas, then a lad of eight or ten years old, went along to help -drive the cattle and to see the city. He was detained two or three days -longer than he expected and it was very important that he should reach -home at a certain time. On the morning of that day he found himself in -Hoboken, with his son, and no means of getting home except on Silvertail. -So he took the boy up behind him and went home that day, seventy-five -miles, by sundown. She was fully sixteen hands high and of very fine -style. Her head, neck and ear were bloodlike, and her resolution and will -were remarkable even in old age. Her step, at the trot, is not known to -have been much developed, but she could gallop all day long. On several -occasions she carried her master to Albany in a day. Besides the famous -One Eye she produced several superior foals that brought high prices, in -those days, but we have only the one line tracing to her as a producer. -She died the property of Ebenezer Seely. - -In searching for the particulars of this pedigree of Hambletonian and -in tracing it back to old “Black Jin,” I was necessarily brought into -contact with a great many people, some of whom were helpful and some were -not. As a matter of course I met with the usual number who professed to -“know it all,” but really knew nothing that was reliable. As the whole -tracing was in the Seely family, the public may wish to know what kind -of people they were. Jonas Seely, first, of Oxford in Orange County, was -a large farmer in the last century and an extensive cattle feeder and -drover. As there were no railroads or steam boats in those days, much -of his time was given to driving cattle, either in collecting them from -the interior or in taking them to market in New York. He had use for -good horses and he had a fancy for the best. His business brought him -into contact with the butchers of New York, and we find he sold many of -his horses as well as his cattle to them. These same business relations -were continued under his successor. He left a large family of sons who -seemed to take to the horse as a duck takes to water. Jonas, second, was -one of his younger sons and succeeded to his father’s business as well -as to the homestead. He was born 1797 at Oxford, and his father removed -to the farm at Sugar Loaf when he was a child. He was a thrifty and -successful farmer. For a number of years he was engaged with his partner -and lifelong friend, Ebenezer Pray, in buying and driving cattle from -the West to the New York market. In June, 1882, he passed away and there -ended an acquaintance and a friendship of nearly thirty years. He was a -strictly conscientious and truthful man, and died in the glorious hope of -a devoted Christian. His first visit to New York, in 1806, the wonders -he saw there, and especially the total eclipse that occurred while he -was there, and how he watched it from the Bull’s Head tavern, through a -piece of smoked glass, and the ride home the next day behind his father -on Silvertail, and how he ran down many a hill to rest himself, and how -tired he was when they reached home, are incidents that were all detailed -to me with the interest and vigor of yesterday. - -When One Eye was about fifteen years old the elder Jonas gave her or -sold her to his son-in-law, Josiah Jackson, and in due time he bred her -to imported Bellfounder and she produced the Charles Kent mare. Mr. -Rysdyk thought the elder Jonas gave this mare to his son Charles and -that Charles sold her to Mr. Jackson, which is not material. After the -Kent mare had been battered about in New York for some years and finally -crippled, Charles Kent, a butcher, bought her and bred her to Webber’s -Tom Thumb, a Canadian horse that was quite a trotter. On one occasion -when Jonas II. and Mr. Pray were down in the city, Kent wanted to sell -the mare, and Mr. Pray urged Jonas very strongly to buy her and take her -home for a brood mare. He concluded to do so if she were not too badly -crippled, and they together went over on to the island to see her, when -she came again into the Seely family. In 1848 he bred her to Abdallah, in -1849 she produced a bay colt, and in the autumn of that year he sold her -with her colt to William M. Rysdyk, who had been employed on his farm for -the year, for one hundred and twenty-five dollars, and this colt proved -to be the great Hambletonian. - -As it is now conceded, not only in this country, but throughout the -world, that Hambletonian, as a trotting progenitor, is far and away the -greatest horse that has ever been produced, a careful and true analysis -of the blood elements entering into his inheritance is a most interesting -and instructive lesson for all breeders. First we have the direct cross -from Messenger himself in Silvertail; second, we have the cross from a -son of Messenger on a daughter of Messenger in One Eye, making her equal -to a daughter of Messenger in blood; third, we have the out-cross from -Bellfounder, that was a total failure as a trotting progenitor, on this -double granddaughter of Messenger, and the result is a trotter in the -Kent mare and practically the only trotter that Bellfounder ever got; -fourth, we have the cross of a grandson and probably a double grandson -of Messenger on this trotter, and the produce is Hambletonian himself. -These crosses show a stronger concentration of Messenger blood than can -be found in any horse of his generation. - -BASHAW (GREEN’S).—This was a black horse, fifteen and a half hands high, -bred by Jonas Seely, the breeder of Hambletonian; foaled 1855, and -given when following his dam to his son-in-law, Colonel F. M. Cummins, -of Muscatine, Iowa. He was got by Vernol’s Black Hawk, then known as -the Drake colt, son of Long Island Black Hawk, and his dam was Belle, -the first foal of the Charles Kent mare, that was out of One Eye. In -the spring of 1857 he was sold to Joseph A. Green, of Muscatine, and he -remained his till 1864. He had one white hind foot and a large, full -star in his forehead. He was a smooth, handsome horse in every respect. -His head, neck, ear and eye were all good, and free from coarseness. -His back and loin had very few equals even among those that are called -most perfect at these points. His hip was of great length, and in -his buttock there was quite a resemblance on a reduced scale to his -kinsman, Hambletonian. His limbs and feet both in shape and quality were -admirable, and his disposition docile and kindly. In walking his gait -was slinging, but loose jointed and slovenly, and he was therefore not a -pleasant driving horse. But at the trot, whether going slow or fast, his -style was very taking and his action remarkably perfect. While owned by -Mr. Green he was handled by good, careful men, but they had no experience -in developing and driving a trotter, and knew nothing about that kind -of horsemanship. Under these circumstances many a horse would have been -spoiled, but his gait was always perfect and his popularity as a trotter -never waned. He never was started in what might be called regular races, -but at State fairs and the principal county fairs he was always in -demand and always won. He was, perhaps, the best natural trotter that -I have ever seen. He was able to show about 2:28, but I think he never -won a heat on a half-mile track in better than 2:31, and when sixteen -years old he was able to win in 2:35. In 1864 Mr. Green sold him to some -parties in St. Louis, Missouri, and they to Mr. Beckwith of Hartford, -Connecticut, and while in his hands he was matched against Young Morrill, -but went amiss and paid forfeit. He made the season of 1865 at Hartford. -The following winter Mr. Green repurchased him and he was returned to -Muscatine, where he remained till January, 1877, when he was sold to -George A. Young, of Leland, Illinois, and died January, 1880. - -He left seventeen trotters in the 2:30 list; twenty-four sons that were -the sires of fifty-nine standard performers, and thirty-four daughters -that produced forty-four standard performers. As his sire never amounted -to anything either as a trotter or a getter of trotters, it is fair to -conclude that whatever merit he possessed was inherited from the same -source that made Hambletonian greater than all others. - -BELLE, the dam of Bashaw, 50, was a brown mare about fifteen and -three-quarter hands high, with tan muzzle and flanks and some white feet. -She was rather short in the body and neck, but she was very stoutly built -and had been a fine road mare. She was bred by Charles Kent, the butcher, -and I think was following her dam when Mr. Jonas Seely bought her. She -was foaled 1843 and was got by Tom Thumb, a Canadian horse, and a trotter -that was brought into Orange County by William Webber and left excellent -stock. Her dam was the Charles Kent mare, the dam of Hambletonian. She -produced as follows: - - 1848. Bay gelding, by Abdallah. - 1849. Bay filly Seely Abdallah, by Abdallah. - 1851. Black colt Seely’s Black Hawk, by Long Island Black Hawk. - 1853. Bay filly, (taken West) by Hambletonian. - 1855. Black colt Green’s Bashaw, by Vernol’s Black Hawk. - 1857. Bay filly by Black Hawk Prophet, son of Vermont Black Hawk, - in Iowa. This filly was ringboned, and given away. - -Nothing is now known of the gelding by Abdallah. The filly of 1849 by -Abdallah, called Seely Abdallah, was owned by Mr. Charles Backman, and he -had her produce for two or three generations. - -The black colt by Long Island Black Hawk of 1851 was sold to Ebenezer -Seely, and kept as a stallion. This Mr. Seely died in Chemung County, -and the horse died there in the spring of 1859. The filly of 1853 by -Hambletonian was one of a pair of Hambletonian fillies bought and taken -to Iowa by Mr. Green in 1855. They developed a very fine rate of speed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -HAMBLETONIAN’S SONS AND GRANDSONS. - - Different opinions as to relative merits of - Hambletonian’s greater sons—George Wilkes, his history - and pedigree—His performing descendants—History and - description of Electioneer—His family—Alexander’s - Abdallah and his two greatest sons, Almont and - Belmont—Dictator—Harold—Happy Medium and his dam—Jay - Gould—Strathmore—Egbert—Aberdeen—Masterlode—Sweepstakes—Governor - Sprague, grandson of Hambletonian. - - -There is hardly a prominent sire by Hambletonian that has not been -claimed by his admirers to have been the “greatest son” of the most -renowned of trotting progenitors, and if a poll of the horsemen of the -country could be taken to-day as to what horse was the greatest son of -Hambletonian, probably a dozen names would be found to have thousands -of supporters each. As with all questions that are largely matters of -opinion, and that cannot be decided absolutely by figures, the relative -rank of horses as progenitors must always remain open to disputation -according as thinkers approach the subject from different points of view -and of interest. I shall not enter into any discussion as to the relative -merits of the great sons of Hambletonian with a purpose to reach any -deduction as to which was or is the greatest; but shall refer the reader -to the table given in the preceding chapter, and content myself with -briefly giving the history of the more renowned sires of the Hambletonian -line, with such statistics as may be necessary to gauge their rank as -progenitors. - -[Illustration: GEORGE WILKES. - -A Great Son of Hambletonian.] - -GEORGE WILKES was one of the first of Hambletonian’s sons to attract -attention, by his performances on the turf, to the value of his sire; -and as a progenitor he must be accorded a place in the first rank of all -trotting sires. This horse was bred by Colonel Harry Felter, Newburgh, -New York, was foaled 1856, and was got by Hambletonian out of the fast -road mare Dolly Spanker. (This mare was afterward registered on what -seemed excellent evidence as by Henry Clay, out of a daughter of Baker’s -Highlander, but more recent investigation has thrown serious doubt upon -this pedigree, the subject being fully discussed in the chapters in -this work on “The Investigation of Pedigrees.”) After the travail that -brought the little brown colt into the world, Dolly Spanker died, and -the orphaned youngster, like Andrew Jackson, owed his life to woman’s -kindly care. He was fed by the women of the farm on Jamaica rum and -milk sweetened with sugar, and soon grew lusty, though he was always an -undersized horse, never much, if any, exceeding fifteen hands in height, -though he was so stoutly and compactly made that he gave the impression -of being larger than he really was. He was of that order that has been -paradoxically described as “a big little horse.” In color he was a very -dark brown, and his flanks and muzzle shaded into a deep tan, or wine -color. From a detailed description of him published in the _Spirit of the -Times_ in 1862, I extract the following: - - “He is about 15.1, but all horse.... His traveling gear is just - what it should be—muscular shoulders long strong arms, flat - legs, splendid quarters, great length from hip to hock, and - very fine back sinews. He stands higher behind than he does - forward, a formation we like.... He is very wide between the - jaws.... His coat is fine and glows like the rich dark tints of - polished rosewood.... His temper is kind. We had the pleasure - of seeing him at his work, and unless we are greatly mistaken - he will make an amazingly good one. He has a long and easy way - of going, striking well out behind and tucking his haunches - well under him.” - -Though from the fact that this writer stated that Wilkes “was as handsome -as Ethan Allen,” we might suspect him of a tendency to “paint the lily,” -it will be noted that this was written before the horse had any great -reputation to speak of, and it may be accepted as a substantially correct -description as far as it goes. In describing his action Charles J. Foster -wrote that “his hind leg when straightened out in action as he went at -his best pace reminded me of that of a duck swimming.” He was then the -property of Z. E. Simmons, who had purchased him as a three-year-old for -$3,000, and another horse. - -George Wilkes, or Robert Fillingham, as he was first named, was a trotter -from colthood. At four years old he was matched against Guy Miller, but -his party paid forfeit, the reason therefor being afterward alleged -that they found Fillingham possessed of so much speed that they decided -to “lay for bigger game.” The late Alden Goldsmith, a most competent -judge, saw the colt trot at this time and then thought he was the fastest -horse he had ever seen. He won a race in August of his five-year-old -year, taking a record of 2:33, and the next year sprang into wide fame -by defeating the then popular idol, Ethan Allen, in straight heats, over -the Union Course, the fastest heat being in 2:24¾. In October of that -year he started in harness against General Butler, under saddle. Though -Butler was no match for George Wilkes in harness, with a saddle on his -back, and Dan Mace in the saddle, he was almost unbeatable in his day, -but it took him four heats to beat Wilkes, who forced him out in the -first heat in 2:21½, a record he never after surpassed. Then William L. -Simmons and John Morrissey matched Wilkes against Butler, two-mile heats -to wagon, the latter having previously beaten the great George M. Patchen -a heat in record-breaking time under similar conditions. In preparation -for that match George Wilkes was sent a trial over the Centerville -Course, concerning which there has been much discussion and probably much -romance. Charles J. Foster wrote thus: - - “It was a close, sultry day and the stallion was short of - work.... He went the two-mile trial and I have no doubt it was - faster than trotter ever had before, or has since, in any rig. - But it ‘cooked his mutton,’ as the saying is, and for a long - time he was George Wilkes no more.” - -It is said that ever after this trial, whatever it may have been, George -Wilkes was inclined to sulk in his races. He raced with fair success -in 1863 and 1864, and at the beginning of 1865 was classed among the -very best out. He was sent against Dexter and Lady Thorn, being beaten -by both; but in 1866 he twice defeated Lady Thorn, the last time in a -notable wagon race over Union Course in 2:27, 2:25, 2:26¾. Afterward -in the same year Lady Thorn defeated Wilkes in four successive races, -and she beat him again in their only meeting the following year, but in -1868 he defeated the mare in a hard-fought race, she winning the first -and second heats and making the fourth heat dead. George Wilkes made -his record of 2:22, October 13, 1868, over the Narragansett Course at -Providence in a winning race with Rhode Island and Draco. He was kept on -the turf with indifferent success until 1872, racing frequently against -Lucy, Lady Thorn, and American Girl, all of whom outclassed him, at least -in the afternoon of his racing career. Just how fast a trotter George -Wilkes was it is impossible definitely to determine, so many and varying -have been the representations on that point. It has been claimed that -he went a quarter in twenty-nine seconds to an eighty-five pound wagon. -William L. Simmons some years ago stated that of his own knowledge George -Wilkes trotted a mile and repeat as a six-year-old at the Centerville -Course in 2:19¼, 2:18½, and that Sam McLaughlin drove him a half-mile to -wagon over Union Course in 1:04½. These statements I give for what may -be deemed their worth, contenting myself with the remark that it is safe -to conclude that George Wilkes would have trotted well within the 2:20 -mark, if he had been managed with a view to bringing out his highest -racing capacity, instead of being handled solely for the purpose of smart -betting and match-making manipulations. - -George Wilkes was taken to Lexington, Kentucky, by William L. Simmons, -his owner, in 1873, and in his declining years made a reputation so great -in the stud that his brilliant turf career is almost forgotten. After -having trotted against the best in the country for twelve successive -years, proving his fitness in the fiery ordeal of turf contest, he, in -the nine remaining years of his life, fulfilled the purpose of his being, -and demonstrated the truth of heredity by getting trotters in plenty able -to do and outdo what he had in his day done. - -George Wilkes got a few foals before going to Kentucky, of which the most -notable was May Bird, 2:21, the first trotter to bring him reputation -as a sire. Of the others got in the North, Young Wilkes, 2:28¼, a sire -of some reputation, and Wilkes Spirit, who also figures in the table of -sires, are the only ones to earn places in the records. Early in the -eighties George Wilkes began to assume high rank as a sire, May Bird, -Kentucky Wilkes, Prospect Maid, So So, Joe Bunker and others bringing -him into prominence. Every year added to his roll of honor and soon -he was among the leaders. Blue Bull had surpassed Hambletonian in the -number of trotters to his credit in the 2:30 list, but at the close of -1886 George Wilkes was even with the Indiana sire, in 1887 he passed -him, and for some seasons led all sires of 2:30 performers. George -Wilkes got seventy-two trotters and eleven pacers to acquire standard -records, of which the most noted were Harry Wilkes, 2:13½, Guy Wilkes, -2:15¼, and Wilson, 2:16¼; and ninety-four of his sons and eighty-one of -his daughters have produced, as shown in the table of Hambletonian’s -sons, 1801 standard performers. The following table embraces the sons -of George Wilkes that have twenty or more standard performers to their -credit: - -LEADING SONS OF GEORGE WILKES. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - Total No. produced in two generations. - -----------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - ----------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - ----------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - ----------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - Red Wilkes, 2:40 | 1874 | 127 | 62 | 41 | 267 | 394 - Onward, 2:25¼ | 1875 | 120 | 64 | 32 | 275 | 395 - Alcantara, 2:23 | 1876 | 98 | 29 | 15 | 115 | 213 - Bourbon Wilkes | 1875 | 67 | 14 | 12 | 45 | 112 - Simmons, 2:28 | 1879 | 64 | 13 | 6 | 35 | 99 - Wilton, 2:19¼ | 1880 | 61 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 69 - Jay Bird, 2:31¾ | 1878 | 57 | 10 | 10 | 68 | 125 - Alcyone, 2:27 | 1877 | 55 | 27 | 9 | 117 | 172 - Guy Wilkes, 2:15¼ | 1879 | 52 | 10 | 5 | 49 | 101 - Ambassador, 2:21¼ | 1875 | 48 | 8 | 3 | 33 | 81 - Gambetta Wilkes, 2:26 | 1881 | 48 | 11 | 6 | 32 | 80 - Baron Wilkes, 2:18 | 1882 | 47 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 65 - Adrian Wilkes | 1878 | 38 | 6 | 7 | 25 | 63 - Wilkes Boy, 2:24½ | 1880 | 37 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 45 - Young Jim | 1874 | 37 | 11 | 19 | 43 | 80 - Brown Wilkes, 2:21¾ | 1876 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 39 | 71 - Young Wilkes, 2:28¼ | 1868 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 41 - Favorite Wilkes, 2:24½ | 1877 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 44 - Woodford Wilkes | 1882 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 35 - Wilkie Collins | 1876 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 31 - Lumps, 2:21 | 1875 | 20 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 36 - The King, 2:29¼ | 1874 | 20 | —— | —— | —— | 20 - Jersey Wilkes | 1881 | 20 | —— | 2 | 2 | 22 - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - -Among the other seventy-one producing sons of George Wilkes: that do -not come within the scope of this table are many most promising sires -of rapidly growing prominence, and indeed this family is branching out -wonderfully in every direction. This family is an emphatically improving -one. In extreme speed, in racing capacity, and in form the third Wilkes -generation is better than either the second or first. Of trotters, such -as Beuzetta, 2:06¾, Ralph Wilkes, 2:06¾, Hulda, 2:08½, Allerton, 2:09¼, -the once sensational Axtell, 2:12, and many others of the first rank -by sons of George Wilkes sustain this judgment. The pacing instinct is -rampant in the Wilkes blood, as is attested by the fact that twenty-five -per cent. of the performing get of George Wilkes’ sons are pacers, -and frequently pacers of extreme speed, including such as Joe Patchen, -2:03, and Rubenstein, 2:05, while John R. Gentry, 2:00½, Online, 2:04, -and Frank Agan, 2:03, are by grandsons of Wilkes. Like his sire, George -Wilkes got many sons greater than himself—and after all that is the true -test of greatness in a progenitor. - -[Illustration: ELECTIONEER. - -A Great Son of Hambletonian.] - -ELECTIONEER has for some years led, far and away, all sires of trotters -in the numbers of performers to his credit in both the 2:20 list and -2:30 list, and is generally conceded to have had no equal as a producer -of early speed—that is, of colts and fillies that trotted fast at tender -ages. In many respects this was the most remarkable horse of any age, -for besides being phenomenally prolific in transmitting speed at the -trot, and in getting early trotters, he possessed in a higher degree than -any sire that has yet lived the ability to control running blood in the -dam, and to impress his own instinct and action upon his progeny out of -any and all kinds of mares. In speaking on his pet hobby of producing -trotters from thoroughbred running mares, Governor Stanford once said -to me: “None of my stallions but Electioneer can do it;” and of all the -hundreds of stallions that have been mated with thoroughbred mares in -the hope of getting a trotter of extreme speed, Electioneer alone was -able to do it. Palo Alto, 2:08¼, is so far faster than any other trotting -horse out of a thoroughbred dam—the one solitary instance on record of a -half-bred trotter of extreme speed—that he is significant in one way, and -one only, and that is as an evidence of the phenomenal prepotency of the -blood of his sire in controlling instinct and action. - -Electioneer was a dark bay horse, foaled May 2, 1868, bred by Charles -Backman, at his Stonyford Stud, Orange County, New York. He was got by -Hambletonian, out of Green Mountain Maid, by Harry Clay, 2:29, grandam -the fast trotting mare Shanghai Mary, pedigree not established, but in -all probability a daughter of Iron’s Cadmus, the sire of the famous -old pacer and brood mare Pocahontas, 2:17½. (In Chapter XXIX., on the -investigation of pedigrees, the history of Shanghai Mary is fully given.) -Green Mountain Maid, the dam of Electioneer, has been called by Mr. -Backman, and with justice, “the great mother of trotters.” In all she -bore sixteen foals, fourteen of which were by the not remarkable horse -Messenger Duroc. Electioneer was her second foal and the only one by -Hambletonian. Of the other fifteen, nine have records of 2:30 and better, -another has a record of 2:31, another, Paul, was a very fast road -horse, and two died young. Of her four sons kept entire, Electioneer, -Mansfield, Antonio, and Lancelot, all are sires of trotters, and her -daughters already figure as producers. The figures would seem to point to -the daughter of Shanghai Mary and Harry Clay, 2:29, as perhaps the most -wonderful of all great trotting brood mares. She was a brown mare, barely -fifteen hands high, with a star and white hind ankles, and was finely -formed, with an exceptionally beautifully outlined and expressive head. -She had very superior trotting action, the trot being her fastest natural -gait. A writer who made a very close study of her history said, on this -point, in _Wallace’s Monthly_: - - “Her education was limited to a single lesson when three - years old; but previously she had been regularly developed on - somewhat the same plan since adopted for early training at - Palo Alto, and was probably one of the fastest trotters out of - harness that ever lived.” - -As a matter of fact Green Mountain Maid, while in no sense vicious, -was so highly strung, wild and uncontrollable, that her training was -abandoned with the “one lesson” referred to, and she never wore harness -again. - -Green Mountain Maid was a money producer as well as a speed producer. Mr. -Backman paid four hundred and fifty dollars for her when she was carrying -her first foal, and the writer above quoted states that up to that date -(1889) Mr. Backman had received sixty-eight thousand eight hundred -and thirty dollars for such of her progeny as he had then sold. This -remarkable mare died June 6, 1888, and a fitting monument marks her grave -by the banks of the Walkill. - -At maturity Electioneer was of that shade of bay that many might call -brown, and stood precisely fifteen and one-half hands at the wither -and an inch higher measured at the quarter. Many of his get, notably -Sunol, are pronouncedly higher behind than at the wither. In general -conformation, Electioneer was a stout and muscular horse, standing on -fairly short legs. His head was well proportioned, of fair size, and -a model of intelligent beauty. The forehead was broad and brainy, the -eyes large and softly expressive, and the profile regular, with just -the faintest suggestion of concavity beneath the line of the eyes. -Electioneer’s neck was a trifle too short for elegance of proportion, -but not gross. His shoulder was good, the barrel round, of good depth -and proportionate in length and well ribbed, and the coupling simply -faultless. The quarters were marvelous, and Mr. Marvin did not overstate -the case when he said they were the best he had ever seen on any -stallion. They were the very incarnation of driving power, and recalled -Herbert Kittredge’s portrait of Hambletonian, except that there was -nothing gross or meaty about the buttocks of Electioneer. They were the -perfection of muscular endowment and development. The arms and gaskins, -like the quarters, were full with muscle laid on muscle, and the legs and -feet were naturally excellent. In the last years of his life he went over -on his knees a bit, but that was not strange considering his age, and the -fact that he had seen considerable track work. Indeed as long as he was -at all vigorous he was daily exercised on the track, and in view of his -great success in the stud, this fact has a special significance. - -As a three-year-old Electioneer was worked some on the Stonyford farm -track to wagon, and Mr. Backman, whose word is good enough authority for -all who know him, stated that he showed a quarter to wagon in thirty-nine -seconds in that year. Little else is known of his history at Stonyford. -He was bred to a few, very few mares, and was evidently not greatly -esteemed by Mr. Backman. In the autumn of 1876, ex-Governor Stanford, who -was just establishing his great breeding farm, Palo Alto, in the Santa -Clara Valley, California, visited Stonyford to purchase stock—principally -brood mares. The governor was a great believer in what I may call -horse-physiognomy, or to be more exact, he believed in the importance of -the right psychical organization, what we commonly call brain force, in -horses, and was attracted by the physical evidences thereof as indicated -in the head. Electioneer pleased him in this regard, and in his general -make-up, and when the governor’s purchase was completed Electioneer went -along, being put in at twelve thousand five hundred dollars. He with the -other Stonyford purchases arrived at Palo Alto Christmas Eve, 1876. - -Though Electioneer never took a record, he was emphatically a developed -horse. I do not know whether he was ever driven a full mile or not—Mr. -Marvin never drove him one—but it has been stated that one of the other -trainers drove him a mile in time somewhere between 2:20 and 2:25. -However they may be, Mr. Marvin in his book settles the question as to -his having been a fast, trained trotter. He says: - - “Electioneer is the most natural trotter I have ever seen. - He has free, abundant action; it is a perfect rolling action - both in front and behind, and he has not the usual fault of - the Hambletonians of going too wide behind. Certain writers - have said that Electioneer could not trot, and have cited him - as a stallion that was not a trotter yet got trotters.... I - have driven, beside Electioneer, a quarter in thirty-five - seconds.... He did this, too, hitched to a one hundred and - twenty-five-pound wagon, with a two hundred and twenty-pound - man, and not a professional driver, either, in the seat. In - this rig he could carry Occident right up to his clip, and - could always keep right with him; and it was no trick for - the famous St. Clair gelding to go a quarter in thirty-four - seconds. Without preparation you could take Electioneer out any - day and drive him an eighth of a mile at a 2:20 gait. He always - had his speed with him.... That Electioneer could have beaten - 2:20 if given a regular preparation is with me a conviction - about which no doubt exists.” - -Mr. Marvin is a conservative and reliable man; he knew whereof he wrote, -and his testimony must be accepted as conclusive both as to Electioneer’s -having been a naturally fast trotter, and as to his having had his speed -developed. Undeveloped horses do not trot quarters in thirty-five seconds. - -When in 1880 Fred Crocker, one of the seven foals got by Electioneer in -his first year’s service in California, astonished the world by trotting -to a two-year-old record of 2:25¾, his sire became instantly famous, and -that fame has increased rapidly and steadily from that day to this. It -was not allowed for a moment to wane or lag. After Fred Crocker came an -ever-surprising procession of young record breakers. In 1881 Hinda Rose -made a yearling record of 2:36½, and Wildflower a two-year-old record -of 2:21. In 1883 Hinda Rose lowered the three-year-old record to 2:19½, -and Bonita the four-year-old record to 2:18¾. In 1886 Manzanita lowered -the four-year-old record to 2:16; in 1887 Norlaine, granddaughter of -Electioneer, lowered the yearling record to 2:31½; and in 1888 Sunol -put the two-year-old record at 2:18, and the year following took a -three-year-old record of 2:10½, the fastest to that date. Sunol captured -the four-year-old record in 1889, and the world’s record, 2:08¼, in 1891, -but what made this the brightest year in all the history of Palo Alto was -that Arion lowered the two-year-old record to 2:10¾—the most remarkable -of all trotting performances—Bell Bird the yearling record to 2:26¼, -and Palo Alto the stallion record to 2:08¾. Electioneer has now to his -credit one hundred and fifty-four standard performers, and in this and in -the 2:20 list he has a long lead over all other sires. He died at Palo -Alto, December 3, 1890, and I am informed that his skeleton has been -articulated and mounted for the museum of the Stanford University. The -following table gives the sons of Electioneer that up to the close of -1896 had ten or more standard performers to their credit: - -LEADING SONS OF ELECTIONEER. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - Total No. produced in two generations. - -----------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - ----------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - ----------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - ----------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - Saint Bell, 2:24½ | 1882 | 47 | 1 | —— | 1 | 48 - Sphinx, 2:20½ | 1883 | 43 | —— | —— | —— | 43 - Chimes, 2:30¾ | 1884 | 32 | 3 | —— | 3 | 35 - Anteeo, 2:16¼ | 1879 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 40 - Norval, 2:14¾ | 1882 | 24 | 1 | —— | 1 | 25 - Egotist, 2:22½ | 1885 | 18 | 1 | —— | 1 | 19 - Anteros | 1882 | 16 | —— | 2 | 2 | 18 - Elector (2170), 2:31 | 1879 | 16 | —— | —— | —— | 16 - Albert W., 2:20 | 1878 | 15 | 1 | —— | 1 | 16 - Eros, 2:29¼ | 1879 | 14 | 3 | —— | 4 | 18 - Antevolo, 2:19½ | 1881 | 13 | —— | 1 | 11 | 14 - *Bell Boy, 2:19¼ | 1885 | 11 | 1 | —— | 1 | 12 - Fallis, 2:23 | 1878 | 10 | 1 | —— | 3 | 13 - Palo Alto, 2:08¾ | 1882 | 10 | —— | —— | —— | 10 - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - - * Died at 5 years old. - -In considering this table it is necessary to remember that the -Electioneer family dates from 1878, and that no family of anything -approaching so late a date makes a showing that will bear comparison with -this. In considering the rank of families this question of age is always -vital. Electioneer’s first crop of foals at Palo Alto—1878—numbered -seven, and of these two are represented above, while another was the -famous gelding Fred Crocker. The next numbered but twenty-one, and of -these Eros, Elector, and Anteeo are in the table, and ten are in the -2:20 list. His third and fourth crops (1880 and 1881) numbered sixteen -and twenty-three respectively, and the forty of 1882 was the greatest -number he ever got in one year. I am informed that in all Electioneer -got less than four hundred foals at Palo Alto; and that, since the first -one saw light in 1878 this family should in eighteen years make the -showing it has with nearly fifty per cent. of its members in the 2:30 -list, and four hundred and ninety-three of the second generation also -there, is certainly remarkable. Electioneer has to his credit in the -2:15 list the following trotters: Arion, 2:07¾, Sunol, 2:08¼, Palo Alto, -2:08¾, Helena, 2:12½, Belleflower, 2:12¾, Utility, 2:13, Quality, 2:13¼, -Conductor, 2:14¼, and Norval, 2:14¾, an “extreme speed list” greater -than to the credit of any other sire, while among the get of his sons -are such trotters as Azote, 2:04¾, Fantasy, 2:06, Little Albert, 2:10, -Lynne Bel, 2:10½, Copeland, 2:11½, Athanio, 2:11¾, Cobwebs, 2:12, etc., -etc. Sixty-five of his sons have sired four hundred and thirty-seven -performers, and forty-three of his daughters have produced fifty-six -performers. With all these facts kept in view the study of the above -table will prove interesting and instructive in forming an estimate of -the merit of Electioneer as a trotting progenitor. - -[Illustration: ABDALLAH (ALEXANDER’S). - -A Great Son of Hambletonian.] - -ALEXANDER’S ABDALLAH was the founder of one of the very greatest of the -Hambletonian sub-families, and he stands in the records as a progenitor -of the first rank. This was a stout bay horse, about fifteen and one-half -hands high. Excepting a right white ankle he was a rich solid bay. The -only reliable portrait in existence of this horse was a drawing by -Herbert Kittredge, made from a photograph taken of Abdallah after he went -to Kentucky. The picture of Abdallah published in this work is a faithful -reproduction of the Kittredge portrait published in _Wallace’s Monthly_ -for March, 1881, and in the absence of any reliable detailed description -of the horse this portrait must be taken as the best reflection we now -have of his individuality. He was bred by Lewis J. Sutton, of Warwick, -Orange County, New York, and was foaled 1852. Mr. Sutton had in 1851 -a good road mare that he had got at Carl Young’s roadhouse in Third -Avenue, New York. This mare, Katy Darling, had been quite a trotter, -and had, it was said, won a match race on Union Course. Her reputation -as a trotter and her fine form caused Mr. Sutton to buy her when, as he -describes it, “she was standing on three legs,” in the hope of getting a -foal from her. He took her home in March, 1851, and in August bred her -to Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, then a two-year-old colt, and September 22, -1852, she produced the subject of this sketch. Two years later Mr. Sutton -sold Katy Darling to James W. Benedict, of Warwick, from whom she was -purchased by Hezekiah Hoyt, who took her to Muscatine, Iowa, where she -produced a chestnut colt that was gelded, by Hector, son of La Tourrett’s -Bellfounder. This gelding was her only foal other than Alexander’s -Abdallah, and Katy Darling died at Muscatine, the property of a Mr. -Stewart. A search was long kept up for the pedigree of this mare, and for -the full details of what is known of her history the reader is referred -to the different volumes of _Wallace’s Monthly_. The conclusion from all -the evidence found is that she was probably by a son of Andrew Jackson. - -As a foal by his dam’s side Alexander’s Abdallah attracted much favorable -attention by his fine trotting action, and his persistency in cavorting -around at that gait. Among those who took great delight in watching the -little fellow trot was Mr. Hezekiah Hoyt, and when the youngster was -seventeen months old Mr. Hoyt, acting for, or in partnership with, Major -Edsall, bought the colt for five hundred dollars, a fine price at that -time. Major Edsall kept him until he was seven years old, and I am under -the impression that he won some local races during that time, when he -was known as Edsall’s Hambletonian. He was accorded a fairly liberal -patronage in Orange County, and his progeny showed so well that Major -Edsall sold him for three thousand dollars in 1859 to Joel F. Love and -James Miller, of Cynthiana, Kentucky. The Hambletonian family was just -then becoming popular, and the price paid indicates that this horse was -already regarded by good judges as one of Hambletonian’s best sons. -That he was regarded, moreover, as quite a trotter is indicated by the -fact that at the close of his second season in Kentucky—1860—Mr. Miller -matched him against Albion, a competing stallion, for two hundred and -fifty dollars a side. The affair caused quite a sensation at the time, -the Cynthiana horsemen going in crowds to Lexington to back Abdallah. -The latter was driven by “Jim” Monroe, and Albion by Warren Peabody, -and Abdallah won in the hollowest fashion, distancing Albion in 2:46. -As youngsters Abdallah’s first progeny in Kentucky showed very well, -and in the spring of 1863 he was purchased by R. A. Alexander, and made -the seasons of 1863 and 1864 at Woodburn. On the evening of February 2, -1865, Marion’s band of Confederate guerrillas raided Woodburn and took -away a number of horses, among them Alexander’s Abdallah and the then -famous young trotter, Bay Chief, by Mambrino Chief. Marion mounted Bay -Chief and, crossing the Kentucky River, the band encamped on the farm of -a Mr. Bush, in a rough, hilly region, twelve miles from Woodburn. Here -the next morning the Federal cavalry, that were sent in pursuit after -the raid, came up with the raiders, and after a sharp fight routed them. -Marion, on Bay Chief, was a conspicuous mark for Federal bullets during -the skirmish. Early in the fray Bay Chief was shot through the muzzle, -through both thighs, and one hock. In this condition he carried his rider -two miles in the retreat, when the horse was so weakened by loss of blood -that a Federal cavalryman overtook them. His piece being empty, the -soldier aimed a blow at Marion, but missing him, lost his balance, and -fell from his horse. The guerrilla leader quickly saw his opportunity, -jumped from Bay Chief, mounted the soldier’s horse, and escaped. Bay -Chief died about ten days later, despite all efforts made to save him. -Meanwhile, Alexander’s Abdallah had been found, safe and sound, by a -Federal soldier in Mr. Bush’s stable. The soldier refused to give him up -to Mr. Alexander’s men, and declared he would send him North and keep him -until he got a large reward for his return. The horse was barefooted and -in no condition for hard usage. And so they rode him off, and after going -some forty or fifty miles he gave out, and they turned him loose on the -road. He was found next day in a pitiable condition by the roadside, and -brought back as far as Lawrenceburg on his way home, where he was taken -with pneumonia and died a few days later. - -Just how great a loss this was to the trotting breed was not realized -until long after—until in fact Goldsmith Maid had conquered all before -her, and made a record as a campaigner never equaled, and until his two -great sons, Almont and Belmont, rose to pre-eminent places in the list of -great sires. Other sons of this remarkable progenitor have taken rank as -sires, and his daughters proved of the highest excellence as brood mares; -but Almont and Belmont have each established such large, important, and -popular sub-families that this work would be incomplete without some -brief sketch of each. - -Alexander’s Abdallah got Goldsmith Maid, 2:14, Rosalind, 2:21⅔, -Thorndale, 2:22¼, Major Edsall, 2:29, and St. Elmo, 2:30. Fourteen of -his sons have produced one hundred and fifty-five standard performers, -and twenty-nine of his daughters have produced forty-four standard -performers, among them being the noted campaigners, Favonia, 2:15, and -Jerome Eddy, 2:16⅔, the latter also a successful sire. The following -table gives the families of his most prominent sons: - -LEADING SONS OF ALEXANDER’S ABDALLAH. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Total No. produced in two generations. - ------------------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - -----------------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - -----------------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - -----------------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - -----------------------------------------+ | | | | - Year died. | | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - Almont, 2:39¾ | 1864 | 1884 | 37 | 95 | 72 | 609 | 646 - Belmont | 1864 | 1889 | 58 | 63 | 48 | 560 | 618 - Hambletonian (Wood’s) | 1858 | 1885 | 24 | 12 | 13 | 49 | 73 - Major Edsall, 2:29 | 1859 | 1886 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 87 | 90 - Thorndale, 2:22¼ | 1865 | 1894 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 47 | 57 - Jim Munro | 1861 | 1882 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 38 | 46 - Abdallah Pilot | 1865 | 1881 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 20 - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - -ALMONT was bred at Woodburn Farm, was foaled 1864, and was by Alexander’s -Abdallah out of Sally Anderson, by Mambrino Chief; grandam Kate, a -wonderfully fast pacer by Pilot Jr. Colonel R. P. Pepper informed me -that he knew Kate as well as any of his own horses, and that her speed -at the pace was “simply terrific.” Kate, whose dam was called the -Pope mare, pedigree unknown, had several foals, among them the “catch -filly” that was the dam of Clay Pilot, sire of The Moor, that got the -great brood mare Beautiful Bells, 2:29½, and Sultan, 2:24, the sire of -the world-famous Stamboul, 2:07½. Thus the blood of this pacing Pilot -Jr. mare figures in three great sub-families, the Almont family, the -Beautiful Bells family, and the Sultan family. Almont was a beautiful -cherry bay, very rich in shade, and without any white whatever. He -was fifteen hands two and one-quarter inches high at the wither, -somewhat higher behind, and stoutly and symmetrically made all over. -He could not be called a handsome or highly finished horse, but he was -emphatically a well-made one. He had very excellent feet and legs, -and these he reproduced with great uniformity, as well as his very -intelligent and even disposition. He was trained early at Woodburn, -and, like his sire, started but once and distanced his competitor in -2:39¾, this being in his four-year-old form. He soon after showed 2:32 -over the slow Woodburn track, and was sold to the late Colonel Richard -West for eight thousand dollars and put in the stud. In 1874 the late -General W. T. Withers, Lexington, Kentucky, bought him for fifteen -thousand dollars, and a half dozen of years later he was very generally -regarded as the greatest of living sires, and his prestige made the -name of Fairlawn Farm of world-wide renown, and made his owner rich. -The fact that ninety-five of his sons have sired standard performers, -a greater number of producing sons than is to the credit of any other -horse, Hambletonian alone excepted, indicates the high rank Almont must -be accorded as a progenitor. In considering his success it is well for -breeders particularly to note that good judges considered Almont capable -of showing a 2:20 gait any day, and that, like Electioneer, he always was -daily given regular and ample track exercise. His gait has been described -as bold and open, without an excess of knee action, but with immense -display of power behind. Almont died of spasmodic colic, July 4, 1884, in -the fullness of his fame, and at an age when, had he been more discreetly -used in the stud, he should have been at his prime as a stock horse. - -Almont was hardly a sensational horse in his day, the performance of -Westmont at Chicago in 1884, when he paced a mile with running mate -in 2:01¾, being the one sensational performance to the credit of his -progeny. This lightning streak of pacing speed that so often crops -out in the Almont family can be readily accounted for by the student -of breeding. As has been noted, his grandam Kate, by Pilot Jr., was a -phenomenally fast pacer, and, as we have indicated, her blood proved -potent in more than one line. In addition to this there was a strong -tendency to pace among the progeny of Alexander’s Abdallah. St. Elmo -was first shown at fairs in Kentucky under saddle and as a pacer, and -many others of Abdallah’s get were known to naturally pace. When we -reflect that in Almont this Alexander’s Abdallah blood with its pacing -predilection was united with the blood of the old lightning pacer, Kate, -we need not be surprised at the great number of fast pacers that came -from Almont and his sons. Belmont, too, has shown a tendency to get the -pacing gait with great frequency, but not in such frequency or at such -high rates as his son Nutwood. As there could not be traced any known -pacing blood in Belmont’s dam, and as the fact that Alexander’s Abdallah -transmitted an inclination to pace has been generally not known or -ignored, some writers have been unable to understand why the Belmonts -paced. He got pacers because he inherited that capacity from his sire, -and Nutwood got more and faster pacers than Belmont, because in him the -pacing inclination inherited from Alexander’s Abdallah was reinforced by -the strong pacing inheritance of his dam, Miss Russell, the granddaughter -of Old Pacing Pilot. - -As shown in the table of Alexander’s Abdallah’s sons, Almont got -thirty-seven standard performers, ninety-five of his sons sired five -hundred and three standard performers, and seventy-two of his daughters -produced one hundred and six standard performers. His most successful -sons are embraced in the following table: - -LEADING SONS OF ALMONT. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - Performers produced in two generations. - -----------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - ----------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - ----------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - ----------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - Almont Jr. (1829), 2:26 | 1872 | 44 | 7 | 20 | 39 | 83 - Altamont, 2:26¾ | 1875 | 39 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 49 - Atlantic, 2:21 | 1878 | 24 | 6 | 12 | 22 | 46 - Piedmont, 2:17¼ | 1871 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 37 - Almont Jr. (1764), 2:29 | 1871 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 51 | 70 - King Almont, 2:21¼ | 1874 | 14 | —— | 1 | 1 | 15 - Pasacas, 2:43 | 1870 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 27 - Almonarch, 2:24¾ | 1875 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 20 - Allie Gaines | 1875 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 29 - Harbinger | 1879 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 - *Allie West, 2:25 | 1870 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 24 | 31 - Abdallah Mambrino | 1870 | 13 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 37 - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - - * Died at 6 years old. - -This line is justly regarded with growing favor as one of our very -best and most productive sub-families, and one that is breeding on -excellently, generation after generation. - -BELMONT was a bay horse of very superior form and finish, bred at -Woodburn Farm, and foaled there in 1864. He was by Alexander’s Abdallah, -out of Belle (that also produced McCurdy’s Hambletonian, 2:26½, and -Bicara, the dam of Pancoast, 2:21¾) by Mambrino Chief; grandam Belle -Lupe, by Brown’s Bellfounder. Belmont and Almont were of the same age, -and, perhaps because of his finer appearance, Belmont seems to have been -the preferred one at Woodburn, and was retained while Almont was sold. -Though Belmont was a successful horse and established a great family, no -thinking man can contend that he was the equal of Almont as a sire, when -all the circumstances are considered. Almont spent almost his entire stud -career at Fairlawn, where there never were five mares worthy in blood -to be in a great trotting stud, where there were scores of mares of all -kinds of poor and freakish pedigrees, even to “Arabs,” and where none of -the stock was ever trained. Belmont, on the other hand, was all his life -at the head of the most famous, and, in his younger years, unquestionably -the best collection of trotting brood mares in the world, and where a -training department was always maintained. Remembering these conditions, -and contemplating the statistics of the two families, it is interesting -to speculate as to how the records would stand had Belmont been at -Fairlawn, and Almont at Woodburn. - -LEADING SONS OF BELMONT. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------ - Performers produced in two generations. - -----------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - ----------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - ----------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - ----------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - Nutwood, 2:18¾ | 1870 | 136 | 90 | 69 | 432 | 568 - King Rene, 2:30½ | 1875 | 35 | 17 | 16 | 55 | 90 - Egmont | 1873 | 34 | 13 | 11 | 38 | 72 - Wedgewood, 2:19 | 1871 | 31 | 12 | 9 | 60 | 91 - Vatican, 2:29¼ | 1879 | 14 | —— | —— | —— | 14 - Warlock | 1880 | 12 | —— | —— | —— | 12 - Monaco | 1878 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 18 - Waterloo, 2:19¼ | 1882 | 10 | —— | 1 | 1 | 11 - Meander, 2:26½ | 1879 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 17 - Mambritonian, 2:20½ | 1883 | 10 | —— | —— | —— | 10 - Herschell | 1883 | 10 | —— | —— | —— | 10 - ---------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+------ - -Belmont, besides having the advantage of excellent individuality was also -a trotter of no mean speed. He was driven a mile over the working track -at Woodburn in 2:28½, and was, therefore, a quite well-developed trotter. -He never appeared in public, and has, therefore, no public history. -The most successful of his sons has been Nutwood, whose dam was Miss -Russell, the dam of Maud S. This horse was himself a fast trotter in his -day, taking a record of 2:18¾, and rose to great popularity and success -in the stud. Daughters of Belmont, being nearly all out of producing -mares, are greatly and justly esteemed as brood mares. Belmont died at -Woodburn November 15, 1889. Belmont got fifty-eight standard performers, -sixty-three of his sons sired four hundred and eighty-nine standard -performers, and forty-eight of his daughters produced seventy-one -standard performers. The rank of his best sons is shown on the preceding -page; all having ten or more in the list of standard performers being -included in the table. - -VOLUNTEER stands pre-eminent among trotting sires as the one horse -against not one of whose get the epithet “quitter” was, as far as I am -aware, ever hurled. He did not get speed with remarkable uniformity, nor -did his progeny develop speed early or rapidly. They required persistent -training, but when speed was developed in a Volunteer you had with -it every other quality of a resolute, enduring race horse. They were -hardy, rugged, good-limbed horses, and uniformly possessed stamina and -resolution in the highest degree. Volunteer had the advantage of being -owned by Alden Goldsmith, an ambitious and experienced horseman, and the -father of two of the most successful trainers of our day. The Volunteers -had, therefore, every advantage that training could give, and his rise to -fame was largely due to Mr. Goldsmith’s constantly developing and racing -his progeny. - -In 1853 Mr. Joseph Hetzel, Florida, Orange County, New York, bred the -bay mare Lady Patriot to Hambletonian, 10, and Volunteer was foaled -May 1, 1854. This mare, Lady Patriot, was by a horse called Young -Patriot, and out of Mr. Lewis Hulse’s trotting mare, and that is all -that is known of her pedigree. Her sire’s pedigree is wholly unknown. -She produced a numerous family, among them being Sentinel, 2:29¾, and -Green’s Hambletonian, brothers of Volunteer, and of some rank as sires, -and Marksman, by Thorndale, that is also in the table of sires, while her -daughter Heroine, sister to Volunteer, produced Shawmut, 2:26. - -Volunteer was a bay horse, with a little white around the left hind -coronet, fifteen hands three inches at the wither, and sixteen hands -measured at the coupling. He has been considered by many good judges to -have been the handsomest of all the sons of Hambletonian. He was a horse -of superb form and of great elegance of carriage. With sufficient of -muscle and substance, he was built on graceful, finished lines, with a -beautiful head loftily carried, a long and graceful neck, a body stout -but finely molded, and all set off by a handsome mane and tail. His feet -and legs were of superb quality, and despite his great age they were, it -is said, without fault or blemish to the last. His temper and disposition -were good, though he was very high-spirited, and in harness he was -especially attractive. As a four-year-old Volunteer was sold to Mr. R. -C. Underhill, of Brooklyn, after he had won a premium at the Orange -County fair. In April, 1861, Mr. Underhill sent him to Tim T. Jackson, -of Jamaica, Long Island, and in _Wallace’s Monthly_ for December, 1880, -Mr. Jackson gave his experiences with Volunteer, making among others this -specific statement: - - “I had him at Union Course one day, and met Mr. Alfred M. - Tredwell there, and I got him to hold that watch on him. Had - him in quite a heavy single-seated wagon, weighing probably one - hundred and twenty-five or one hundred and thirty pounds. On - the first trial he trotted in 2:33. I said to Mr. Tredwell that - he could beat that, and he trotted the next mile in 2:31¼.” - -He had previously been trained by William Whelan, at Union Course. -It was June 26, 1862, while he was in Jackson’s hands, that Alden -Goldsmith, in partnership with Edwin Thorne, purchased this horse, -then called Hambletonian Jr., and he soon afterward became the sole -property of Mr. Goldsmith. Mr. Rysdyk greatly resented his having been -called Hambletonian Jr., and early regarded him as a possible rival of -Hambletonian, and there was war from the start between the adherents -of sire and son. The Civil War was just then at its height, and the -patriotic and military spirit rampant, and Mr. Goldsmith aptly named -his horse Volunteer. Mr. H. T. Helm, who wrote a very detailed history -of Volunteer twenty years ago, credits him with having trotted in 2:36 -to wagon at the Goshen Fair in the fall of 1862, beating Winfield, Grey -Confidence and others. At Hartford, Connecticut, in August, 1867, he beat -George M. Patchen Jr., in a single dash in 2:37. He was, like nearly all -the other great sires, a developed trotter. - -It is said that his early stud opportunities were so limited that at ten -years old he had but eighteen living foals. The first of his get entered -the 2:30 list in 1871, but from that time on his list rapidly grew, and -the great campaigners Gloster, Alley, Driver, Bodine, Huntress, the great -three-miler, and finally St. Julien, 2:11¼, then the fastest trotter in -the world, so spread the fame of Volunteer that when his sire died in -1876 he was regarded as the greatest living sire of trotters. In 1882 -Mr. R. S. Veech, probably the most intelligent breeder in all Kentucky, -while on a visit to New York, telegraphed Mr. Goldsmith to know whether -it was worth while for him to visit Walnut Grove, with a view to buying -Volunteer, and Mr. Goldsmith’s answer reveals the regard in which he held -his horse. The pith of his admirably written letter was in this paragraph: - - “While there is no person that would be more welcome at the - farm than yourself, if the only object of your visit would - be the purchase of Volunteer, then your trip would not be a - profitable or successful one, as no breeder in Kentucky has - money enough to buy him.... I have as high a regard for money - as the most of men for the uses it may subserve, but there are - certain things which money cannot buy, as the Teacher of old - taught Simon the Samaritan.” - -And so Volunteer remained at Walnut Grove, and “lagged superfluous on the -stage” long after his owner had passed away, and died December 13, 1888, -at the extraordinary age of thirty-four years, seven months and twelve -days. - -Volunteer sired thirty-four standard performers, and forty of his sons -and forty-eight of his daughters produced an aggregate of two hundred -and twenty-one standard performers. The most successful of his sons -is the Michigan sire, Louis Napoleon, that was out of the Harry Clay -mare, Hattie Wood, dam also of Victor Bismarck and Gazelle, 2:21. Louis -Napoleon has twenty-seven in the standard list, and fourteen of his sons -and twenty-two of his daughters are producers, his best son being Jerome -Eddy, 2:16½, sire of Fanny Wilcox, 2:10¼, and twenty-seven other standard -performers. - -DICTATOR very early in his career attracted attention as the full brother -to the famous Dexter, who was his senior by five years, and who was -king of the trotting turf, and the most famous trotter in all the world -just at the time when Dictator was merging from colthood to maturity. -Dictator had thus from the very start the advantage of splendid stud -opportunities. He was bred by Jonathan Hawkins, of Walden, Orange County, -New York, and was foaled in 1863. He was got by Hambletonian out of the -famous Clara, the dam of Dexter, 2:17¼, Alma, 2:28¾, Astoria, 2:29½, -etc., by Seely’s American Star; grandam the McKinstry mare, breeding -unknown, but that produced Shark with a saddle record of 2:27¾. Dictator -was a seal-brown horse with a white rear ankle, and stood scant fifteen -hands and one inch. He was made on a small but a fine model, and was, -all in all, a handsome little horse, and most of his get partook of -his fine quality of structure, though many were unsound. Shortly after -Dexter made his _début_ on the turf, Dictator was bought by Mr. Harrison -Durkee, a wealthy New York gentleman who had an extensive stock farm at -Flushing, Long Island. The colt was then but eleven months old and was -left at the Hawkins farm until two years old. Then he was sent to Mr. -Alden Goldsmith’s place, at Washingtonville, to be broken, after which -he was taken to Mr. Durkee’s farm. The colt was very fast, but the fame -of Dexter was already wide, and, no great importance being attached to -development of stallions in that day, he was considered of more value -for breeding than for racing. He was worked considerably at Mr. Durkee’s -farm, and Colonel John W. Conley and H. C. Woodnut, who at different -times had charge of him, have both declared that they knew him to be -one of the fastest trotters of his day. In 1874 Colonel Richard West -sold Almont to General Withers, and to fill his place leased Dictator in -the autumn of 1875, and he made the seasons of 1876 and 1877 at Colonel -West’s Edgehill farm, Georgetown, Kentucky. Standing at a higher fee -than Almont or George Wilkes, he attracted little outside patronage, and -he was returned to Long Island. It has been stated that when at Colonel -West’s, George Brasfield drove Dictator quarters as fast as thirty-four -and one-half seconds. After his return to Flushing he sank from public -notice until the appearance of Director as a great three-year-old in -1880. Then a couple of years later came the phenomenal Jay-Eye-See, and -close after him Phallas, and with these three great trotters on the turf -at once “the sire of Jay-Eye-See, 2:10, Phallas, 2:13¾, and Director, -2:17,” came again prominently before the public. In 1883 he was purchased -by Major H. C. McDowell, and Messrs. David Bonner and A. A. Bonner, for a -price that was said to have been twenty-five thousand dollars, and taken -to Ashland farm at Lexington. Eventually he became the sole property of -Major McDowell, and died May 25, 1893. - -Dictator did not get speed uniformly. He was what might be called a -sporadic sire, but those of his get that raced at all raced well. By -far his best son as a producer is Director, 2:17, that was out of Dolly -by Mambrino Chief, and is the sire of sixteen trotters and pacers with -records in the 2:20 list, including the champion trotting stallion -Directum, 2:05¼, and the one-time champion pacing stallion, Direct, who -after being practically crippled in trotting to a four-year-old record of -2:18¼, carrying great weights to keep him at that gait, was allowed to go -at his natural gait and paced in 2:05½, and is already a very successful -sire. Phallas, 2:13¾, of whom high hopes were entertained, and who had -great opportunities, proved practically a failure in the stud, though his -son Phallamont, out of an Almont mare, ranks with Direct as the best of -Dictator’s grandsons. Dictator got fifty standard performers, forty-four -of his sons have produced one hundred and seventy-three standard -performers, and forty-two of his daughters have produced sixty-one -standard performers. - -HAROLD became very famous when Maud S. became queen of the turf with -the then marvelous record of 2:08¾, a record that stood unequaled from -1885 till 1891. This horse was bred by Charles S. Dole, Crystal Lake, -Illinois, by whom he was sold, in an exchange of horses, to Woodburn -Farm, when he was a yearling. He was foaled in 1864, and his dam was -Enchantress (the dam also of Black Maria and of Lakeland Abdallah), by -Abdallah. It was long claimed that this mare’s dam was a daughter of -imported Bellfounder, but investigation exploded this claim. Harold was -a bay horse, without marks, just fifteen hands high, stoutly made but -very homely of form. He had a finely made head, but otherwise he was -exceedingly plain, and when Maud S. came out the late Benjamin Bruce, -in the _Kentucky Live Stock Record_, expressed wonder that “that little -bench-legged stud” could have gotten such a mare. Harold’s full brother, -Lakeland Abdallah, was far superior to him individually, but ranks -with Hetzel’s Hambletonian, the brother to Volunteer, and Kearsarge, -by Volunteer out of Dexter’s dams, in the fore front of the well-bred -failures in trotting history. Largely from his individuality Harold was -never, even when Maud S. was in the heyday of her renown, a popular -horse, and the figures given by the Woodburn management say that in his -entire career he was bred to but five hundred and ninety-four mares, or -an average of about twenty-five for each of his twenty-three seasons. -With the exception of Maud S., Harold got nothing of the first class, -but in the second generation the family holds better rank in respect -to extreme speed production. Beuzetta, 2:06¾, Early Bird, 2:10, The -Conqueror, 2:13, and the great three-year-old Impetuous, 2:13, are out -of daughters of Harold, while Kremlin, 2:07¾, Io, 2:13½, Rizpah, 2:13½, -Russellmont, 2:12¾, and the great pacer Robert J., 2:01½, are among the -produce of his sons, and the present queen of the trotting turf, Alix, -2:03¾, is out of a daughter of Attorney, by Harold. Harold died at -Woodburn, October 6, 1893. This horse never trotted in public, but he was -worked some for speed at Woodburn. As a six-year-old he is said to have -trotted the farm track in 2:40½, in which mile it is stated he “grabbed -a quarter” and was not worked again. He is the sire of forty-four -standard performers, forty-three of his sons have produced one hundred -and eighty-one standard performers, and forty-five of his daughters have -produced sixty-seven standard performers. - -HAPPY MEDIUM was bred by R. P. Galloway, of Sufferen, New York, and was -foaled 1863. He was by Hambletonian, out of the famous old campaigner -Princess, 2:30, that trotted ten miles in 29:10¾ and two miles in 5:02, -and was the great rival of Flora Temple, 2:19¾. Princess was a bay mare, -foaled 1846, by Andrus’ Hambletonian, son of Judson’s Hambletonian, -that was by Bishop’s Hambletonian, son of imported Messenger; and her -dam was the Wilcox mare, by Burdick’s Engineer, son of Engineer, by -imported Messenger. She campaigned from ocean to ocean, and her career -is perhaps the most remarkable of the earlier trotting days. When young -she was mixed gaited, alternately pacing and trotting, and was put to -work hauling logs. Then her owner traded her for a second-hand wagon, and -finally she reached the hands of D. M. Gage, of Chicago. He put her into -training, and she trotted some indifferent races as Topsy, was sold, and -taken across the plains to California. Here in 1858 she beat New York, -taking her record of 2:30. Then she fell into the hands of the notorious -“Jim” Eoff, and the next year was matched against the then crack trotter -of California, Glencoe Chief, at ten miles to wagon. These were golden -days on the coast, and this race was for the enormous stake of thirty-six -thousand five hundred dollars. Princess won easily in 29:10¾, but the -Glencoe Chief party being dissatisfied, another race was trotted the -next day at the same distance for five thousand dollars, Princess again -winning. There was after this nothing on the coast to race with Princess, -and Eoff brought her to New York to try conclusions with Flora Temple. -Her first race with Flora was at three-mile heats at Eclipse Course, -Long Island, Flora winning, but at two-mile heats a week later Princess -won in 5:02, 5:05. In their subsequent races Flora turned the tables, -though in a stubborn contest at two-mile heats Princess forced the then -queen of the turf to make the long unbeaten record of 4:50½. She was then -retired from the turf, and after passing through several hands became the -property of R. F. Galloway, who in 1862 bred her to Hambletonian. - -[Illustration: NANCY HANKS. - -By Happy Medium, record 2:04.] - -Happy Medium was a bay horse, with star, snip, and two white rear ankles, -fifteen hands two inches in height, and was a shapely, attractive horse, -with excellent legs and feet. Some critics have found fault that he was -light barreled, and perhaps with some degree of reason, but as a whole he -was structurally much above the average of his time. As a four-year-old -he started at the Goshen Fair and won, taking a record of 2:54, which he -lowered to 2:51 in 1868. The next year, 1869, at Paterson, New Jersey, -he distanced Guy Miller and Honesty in 2:34½, 2:32½, and these three -performances, all winning ones, comprise his entire turf career. He was -in 1871 purchased at a very large price—said to have been twenty-five -thousand dollars—by Mr. Robert Steel, who placed him at the head of -his Cedar Park Farm, at Philadelphia. In 1879 he was purchased by the -late General W. T. Withers, and taken to his Fairlawn Farm, Lexington, -Kentucky, where he remained until he died, January 25, 1888, at which -time he had more 2:30 performers to his credit than any horse then -living. The Happy Mediums developed speed easily and quickly, and were -remarkable for the purity of their gait. The most famous of his get is -the mare Nancy Hanks, that lowered the world’s record to 2:04 in 1892. -The mares bred to Happy Medium never were as a whole of good breeding, -and in his early stud career they were largely of inferior blood and -quality. His fame has steadily grown, and with ninety-two standard -performers to his credit, and his sons and daughters breeding on, the -blood of Happy Medium is justly held in very high esteem as a positive -speed-producing element. Fifty-one of his sons have produced two hundred -and thirteen, and forty-seven of his daughters have produced fifty-nine -standard performers. - -JAY GOULD was one of the most famous of all the sons of Hambletonian on -the turf and the sensational trotting stallion of his day, and he now, -in turn, takes a high place among producing sons of the great father -of trotters. This horse was bred by the late Richard Sears, of Orange -County, New York, was foaled 1864, and was got by Hambletonian, out of -Lady Sanford, by Seely’s American Star; grandam Old Sorrel, by Exton -Eclipse; third dam by Lawrence’s Messenger Duroc, etc. At maturity Jay -Gould was a handsome, blood-like horse, fifteen and one-half hands high, -and a rich bay in color, with white hind ankles. With his dam he was -sold while at her side to Charles H. Kerner, of New York, who soon after -traded them to John Minchin, of Goshen, for the then well-known trotter -Drift, Mr. Kerner also paying a fair sum in cash. Later the colt came -into the hands of A. C. Green, of Fall River, and was by him named Judge -Brigham. It is said that Mr. Green first learned that Judge Brigham was -a fast trotter through his taking fright at a train one day in 1870 and -running away with him at a trot. Whatever the facts as to this are, it -was soon known that Mr. Green had a very fast trotter, and the next -season (1871) he started for a five-thousand-dollar purse at Buffalo, -among the other starters being the already famous Judge Fullerton. To -the general astonishment, Judge Brigham “cut loose” in the second heat, -winning it in 2:22, thus equaling the stallion record then held by George -Wilkes, and placing to his credit the fastest heat ever up to that time -trotted by a horse in his maiden race. He won the race handily, and was -the sensation of the time. He was at once purchased for, I believe, the -great price of thirty-five thousand dollars by the late world-famous -financier, Jay Gould, H. N. Smith, and George C. Hall. Later Mr. Smith -acquired Mr. Hall’s interest, and Mr. Kerner bought Mr. Gould’s, and -finally, some years after, Mr. Smith, who had established Fashion Stud -Farm, at Trenton, New Jersey, and owned the noted mares Goldsmith Maid, -2:14, Lady Thorn, 2:18¼, and Lucy, 2:18¼, became sole owner of Jay Gould, -as Judge Brigham was renamed. - -The week following his Buffalo race Jay Gould defeated another strong -field at Kalamazoo, Michigan; and in 1872 started four times, winning in -all his races, lowering his record to 2:21¼, the then champion stallion -record. He was kept in the stud in 1873, but being challenged on behalf -of Bashaw Jr., the following year, was given a hurried fall preparation, -and met his challenger at Baltimore. Bashaw Jr., broke down in the -first heat, and Gould of course won an empty victory, but to satisfy -the audience was driven a public trial in 2:19½. Meanwhile Smuggler had -lowered the stallion record to 2:20, and Jay Gould was sent against it -at Boston, trotting under unfavorable circumstances in 2:20½ and 2:21½. -This practically closed his turf career. He made a number of seasons at -Fashion Farm, and in his later years at Walnut Hill Farm, near Lexington, -Kentucky, and died of old age June 10, 1894. Jay Gould’s opportunities -were never of the best. In his earlier years in the stud General Knox -was more used at Fashion Farm than Jay Gould, and there was no training -done at Fashion until 1886. Jay Gould is the sire of twenty-nine standard -performers, the most noted of which is the great mare Pixley, 2:08¼. -Fourteen of his sons have produced thirty standard performers, and -twenty-eight of his daughters have produced forty-six performers, among -the latter being the great pacer, Robert J., 2:01½, and such trotters as -Poem, 2:11½, Colonel Kuser, 2:11¼, Mahogany, 2:12¼, Edgardo, 2:13¾, etc. -His most noted producing daughter is Lucia, whose dam was the famous old -trotting mare Lucy, 2:18¼, by George M. Patchen, 2:23½. Lucia is the dam -of Edgardo, 2:13¾, Hurly Burly, 2:16¼, and several others in the 2:30 -list, and her blood is breeding on through both her sons and daughters. - -STRATHMORE, taking all things into consideration, must be rated among -the very greatest sons of Hambletonian. He was a solid bay horse, of the -substantial Hambletonian type, foaled 1866, bred by Aristides Welch at -his Chestnut Hill farm, near Philadelphia, and was got by Hambletonian -out of the quite famous trotting mare Lady Waltermire, by North American, -and Lady Waltermire’s dam was said to have been by Harris’ Hambletonian. -This North American sired Whitehall, that got the famous trotter Rhode -Island, sire of the still more celebrated Governor Sprague, and in -the section treating of the latter the reader will find particulars -concerning North American. Lady Waltermire was a noted trotting mare in -her day, and it has been claimed that she performed faster than 2:30, but -I have never been able to substantiate this claim. When Strathmore was -a three-year-old, in 1869, I visited Chestnut Hill. Mr. Welch then had -three sons of Hambletonian, viz., William Welch, Rysdyk, and Strathmore, -who was then called Goodwin Watson. The two former were led out to be -shown, but when I inquired for Goodwin Watson, Mr. Welch’s reply was “Oh, -he’s a pacer”—except that he used an adjective in connection with “pacer” -that added emphasis, and betrayed some degree of regret, or indeed -disgust. The fact that several of Strathmore’s sons have gotten many -fast pacers need not be marveled at. I am not aware that Strathmore was -ever trained, and probably his pacing inclination furnishes the reason. -When he was seven years old he was purchased by Colonel R. G. Stoner, -of Paris, Kentucky, and named Strathmore, and up to this time, Colonel -Stoner states, he had but three foals, one of which was afterward known -as Chestnut Hill, 2:22½, the first of his get to earn a reputation. His -first two seasons were made in Montgomery County, after which he was -taken to Paris, in Bourbon County. Colonel Stoner states in one of his -catalogues that Strathmore’s early opportunities in Kentucky were very -inferior; that in 1877 and 1878 the service fees earned would not pay for -his keep; that up to 1879 he never served a mare with a record or the dam -of an animal with a record, and that it was not until Steinway trotted in -1878 as a two-year old in 2:31¾, and Santa Claus as a five-year-old in -2:18 in 1879 that any good mares came to Strathmore. At Colonel Stoner’s -sale, February 9, 1886, Strathmore was sold for two thousand one hundred -and fifty dollars to Rockhill & Bro., of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and they -owned him until his death, March 11, 1895. Strathmore has seventy-one in -the standard list; twenty-six of his sons and fifty-four of his daughters -have produced one hundred and fifty-eight standard performers. - -EGBERT is one of the youngest sons of Hambletonian, and has achieved very -fair success in the stud. He is closely inbred to the Hambletonian, or -rather the Abdallah blood, and is possibly the most notable instance of -a successful sire being very closely inbred. Egbert was bred by Hon. J. -H. Walker, Worcester, Massachusetts, and was foaled in 1875. He was sold -at the sale of Mr. Walker’s horses at Worcester in the autumn of 1877, -when he was purchased for the then great price for a two-year-old of -three thousand four hundred and twenty-five dollars by H. J. Hendryx, of -Michigan, a representative of Mr. Veech, of Kentucky, being a contending -bidder. After the sale Mr. Hendryx sold the colt for four thousand -dollars to George W. Raudenbush, of Reading, Pennsylvania, who I believe -still owns him. In the spring of 1880 Egbert was taken by Colonel Richard -West to his farm at Georgetown, Kentucky, and kept there a number of -years, and indeed the greater part of his stud career has been in -Kentucky. I am not aware that Egbert was ever trained. He is individually -a superior horse, but is alleged to have an unkind disposition. - -Egbert was got by Hambletonian out of Campdown, by Messenger Duroc -(son of Hambletonian); grandam Miss McLeod (dam of Lord Nelson, 2:26¼, -and Polonius), by the Holbert Colt (son of Hambletonian); great-grandam -May Fly, by Utter Horse, son of Hoyt’s Comet; great-great-grandam -Virgo, sister to the dam of Messenger Duroc, by Roe’s Abdallah Chief, -son of Abdallah, the sire of Hambletonian. The Holbert Colt, son of -Hambletonian, was a pacer, and others in Egbert’s ancestry paced; and in -commenting on his pedigree, from this point of view, at the time Colonel -West took him to Kentucky, I remarked in _Wallace’s Monthly_, March, -1880: “Colonel West need not be surprised if he finds quite a number of -Egbert’s offspring starting off at a pace.” The facts have borne out the -prediction, as a glance at Egbert’s long list of fast pacers will show. -Egbert is the sire of seventy-five standard performers, while twenty-five -of his sons, and eighteen of his daughters have produced seventy-four -standard performers. - -MASTERLODE, that left a family of some merit in Michigan, was a mammoth -bay, foaled 1868, got by Hambletonian out of Lady Irwin by Seeley’s -American Star. He was a gigantic, coarse horse, and was certainly the -largest horse that ever earned a reputation as a sire of trotters. It -is said he was quite seventeen hands high and was built on a heavy mold -even for his height. He was bred by James M. Mills, Orange County, New -York, and passed to A. C. Fisk, Coldwater, Michigan, who owned him until -his death in 1892. The most noted of his get was Belle F., 2:15¼, that -was one of the very best campaigners out in 1886. He has twenty-eight -to his credit in the list, and seventeen of his sons and sixteen of his -daughters have produced in all fifty-seven standard performers. - -ABERDEEN shares with Dictator such honors as attach to the highest -success of the “Hambletonian-Star cross” in the stud. This horse was -bred by the notorious Captain Isaiah Rynders, at Passaic, New Jersey, -and a full account of the investigation of the pedigree of his dam, -the noted Widow Machree, 2:29, will be found in Chapter XXIX., on the -investigation of pedigrees. Widow Machree was altogether the best trotter -of the American Star family, and was especially noted for her gameness. -Bred to Hambletonian, it was natural that she should produce a trotter, -and Aberdeen was quite a trotter in his day. As a three-year-old he -won a stake at Prospect Park, distancing his field in 2:46, and the -statement has been published that he later in his career trotted a slow -New Jersey track in 2:24¼. This horse was foaled in 1866, and was a bay -fifteen hands three inches high, and very stoutly, indeed coarsely made, -and was of a dangerously vicious disposition. The good race mare Hattie -Woodward, that made a record of 2:15½, first attracted attention to -Aberdeen as a sire, and in 1881 he was purchased by General Withers and -taken to Fairlawn, and before this his stud opportunities had been very -limited. He died in 1892. By far the best of his get is the great mare -Kentucky Union, that made a record of 2:07¼ in 1896. Aberdeen has forty -in the standard list, fourteen of his sons have produced fifty-seven, and -seventeen of his daughters have produced nineteen standard performers. - -SWEEPSTAKES must be classed among the successful sons of Hambletonian -as a sire of trotters, though in the second generation his family have -yet failed of great distinction, nor did Sweepstakes himself get extreme -speed. This was a bay horse, foaled 1867, by Hambletonian out of Emma -Mills, that also produced Mott’s Independent, by Seely’s American Star. -He was bred by the late Harrison Mills, near Goshen, in Orange County, -New York, and was never, I believe, trained. Indeed it has been stated -that he never wore harness, and is perhaps the most remarkable example of -a strictly undeveloped sire of trotters. The most noted of his get is the -bay horse Captain Lyons, 2:17¼. Sweepstakes sired thirty-three trotters -and two pacers that are standard performers, four sons have produced -eight trotters and two pacers, and twenty of his daughters have produced -twenty-five trotters and four pacers. - -GOVERNOR SPRAGUE is one of the few horses not descended in the male line -from one of the great foundation progenitors, and that yet was a trotter -of merit and the founder of a trotting family. His dam, however, was a -producing daughter of Hambletonian, and this must be regarded as the -probable source of his power, though his sire was a fine trotter for his -day. - -Back in the thirties a Frenchman living at Rouse’s Point, New York, near -the Canadian boundary line, bred a pacing mare to a horse that was kept -in the same stable with Sir Walter, thoroughbred son of Hickory, and -the result was the horse known as North American, or the Bullock Horse. -It was long claimed that North American was by Sir Walter, but the best -authenticated version is given in _Wallace’s Monthly_, for 1880. This was -the statement of a Mr. Ladd, said to be a reliable man, who knew the -Frenchman who bred North American. Ladd had formerly lived at Rouse’s -Point, and kept a little hotel at Benson’s Landing on Lake Champlain. -Ladd’s statement was that the Frenchman had a little pacing mare, from -which he wanted to raise a foal, but would not pay more than three -dollars for any horse’s service. Sir Walter’s fee was fifteen dollars, -but in the same stable was a large stallion that was used to haul water -from the lake to the hotel, and the Frenchman was permitted to have the -service of this horse for three dollars, and this is the only reliable -version I could ever obtain as to the pedigree of North American. Besides -the line we are now considering, this horse got Lady Waltermire, the dam -of the great Strathmore, and one of his daughters is the dam of two in -the 2:30 list, and Vergennes Black Hawk came from another. North America -was said to have been a natural trotter, and quite fast for a short -distance. A son of his, named Whitehall, from the name of the place where -he was bred, was taken to Ohio from New York about 1854 and there got the -noted Rhode Island, 2:23½, the sire of Governor Sprague. Rhode Island was -a brown horse, foaled about 1857, and his dam was by a black horse called -Davy Crockett that was brought from Pennsylvania, and her dam was called -Bald Hornet. This mare, Mag Taylor, was bred to Whitehall twice, one of -her foals being Belle Rice, the dam of the stallion Harry Wilkes, sire -of Rosalind Wilkes, 2:14¼, and the other was Rhode Island. This horse -trotted many races, and at Fashion Course, New York, October 27, 1868, -earned his record of 2:23½. He about this time passed into the hands -of Sprague & Akers, and he died in 1875. At this time Governor Amasa -Sprague had among his brood mares Belle Brandon, by Rysdyk’s Hambletonian -out of a daughter of Young Bacchus. This was a bay mare, foaled in 1854 -in Orange County, and was a fast trotter and a mare of great general -excellence. She was driven as a mate to Sprague’s Hambletonian, and Mr. -Sprague claimed that he had once driven her a mile in 2:29. Bred to -Volunteer she produced Amy, 2:20¼, and to Rhode Island, produced in 1872, -Governor Sprague, 2:20½. - -Governor Sprague was a black horse, approximating fifteen hands two -inches in height, and very substantially built. He is described as having -been an exceedingly handsome horse, especially in action, his gait having -been pure and beautiful. In 1873 he was sent to Kansas and trained, and -so promising was he that he was that year sold to Higbee Brothers and Mr. -Babcock, of Canton, Illinois, for one thousand five hundred dollars. -He was shown and known as a very fast four-year-old, trotting public -exhibitions in about 2:22. With the exception of a three-year-old race -at Earlville, Illinois, he did not start in a public race until July 20, -1876, when at Chicago he easily defeated a good field, and so promising -and attractive did he seem that the late Jerome I. Case, of Racine, paid -the great price of twenty-seven thousand five hundred dollars for him. -At Poughkeepsie, New York, that season he lowered his record to 2:20½, -and a few more races ended his short but brilliant turf career. He died -at Lexington, Kentucky, May 23, 1883, at the early age of eleven years. -His stud career was therefore short, and this fact we must remember in -estimating his rank as a sire. Kate Sprague, 2:18, and Linda Sprague, -2:19, were about the best of his immediate progeny, and Rounds’ Sprague, -that has twenty trotters and pacers in the 2:30 list, some of them in -better than 2:20, seems to be his most successful son. Governor Sprague -has to his credit thirty-six trotters and two pacers with standard -records, twenty-two of his sons have sired fifty-four trotters and -fifteen pacers, and his daughters have produced twenty-three trotters -and six pacers. There was nothing in the inheritance of Rhode Island to -justify a supposition that he would transmit speed uniformly, and, like -Smuggler, the speed-getting power with him was sporadic. But from his -dam, Belle Brandon, Governor Sprague received the blood of Hambletonian -through an individual that had speed herself and naturally produced -speed; and this strain, combined with the blood of a horse that was good -enough in his day to beat Lucy, American Girl and George Wilkes, gave -Governor Sprague a right to be all that he was. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -MAMBRINO CHIEF AND HIS FAMILY. - - Description and history of Mambrino Chief—The pioneer trotting - stallion of Kentucky—Matched against Pilot Jr.—His best - sons—Mambrino Patchen, his opportunities and family—Woodford - Mambrino, a notable trotter and sire—Princess—Mambrino - Pilot—Other sons of Mambrino Chief. - - -Mambrino Chief was a dark bay or brown horse, got by Mambrino Paymaster, -grandson of imported Messenger, and his dam was a large, coarse mare that -was brought from the West in a drove, and absolutely nothing was known -of her blood. The theory was once advanced in print that she must have -been by Stevens’ Messenger Duroc, but I think it was never repeated. -The basis of this theory was, that the horse referred to was large and -coarse, with a long thigh bone, and as the mare was large and coarse, -with a long thigh bone, she must have been a daughter of his. There are -some obvious difficulties about accepting this “thigh-bone” pedigree. In -the first place, the inventor of it never saw either the horse or the -mare, and how could he have put his tapeline on their “thigh-bones” and -thus ascertained they were of the same length? In the second place, it is -not known, nor was it known to the inventor, that the horse ever had been -within three hundred miles of the dam of this “daughter” of his. It is -not much wonder that the “horse business” is hardly considered reputable -when an educated man will advance such senseless gabble as the basis of -a pedigree. This mare produced another colt called Goliah that developed -some speed, but this was not the Goliah that was on the trotting turf. - -Mambrino Chief was bred by Richard Eldridge, of Dutchess County, New -York, and was owned by Warren Williams; in the spring of 1851 he passed -into the hands of James M. Cockroft and G. T. Williams; was kept two or -three seasons in Ulster County; trotted, under the saddle a trial in -2:36; sold to James B. Clay of Kentucky, in the winter of 1854, and then -to Gray & Jones, 1857, for five thousand and twenty dollars, and died -1861. Soon after his arrival in Kentucky he was matched to trot against -Pilot Jr., and the match stirred up a great deal of interest among the -breeders. He was so big and coarse and so far removed from the type of -the running horse that very few believed he could show any speed at -any gait, for the distance of a mile and repeat. He was placed in the -hands of Dr. Herr, who had had some experience in handling trotters, for -preparation. When the day came there was quite an assemblage to witness -the race but the Pilot Jr. party came forward and paid forfeit. This was -a sore disappointment to those who thought the big horse could not trot, -and to satisfy them that he could trot and trot fast, Dr. Herr drove him -to show his gait, and notwithstanding his quarter cracks he satisfied -all that he really was a trotter. This was an auspicious opening of a -successful career extending through the remaining six years of his life. - -In the sense of success, Mambrino Chief was really the pioneer trotting -stallion of Kentucky. True, “Old” Abdallah had been there fourteen -years earlier, but he was in bad shape and breeders did not like him. -He was very plain in his appearance and only left some half-dozen of -foals behind him when he was brought back to Long Island. The breeders -all turned to his stable companion, Commodore, that was more after the -pattern of the running horse, and would not look at Abdallah. This -Commodore filled the blue-grass fields with his foals, but none of them -could trot. He was a son of Mambrino, by imported Messenger, and was an -inbred Messenger, if his pedigree was right, but he was a failure as a -trotting sire. Mr. Marcus Downing took his horse, Bay Messenger, there -about the same time and he was a failure also, notwithstanding he was a -grandson of imported Messenger. Both Commodore and Bay Messenger should -have been trotting sires, but either one of two reasons was sufficient to -prevent that consummation. First their blood and physical structure were -all right, but the mental structure—the instinct to trot—was lacking; -they inherited from some ancestor that could not and was not inclined -to trot. Second, Kentuckians of that period knew nothing about trotters -and they may have lacked in the requisite knowledge, skill and patience -to develop them. It is true that old Pacing Pilot and some other pacing -tribes were there that would occasionally throw a pacer with the diagonal -motion, like Pilot Jr., but there was no other blood there that trotted -before the arrival of Mambrino Chief. This pacing element was a very -valuable element upon which to build up the trotter, but unfortunately -and wherever it was possible, a running pedigree was tacked on to the -pacer, and thus, in the estimation of Kentuckians it was the running -blood that did it. - -The six years of his services in Kentucky gave sufficient time to -establish his value as a trotting sire, but not sufficient to build -up a large family. This limited period must be further restricted, in -estimating his value, by the fact that the war broke out in 1861, at -the very time when the larger part of his offspring were just at the -right age for development. This important fact has been very generally -overlooked when estimating the true value of this horse. The question has -often been asked why this horse succeeded in Kentucky when he had not -succeeded in the North? This is too broad a question to be considered in -this historical sketch, but will be considered at another place in this -volume. In passing it, some very intelligent writers have attributed it -to what is called “the climatic outcross,” and there may be some real -value in this point, but the great cause, aside from the new surroundings -and expectations of his progeny, may be found in the fact that his own -speed was never developed until the very eve of his transfer to Kentucky. -His instinct to trot and to trot fast had remained dormant, practically, -during the whole period of his Northern service, and when he reached -Kentucky he was, in a sense, a new horse and conscious of his powers as a -trotter. The salutary effects of development, at whatever gait, have been -shown in ten thousand instances and will continue to be shown as long as -the interests and ambitions of man shall prompt him to strive to surpass -his neighbor. - -At one time it was maintained right vehemently by the owners of the stock -of Mambrino Chief, as well as some others, that as a stock horse he was -not only equal but superior to Hambletonian. In 1867, when the battles -were raging between Dexter and Lady Thorn, this view showed little -abatement, and notwithstanding the gelding was beating the mare all the -time, they still maintained that in the end she would be the conqueror. -When Lady Thorn was seriously crippled and retired from the turf, there -were many sad hearts in the Mambrino family and many wonderful stories -were told, privately, of what Dan Mace had seen her do, and that he was -keeping very quiet till an opportunity came to show the most wonderful -flight of speed that the world had ever seen or ever would see. With -the shroud of what “might have been” about them, they were “of the same -opinion still.” - -Mambrino Chief left six in the 2:30 list; twenty-three sons that put -ninety-five in the list and seventeen daughters that produced twenty-four -trotters. - -LEADING SONS OF MAMBRINO CHIEF. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Performers produced in two generations. - ------------------------------------------------------------------+ - Standard performers produced by sons and daughters. | - -----------------------------------------------------------+ | - Producing daughters. | | - -----------------------------------------------------+ | | - Producing sons. | | | - -----------------------------------------------+ | | | - Standard performers. | | | | - -----------------------------------------+ | | | | - Year died. | | | | | - ----------------------------------+ | | | | | - Year foaled. | | | | | | - ---------------------------+ | | | | | | - Name. | | | | | | | - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - Mambrino Patchen | 1862 | 1885 | 25 | 51 | 90 | 259 | 284 - Woodford Mambrino, 2:21½ | 1863 | 1879 | 13 | 23 | 24 | 172 | 185 - Mambrino Pilot, 2:34¾ | 1859 | 1885 | 9 | 17 | 15 | 71 | 80 - Clark Chief | 1861 | 1871 | 6 | 12 | 25 | 43 | 49 - Ericsson, 2:30½ | 1856 | 188- | 6 | 4 | 15 | 25 | 31 - Mambrino Chief Jr. (Fisk’s)| 1861 | 189- | 5 | 6 | 14 | 34 | 39 - ---------------------------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+------+----- - -MAMBRINO PATCHEN was the best son of Mambrino Chief and was brother to -Lady Thorn, 2:18¼. He was foaled 1862, after the death of his sire, and -was bred by Levi T. Rodes. His dam was by Gano, a running-bred son of -American Eclipse; his grandam was a pacing mare by a colt of Sir William, -but what Sir William is not known; his great-grandam was an inveterate -pacer and never was known to strike any other gait. Mambrino Patchen -was so much smoother and handsomer than his sire, and was so much of a -failure as a trotter, that a very strong conviction prevailed among the -friends and neighbors of his owner that he was not a son of Mambrino -Chief, nor a brother of Lady Thorn. To this story that he was a Denmark -and not a Mambrino Chief I never have given any shadow of credence. The -attempt of his owner, Dr. Herr, to make him a trotter was patient and -persistent, extending through several years, but with all his skill and -experience he failed. Nobody was ever able to “catch” him a mile, but it -seems to have been conceded that he might go somewhere in the “forties.” -While this persistent and long-continued training failed in its original -purpose of giving the horse a record of reputable speed, there can be -no doubt, under the law that governs, that this development did great -good to the horse, as a progenitor of trotters. The conditions being a -handsome horse, with the banner constantly flying over him, “full brother -to Lady Thorn,” an industrious and very capable owner, in the heart of -the greatest breeding region in the whole country, it is easy to account -for a very wide and lucrative patronage. Still, as a getter of speed he -was not a great success, and as a getter of high speed he was a failure. -With all the facilities for development, only twenty-five of his progeny -have found a place in the 2:30 list, the fastest of which has a record of -2:20½. Of his sons, fifty-one are the sires of one hundred and twenty-six -trotters, and of his daughters, ninety have produced one hundred and -twenty-nine standard performers. He has proved himself a very great sire -of brood mares, and when his daughters are bred to horses of stronger -inheritance, they stand among the best. - -WOODFORD MAMBRINO.—This son of Mambrino Chief was a large brown horse, -foaled 1862. He was bred by Mr. Mason Henry, of Woodford County, -Kentucky. His dam was also the dam of other trotters, was got by -Woodford, son of Kosciusko, and her dam was a farm mare without any known -breeding. Woodford was a large, strong horse used only for farm work, to -which he was well suited. After spending a good deal of time and labor on -his pedigree I am constrained to say that while he may have been a son -of Kosciusko, his dam’s breeding is worse than unsatisfactory. Woodford -Mambrino made a record of 2:21½, and placed thirteen of his get in the -2:30 list. He left twenty-three sons that were the sires of standard -performers, and twenty-four daughters that produced twenty-seven standard -performers. His son, Princeps, owned by Mr. R. S. Veech, of Indian Hill -Farm, near Louisville, Kentucky, was in the stud far and away the best of -his sons, and although he had no record of his own he placed in the list -forty-four trotters and four pacers, many of them with fast records. - -MAMBRINO PILOT was a very large and very coarse horse. He was a brown, -got by Mambrino Chief, foaled 1859, dam Juliet, by Pilot Jr.; grandam by -Webster, son of Medoc; great-grandam by Whip. He was bred by Thomas Hook, -of Scott County, Kentucky, and after passing through the hands of Dr. -Herr and others he was sold to C. P. Relf, of Philadelphia, and, I think, -remained in his family till he died, 1885. He had a record to saddle of -2:27½. He put nine of his get into the 2:30 list, and seventeen of his -sons left fifty-one performers and fourteen of his daughters produced -twenty performers. - -Many others of the descendants of Mambrino Chief might be noticed, -but it is not the purpose of this volume to dwell upon matters that -are accessible in the current literature of the trotting horse. The -foundations of breeds and the leading heads of tribes must command my -labor. The table shows the rank of the other sons of Mambrino Chief that -achieved any degree of success, and of these clearly the best was Clark -Chief, that died at ten years old. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE CLAYS AND BASHAWS. - - The imported Barb, Grand Bashaw—Young Bashaw, an inferior - individual—His greatest son, Andrew Jackson—His dam a trotter - and pacer—His history—His noted son, Kemble Jackson—Long Island - Black Hawk—Henry Clay, founder of the Clay family—Cassius - M. Clay—The various horses named Cassius M. Clay—George M. - Patchen—His great turf career—George M. Patchen Jr.—Harry - Clay—The Moor, and his son Sultan’s family. - - -This family is no longer prominent in trotting annals and its blood has -been practically absorbed by other strains that have proved themselves -more potent in transmitting and more uniform and more speedy in -performing. The name “Bashaw Family” is a misnomer and it should never -have been used, but as it has represented, for many years, the oldest -line of developed speed, it seems a necessity to recognize it here. A -branch of this family, designated as “The Clay Family” has perpetuated -itself in some strength and will be considered in this chapter. - -GRAND BASHAW, the horse that gave this family its name, was imported from -Tripoli by Richard B. Jones, who was the American consul at that port. -Mr. Morgan was associated with him, and they imported at the same time -two other Barbs, Grand Sultan and Saladin. Grand Bashaw was kept in Lower -Merion, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, several years; Grand Sultan -was kept in New Salem, New Jersey, for a time, and Saladin was taken to -North Carolina and afterward died in Georgia. From these three horses -nothing has been left to the horse history of the country but one single -attenuated line. Grand Bashaw was a black horse, fourteen hands and an -inch high, with a star and a snip on his nose. He was kept all his life -in the vicinity of Philadelphia, and died at Newtown, Pennsylvania, 1845. - -YOUNG BASHAW was a grey horse, about fifteen and one-quarter hands -high, and is the only descendant of Grand Bashaw through which we can -trace to that horse. He was foaled 1822 and was bred by Thomas Logan, -of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. His dam was Pearl, by Bond’s First -Consul, a famous running horse, his grandam Fancy, by imported Messenger, -and his great-grandam by imported Rockingham. This is the pedigree under -which he was advertised, but it has never been authenticated in any of -its crosses. Judging by the horse himself and his progeny there can -hardly be a doubt that there was a Messenger cross in it, but just where -cannot be determined. - -He made his first season in Salem, New Jersey, 1826. He was then four -years old and by no means handsome or attractive in his form. His head, -ear and neck were his worst features; but in addition to these defects -he was flat on the ribs and habitually carried his tail to one side. His -limbs and feet were as good as ever were made, but his great redeeming -quality was his trotting gait. When in Salem he was only a rough, partly -developed, four-year-old colt, but he showed then a step and a rate of -speed so remarkable as to induce a few to breed to him, notwithstanding -his ungainly appearance. He did not cover more than a dozen mares that -season, and all-told he got eight foals. Out of these eight, seven proved -to be superior trotters for that day. Andrew Jackson was the best, but -there was another that could go below 2:40. The common remark was, -wherever he touched a mare of Messenger blood, there was sure to come -a trotter. This was the general rule, but the best hit he ever made, -probably, was when he covered Joseph Hancock’s black pacing mare and got -Andrew Jackson. - -In looking over his blood elements we can see nothing in his pedigree -to justify these trotting qualities except the grandam, Fancy, by -Messenger. First Consul was a great race horse, but neither he nor his -descendants ever evinced a disposition to trot. The horse Rockingham was -contemporaneous with Messenger and a constant rival while Messenger was -about Philadelphia. He was not wholly running-bred, as he was by Towser, -afterward called Counsellor, and out of a hunting mare. As a stock horse -he was esteemed as only second to Messenger on the Delaware, where he -stood many years. - -The fame of Young Bashaw did not cease nor die out after the exploits of -Andrew Jackson, Black Bashaw, Charlotte Temple, Washington and others -from his own loins. The Clays, the Long Island Black Hawks and the -Patchens have kept spreading it wider and wider until of late years we -find that only the one great Hambletonian family has overshadowed them -all. Young Bashaw, after eleven years in the stud along the Delaware -River, above and below Philadelphia, died at Morrisville, Bucks County, -Pennsylvania, June, 1837. - -ANDREW JACKSON was the most noted son of Young Bashaw. He was a black -horse, fifteen and a half hands high, with three white feet and a strip -of white in his face. He was very well formed in every point and was -strong, compact, short-legged and handsome. He was foaled 1827, and was -bred by Joseph Hancock, of Salem, New Jersey. His dam was a strong, -compact black mare that both trotted and paced, and was noted for her -speed at the latter gait. This mare was brought in a drove from Ohio, in -the spring of 1820 and on the twenty-first of June of that year she was -sold to Mr. Hancock, of Salem, New Jersey, for one hundred dollars. He -kept her a little over six years, and in the spring of 1826 bred her to -Young Bashaw, and in the fall of that year sold her to Powell Carpenter; -and soon after he sold her to Daniel Jeffreys, a brickmaker on the -Germantown road, near Philadelphia. She was then in foal by Young Bashaw, -and the next spring she dropped the colt that became famous as Andrew -Jackson. - -The incidents connected with the history of this mare are here given, -perhaps in unnecessary detail, but as Andrew Jackson was very extensively -advertised under a fraudulent pedigree from about 1834 till the time of -his death, and as I had at one time accepted it as true, it is better -that it should be made very plain, especially as I had been severely -criticised for changing it. The correction made, as above, was founded -on information received from two separate and distinct sources and both -thoroughly reliable. The fraudulent pedigree of this mare represented -her as “by Whynot, son of imported Messenger, and her dam by Messenger” -himself. This was just such a pedigree as so great a horse should have -had, but there was no truth in it. The attack was led by quite a large -breeder in one of the prairie States, who had a number of animals -remotely descended from Andrew Jackson. He did not even pretend to know -anything at all about the truth of the matter, but simply urged most -vehemently that the pedigree should be restored because it was old. The -fact of the matter was the man wanted the old lie instead of the new -truth maintained because it would help to sell his stock, which was the -very object for which the lie was originally invented. - -Daniel Jeffreys was very much addicted to trotting horses, and when he -bought the black mare that was then carrying Andrew Jackson he kept her -for his own driving and named her “Charcoal Sal.” She was no doubt among -the fastest of the road horses, but there is no record of her ever being -in a race. How much Jeffreys drove Charcoal Sal that autumn cannot now be -determined; probably too much for the physical, but not too much, for the -mental, organization of the foal she was carrying. - -About the break of day, one morning in the following April, somebody was -passing Jeffreys’ brickyard (my recollection is, it was George Woodruff -himself), and he heard a splashing in the water accumulated in one of -the clay pits, and Charcoal Sal circling round in great distress. She -had dropped her foal, and in its weak efforts to get on its feet, it had -rolled into the pit. It was at once pulled out and the family aroused, -and no time was lost in rubbing it dry and wrapping it in warm blankets. -Some of the mare’s milk was poured into it from time to time, and toward -noon it was so much revived and strengthened as to manifest a disposition -to get on its feet. This was due, principally, to the womanly care and -good nursing of Mrs. Jeffreys. But, when helped up, he appeared to have -strength enough everywhere but in his pastern joints, and there he had no -strength at all. In this condition the colt remained a day or two, a most -pitiable and most helpless object, standing on its pasterns instead of -its feet. One morning at the breakfast-table Mr. Jeffreys said he would -give any of the boys a dollar if he would put that colt out of misery -and bury it out of his sight. Mrs. Jeffreys, whose womanly feelings and -sympathies were all enlisted, replied to her husband’s remark that “the -boy who would kill that colt never could eat another mouthful at that -table.” What a grand exhibition of true womanly instincts! Day by day her -unremitting care was rewarded by seeing a little more strength gathering -in the weak places, and at last her kind, motherly heart was gladdened by -seeing him skip and play, a strong beautiful colt. - -Mr. Jeffreys kept the colt till he was some five or six years old! and -then sold him to John Weaver, whose residence was about half a mile from -the old Hunting Park Course. He remained the property of Mr. Weaver -till he died, September 19, 1843. In his stud services he was kept on -both sides of the Delaware, in the region of Philadelphia, and made one -season, perhaps two, on Long Island. As a trotter he stood as the first -of all stallions of his day. - -His first race took place October 19, 1832, over the Hunting Park Course -for a purse of two hundred dollars for green horses, to saddle. He was -entered under the name of “Brickmaker,” was ridden by George Woodruff -(“Uncle George”), and beat Jersey Fagdown, son of Fagdown, by Messenger. -Time 6:30, 6:23. - -The next year he beat Jersey Fagdown again for the same purse and over -the same course. - -October, 1834, he again won the same purse, over the same course, at two -miles to saddle, beating Sally Miller. Time 5:26, 5:25. - -The next October, 1835, over the same course, the same conditions, he -beat Lady Warrenton, by Abdallah, and Daniel D. Tompkins, by a son of -Winthrop Messenger. Time 5:20, 5:19. - -These performances have been extended far enough to give a just -conception of his speed and his staying qualities. His races seem to -have been pretty much all to saddle and two-mile heats. In that day most -races were to saddle. George Woodruff told me he was on his back when he -made Edwin Forrest trot in 2:31¼ to win, but whether it was in a race or -a trial I cannot now recall. Mr. George Woodruff was an uncle of Hiram -Woodruff and a very worthy man. To him I am indebted for all the details -of the early life of Andrew Jackson, and they were of his own personal -knowledge. - -KEMBLE JACKSON.—About the year 1853, of all the idols of the -trotting-horse world, perhaps no one had so many worshipers as Kemble -Jackson. In 1852 he was beaten by O’Blennis, three-mile heats in harness, -and in April, 1853, he was beaten by both Green Mountain Maid and Lady -Vernon, mile heats in harness, but in June following he achieved a great -triumph. The race was on the Union Course and there was a vast concourse -of people there to see it. The purse and stake was for four thousand -dollars, three-mile heats to two hundred and fifty-pound wagons. The -interest was very intense, as O’Blennis, Boston Girl, Pet, Iola and -Honest John were in it. Each horse in the race made better time than he -ever made before, and yet Kemble Jackson took the lead and maintained it -from end to end, without a skip or a break. After the first heat even, -the friends of O’Blennis would not hedge their money, for they had faith -that the gallant son of Abdallah would win. The finish of the second heat -was in the order above given. The time was 8:03, 8:04¾. Faster time has -since been made to wagon, but probably not with this weight and at this -distance. As a weight-puller for three miles I believe he still remains -the champion. He was a very strongly built chestnut horse, and was got by -Andrew Jackson the last year of his life. - -The pedigree of his dam was in confusion for a long time. Her name was -Fanny Kemble. There were a number of running-bred mares named after -that very popular actress, and everybody who had anything tracing to -“Fanny Kemble” was sure that that particular mare was the dam of Kemble -Jackson. In the first volume of the “Register” he is given as out of -Fanny Kemble by Sir Archy, and in the second volume there was some -fairly good evidence that he was out of Fanny Kemble by Hunt’s Eagle, -tracing on through running lines. It is true he was out of a mare called -Fanny Kemble, but neither of the two foregoing. Her blood was wholly -unknown. The Hon. Ely Moore was a member of Congress, and when on his -way to Washington in 1839 he saw a very fine, stout-looking mare hitched -to a gig in the city of Baltimore. She was a chestnut and showed such -ability to handle a great heavy gig with ease and rapidity that he bought -her. He bought her for what she was herself and not for what her blood -was. There was no evidence asked or given as to how she was bred. This -mare produced several foals to Andrew Jackson, the youngest of which -was Kemble Jackson. While he was still a colt, Mr. Moore presented him -to his son-in-law, G. U. Reynolds, who still owned him when he died. -Mr. Reynolds is an intelligent and very reputable man, and this is the -history of the origin of Kemble Jackson as given to me in person by him. -Mr. Moore paid two hundred and fifty dollars for this mare Fanny Kemble, -and she was so handsome and so fast on the road that he considered her a -very cheap mare. The company never was too hot nor the road too long for -her. - -Everybody has heard of “The Kemble Jackson Check” and nearly everybody, -until within the last few years at least, has been using it without -knowing just why or when it can be used with advantage. When in the -hands of Hiram Woodruff, Kemble Jackson got into the habit of bringing -his chin back against his breast, and in that shape Hiram could pull -on him all day without getting control of him. In this dilemma, Mr. -Reynolds suggested an overdraw check which might prevent the indulgence -of this bad habit. Hiram took the suggestion, had one made, and it was -a success, in his case. In twenty-four days after the performance which -made him a great name from one end of the land to the other he died of -rupture. As he was only nine years old and as he was just beginning to be -appreciated as a stallion the breeders of the country sustained a great -loss. Up to this point in his history he had no reputation, had been -little patronized and left but few of his progeny to perpetuate his name. - -LONG ISLAND BLACK HAWK.—This son of Andrew Jackson was foaled 1837 and -his dam was the distinguished trotter Sally Miller, by Tippoo Saib, son -of Tippoo Saib by imported Messenger. This mare was bred in Bucks County, -Pennsylvania, and trotted as a three-year-old in 1828 on the Hunting Park -Course, Philadelphia. She was distinguished in her day, beating many of -the best, and was the first three-year-old trotter of which we have any -account. She was finally owned on Long Island, but I have never been able -to learn the name of her owner. Black Hawk trotted some famous races on -Long Island, the most noted of which, perhaps, was his match with Jenny -Lind in which he was to pull a two hundred and fifty-pound wagon, and -the mare the usual weight. In this match he beat her in straight heats. -Time 2:40, 2:38, 2:43. In 1849 he beat Cassius M. Clay, time 2:41, 2:38, -2:41. This horse was owned for a time by Jonas Hoover, of Germantown, -Columbia County, New York, and was there called Andrew Jackson Jr., or -Young Andrew Jackson. He made some seasons in Orange County, and died at -Montgomery in that county July, 1850. His progeny were not numerous and -but two of them from his own loins entered the 2:30 list. His son Jupiter -put five in the 2:30 list; Andrew Jackson Jr., two; Mohawk, three; -Nonpareil, two; Plow Boy, one; and Vernol’s Black Hawk, one; to which we -may add the fact that this last named was the sire of the famous Iowa -stallion, Green’s Bashaw. Although his life was not long and his stud -career was probably up to the average, it cannot be said that he was a -great progenitor of trotters. - -HENRY CLAY, the nominal head of the tribe that has taken his name, was a -black horse, foaled 1837, got by Andrew Jackson, son of Young Bashaw; and -his dam was Surrey, or Lady Surrey, as she is sometimes called, a pacing -mare that was brought from Surrey, New Hampshire, to New York, and was -converted to a trotter, or possibly she may have been double-gaited from -her birth. It has been generally stated in years past that this mare -was brought from Canada, and as there have been many disputes about her -origin, I will try to give what authentic knowledge we have concerning -her. - -Mr. Peter W. Jones, one of the “old-time” horsemen and a very reliable -man, said that David W. Gilmore, formerly a grocer at City Hall Place -and Pearl Street, New York, bought a pacing mare, five years old, of -Mark D. Perkins, of Mount Vernon, New Hampshire, which came from Surrey, -New Hampshire, and hence her name “Lady Surrey.” Gilmore rode her to -New York, with a young man named Lovejoy. He gave less than one hundred -dollars for her. She was a superior saddle mare, and as Mr. Gilmore -appreciated horseback riding he bought her for that purpose. Frank -Gilmore, who was a deputy sheriff under Sheriff Orser, of New York, said -that Lady Surrey was the mare his brother rode from New Hampshire, and -after he sold her she turned out to be a trotter. - -This is the story as told by Mr. Jones, and judging from its source I -have no doubt it is substantially correct. This leaves us without any -knowledge whatever of the blood of the mare, but only that she was both -a pacer and a trotter. She was engaged in some races and was quite well -known to the trotting men of that day, and she must have been a pretty -good one to have been owned by such a horseman as George M. Patchen and -by him bred to Andrew Jackson. It is said Surrey and Sally Miller were -coupled with Andrew Jackson the same day; they both stood, and the one -produced Henry Clay and the other Long Island Black Hawk. - -While Henry Clay remained the property of his breeder he was trained and -was looked upon as a promising young horse, but I have not been able to -determine what rate of speed he was able to show. He certainly did not -stand anywhere near the fastest, and he does not appear to have ever -won a race, and perhaps never started in one. Still, he was esteemed as -one of the best horses on Long Island and was liberally supported while -there. When about eight years old he was sold for a fine price to General -Wadsworth, of Livingston County, New York, and he was kept at various -points in that part of the State till he died of old age and neglect in -1867. He came into the world when trotters were few and he lived till -they were many. He left a numerous progeny, but as the sire of trotters -he was a pronounced failure. In examining the 2:30 list I find a single -one of his get, before he left Long Island, with a single heat of even -2:30. And in examining the list of his get during the twenty-odd years -of his life in Western New York, I find a single representative, with a -single heat in even 2:30, and this one was out of a mare by old Champion, -a very noted trotting progenitor. He left three sons that appear as -sires: Andy Johnson, with three just inside of the 2:30 list, Henry -Clay Jr., with a single one to his credit, and Cassius M. Clay, with -one very fast one to his credit. This Cassius M. Clay was the sire of -the famous George M. Patchen. Three of Henry Clay’s daughters produced -six 2:30 trotters, and for a time it was held that the dam of the very -famous George Wilkes was a daughter of his, but that claim has not been -sustained by later developments. - -The name and memory of the horse Henry Clay would have been perpetuated -in horse history through an attenuated line of descendants, as a fairly -good horse, though unsuccessful as a trotting progenitor, had his -bones been left to rest and rot where they were buried. Unfortunately, -about the time of his death, there sprang up a most voluble enthusiast -whose special mission on earth seemed to be to extol the superlative -greatness of Henry Clay, and the contemptible worthlessness of “Bill -Rysdyk’s bull,” as he designated Hambletonian. He commenced pouring his -endless contributions into the columns of the breeding press and writing -interminable letters to as many prominent breeders as would receive them, -and all about the Clay blood being the only blood from which the trotter -could be bred. These effusions were written with some skill, abounding -in great prodigality of fancy and still greater economy of truth. It was -astonishing how many men believed what he said and how few understood -that the “old man” was in it as a “business.” He had gathered up all -the cheap sons of the old horse and wanted to sell them at a handsome -advance, and for a time the game won. - -To keep the interest from falling off and the Clay blood moving, he -secured access to the purses of two wealthy gentlemen who were possessors -and admirers of Clay blood, and the bones of the horse were taken up, -mounted and set up, and presented to the United States National Museum at -Washington, D. C. The bones are still there, and the inscription on the -pedestal when last seen was as follows: - - “The progenitor of the entire family of Clay Horses, and the - foundation of the American Trotting Horse.” - -Then follow the names of the two gentlemen who presented the bones to -the Museum, but as a kindness to them their names are omitted. The first -clause of the inscription is true, but the second is not true, and I very -seriously doubt whether they ever authorized the second clause. Henry -Clay was not the “foundation” of anything, except the airy fabric of a -fortune for our enthusiast. The scheme as an advertising dodge was well -worked, and the schemer could well exclaim, “Where now is Bill Rysdyk’s -bull?” In the nature of things such shams cannot last; this one had its -fleeting day, and in the end the sheriff sold its worthless accumulations. - -CASSIUS M. CLAY.—This son of Henry Clay was quite a large bay horse, -taking his color and much of his shape from his dam. He was foaled -1843, and his dam, Jersey Kate, was the dam of the trotting horse John -Anderson. Jersey Kate was a bay, about fifteen hands three inches high, -with a clean, bony head, long neck, well set up, and when in driving -condition was a little high on her legs. She was used in livery work, -and when a good and fast driver was wanted, Jersey Kate was always in -demand. In the same stable a pair of “Canuck” ponies were kept that -were driven in a delivery wagon. They were duns with white manes and -tails and about fourteen and one-half hands high, quick steppers with -no speed. One of them slipped his halter one night and got Jersey Kate -with foal. While she was carrying this foal she became the property of -Mr. Z. B. Van Wyck’s father, and when she had dropped her colt and was -put to farm work it was found that she was too rapid and spirited for -his other horses, and he sold her to Joseph Oliver, of Brooklyn. The -colt she dropped was weaned before the sale of the dam and remained in -the family till he grew up. He was a grey, a little below fifteen hands, -and as the boy, Z. B. Van Wyck, had broken and ridden him he got it into -his head that he would make a trotter, so he bought him from his father -for eighty dollars. He continued to improve and he sold him to Timothy -T. Jackson and he to Charles Carman, who trotted him in many races. When -Mr. Oliver, then owner of Jersey Kate, saw her “catch” colt by a “Canuck” -pony able to beat many of the good ones on the island, he concluded -to breed her to Mr. Patchen’s horse, Henry Clay, and the produce was -Cassius M. Clay. From her appearance, form, and especially her action, -it was the universal opinion she was by Mambrino, son of Messenger, and -it is probable she was, but in the absence of proof she must be classed -as “breeding unknown.” Had it not been for the speed of little John -Anderson, there would not have been any Cassius M. Clay. - -When the colt grew up, Mr. Oliver, his breeder, sold him to Mr. George -M. Patchen, of Brooklyn, and he became a very popular stallion. After -the death of Kemble Jackson and Long Island Black Hawk he was considered -the best trotting stallion on Long Island. He was in a good many races, -some of which were reported, but more that were not, and as against -stallions, he was with the fastest. In temper he was disposed to be -vicious and had to be watched. In form he could not be considered -beautiful, but powerful. When the artist was modeling the equestrian -statue of Washington that stands in Union Square, he had a great search -for a horse to serve as a model, and he selected Cassius M. Clay as the -best representative of majesty and power that he could find. Although the -bronze is of heroic size, it is, no doubt, a fair representation of the -outline and structure of the horse. He died at Montgomery, Orange County, -New York, July, 1854, in the same stable where Long Island Black Hawk -had died four years before. The three great horses, Long Island Black -Hawk, Kemble Jackson and Cassius M. Clay, died just as they entered on -what should have been the period of their greatest usefulness, the first -at the age of thirteen; the second at the age of nine; and the third at -the age of eleven. If these horses had lived through the usual period of -horse life, doubtless the records of performers would bear very different -relations from what they do to-day, but the _really great sire_ had not -yet made his appearance. - -Considering the short period Cassius M. Clay was in the stud he left -a numerous progeny, but only one of them, George M. Patchen, achieved -greatness on the turf. He placed thirty-four heats in 2:30 or better to -his credit and made a record of 2:23½ in 1860, which was the fastest for -any stallion of his day. This was the only one in the 2:30 list from the -loins of Cassius M. Clay. Nine of his sons became the sires of eighteen -trotters, and more than a dozen of his sons were named “Cassius M. Clay -Jr.” thus leading to great confusion and oftentimes uncertainty as to -identity. - -CASSIUS M. CLAY JR. (NEAVE’S).—This was a brown horse foaled 1848, got by -Cassius M. Clay; dam by Chancellor, son of Mambrino; grandam by Engineer, -sire of Lady Suffolk. He was bred by Charles Mitchell, of Manhasset, Long -Island, owned by Joseph Godwin, New York; stood in Orange County, 1852, -in Dutchess, 1853, and was taken to Cincinnati that fall. He was owned by -Mr. Neave, made a few seasons, broke his leg in the hands of Mr. McKelvy, -and had to be destroyed. Mr. Godwin represented this horse to me as very -fast until four years old, when by an accident he was thrown into the -Harlem River when hot and was stiff ever afterward. He put four of his -get into the 2:30 list, and four of his sons got ten trotters and one -pacer. His early death was esteemed a great loss, for he was better bred -than most of the other sons of his sire. - -CLAY PILOT, by Cassius M. Clay (Neave’s), was out of a catch filly, -whose dam was the famous Kate, the grandam of Almont. From the noted -old trotting mare Belle of Wabash, whose history will be found in -Chapter XXX. on the investigation of pedigrees, Clay Pilot got The Moor, -himself a fast trotter and a successful sire. He died at ten years old, -leaving among others the famous Beautiful Bells, 2:29½, that, mated with -Electioneer, produced a remarkable family; and Sultan, 2:24, sire of -the great Stamboul, 2:07½, and of thirty-eight other performers, and of -thirteen producing sons and twenty producing daughters. The Moor founded -an excellent family. - -From a sister to Crabtree Bellfounder, by imported Bellfounder, Neave’s -Cassius M. Clay got the black stallion Harry Clay, 2:29, that was quite a -reputable trotter in his day, and left five standard performers, sixteen -producing sons and twenty-three producing daughters, among the latter the -famous Green Mountain Maid, the dam of Electioneer. - -CASSIUS M. CLAY JR. (STRADER’S).—This was a handsome brown horse, -foaled 1852, by the original Cassius, and his dam was a black mare by -Abdallah, that passed through the hands of A. Van Cortlandt and afterward -became the property of Joseph Godwin; grandam by Lawrence’s Eclipse; -great-grandam the Charles Hadley mare by imported Messenger. This -pedigree has been questioned without assigning any reasons or facts, but -as it came to me circumstantially and from unquestionable sources I have -no reason to doubt it. He was bred by Joseph H. Godwin, of New York, and -foaled the property of Dr. Spaulding, of Greenupsburg, Kentucky. He made -some seasons in the hands of Dr. Herr, of Lexington, Kentucky, was bought -1868 by R. S. Strader, and passed to General W. T. Withers, of Lexington, -where he died 1882. He was engaged in several races and made a record of -2:35¼. He put four in the 2:30 list, and he left sixteen sons that were -the sires of forty-six trotters and seven pacers. His daughters have -produced well, thirty-four of them having produced forty-two trotters and -seven pacers. This shows him to have been a better horse than his sire -and better than any of the other sons of his sire. - -GEORGE M. PATCHEN was a large bay horse, fully sixteen hands high and -heavily proportioned. He was bred by H. F. Sickles, Monmouth County, New -Jersey, for Richard F. Carman, of New York, the owner of his dam. He was -got by the original Cassius M. Clay, and his dam was a light chestnut -mare, owned and driven on the road by Mr. Carman. As the blood and origin -of this mare was for many years unknown, it is necessary to go into some -particulars concerning it. From 1835 two brothers, Thomas and Richard -Tone, were contractors on the streets in the northern part of New York -City. Two or three years afterward Richard bought or traded for a large, -strong sorrel mare to work in one of their dirt carts. It was represented -that she had lost a foal shortly before and she was thin in flesh and -looked coarse. When she moved out of a walk she always went into a pace, -and that seemed to be her natural gait. They kept this mare at work in -the cart for several years and sometimes turned her out to pasture in a -small field at the foot of “Break-neck” hill, adjoining a pasture owned -by the Bradhurst family. One morning a two-year-old stallion colt, owned -by Samuel Bradhurst, was found in the pasture with the big pacing mare. -He had broken down the fence between the two pastures and gotten the big -mare with foal. In due time she dropped a light chestnut filly, and when -weaned, Thomas Tone bought this filly from his brother Richard, and at -two years old commenced working her to his wagon. She had very severe -treatment for so young an animal and went amiss, when Thomas sold her -to James Scanlon, a blacksmith, and after a time he sold her to Richard -F. Carman for a driving mare. Like her dam, when she started off she -would pace, but after going some distance she would strike a trot and -go very fast. Mr. Carman paid one hundred dollars for her and he drove -her beside another that he paid fifteen hundred for, and his fast daily -drives from Carmanville down to the city soon tested the respective -merits of the two mares. The hundred-dollar mare could outlast the other -and had to help her along toward the end of the drive. In time she was -foundered and permanently stiffened and that was the reason she was sent -to Mr. Sickles to be bred. - -We must now look after the two-year-old colt that was the sire of this -mare. Robert L. Stevens, of Hoboken, owned the famous race mare, Betsey -Ransom, and with others he bred from her the two fillies, Itasca and -Frolic. In 1837 these two mares were owned by Samuel Bradhurst, who -manifested a sporting disposition, very much against the wishes of -his father. In 1837 he bred these two mares to imported Trustee, then -standing at Union Course, Long Island, and the produce were Head’em -and Fanny Ransom. It is not known what became of Fanny Ransom, but he -continued to own Head’em for some years and ran him in 1841 at the Union -Course and beat the imported colt Baronet, by Spencer. There seems to -be no other trace of his running or his stud services. It was in 1840, -therefore, that he jumped the fence and in 1841 that the dam of George M. -Patchen was foaled. George Canavan, Mr. Bradhurst’s coachman, says there -were no other foals of any description bred by Mr. Bradhurst. These facts -were gleaned personally and separately from Tone and Canavan, and as they -complement and sustain each other, they must be accepted as the best -information extant on the breeding of this great horse. His dam was by -Head’em, a son of Trustee, out of a mare by American Eclipse, a grandson -of Messenger, and she was a pacer and a trotter. His grandam was a pacer -of unknown breeding. - -In 1851 he was purchased for four hundred dollars from Mr. Sickles by -John Buckley, of Bordentown, New Jersey, and a few months afterward he -sold a half interest in him to Dr. Longstreet, of the same place, and he -remained their joint property till 1858, when Mr. Buckley sold his half -interest to Mr. Joseph Hall, of Rochester, New York. He commenced his -remarkable career on the turf in 1855 and it continued till 1863. In 1858 -he was engaged in the first race that gave him a national reputation. -This was against no less a celebrity than Ethan Allen, and he was -distanced, leaving Ethan with a clear title to the stallion championship. -In 1860 he turned the tables on his old rival and beat him in straight -heats in 2:25, 2:24, 2:29. The next week the contest was renewed and -Patchen again won in straight heats, and this gave him the unchallenged -right to the rank of the fastest trotting stallion in the world. His -triumphs, however, were as wide as the trotting turf and not limited to -sex. He was able to beat and did beat all the best but the indomitable -little Flora Temple, and although he beat her twice, she was too fast for -him and beat him many times. It is not my purpose to give a history of -his achievements. It is sufficient to say he made a record of 2:23½, with -thirty-four heats to his credit in 2:30 and less, and two miles in 4:51½. - -It cannot be said that he was a very great success in the stud as we now -measure success. Four of his get were able to enter the 2:30 list, and -among them was the great Lucy, with her record of 2:18¼. Fifteen of his -sons became the sires of sixty-two trotters and three pacers, and four -of his daughters produced five trotters. It is hardly fair to compare -the stud services of a horse of Patchen’s generation with many of the -great sons of Hambletonian, but at the same time we must not forget that -Patchen was foaled the same year as Hambletonian. On the first of May, -1864, when Dan Pfifer was preparing him for the racing season then about -to open, he died of a rupture, just as his sire had died. - -GEORGE M. PATCHEN JR. (California Patchen) was a bay horse by the -foregoing; dam Belle by Top Bellfounder, a grandson of imported -Bellfounder, of which little is known. He was bred by Joseph Regan, Mount -Holly, New Jersey, and taken to California 1862 by William Hendrickson; -returned to New York 1866, sold to Messrs. Halstead, Poughkeepsie, 1867, -and by them to W. A. Matthews in 1869, and taken to San Jose, California; -then sold to P. A. Finnegan, of San Francisco, and died the property -of J. B. Haggin, Sacramento, 1887. He was campaigned quite extensively -during the years 1866 and 1867 in the East, and carried away a good share -of the winnings from the best. His best record was 2:27. In the stud he -was more successful than his sire, which may be accounted for by his -more numerous progeny and his longer life. From his own loins he put ten -trotters into the 2:30 list, and, although there was no Lucy among them, -Wells Fargo made a record of 2:18¾; Sam Purdy, 2:20½; Vanderlyn, 2:21, -etc., showing a better average than the get of his sire. Ten of his sons -got twenty-three trotters and two pacers, and eleven of his daughters -produced twenty-five trotters and three pacers. - -Several of the other sons of George M. Patchen left valuable and fast -trotting progeny, and among them I will name Godfrey Patchen, with nine -trotters to his credit and his descendants breeding on; Henry B. Patchen, -with seven to his credit; Seneca Patchen, with sixteen trotters and one -pacer to his credit, perhaps more than he is honestly entitled to; Wild -Wagoner, with four to his credit; and Tom Patchen with three and his -family transmitting speed. - -In considering the founders of the Clay family, there are two or three -important facts that should be kept in view, bearing upon the growth, or -the decadence of the family. In a breeding sense this appears to be the -longest line of _developed_ speed that we have in any of our trotting -families. While we know that there were developed trotters and pacers -many years before Abdallah and Andrew Jackson were foaled, we are not -able to connect them in lines of descent, generation after generation. -As Andrew Jackson with his developed speed stands at the head of this -line, the question naturally arises, Where did he get his ability to -trot? The only answer we can give is, from the daughter of Messenger that -was the grandam of his sire, and from the fast pacer, Charcoal Sal, that -produced him. Even if we accept the pedigree of Young Bashaw, with his -Messenger grandam, when we get to Andrew Jackson we are a long way from -the Messenger source of trotting speed; hence, we must look to the pacing -speed of his dam—Charcoal Sal from Ohio—as the more probable source. - -Andrew Jackson was bred upon the converted pacer Surrey, and produced -Henry Clay, then Henry Clay was bred upon Jersey Kate, of unknown blood, -but a producer of trotting speed, and produced Cassius M. Clay. Then -Cassius M. Clay was bred upon a mare “full of Messenger blood” and -produced Strader’s Cassius M. Clay—the best of the Clay name by the -record. Cassius M. Clay (the original) was also bred on “Dick Carman’s -mare” and produced the famous George M. Patchen. This Carman mare was by -a running-bred son of Trustee. She was both a pacer and a trotter and her -dam was a natural pacer. George M. Patchen was bred on the Regan mare -and produced California Patchen. This mare was, practically, of unknown -breeding. California Patchen was bred on Whiskey Jane and the produce -was his best son, Sam Purdy. This mare Whiskey Jane was quite a trotter -and she was undoubtedly pacing bred, but I will not here enter into the -details of her origin. - -We have here before us a condensed view of the trotting inheritance of -the Clay and the Patchen families from Andrew Jackson to Sam Purdy, and -its most remarkable feature is its poverty in recognized trotting blood. -On the maternal side, the pacing habit of action seems to prevail in -almost every succeeding generation. The second thought is that the tribe -has not held its vantage ground of the first and the longest line of -developed trotting speed. The third is that it has failed to transmit -speed with uniformity, but rather sporadically. This may be accounted -for by the general character and uncertainty of the maternal side, and -suggests the question whether animals so bred can be relied upon to -transmit with uniformity an inheritance received sporadically. From its -place in the first rank as to time and popularity, this family has not -been able to hold its own and it has declined to a place among the minor -families of trotters and bids fair to be absorbed by tribes of stronger -trotting inheritance. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -AMERICAN STAR, PILOT, CHAMPION, AND NORMAN FAMILIES. - - Seely’s American Star—His fictitious pedigree—Breeding - really unknown—A trotter of some merit—His stud career—His - daughters noted brood mares— Conklin’s American Star—Old Pacing - Pilot—History and probable origin —Pilot Jr.—Pedigree—Training - and races—Prepotency—Family statistics summarized—Grinnell’s - Champion, son of Almack—His sons and performing - descendants—Alexander’s Norman and his sire, the Morse Horse— - Swigert and Blackwood. - - -Of all the hundreds of difficult and obscure pedigrees that I have -undertaken to investigate and straighten out, I have given more time, -labor and money to that of Seely’s American Star than to any other -horse. In 1867 I got his pedigree from a gentleman in Morris County, -New Jersey, who claimed to have bred him, and this pedigree and the -history accompanying it embracing several details that were interesting, -I published it, at full length, in the _Spirit of the Times_. This -represented the horse as a light chestnut about fifteen hands high, with -star and snip and two white hind feet. He was represented to have been -foaled 1837 and to be by a horse called American Star, son of Cock of the -Rock, by Duroc; dam Sally Slouch by Henry, the race horse; grandam by -imported Messenger. As there was no horse of that name, so far as I knew, -by Cock of the Rock, but as there was one of that name by Duroc, I wrote -to know whether this was not the breeding of the sire, and the answer -came that it might have been so. - -After the appearance of this pedigree in the “Register” I was greatly -surprised that nobody believed it, and the more a horseman knew of the -horse and his history the more positive he was that it was a mistake. -Several years passed away, and while I kept insisting it was true, the -unbelievers became more persistent than ever in their opposition to the -pedigree. The consensus of the opinions of horsemen seemed to be that the -horse was part “Canuck,” and this was the view held by his owner, Edmund -Seely, as long as he lived. At last the following story came to me from -different responsible persons, all of whom were personally cognizant -of the facts they related, as follows: On a certain occasion a street -contractor had a force at work, grading with shovels and carts, near -the foot of Twenty-third Street, I think, New York City. Among the cart -horses there was a Canadian stallion and a frisky, high-strung bay mare -that wouldn’t work kindly. One day during the noon hour, the “boys” for -amusement brought this stallion and mare together and in due time the -mare proved to be with foal, and she was sent over to Jersey the next -spring. The foal she there dropped was Seely’s American Star. When I -asked to whom the mare had been sent to be taken care of, the answer came -back quickly naming the same man whom I had represented as the breeder. -As the contractor had no use for the colt, as a matter of course, the -keeper of the mare would take the colt for the keeping. There is nothing -unnatural nor unreasonable in this story, and it bears a pretty strong -resemblance to the way the dam of the famous George M. Patchen came into -the world. - -When the horse was four or five years old he began to show a fine -trotting step and he was sold to John Blauvelt, of New York, for a -driving horse. His feet not being strong, in the course of a year or two -he developed a couple of quarter cracks and he was sent back to the man -who raised him to be cured. In the winter of 1844-5 he was sold to Cyrus -Dubois, of Ulster County, New York, who kept him in the stud the seasons -of 1845, 1846 and 1847. His advertisement for the year 1847 reads as -follows: - - “American Star is a chestnut sorrel, eight years old on the - 11th day of April, 1847, near 16 hands high, etc.... He was - sired by the noted trotting horse Mingo, of Long Island, who - was got by old Eclipse. American Star’s dam, Lady Clinton, the - well-known trotting mare of New Jersey, was sired by Sir Henry.” - -Here we have the third pedigree of this horse, and now the question -arises, Where did this pedigree come from? Cyrus Dubois is dead, but -a living brother of his says this is the pedigree that Cyrus brought -with the horse from New Jersey. As this same quasi-breeder was the man -who delivered the horse to Dubois, the statement of the living brother -comes very near proving that the first and the third of the pedigrees -here given were the work of the same man. Again, in 1844, this same -quasi-breeder kept this horse at Warwick and New Milford, in Orange -County, New York, and nobody in that region seems to have ever heard of -either of these pedigrees. And again, this quasi-breeder wrote me that -after Edmund Seely had brought the horse to Goshen he went to see him, -and after fully identifying him as the same horse he had bred he gave the -pedigree to Mr. Seely as he had given it to me. If this be true it is a -very strange thing that Mr. Seely never seemed to know anything about -it, but persisted in giving the pedigree as by a Canadian horse and out -of a mare by Henry. Upon the whole, I long ago concluded that my first -and earliest correspondent on the question of American Star’s origin was -unfortunate in having a mental organization that placed him “long” on the -ideal, and “short” on the real. - -His stud services may be summarized as follows: In 1844 he was kept at -Warwick and New Milford, Orange County, New York. In 1845, 1846 and 1847 -he was in Ulster County, and on the borders of Orange. In 1848 and 1849 -he was at Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York. In 1850, 1851, 1852 and -1853 he was at Goshen and other points in Orange County. In 1854 he was -at Elmira, New York. In 1855, it is said on good authority, he was kept -ten miles below Hudson. Others say he was at Piermont, Rockland County, -that year. In 1856 he was at Mendota, Illinois. In 1857, 1859 and 1860 he -was again in Goshen. In February, 1861, he died at Goshen, the property -of Theodore Dusenbury. In Orange County his service fee ranged from ten -to twenty dollars, and at last twenty-five dollars, and he was liberally -patronized. An unusually large percentage of his foals were fillies, and -he was essentially a brood-mare sire from the start. Opinions differ very -widely among horsemen as to his capacity for speed, some maintaining that -he could trot in 2:35 while others insisted on placing him ten seconds -slower. In trying to harmonize these conflicting views it is probably -safe to conclude that, when fit, which seldom occurred in his whole life, -his speed was about 2:40. He was always a cripple from defective feet -and limbs, and his whole progeny were more or less subject to the same -troubles. - -He left four trotters that barely managed to get inside the 2:30 list -and eight sons that put sixteen inside of the list. But his strong point -was in the producing character of his daughters. Thirty-six of these -daughters left forty-five of their produce inside of 2:30. The disparity -in the producing power of the sexes in this family is very remarkable -and, in a breeding sense, very instructive. In the light of what has -been developed in this family in the past fifty years, we are certainly -ready to form a safe estimate of its value as a factor in the combination -that goes to make up a breed of trotters. Star mares gave us a Dexter -and a Nettie, and all the world thought that was the blood that was to -live on and on in the new breed. But, while Hambletonian was able to get -great trotters from Star mares, he was not able to get, through their -attenuated trotting inheritance, sons that would be as great as himself. -To his cover Star mares produced no such great sires as George Wilkes, -Electioneer, Egbert, Happy Medium, and Strathmore. In the instances of -Dictator and Aberdeen there was a reasonable measure of success, but all -the others—and there were many of them—proved comparative failures. There -is a lesson taught here that any one can interpret. - -AMERICAN STAR (CONKLIN’S) was a chestnut horse, foaled 1851, and got -by Seely’s American Star, and his dam has been variously represented, -with nothing established as to her blood. He was bred by a Mr. Randall, -of Orange County, and was among the first from his sire to attract -attention. He came into the hands of E. K. Conklin when young, and was -taken by him to Philadelphia, and was owned by him during his lifetime. -He gave early promise of making a trotter, and from 1865 to 1868 he was -on the turf, more or less, and left a record of 2:33. His stud services -were confined to the region of Philadelphia till the year 1872, when he -was taken back to Orange County and died there. Three of his get entered -the 2:30 list; two of his sons got one trotter each and four or five of -his daughters produced one each. - -At one time the name “American Star” was very popular, and quite a number -of stallions were so named that were bogus; but his son Magnolia put -two in the 2:30 list; one son got three trotters, and three daughters -produced five performers. His son Star of Catskill got two performers, -and his son King Pharaoh got four pacers and all of them fast. The family -has not grown strong either in numbers or in merit. It has been carried, -so far, by the influences of stronger blood, and it seems destined to -complete absorption and extinction in more potent strains. - -PILOT, the head of the Pilot family, was a black pacing horse, and of -later years he has been generally designated as “Old Pacing Pilot.” He -was foaled about 1826, and nothing is known of his origin or his blood. -From his make-up and appearance he was generally considered a Canadian, -as was the custom at that time, and I think I have used this term -myself in referring to the horse, but there is really no foundation for -crediting him to that source. The earliest information we have of him -is from an unpublished source, to the effect that he was well known to -certain sporting men about Covington, Kentucky. He next appears in New -Orleans, hitched to a peddler’s cart, but really looking for a match as -a green pacer. To promote this object, Major Dubois, a sporting man, was -taken into the confidence of his owner, and it is said the horse showed -him a mile in 2:26 with one hundred and sixty-five pounds on his back, -and the major bought him for one thousand dollars. In 1832 Dubois sold -him to Glasgow & Heinsohn, a livery stable firm of Louisville, Kentucky, -and he remained the property of that firm till he died, about 1855. It -has been asserted with some semblance of authority that he could trot as -well as pace, but this seems to be wholly apocryphal, and on this point I -am prepared to speak without hesitation or doubt. A large breeder in the -vicinity of Louisville, whom I have learned to trust implicitly, through -the intercourse of many years, has assured me repeatedly that he knew -the horse and his master well, and that he had seen him very often, for -years, that he would not trot, and that his master could not make him -trot a step. On the occasion of a very deep fall of snow he was taken out -to see whether that would not compel him to trot, and he went rolling and -tumbling about with no more gait than a hobbled hog. - -He left a numerous progeny, most of them pacers, with some trotters. We -know but little of their merits, as at that period pacing and trotting -races were carried on, generally, on guerrilla principles, and no records -kept, except at a few of the more prominent occasions. His fastest pacer, -probably, was Bear Grass, and there is a little history here that will -be interesting further on. My late friend, Edmund Pearce, had always, -from childhood, been a great admirer of the grand old saddle mare, Nancy -Taylor. She had been bred to Old Pilot and produced a colt foal, which -Mr. Pearce bought when young and named him Bear Grass. This was the -first piece of horseflesh he ever owned, and he didn’t think he had ever -owned a better one. He was amazingly fast, and could go away from all -competitors, but unfortunately an accident befell him that ended his -career before he reached maturity. Bear Grass had a half-sister called -Nancy Pope, being the daughter of Nancy Taylor, that was afterward bred -to Old Pilot, and she produced the famous Pilot Jr., that was the fastest -trotter from the loins of the old pacer. Pilot Jr. took the diagonal form -of the trot from his dam and never paced. It is worthy of noting that -Nancy Taylor and Nancy Pope—mother and daughter—produced old Pilot’s -fastest pacer and fastest trotter. - -PILOT JR. (ALEXANDER’S) was a grey horse, foaled 1844, “got by old Pacing -Pilot; dam Nancy Pope, grandam Nancy Taylor.” This is the literal version -of his pedigree as given by his first owners and as given by W. J. -Bradley and others who had him in charge year after year in the region of -Lexington, according to the different advertisements, and no change ever -appeared till the horse was bought and taken to Woodburn Farm. Then, for -the first time we learned that Nancy Pope was got by Havoc, thoroughbred -son of Sir Charles, and that Nancy Taylor was got by Alfred, an imported -horse. This was not the work of Mr. R. A. Alexander, an honorable man, -but the work of the professional pedigree manufacturer, who exploited -his inventive skill very widely through the early catalogues of that -great establishment. As a matter of historic fact, Pilot Jr.’s dam was -Nancy Pope, but nothing is known of her sire, and Nancy Pope was out of -Nancy Taylor, about whose pedigree nothing whatever is known. But as the -subject of Pilot Jr.’s pedigree is exhaustively treated in Chapter XXIX., -the details need not be further dealt with here. - -The training of Pilot Jr. commenced when he was five years old, and after -the close of his stud seasons he was kept at it, in a moderate way, -for several years, and it is said he never manifested any inclination -to strike a pace. He was engaged in some races, and his advertisement -claims he won several, giving the names of horses he had beaten, but the -time made seems to be carefully avoided. He could probably trot in about -2:50 or a little better. He and all his family, so far as I can learn, -were willful and hard to manage in their training, and were, therefore, -in danger of becoming unreliable, but they were fast for their day, and -dead game campaigners. There is one particular in which this horse seemed -to surpass nearly all others and that was in his power to eliminate the -running instinct and to plant the trotting instinct in his progeny from -running-bred mares. It is doubtless true that many of those mares, so -classed, were only running bred on paper; but the fact still remains, -and it is supported by a sufficient number of authentic instances, to -justify the conclusion that his potency in this direction was remarkable. - -During the troublous times of the war many of his early progeny were -lost or destroyed, but from his own loins he put eight performers in the -2:30 list and others not far away. Six of his sons became the sires of -forty-one performers, and eighteen of his daughters produced forty-one -performers. Although the official records do not show that Pilot Jr. -got any pacers, it is nevertheless true that he did get some very fast -ones. But when we get past the period when the pacer was considered a -bastard and kept out of sight, we meet with some astonishing facts. As an -example, take Miss Russell, the greatest of all the Pilots. First, she -produced a pacer that was changed to the diagonal instead of the lateral -step, and then stood for years as the champion trotter of the world. -Second, her son Nutwood has placed twenty pacers in the 2:30 list; her -son Mambrino Russell has placed five there, and her son Lord Russell has -placed five there. This brief and hasty exhibit of what the descendants -of Miss Russell are doing seems to upset all the laws of heredity, -provided always that her dam was a thoroughbred mare. The evidence that -the breeding of this reputed “thoroughbred” mare is wholly unknown is -considered in another part of this volume. - -In a few odd instances, in the male lines of descent from Pilot Jr., the -trotting and pacing instinct seem to be transmitted in stronger measure -than in any of the other minor families, but the day of its submersion is -not far distant. The survival of the fittest is the law of Nature. - -CHAMPION, the head of the Champion family, was a beautiful golden -chestnut, sixteen hands high and without marks. He was bred by George -Raynor, of Huntington, Long Island, and was foaled 1842. He was got by -Almack, son of Mambrino, by Messenger; dam Spirit, by Engineer Second, -son of Engineer, by Messenger, and sire of the famous Lady Suffolk. This -is enough Messenger blood to please the most fastidious, but I think -there was still more beyond the Engineer mare. When eighteen months old -this colt showed phenomenal speed when led behind a sulky, and when -three years old he was driven a full mile to harness in 3:05, a rate of -speed which, at that time had never been equaled by a colt of that age. -This made him “champion” as a three-year-old and William T. Porter named -him Champion. After this performance Mr. John Sniffin, a merchant of -Brooklyn, bought him, and in June, 1846, Mr. William R. Grinnell paid -two thousand six hundred dollars for him and took him to Cayuga County, -New York. After keeping Champion in that county till the close of the -season of 1849, Mr. Grinnell concluded to sell the horse, as in all that -time he had not covered one hundred mares. Mr. Grinnell complained that -the farmers did not appreciate the horse, and many of them failed to pay -for his services. But the fault was not all on the part of the farmers, -for the price, to them, was very high, and he was a very uncertain foal -getter. - -In April, 1850, he was sent to New York and kept in the stable of Mr. -Van Cott, on the Harlem road. He had been very badly handled, and Mr. -Van Cott says he had been abused and ill-treated, and when he came to -his place he was as vicious and savage as a wild beast. The horse was -kept there for sale, and in his daily exercise Mr. Van Cott says he could -“show considerably better than 2:40 at any time.” In 1851 he was sent -over to Jersey and kept for public use at a fee of fifty dollars, by -Samuel Taylor, at Newmarket, Metuchen, Boundbrook and Millstone. After -making three or four seasons in the region of Boundbrook, in the year -1854, Mr. Grinnell, who still owned him, sold him to Mr. James Harkness, -of St. Louis, Missouri, for about seven hundred and fifty dollars. On -reaching St. Louis he proved to be as dangerous as ever, and no man dared -to go into his stall, except Mr. Harkness and one assistant. In 1858 Mr. -Harkness sold him to Thomas T. Smith, of Independence, Missouri, for -one thousand dollars. He was there stolen by “jayhawkers” and taken to -Leavenworth, Kansas, where he made two seasons and died 1864. Although he -lived to be old, he left comparatively few colts, but a large proportion -of that few were of excellent quality and many of them trotters. - -CHAMPION (SCOBEY’S also known as King’s Champion) was the best son of -Grinnell’s Champion, the son of Almack, and he came out of a mare called -Bird, by Redbird, son of Billy Duroc. He was foaled 1849, and was bred -by Jesse M. Davis, then of Cayuga County, New York, and sold to David -King, of Northville, New York, and by him in 1861 to Mr. Kellogg, of -Battle Creek, Michigan. He was repurchased by Messrs. Backus, Scobey and -Burlew in August, 1865, and soon became the property of Mr. C. Scobey -and died his in May, 1874. It has been claimed this horse had speed and -a record of 2:42 in 1857, but I have no data to determine how fast he -was. From his own loins he put eight performers in the 2:30 list, two -of which were phenomenally fast, although their records do not show it. -Here I allude to Nettie Burlew and Sorrel Dapper, more generally known as -“The Auburn Horse.” The latter was a long, leggy, light chestnut, with a -tremendous stride, and Hiram Woodruff did not hesitate to say he was a -faster horse than Dexter. This Champion was a sire of excellent quality, -although but a few of his progeny were developed. He left six sons that -were the sires of forty-four trotters, and seven daughters that produced -nine performers. - -CHAMPION (GOODING’S) was a bright bay horse with black points, standing -fifteen and three-quarter hands high. He was got by Scobey’s Champion, -dam the trotting mare Cynthia, by Bartlett’s Turk, son of Weddle’s -imported Turk; grandam Fanny, by Scobey’s Black Prince; great-grandam -Bett, by Rockplanter, son of Duroc; great-great-grandam Kate, represented -to be a Messenger mare. He was foaled 1853, and was bred by Almeron Ott, -Cayuga County, New York, and traded to Mr. Stearns, from whom he passed -to his late owners, T. W. and W. Gooding, Ontario County, New York. He -died June, 1883. This horse was peddled about in Seneca County at a fee -of five dollars, and had a very light patronage among the farmers. At -last he was sold, with difficulty, at Canandaigua, for three hundred -dollars to the Messrs. Gooding, and he brought them a handsome income as -long as he lived. As his reputation as a sire of speed spread abroad, -the quality of the mares brought to him improved, and among them were -some with good trotting inheritance. Of his progeny, seventeen entered -the 2:30 list, the fastest in 2:21, and they were good campaigners. It -is a remarkable fact that only one of his sons proved himself a trotting -sire, and he left but a single representative. On the female side of the -house he was more successful, for six of his daughters produced seven -performers. - -CHARLEY B. was a bay horse, sixteen hands high, and was bred by Charles -Burlew, of Union Springs, New York. He was foaled 1869, and was got by -Scobey’s Champion, son of Champion, by Almack, and proved himself the -best son of his sire. He was out of a mare well known as “Old Jane” that -was the dam of Myrtle with a record of 2:25½. Several pedigrees have -been provided for this mare that did not prove reliable, and they were -all careful to endow her with plenty of Messenger blood. After searching -for the facts through some years, the only version of it that seemed -to be worthy of credence showed that her sire was a horse called Magnum -Bonum and there it ended. In his racing career this horse was started -sometimes under the name of “Lark.” He has six heats to his credit -in 2:30 and better, and a record of 2:25. From his own loins he has -twenty-two trotters in the 2:30 list. Considering the respectable number -this horse shows in the 2:30 list, his great nervous energy, his vigorous -constitution, and the number of years he was liberally patronized in -the stud, it is a most notable fact that he has but two sons that are -producers. Six of his daughters have produced. As a propagator of speed -in the coming generations, this horse seems to be even a greater failure -than his half-brother, Gooding’s Champion. - -NIGHT HAWK was a chestnut son of Grinnell’s Champion. He was bred by -John S. Van Kirk, of Newark, New Jersey, and his dam was by Sherman’s -Young Eclipse, son of American Eclipse. He was foaled 1855-6. In 1862 -Mr. Van Kirk took him to Kalamazoo, Michigan, thence to Paw Paw in 1872, -and in 1879 he was returned to Kalamazoo, owned by A. T. Tuthill. He -was something of a trotter, and had a record of 2:36, under the name of -Champion, when he was controlled by Mr. D. B. Hibbard, I think. He was -shown at a State fair, held at Lansing, on a poor half-mile track, it is -said, and trotted a mile in 2:31¼, and for this performance he received -a piece of plate from the society testifying to this fact. He has but -two representatives in the 2:30 list, and three of his sons have five -trotters to their credit, while six of his daughters have produced seven -performers. He lived to an old age. - -The merits and demerits of this family are very marked. The head of it -seems to have possessed great nerve force and an unmistakable instinct -to trot, but he was irritable and vicious in his temper. Both these -qualities—the desirable and the undesirable alike—he seems to have -transmitted to his offspring. I have seen Gooding’s Champion, and he had -the temper and disposition of his grandsire. It appears that the original -Champion was a shy breeder, and I am disposed to think he inherited this -infirmity from his sire, Almack, and whether the inability of his sons -and grandsons to get sires of trotters may be accounted for from this -cause would be a very difficult question to answer. There are several -others of this family, East and West, that have single representatives in -the 2:30 list, that I have not enumerated, but from the statistics, as -they now stand, it seems probable that whatever is good in this family -will be swallowed up in other tribes that are more prepotent and positive -in the trotting instinct. - -NORMAN, OR THE MORSE HORSE.—This horse was originally named “Norman,” but -in later years he was more generally and widely known as The Morse Horse. -His family is not large, but some of his descendants have shown great -speed and great racing qualities. His origin and breeding as given below -have resulted from a wide and laborious correspondence, and, I think, can -be accepted as trustworthy. He was bred by James McNitt, of Hartford, -Washington County, New York, who was a large farmer and distiller. He -was foaled 1834, got by European; dam Beck, by Harris’ Hambletonian; -grandam Mozza, by Peacock, son of imported Messenger. He was fifteen and -three-quarter hands high, a dark iron grey when young, and became white -with age. He had plenty of bone, was handsome and a natural trotter. -Something of the history of the animals entering into this pedigree is -important and I will try to give it in as brief form as possible. - -The breeder, Mr. McNitt, was in the habit of visiting Montreal at least -once a year with the products of his farm and his distillery. On one -occasion he brought back three horses with him, two “Canucks” and a very -elegant grey horse that he called European, that was evidently somewhat -advanced in years and was a little knee-sprung from the effects of -hard driving. The two “Canucks” were fast trotters, but European could -beat either of them. Mr. McNitt represented that this horse had been -imported into Canada from Normandy in France and doubtless he believed -it, but there were none of the French characteristics about him. He was -purchased in Montreal about 1829 and died in Washington County about -1836. The dam and grandam of the Morse Horse were bred by Mr. Joseph T. -Mills, of the town of Argyle, in Washington County. Beck, the dam, was -a bright bay mare about sixteen hands high. At weaning time Mr. Mills -sold her to Robert Stewart, of Greenwich, and at three years old he sold -her to Mr. McNitt. She was got by Harris’ Hambletonian, when he was -kept by John Williams, Jr. This is established quite satisfactorily and -circumstantially. Mozza, the dam of Beck, was a chestnut mare, without -marks, and was got by Peacock, a son of imported Messenger that was -owned by Mr. Emerson in Saratoga County and was afterward burned up in -his stable. This son of Messenger, called Peacock, was entirely new to -me when I was investigating this pedigree in 1876 and I was disposed -to reject it, but Mr. Mills certainly had a horse of that name and he -represented him to be a son of Messenger, and he probably was, but I do -not _know_ that he was so bred. - -Mr. McNitt sold the colt at three years old to Martin Stover, who lived -on his place, for eighty dollars; the next year Stover sold him to James -Mills. In 1840 Mills sold him to Mr. Tefft and Zack Adams, and they sold -him not long after to Philip Allen and Calvin Morse, of White Creek. Mr. -Morse had him a number of years and when old sold him to Mr. Grant, and -he died at Spiegletown in Renssalaer County, New York. He was a very -perfect, natural trotter, and his speed was developed to some extent. In -August, 1847 or 1848, Mr. Morse put him into the hands of John Case, of -Saratoga Springs, the driver of Lady Moscow, to prepare him for the State -Fair, at which he expected to meet the famous Black Hawk. Mr. J. L. D. -Eyclesheimer, a very intelligent gentleman, formerly of the region of -Saratoga, wrote that while the horse was in Case’s hands, he, with Mr. -Morse, timed him a full mile in 2:40½. At the State Fair he was all out -of fix and Black Hawk beat him in the second and third heats. He won the -first heat in 2:52½. In the rivalries between stallions at agricultural -fairs, however, is a very poor place to look for fair work and fair -judgment, either from the stand or from the spectators. - -GENERAL TAYLOR was a grey horse, foaled 1847, got by the Morse Horse, -dam the trotting mare Flora, a New York road mare of unknown breeding. -He was bred by the brothers Eyclesheimer, then of Pittstown, New York. -He was taken to Janesville, Wisconsin, 1850, and thence to California, -1854, where he trotted thirty miles against time in one hour forty-seven -minutes and fifty-nine seconds. He also beat New York a ten-mile race in -29:41½. This horse has no representative in the 2:30 list, but his blood -has always been very highly esteemed in California for its speed, but -more especially for its game qualities. Honest Ance was another son of -the Morse Horse that did a great deal of racing in California, although -he has no record in the 2:30 list. He was a chestnut gelding, and was -managed by the notorious Jim Eoff, who was always ready to win or to lose -as the money seemed to suggest. - -NORMAN (ALEXANDER’S) was a brown horse, foaled about 1846, got by the -Morse Horse, son of European; dam one of a pair of brown mares purchased -by John N. Slocum of Samuel Slocum, a Quaker of Leroy, Jefferson County, -New York, and represented to be by Magnum Bonum. These mares passed to -Mr. Russell, and from him to Titcomb & Waldron, who bred the better of -the two to the Morse Horse, and the produce was Alexander’s Norman. -This colt passed through several hands till he reached Henry L. Barker, -of Clinton, New York, and about 1860, he sold him to the late R. A. -Alexander, of Woodburn Farm, Kentucky. He died 1878. The original version -of this pedigree, as put upon Mr. Alexander and advertised by him, as -were many others, was wholly fictitious on the side of the dam. He -was not retained long at Woodburn Farm. He does not seem to have been -a uniform transmitter of speed, but when it did appear it was apt to -be of a high order. He left but two representatives in the 2:30 list, -Lula, 2:15, with fifty-six heats, and May Queen, 2:20, with twenty-five -heats. He left four sons that became the sires of fifty-eight performers -and thirteen daughters that produced nineteen performers. Such sons as -Swigert and Blackwood speak well for his transmitting powers. - -SWIGERT was a brown horse, foaled 1866, got by Alexander’s Norman, son of -the Morse Horse; dam Blandina, by Mambrino Chief; grandam the Burch Mare, -by Brown Pilot, son of Copper Bottom, pacer. He was bred at Woodburn -Farm, Kentucky, and when young became the property of Richard Richards, -of Racine, Wisconsin, where he remained many years and passed to F. J. -Ayres, of Burlington, Wisconsin. As a prepotent sire this horse stands -high in the list of great horses. This may be accounted for in great -part by the speed-producing qualities which he inherited from his dam. -I am not informed as to the amount of training he may have had, nor of -the rate of speed he may have been able to show. He placed forty-four -trotters and two pacers in the 2:30 list. Thirty-three of his sons became -the sires of sixty-one trotters and fourteen pacers. Twenty-three of his -daughters produced twenty-one trotters and six pacers. From the number -of his sons that have already shown their ability to get trotters, it is -fair to presume that his name will be perpetuated. He died in 1892. - -BLACKWOOD was a black horse, foaled 1866, got by Alexander’s Norman, son -of the Morse Horse; dam by Mambrino Chief; grandam a fast trotting dun -mare, brought from Ohio, pedigree unknown. He was bred by D. Swigert, -Spring Station, Kentucky, and foaled the property of Andrew Steele, of -Scott County, Kentucky. At five years old he was sold to John W. Conley, -and by him to Harrison Durkee, of New York, and was afterward owned at -Ticonderoga, New York. He made a record of 2:31 when three years old, -which, at that day, was considered phenomenal for a colt of that age. His -opportunities in the stud were not of the best, but nine of his progeny -entered the 2:30 list; eleven of his sons got twenty performers, and -twenty-five of his daughters produced thirty-seven performers. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE BLUE BULL AND OTHER MINOR FAMILIES. - - Blue Bull, the once leading sire—His lineage and history—His - family rank— The Cadmus family—Pocahontas—Smuggler—Tom - Rolfe—Young Rolfe and Nelson—The Tom Hal family—The various - Tom Hals—Brown Hal—The Kentucky Hunters—Flora Temple—Edwin - Forrest—The Drew Horse and his descendants—The Hiatogas. - - -BLUE BULL, the real head of this family, was one of the most remarkable -horses that this or any other country has produced. He was a light -chestnut, just a little over fifteen hands high, with one hind pastern -white and a star in his forehead. He was strongly built and his limbs -were excellent, except perhaps a little light just below the knee. He -was foaled 1858 and died July 11, 1880. He was bred by Elijah Stone, of -Stone’s Crossing, Johnson County, Indiana. For a time he was owned by -Lewis Loder and Daniel Dorrel, before he passed into the hands of James -Wilson, of Rushville, Indiana, who kept him many years and whose property -he died. At one time he stood at the head of the list of all trotting -sires in the world, and yet he could not trot a step himself, but he -could pace amazingly fast, and it was claimed he could pace a quarter in -thirty seconds. He was the first and only horse that was ever able to -snatch the scepter from the great Hambletonian family, but after a brief -reign of a couple of years he had to surrender it again to that family, -where, from present appearances, it is destined to remain. - -The breeding of this horse is very obscure, and after we have told all -that is known about it we will not have given very much information. -He was got by a large dun pacing horse that was known as Pruden’s Blue -Bull, and he by a blue roan horse known as Merring’s Blue Bull, or Ohio -Farmer. The latter was taken to Butler County, Ohio, from Chester County, -Pennsylvania, and it has been said, without confirmation, that he was of -Chester Ball stock. He was a large, strong farm horse, a natural pacer, -as were many of his progeny, and dun and roan colors were very prevalent -among them. He died the property of Mr. Merring about 1843. His son, -Pruden’s Blue Bull, was of a dun color and a natural pacer, but his dam -has never been traced. He was large, strong, rather coarse, and had some -reputation as a fast pacer, for a horse of his size, and his color was -quite prevalent among his progeny. He was bred in Butler County, Ohio, -and about 1853 was taken to Boone County, Kentucky. In 1861 he became the -property of G. B. Loder, of the same county, and in 1863 he traded him to -James Pruden, of Elizabethtown, Ohio. - -The pedigree of Wilson’s Blue Bull, the head of the family on the side -of the dam, is equally unsatisfactory so far as the blood elements are -concerned. We know that this dam was called Queen, that she was bred by -Elijah Stone, and that she was got by a horse called Young Selim, but we -know nothing about Young Selim. We also know that the dam of Queen was -called Bet, and that Mr. Stone bought her of Mr. Sedan, and there all -knowledge ends. Since the days of the great racing progenitor, Godolphin -Arabian, of whose origin and blood nobody, living or dead, had a single -shadow of knowledge, down to the day of Wilson’s Blue Bull, no horse -equally obscure in his inheritance has ever been able to prove himself -really great as a progenitor of speed. - -In the days of Blue Bull’s rising fame, and indeed till his death, there -was developed such a condition of muddled morals as one seldom meets with -in a lifetime. Whenever a horse of unknown breeding, in any one of three -or four States, began to show some speed, his owner at once called him -a Blue Bull, and if he went fast enough to enter the 2:30 list, he was -at once credited to Blue Bull by his friends, and they were all ready -to fight for it. If the books of Blue Bull’s services did not show that -the dam of the “unknown” had ever been within a hundred miles of that -horse, it was all the worse for the books. With a large number of men -interested financially in Blue Bull stock, ready to claim everything -in sight and anxiously looking for something more to appear, it became -a most laborious task to keep this class of frauds out of the records. -Another cause of dissent and dissatisfaction among the “boomers” of Blue -Bull blood was the final discovery of the breeder in Elijah Stone and -that there was no “thoroughbred” blood in his veins. At that time a very -large majority of the horsemen of the country honestly believed that all -speed, whether at the pace or the trot, must come from the gallop. It -was not the _truth_, therefore, that these people were looking for, but -something to support that ignorant and stupid theory. - -A careful study of the statistics of this horse will teach a valuable -lesson. He put fifty-six trotters into the 2:30 list, varying in speed -from 2:30 to 2:17¼, and five of this number in 2:20 or better. He also -got four pacers with records from 2:24½ to 2:16¼. It thus appears that -this horse, without any known trotting blood, got fifty-four trotters -to four pacers, which clearly shows that an inheritance of speed at the -pace may be transmitted at the trot, as well as the pace. When we come to -his progeny, we find that forty-seven of his sons have to their credit -one hundred and four performers, making an average of a little more -than two each. These sons are all past maturity and some of them dead -of old age, and not one of them has ever reached mediocrity in merit as -a sire. He left seventy-seven daughters that have produced one hundred -and seven performers, and if we had time to trace out these performers -we would find that they were generally by strains of blood stronger and -better than the blood of Blue Bull. While, therefore, we can acknowledge -Blue Bull’s greatness as a getter of speed from his own loins, we must -acknowledge that his sons and daughters as the producers of speed are -failures. It is possible that some representative of the tribe may -spring up and restore the prestige of the family, but as the source is -sporadic and as the country is filled up with trotting elements that are -more prepotent, it is more likely to be swallowed up and lose its family -identity. - -CADMUS (known as Irons’ Cadmus) was the head of a very small family that -occasionally developed phenomenal speed either at the pace or the trot. -He was a chestnut horse nearly sixteen hands high, strong and active, -with four white feet. He was foaled 1840 and was got by Cadmus, the -thoroughbred son of American Eclipse, and was bred by Goldsmith Coffein, -Red Lion, Warren County, Ohio. His dam was a chestnut pacing mare that -Mr. Coffein got in a trade, from a traveler, and nothing was ever known -of her breeding. A pedigree was shaped up for her that seemed to make -her thoroughbred and her son took a prize on it once, as a thoroughbred, -but it was wholly untrue. Mr. John Irons of the same county became joint -owner in this horse, and he became widely known as “Irons’ Cadmus.” To -close this partnership he was sold, 1850, and taken to Richmond, Indiana; -then to George Shepher, of Butler County, Ohio, and next to a company in -Wheeling, West Virginia, where he made two seasons, and was sold to St. -Louis, Missouri, and died without further service, in 1858. From birth -he was double-gaited, inclining more to the pace than to the trot. From -unskillful handling his gaits became mixed up so that it was never known -whether he might have been able to show any speed or not. - -Pocahontas, the pacer, was the most distinguished of his get, and if -there were no others of merit from her sire this one alone would be -sufficient to command a place in the volume. She was a large, strong -chestnut mare with four white legs, a white face, and a splotch of white -on her belly. She was bred by John C. Dine, of Butler County, Ohio, and -was foaled 1847. Her dam was a very strong mare got by Probasco’s Big -Shakespeare, a horse over sixteen hands and very heavily proportioned, -a very valuable farm horse with good action, many of whose tribe were -disposed to pace. The grandam was also a descendant of Valerius, that -was brought to Ohio from New Jersey. Pocahontas passed through several -hands at very low prices and was used for all kinds of heavy farming and -hauling until she reached the hands of L. D. Woodmansee, when her speed -began to be developed. She was soon matched against Ben Higdon, the fast -pacing son of Abdallah, and beat him in 2:32. In December, 1853, she was -taken to New Orleans, and beat several celebrities there early the next -spring. Before her last race it was discovered she was in foal, and some -two months afterward she dropped Tom Rolfe. In the autumn of 1854 she was -brought to the Union Course, Long Island, and it was not till June, 1855, -that her owners and managers could get a match with her. At last Hero, -the famous son of Harris’ Hambletonian, met her for two thousand dollars, -he to harness and she to wagon. In the first heat she distanced the -gelding in 2:17½, and it was maintained by her driver that she could have -gone at least five seconds faster, if it had been necessary. For racing -purposes she was no longer of any value, for nothing would start against -her. She was then sold and became a brood mare at Boston, Massachusetts, -and produced the sires Tom Rolfe and Strideway, Pocahontas, 2:26¾, and -the dams of May Morning, 2:30, and Nancy, 2:23½, thus ranking as a great -brood mare. - -Shanghai Mary, that has become so famous as the dam of Green Mountain -Maid, one of the very greatest of all brood mares, was probably a -daughter of this same horse, Cadmus. This mare, Shanghai Mary, was a -trotter of speed, not far from a 2:30 gait, and she won some races, but -she was hot-headed and unreliable. Notwithstanding continuous searches, -for years, her origin remained a profound mystery, until of recent date -certain facts point to Mr. Coffein as her breeder and Cadmus as her sire. -This has not been established historically, but when the circumstances -are understood and taken in connection with the internal evidences, which -are amazingly strong, and had been pointed out and applied to this sire -long before the recent developments, there remains hardly a moral doubt -that she was by Cadmus. The fact that this mare is the maternal grandam -of Electioneer, the greatest of all trotting sires to date, makes her -pedigree a matter of special interest, and for details of the various -investigations the reader is referred to _Wallace’s Monthly_, and to -Chapter XXIX. of this volume. - -Pocahontas seems to have produced but five foals that reached maturity: -1855, Tom Rolfe, of which hereafter; 1859, Young Pocahontas, by Ethan -Allen, a very fast trotter; 1860, May Queen, by Ethan Allen; 1861, May -Day, by Miles Standish; 1863 bay colt Strideway, by Black Hawk Telegraph. -This was a very fast and promising young horse, and doubtless would have -stood among the fastest stallions of his day, but he died on the very eve -of his public appearance on the trotting turf. - -TOM ROLFE had a checkered existence from his conception. His dam, -Pocahontas, was bred to Pugh’s Aratus, by Abraham Pierce, her then owner, -May 10, 1853, and ten days afterward she was sold without her new owner’s -knowing she had been bred. He was thus carried in his mother’s womb, -during her training and through her racing campaign in New Orleans, until -a little over two months of the time he was dropped. During most of this -period those handling the mare did not know she had been bred, and hence -the story that Tom was a “catch” colt. He was a bay, about fifteen hands -two inches high, and came to his speed with very little handling. In -private trials, it is said, he had frequently shown a mile in 2:23. While -on exhibition in a small ring at Dayton, Ohio, he met with an accident, -from which he was ever afterward a cripple. In this condition however, -he afterward made a record in 2:33½. His sire, Pugh’s Aratus, was a -large, handsome farm horse, sixteen hands two inches high, and weighing -one thousand three hundred pounds. He was got by Phares’ Aratus, out -of a fast pacing mare. There is no evidence whatever going to show that -Phares’ Aratus was a son of Aratus by Director. The type of the family -did not indicate the possession of any running blood. Tom Rolfe put four -trotters and three pacers, all with fast records, into the 2:30 list, and -three of his sons left twenty-nine performers. In the latter years of his -life he was sold by Mr. Woodmansee to Mr. Wesley P. Balch, of Boston, and -died 1877. - -YOUNG ROLFE was the best son of Tom Rolfe. He was a bay, foaled 1876, and -came out of Judith, by Draco, son of Young Morrill, and she out of Lady -Balch, by Rising Sun. He was bred by Wesley P. Balch, passed to C. H. -Nelson, of Maine, then back to John Sheppard of Boston, and died 1884, -when only eight years old. He was one of the best horses of his day, as -a race horse, and his early death was universally considered a great -loss to the breeding interests of the country. He has to his credit nine -representative trotters in the 2:30 list. - -NELSON, the great son of Young Rolfe, was bred and owned by G. H. -Nelson, Waterville, Maine. He is a bay horse, foaled 1882, and out of -Gretchen, the daughter of Gideon, by Hambletonian, 10, and she out of -the fast trotting mare Kate, by Vermont Black Hawk. This horse Gideon, -the son of Hambletonian, was, like his sire, very strongly inbred to old -Messenger, tracing through mares by Young Engineer and Young Commander, -both grandsons of Messenger, to the William Hunter mare, that was by -Messenger himself. When the pedigree of Nelson is compared with the -pedigree of Hambletonian, according to the rules of arithmetic, it may be -found to contain nearly or quite as much Messenger blood as Hambletonian -possessed, but, unfortunately, we know nothing of the trotting capacity -of the intervening mares. If we had a “One Eye” and a “Charles Kent -Mare” coming next to the William Hunter mare, we would have much greater -expectations. But, as it is, when we consider the superlative capacity of -Nelson himself, with his record of 2:09, and his nineteen trotters and -seven pacers already to his credit, it is probable he will found a large -and valuable family. - -Through his son Blanco, sire of Smuggler, we have another notable line to -Irons’ Cadmus. Smuggler was in his day the champion trotting stallion, -taking a record of 2:15¼ when owned by Colonel Russell, of Boston, -and driven by Charles Marvin, who after long and painstaking efforts -converted him from his natural gait, the pace, to the trot. Wearing -twenty-four ounces on each fore-foot to keep him at the trot, Smuggler -defeated all the best horses of his day, including Goldsmith Maid. He -was by Blanco, out of a pacing mare of unknown blood. As might have been -expected, he failed to found a great family, though fourteen of his get -are standard performers, and twelve of his sons and seventeen of his -daughters have produced thirty-eight performers. - -TOM HAL.—The original Tom Hal was taken to Kentucky, as early, probably, -as 1824, and as was the custom in those days, he was called a Canadian, -like all other pacing horses. The tradition is that Dr. Boswell got -him in Philadelphia and rode him home to Lexington, Kentucky. Another -statement is that he was taken to Kentucky by John T. Mason, and this -statement appears in the advertisement of the horse for the year 1828. -As the horse was in the hands of William L. Breckenridge that year, and -as his advertisement was practically a contemporaneous record, we must -give the preference to the Mason representation. He was a roan horse, as -I understand, a little over fifteen hands high, stout and stylish. He -was very smooth and pleasant in his gait and a very fast pacer. He was -for some time in the hands of Captain West, of Georgetown, Kentucky, and -then passed to Benjamin N. Shropshire, of Harrison County, and after some -years he died his property. - -BALD STOCKINGS, also known as Lail’s Tom Hal, was a chestnut horse with a -bald face and four white legs. He was foaled early in the “forties,” and -was got by the original Tom Hal, and his dam was by Chinn’s Copperbottom. -He was bred by Higgins Chinn, Harrison County, kept for a time by John -Lucas, and owned by Mr. Lail, of the same county. He was one of the -prominent links between the old and the new, and was a fast pacer. - -SORREL TOM was a son of Bald Stockings (Lail’s Tom Hal) and bore the same -color and markings. He was bred and owned by John Shawhan, of Harrison -County, Kentucky. His dam was a grey mare from Ohio, of unknown breeding. -He was kept at Falmouth, Indiana, the seasons of 1857 and 1858, and was -very widely known in that region as “Shawhan’s Tom Hal.” He was quite a -large horse, and to take the description as given him, “he could pace -like the wind.” He was then taken back to Kentucky, leaving a multitude -of good colts behind him, among them the famous pacing gelding, Hoosier -Tom, 2:19½. One of his Indiana sons passed into the hands of William -Gray, of Rush County, Indiana, and became known as Gray’s Tom Hal. -Nothing is known of the dam of this horse. He was the sire of Little -Gipsey, trotter, 2:22, and Limber Jack, pacer, 2:18½, besides six -daughters that produced nine performers. - -About 1863-4 Mr. Shropshire, Jr., a son of the owner of the original Tom -Hal, brought a little roan Tom Hal horse to Rushville, Indiana, where -he stood a number of years and was known as Shropshire’s Tom Hal. This -horse was probably by Lail’s Tom Hal, as he was too young to be by the -original of the name. He was a fast pacer, but nothing is known of his -progeny or history. The locating of this Indiana branch of the family is -of particular interest, for it shows a concentration of pacing blood that -was doubtless a strong reinforcement to Blue Bull. - -TOM HAL (KITTRELL’S) was a large bay horse and a pacer, bought by Major -M. B. Kittrell in 1850 of Simeon Kirtly, near Centerville, Bourbon -County, Kentucky, and taken to Middle Tennessee. His sire was represented -to have been a large pacing bay horse that was brought from Canada, -thereby implying that he was the original of the name, brought to -Kentucky. While it is possible that the original Mason horse may have -been the sire of Major Kittrell’s horse, the size and color of that horse -do not correspond with what has been accepted as facts. It is altogether -more probable that the sire of the Tennessee horse was a son of the -original Tom Hal, as the roan color seems to be strongly fixed in all -branches of the family. - -TOM HAL JR. (GIBSON’S) was a roan horse, foaled 1860. Got by Kittrell’s -Tom Hal; dam (bred by John Leonard), by Adam’s Stump, pacer; grandam -said to be by Cummings’ Whip, pacer. Bred by H. C. Saunders, Nashville, -Tennessee; kept a number of years by T. D. Moore, Petersburg, Tennessee, -afterward owned by Polk Bros. and Major Campbell Brown, of Springhill, -Tennessee. Adams’ Stump was a roan horse and a fast pacer and he -was not only the sire of Julia Johnson, the dam of this horse, but -also of the dam of Bonesetter. He died of old age, July, 1890. The -strong concentration of pacing blood in his veins gave him unusual -power in transmitting his inherited habit of action. He put fourteen -representatives in the 2:30 list, and what is unprecedented, they are all -pacers. - -BROWN HAL is a brown horse, as his name indicates, foaled 1879, got by -Gibson’s Tom Hal; dam the pacing mare Lizzie, the dam of the pacer Little -Brown Jug, by John Netherland, son of Henry Hal; grandam Blackie, by John -Hal, son of John Eaton; great-grandam Old March, by Young Conqueror. -Bred by R. H. Moore, Culleoka, Tennessee, passed to M. C. Campbell and -Campbell Brown, Springhill, Tennessee. Here we have a still stronger -intensification of the pacing instinct, for this horse not only has a -pacing record himself of 2:12½, but he put twenty of his progeny into the -standard list, and all of them pacers. It is not shown by the Year Book -that either this horse or his sire has any trotters to his credit, but it -can hardly be doubted that some of their progeny took naturally to the -diagonal trot, and not showing encouraging speed, were never developed. - -If the question were asked, “What is to result from this intensely pacing -family?” it would be very difficult to frame a satisfactory answer. At -present this family shows all the vigor of youth in its new development, -but, judging by others that have come and gone, it too, in its turn, will -be submerged in more prepotent strains, that will more nearly meet the -wants of their masters. The pacer has been lifted from obscurity and made -the equal of the trotter as a race horse; his blood has contributed to an -unknown extent in giving speed to the trotter, but he must be as good a -horse for all uses as the trotter, or nobody will want him. - -KENTUCKY HUNTER, the head of the family bearing this name that, at one -time, was very prominent in Central New York, was foaled 1822, and was -bred by Louis Sherrill of New Hartford, New York, and was got by Watkins’ -Highlander. His dam was a mare bought from a couple of dealers who were -passing through New Hartford with some six or seven horses for sale, and -they represented this mare to have been brought from Kentucky. On this -representation she was called “a Kentucky mare.” She was a fine saddle -mare and for this reason she was used chiefly for that service. From -her superiority as a saddler, I think it is safe to conclude she was -a pacer and could go the saddle gaits. Kentucky Hunter was a chestnut -horse, a little above medium size. Mr. Sherrill sold him when young to -Messrs. Bagg and Goodrich who kept him two years and sold him to William -Ferguson, of Oriskany Falls, New York, and Mr. Ferguson continued to own -him till he died in 1838. - -During the lifetime of this horse the pacing gait was considered an -evidence of bad breeding, and this prejudice has continued for many -years. The saddle was going out of use and wheels were coming in. After -Flora Temple electrified the trotting world, writers had a great deal -to say of her origin and family, but no one ever intimated that her -grandsire was a pacer. From sources that I have no reason to doubt, -I have been informed he was not only a pacer, but a fast pacer. This -habit of action was not popular with breeders, and Mr. Ferguson kept it -concealed as much as possible. When the pacer, Oneida Chief, from his own -loins, was beating Lady Suffolk, three miles in 7:44, to saddle, and many -of the other cracks of that day, his sire was dead and nothing was then -to be made by proclaiming from the housetops that Oneida Chief was by old -Kentucky Hunter. - -Very little is known of Watkins’ Highlander, the sire of this horse. -He was brought to Whitestown, New York, 1821, by Julius Watkins, from -Connecticut. Some of the older men who knew the horse insist that Mr. -Watkins represented him to be by a son of imported Messenger, and out -of Nancy Dawson by imported Brown Highlander. This is possible, indeed -probable, but it is not established. - -BOGUS HUNTER was one of the younger sons of Kentucky Hunter. He was a -chestnut horse of good size and came out of a mare by Bogus. But little -is known of this horse, and that little is rendered still more uncertain -by the unreliable character of his owners, the Loomis brothers, of -Sangerfield, New York. It is certain, however, that a horse owned by the -Loomises and called by this name was the sire of the famous world beater, -Flora Temple. This fact rests upon the testimony of Mr. Samuel Welch, -a reputable and trustworthy man who owned the dam of Flora and had her -coupled with this horse, under his own eye. - -EDWIN FORREST, the most prominent representative of this family, was a -large and rather loosely made bay horse, foaled 1851, got by Young Bay -Kentucky Hunter, son of Bay Kentucky Hunter, that was by the original -Kentucky Hunter. His dam, Doll, bred by Mrs. Crane, of Whitestown, Oneida -County, New York, was by Watkins’ Highlander; grandam a chestnut mare -owned in the Crane family, by Black River Messenger, son of Ogden’s -Messenger. The identification of this grandson of imported Messenger was -secured after the appearance of the fifth volume of the “Register.” This -same mare, Doll, the next year produced Wamock’s Highland Messenger, -that was taken to Kentucky, and was a valuable element in the road-horse -blood of that State. Edwin Forrest was bred by Barnes Davis, Oneida, -Madison County; owned two years by H. L. Barker, of Clinton, New York, -sold to Marcus Downing, of Kentucky, by him to Woodburn Farm, and after -a time he passed to a company at Keokuk, Iowa, and then to George W. -Ferguson, of Marshalltown, Iowa, where he was burned up in 1874. - -It has been said this horse was a pacer and converted to a trotter, -but this does not seem to be sustained by the facts. He was shown as -a three-year-old at the Oneida County Fair, and he was then a square -natural trotter and was considered very fast, for he was fully able to -distance all the other colts of his age. The story of his being a pacer -probably grew out of the fact that there was a strong pacing strain in -the family, as the original Kentucky Hunter was undoubtedly a pacer. Many -of the Kentucky Hunters were speedy travelers and a few of them were -fast. Black River Messenger was a horse of very wide local reputation -for the superiority of his progeny as rapid travelers. The union of the -Messenger blood with pacing blood produced excellent results in this, as -well as in thousands of other cases. As was the common usage before the -establishment of the “Trotting Register,” this horse was advertised with -two fictitious crosses added to his pedigree—his grandam was given as -by Duroc, and his great-grandam as by imported Messenger. Only two from -his loins were able to enter the 2:30 list; six of his sons got seven -performers and twelve of his daughters produced fifteen trotters. - -SKENANDOAH (afterward called Kentucky Hunter) was a bay horse, foaled -1854, got by Brokenlegged Hunter, son of the original Kentucky Hunter; -dam not clearly established. He was bred by Mr. Sykes, near Canastota, -and passed through several hands to Henry Dewey, of Morrisville, New -York, who trotted him in a number of races in Central New York and then -took him to California, where he was kept in the stud a number of years -under the name of Kentucky Hunter, and died there 1871. He got one -trotter; one son that left two performers and seven daughters that left -nine performers. - -DREW HORSE, commonly called “Old Drew,” was a brown bay horse, foaled -1842, and was about fifteen and one-quarter hands high and well-formed. -He was bred, or rather raised, by Hiram Drew, then of Exeter, Maine, -who kept him all his life. The story of his supposed sire was one of -those weakly devised fictions, so common in that day, and especially -where the Canadian border could be made effective in rounding it out. -To show that the mysterious colt that became the sire of Drew Horse was -“thoroughbred,” the stereotyped “British Army officer” is made available, -for the hundredth time, as having brought a mare from England in foal to -a thoroughbred horse, the foal was dropped and at three years old he was -traded by the aforesaid “officer” to the party that brought the colt to -Maine. Unfortunately for the story, the party who made the trade and the -story had a bad memory, and sometimes he located the trade at St. Johns -and sometimes at Fredericton, New Brunswick. But the fiction served its -generation and was not exposed till long after the Drew Horse was dead. -The facts in the matter seem to be simply these: a stallion colt was -running in a pasture adjoining Mr. Drew’s pasture, and that colt got over -the fence, was found with Mr. Drew’s mare, and in due time she dropped -the colt known as the “Drew Horse.” The fence-breaker was soon after made -a gelding and sold, and nothing is known of him, either before or after -this escapade. The dam of the Drew Horse was a bay mare about fifteen -and one-half hands high, foaled about 1836, and bred by Mark Pease, of -Jackson, Maine. Her sire was called Sir Henry and was represented to be -by a son of American Eclipse, that was taken to Maine from Connecticut -by Dr. Brewster and sold to General F. W. Lander. She was known as Grace -Darling and afterward as Boston Girl. She was on the turf and was quite -a trotter, and it is claimed she made a record of 2:37, and her dam was -Lady Jane by Winthrop Messenger. While I don’t know what the inheritance -of this horse was on the side of his sire, I do know that he had a -trotting inheritance on the side of his dam. He lived till 1866 and then -had to be destroyed on account of a broken leg. - -This horse was never trained, and it is not known what he might have been -able to do as a trotter. He put two of his sons in the 2:30 list, Dirigo -and General McClellan. Of his sons, two put five trotters and three -pacers in the list, and of his daughters left six representatives there. -Besides these he left a number of others with records a little short of -the limit of speed, and many without records that were fast and very game -roadsters. - -DIRIGO, at first called George B. McClellan, under which name he made -his record, was the best son of Drew Horse. He was a brown horse, and in -appearance much like his sire. He was foaled 1856 and came out of a mare -that has not been traced, but was doubtless a pacing mare. He was bred by -Horace McKinney, Monroe, Maine, and passed to David Quimby, of Corinna, -Maine, and died 1884. He made his record of 2:29 in a single heat and -never was on the track again. Four trotters and two pacers by him entered -the 2:30 list. Two of his sons became the sires of three trotters, and -five of his daughters each produced a performer. He left others with and -without records that were fast and stylish drivers. - -HIRAM DREW, at first called Bay Morgan, was a son of Old Drew, and -his dam was a small bay mare, owned near Bangor and said to be of -Morgan blood. This horse was on the turf some years and was engaged in -some locally important contests, but never was able to make himself -standard either by his own or the performances of his progeny. His best -performance, I believe, was 2:31½. - -WINTHROP was a bay horse, foaled 1864, got by Drew Horse; dam by the Eton -Horse and grandam by Stone or Simpson’s Messenger. He was bred by E. J. -Greene, Newport, Maine; taken to California 1870, and there owned by -Judge W. E. Greens and L. E. Yates, of Stockton. It does not appear that -he ever was trained, and consequently has no record. His opportunities, -probably, were not very great, but whether or not, he was not successful -in the stud. He left one trotter and one pacer and the dams of one -trotter and one pacer. - -This family never was large, and its popularity was up and down just as -a few individuals might be successful or unsuccessful on the turf. To -start with, it had a very weak inheritance of trotting instinct, and -that weakness did not strengthen in succeeding generations. Of late -years it has failed to maintain itself as a trotting family, and is now -practically out of the reckoning of trotters. - -HIATOGA, generally known as Rice’s Hiatoga, was a bay pacing horse and -was bred in Rockingham County, Virginia, and taken to Fairfield County, -Ohio, by Edward Rice, some time about 1836. He had the reputation of -being a fast pacer, and was sold to William Shiruo, of the same county, -and by him to William Munger, in whose possession he died. He was got by -a horse known in Virginia as Hiatoga, and also American Hiatoga, but -nothing is known of the blood of his dam. Nothing is known of his speed -or his progeny except through the two sons here given. - -Hiatoga, generally designated as “Old Togue,” was got by Rice’s Hiatoga; -dam by Thunderbolt, grandam by Black or Bold Rover. He was foaled 1843 -and was bred by David W. Brown, of Perry County, Ohio; sold 1849 to John -Joseph, Kirkersville, Ohio, where he made some seasons and was sold 1855 -to Alvah Perry, Lancaster, where he remained till 1863, and was sold to -Harvey Wilson, and two years later to William McDonald, Columbus, Ohio, -where he died 1871. This horse left excellent stock and many of them fast -pacers, but they never cut much figure on the turf. - -HIATOGA (HANLEY’S) was a bay pacing horse of good size and quality and -was very popular as a sire. He was foaled 1849, got by Rice’s Hiatoga; -dam an elegant bay mare sixteen hands high and represented to be of “Sir -Peter and Eclipse blood.” This mare was formerly given as by Firetail, -but the present rendering, whatever it may mean, comes from sources with -opportunities to know. He was bred by John Bright, of Fairfield County, -sold to Joseph Watt, and taken to Harrison County and then to Jefferson -County, and sold to James Davis Tweed. He next passed through the hands -of David Rittenhouse and Moses Hanley, of Hopedale, Ohio, and after three -or four years in the stud Mr. Hanley sold him to David Rittenhouse, -John Wiley and Samuel Hanley for two thousand five hundred dollars, and -he died the property of Mr. Rittenhouse near Hopedale, Ohio, 1858. Two -of his progeny entered the 2:30 list; three of his sons left thirteen -performers, and three daughters produced five. - -HIATOGA (SCOTT’S) was a bay pacer foaled 1858, got by Hanley’s Hiatoga; -dam by Blind Tuckahoe (pacer); grandam by Consul. This horse was quite -fast and paced under the name of Tuscarawas Chief. He was the best of -the family and was bred and owned by Samuel Scott, East Springfield, -Jefferson County, Ohio. He put five trotters and four pacers in the 2:30 -list; seven of his sons and seventeen of his daughters were producers. - -The Hiatoga family seems to have no trotting inheritance except from the -pacer. It is a useful family and still has vitality. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE BLACK HAWK OR MORGAN FAMILY. - - Characteristics of the Morgans—History of the original - Morgan—The fabled pedigree—The true Briton theory—Justin - Morgan’s breeding hopelessly unknown—Sherman Morgan—Black - Hawk—His disputed paternity—His dam called a Narragansett—Ethan - Allen—His great beauty, speed and popularity—The Flying Morgan - claim baseless—His dam of unknown blood—His great race with - Dexter—Daniel Lambert, the only successful sire of the Black - Hawk line. - - -Fifty years ago there was no family of horses so popular as the -“Morgans.” They were carried into all parts of the country at high prices -and they gave their purchasers general satisfaction. They were small, -perhaps not averaging over fourteen and a half hands high, but compact, -trappy movers and had most excellent dispositions. Many of them were -ideal roadsters, where speed was not in great demand, for they were -kindly, tractable and always on their courage. Many of them carried -themselves in excellent style, and notwithstanding their diminutive size, -it is not probable we will ever again see a better tribe of every-day, -family horses. In all their outline and in every lineament they were the -very opposite of the blood horse, and when bred on any strain outside -of their own family, they almost universally failed to impress their -own characteristics on their progeny. This failure I observed with deep -regret more than forty years ago. The step could be extended and the -speed increased by crossing with the long striders, but in securing this -we lost the Morgan. In advance of their general distribution they had -the misfortune to be heralded as great trotters, and in this respect, -at least, they failed of meeting expectations. They went, largely, into -the hands of inexperienced men, who knew nothing about how to cultivate -speed, and the little, short, quick steps of their new trotters gave -them all the sensations of going fast, without the danger incident -to rapid traveling. In regard to the matter of speed, through the -overzealous and not too conscientious editors and others to say nothing -of the advertisements of those who had them for sale, they suffered -greatly by too much praise. The result is that the original type has -been extinguished, and it is doubtful whether a fair specimen could be -found, even among the mountains of New England. Next to the injury which -the family sustained from the exaggerated claims of speed put forward -by its too sanguine friends, there was another and even greater injury -from the absurd and foolish claims made for his blood. It is impossible -to make a thinking and sensible man believe that a little hairy-legged -“nubbin” of a pony, weighing eight hundred and fifty pounds, hired for -fifteen dollars a year to drag logs together in a clearing, at which -employment he was a great success, had the blood of the race horse in his -veins. This was always a stumbling block to my immature enthusiasm for -the Morgan horse. From an experience of a great many years and from the -developments of horse history during that time, I find the “stumbling -block” no longer worries me, for it has rotted away and disappeared. -Although the family has ceased to exist as a factor in current horse -history, it had a history in the past; and, as a historian, I must -consider its origin as well as the deeds it has accomplished or failed to -accomplish. - -Mr. Justin Morgan, the central figure in this investigation, was born -in West Springfield, 1747, where he married and lived till 1788, when -he removed to Randolph, Vermont, where he died, March, 1798. He was a -reputable citizen, fairly well educated for his time, and taught school -for a living. He owned a house and lot in his native town, where he kept -a wayside house of entertainment, and during the early summer he usually -had a stallion to keep on the shares. In the spring of 1785 he had charge -of the horse True Briton, or Beautiful Bay, and I will here add that -three years later, John Morgan, Jr., had charge of the same horse at -Springfield, for the seasons of 1788 and 1789. This John Morgan, Jr., -removed to Lima, New York, late in 1790 or early in 1791. Justin had sold -his place in West Springfield to Abner Morgan, on long payments, and in -the summer of 1795 he came back to West Springfield to collect some money -that was due him, presumably on the price of his former home, but he -failed to get money and took two colts instead. One was a three-year-old -gelding and the other was a two-year-old bay colt, entire. He led the -three-year-old with a halter and the two-year-old followed. The date -of this visit to the old home is the key to the main question to be -settled, and it is fixed by Justin Morgan, Jr., then a lad of the right -age to remember such things, and by Soloman Steele and Judge Griswold, -who fix the date in the late summer of 1795. The horse was sold and -resold and sold again, as a foal of 1793, and that date never left him -till he died in 1821. I look upon this date as perfectly immovable, and -every attempt that has been made to overthrow it has not been based on -any reasonable evidence, nor prompted by a desire to get at the truth, -but only to make a fictitious sire a possibility. This was the original -Morgan Horse, and this date was thoroughly fixed by Linsley, without -knowing that it upset the pedigree he had labored so hard to establish. -After a lapse of fifty years an attempt was made to fix up a pedigree for -the “Original Morgan Horse,” claiming that he was got by True Briton or -Beautiful Bay—represented to be a great race horse, stolen from the great -race horse man, Colonel De Lancey, in the Revolutionary War. I must, -therefore, consider, briefly, this part of the fiction. - -First—As a starting point in the pedigree, it is assumed that the -race-horse in question was stolen, during the War of the Revolution, from -James De Lancey, perhaps the largest and most widely known of all the -colonial horsemen of that day. He was the first man to import race horses -into this colony, and his name and the fame of his horses were discussed -everywhere. He was very rich, in politics a Tory, and on the eve of -hostilities he sold out every horse he owned, of whatever description, -went back to England and never returned. This disposes of the false -assumption that the sire of the original Morgan horse was stolen from him. - -Second—There was another James De Lancey, cousin to the preceding, and -not a rich man, who was colonel of a body of Tory cavalry operating in -Westchester County from 1777 to the close of the war in 1782. It is not -known whether he ever owned a race horse in his life, but it is certain -he was a dashing fighter, and at the head of the cowboys he was known to -the inhabitants of all that region. His name is not to be found anywhere -in connection with horses. He bore, in full, the same name as the -distinguished horseman, and was mistaken for him, although he was on the -other side of the ocean. - -Third—It is claimed that “one Smith” stole the horse in question from -Colonel De Lancey and sold him to Mr. Ward, of Hartford, Connecticut, who -kept him a few years and sold him to Selah Norton, of the same place, -and remained his till he died. Who was this “one Smith” and where did he -belong? Where is the evidence that this “one Smith” stole a horse from -Colonel De Lancey? - -Fourth—In the New York _Packet_, then published at Fishkill, under date -of October 19, 1780, we find the following: “Last week Lieutenant Wright -Carpenter and two others went down to Colonel James De Lancey’s quarters -and lay in wait for his appearance. He accordingly came and having tied -his horse at the door, went into the house; upon which Carpenter seized -the horse and mounted. When De Lancey discovered him, he immediately -alarmed his men, who pursued him to White Plains, but in vain,” etc., -etc. This Lieutenant Carpenter was a dashing young fellow and was -promoted next month to the position of first lieutenant in Captain Lyons’ -company, of the Second Regiment of New York Militia, of Westchester -County, and still commanded by Colonel Thomas. This is the man who stole -the horse, this is the contemporaneous evidence of it, and “one Smith” -had nothing to do with it. - -In these four points we have what may be considered the first chapter -of this investigation and, as will be readily seen, each of them must -be fatal to the pretentious claim that has been maintained for about a -hundred years. Avoiding all circumlocution, I think it is safe to say -that this so-called pedigree did not originate this side of Hartford. The -Second Regiment of New York Militia, called “The Skinners,” was made up -of Westchester County men, and as Colonel De Lancey had been sheriff of -that county, everybody knew him and knew that he was not the race horse -James. We must, therefore, look further on for the time when and the -person by whom this pedigree was manufactured. - -In 1784 this horse was advertised at Lanesboro, Massachusetts, under the -name of Beautiful Bay, and no attempt was made to give a pedigree or -origin of the horse. - -In 1785 he was at West Springfield, Massachusetts, in charge of Justin -Morgan, still called Beautiful Bay, and still no pedigree. - -In 1788 and 1789 he was in charge of John Morgan, Jr., of Springfield, -Massachusetts, and here, for the first time, he is designated as “the -famous full-blooded English horse, called True Briton or Beautiful Bay,” -but no pedigree is given. - -In 1791 he was advertised at East Hartford, Connecticut, by his owner, -Selah Norton, and his pedigree is here given for the first time as -follows: “True Briton, or Beautiful Bay, got by imported Traveler, dam De -Lancey’s racer.” After advertising the horse for seven years without a -pedigree, at last Mr. Selah Norton manufactures one and gives it over his -own signature. - -In 1793 he is again called Beautiful Bay, but no pedigree, at South -Hadley, Massachusetts. - -In 1794 and 1795 he was kept at Ashfield, Massachusetts, by Mr. Norton -himself, and called Traveler, and his pedigree is again given in amended -form as follows: “Sired by the famous old Traveler, imported from -Ireland, dam Colonel De Lancey’s imported racer.” - -This is the last trace we have of the horse Beautiful Bay, for that -seems to be his honest name, and now I must ask some questions. These -advertisements cover a period of eleven years and they are worthy of -careful study. From 1784 to 1791 there is no attempt at giving any -pedigree at all. With the exception of three seasons he seems to have -been let, probably on shares, to different keepers, in different parts -of the country. From first to last Selah Norton seems to have been his -owner. If he had received the pedigree, and the romantic story of his -theft, from “one Smith,” as claimed, is it conceivable that he would have -concealed that story from the public when it would have added so much to -the patronage of his horse? How does it come that not a single man having -this stallion in charge, except Selah Norton himself, ever gave his -pedigree? What prompted Selah Norton to withdraw the horse from public -service, in Hartford, immediately after he first gave his pedigree? Was -it because everybody there knew it was a fraud? When the horse was taken -to South Hadley in 1793, why did his keeper there refuse to accept either -the name True Briton or the new pedigree? It will be observed he was -advertised there simply as Beautiful Bay and no pedigree given. The next -two years we find him at Ashfield, Massachusetts, to which point it would -seem his owner had removed from Hartford. For some reason that can be -better imagined than explained, the names Beautiful Bay and True Briton -are there dropped and he is rechristened as Traveler. To this change of -name the old pedigree is attached, with a very important change in that -also, as follows: “Sired by famous old Traveler, imported from Ireland, -dam Colonel De Lancey’s imported racer.” These three words, “imported -from Ireland,” are very important in two particulars, for they not only -knock out the “featherheads” who have been always maintaining that the -imported Traveler meant Lloyd’s Traveler of New Jersey, son of Morton’s -Traveler, that was imported from Yorkshire into Virginia about 1750, -but it convicts Selah Norton of inventing this pedigree, for there was -no such horse brought from Ireland. It is certainly unnecessary to say -another word in illustration of Selah Norton’s character. When we study -these advertisements it becomes as clear as the light of day that nobody -believed him or the story that “one Smith” stole the horse from Colonel -De Lancey. The crimes of horse stealing and desertion were exceedingly -common during the period of the revolution and it is quite possible that -“one Smith” may have stolen a horse out of somebody’s stable and sold him -to Mr. Ward or Mr. Norton as the same horse that Lieutenant Carpenter -stole from Colonel De Lancey, but neither “one Smith” nor “one Norton” -knew anything more about his pedigree than he did about the man in the -moon, and I will here end the second chapter of this investigation. - -I am clearly of the opinion that Justin Morgan was an honest man and that -he would not tell a lie, even if he knew it might accrue to his present -and personal advantage. He was poor, feeble in health, and had hard -scuffling to get along. As a means of livelihood, in part at least, it -seems to have been his business for a good many years to keep stallions -on shares for different owners. As late as 1795 he had a horse from -Hartford, Connecticut, called Figure, to which we will refer later on. -In 1788 he sold his little place in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and -removed to Randolph, Vermont, where he died in March, 1798 In the autumn -of 1795 he visited West Springfield again, for the purpose of collecting -some money that was still due him there, probably some deferred payments -of his former home, and as he was not able to get the money he took two -horses in lieu thereof. One was a three-year-old gelding, and the other -was a two-year-old bay colt, entire. He led the gelding beside the horse -he was riding and the colt followed all the way. The evidence that fixes -the date of this trip in the autumn of 1795 and the age of the colt that -followed seems to me to be completely bomb-proof. This evidence not only -embraces the recollections of Justin Morgan’s neighbors, but when he died -the colt, in 1798, was sold by his administrators as a five-year-old. In -all the changes of ownership that took place through his life and at his -death, in 1821, he was represented as foaled in 1793. He died from the -effects of a kick that was neglected, and not from old age. - -The only serious attempt that has been made to controvert the date -of 1793 was that made in the name of John Morgan, of Lima, New York, -in 1842, he being then eighty years old, in the Albany _Cultivator_. -Unfortunately the editor fails to publish the letter he professes to -have received from John Morgan and only gives his construction of it, -which any child knows is no evidence at all. The editor represents him -to say “that the two-year-old stud which he (Justin) took with him to -Vermont was sired by a horse owned by Selah Norton, of East Hartford, -Connecticut, called True Briton or Beautiful Bay.” Justin Morgan removed -to Randolph, Vermont, in the spring of 1788, and this John Morgan removed -to Lima, New York, about February, 1790. They were not brothers, but -distant relatives. If John means to say that Justin “took with him” when -he removed to Vermont a two-year-old son of Beautiful Bay, that colt must -have been foaled in 1786, which would make him twelve years old instead -of five when he was sold upon the death of his owner, and thirty-six -years old instead of twenty-nine when he died from a kick. Now, if we -concede that Justin did take with him a two-year-old son of Beautiful -Bay, the dates render it impossible that he should have been the founder -of the Morgan horse family and we have no trace of him whatever. - -Another authority has very recently come to the front, and in order to -avoid the difficulty of dates and still retain the possibility of the -horse being by Beautiful Bay, insists that he was foaled 1789 and bred -by Justin Morgan himself. Under this new light he was foaled in Vermont -and didn’t have to travel there at all. He insists further that he named -the horse Figure and kept him in the stud till his death in March, 1798, -when the horse was sold and his name changed to Justin Morgan. It is -true that Justin Morgan, still seeking to make a living, kept a stallion -two or three years owned in Hartford, Connecticut, and advertised him as -“the famous horse Figure, from Hartford.” Now, if this horse was foaled -the property of Justin Morgan and owned by him as long as he lived, why -should he advertise him as “from Hartford?” All these efforts to fix -dates by shifting about so as to make it possible for the bogus stolen -horse to come in as a sire, have already received more attention than -their importance demands and I will therefore call this the close of the -third chapter. - -There are several incidents connected with the life of the colt of 1793 -that fixed his identity and age upon the recollections of the neighbors -and friends of Justin Morgan. Solomon Steele, Evans, Rice and others who -knew the colt well, all agree that the colt followed his companion and -playmate from West Springfield to Randolph in the autumn of 1795 and -that he was not then halter broken. They all agree that Evans hired him -for fifteen dollars a year to draw logs in his clearing, in the place of -a yoke of oxen. They all agree that Justin Morgan died in March, 1798, -and that the colt was then sold as a five-year-old. The death was an -immovable date fixer around which everything in connection with these -events must be determined. And when the horse died in 1821 nobody had -ever doubted that he was foaled 1793. - -Justin Morgan, Jr., was in his tenth year when the colt was brought home, -and he was twelve years old when his father died. In 1842 Justin Morgan, -Jr., in a communication to the Albany _Cultivator_, says: “One was a -three-year-old gelding colt, which he led; and the other a two-year-old -stud colt, which followed all the way from Springfield. The said -two-year-old colt was the same that has since been known all over New -England by the name of the Morgan Horse. I know that my father always, -while he lived, called him a Dutch horse. I have a perfect recollection -of the horse when my father owned him and afterward, and well remember -that my father always spoke of him as of the best blood.” - -When he made these clean-cut and emphatic declarations Justin Morgan, -Jr., was fifty-six years old, and it has been suggested that he was too -young, at the time, to have remembered about the colt. This is a grave -mistake, for farmer’s boys remember a thousand things better then than -they ever do afterward. I don’t think that my own memory is remarkable, -but today, at over three score and ten, I can, with the utmost -distinctness, recall the names, color, markings, size, peculiarities -and, in some cases, the history of most of the horses that were on the -farm when I was eight years old. I can, therefore, have no hesitation in -accepting Justin Morgan’s evidence on account of his youthfulness, at the -time of which he speaks. - -Did Justin Morgan know what he was saying when he “always, while he -lived, called his horse a Dutch horse?” And did he understand the -historical meaning of his words when “he always spoke of him as of the -best blood?” To answer these questions we must make some reference to -history. The Dutch horses were a breed wholly distinct from the horses -of the other colonies. The colony of New Netherlands (New York) received -its supply from Utrecht, in Holland, commencing in 1624 and a few years -following. In forty years they had so increased that the colony was well -supplied. These horses were about fourteen hands and one inch high, -which was about one hand higher than the horses supplied to the English -colonies. They were not only higher, but they had more bone and muscle, -and, I think, more shapely necks. In every respect they were better, -except that they were not so good for the saddle, for the reason, as I -think, that they were not pacers. The standard that determined their -superiority was the higher prices at which they were bought and sold, -over the New England horses, as shown by the official reports of the -colony. When the colony passed under British rule, the first governor -immediately established a race course on Hempstead Plains, Long Island, -and there in 1665 the first organized race in this country took place. -This was long before the English race horse had reached the character of -a breed, and a round hundred years before the first representative of -that breed reached New York. The horses that ran at Hempstead Plains were -undoubtedly Dutch horses, for the inhabitants of New York and Long Island -attended these annual meetings in great numbers, and as they were nearly -all Dutch they would not have gone a stone’s throw to see an English -horse run. These annual race meetings were kept up a great many years by -the successive governors. - -In 1635 two shiploads of Dutch horses, from the same quarter, chiefly -mares, reached Salem, Massachusetts, and were sold at prices enormously -high as compared with the prices of those sent from England to the same -colony. These two shiploads added materially to the average size of -the horses of the colony of Massachusetts Bay, as shown by statistics, -as well as the other colonies getting their foundation stock from that -source. We may safely conclude, I think, that some of the descendants of -these shiploads were taken to the valley of the Connecticut when Hartford -was planted, for we not infrequently meet with the term “Dutch horse” -in the old prints of that valley. Besides this source the valley of the -Hudson was full of them. They retained their distinctive appellation -till about the beginning of this century. - -Mr. O. W. Cook, of Springfield, Massachusetts, did a great deal of -fundamental investigation on the origin of this family, away back in -1878-9, etc., and I am under special obligations to him for being the -first man to open my eyes to the great confidence game that has been -played for a hundred years, and all originating in the fabulous story of -“one Smith.” Among other important things he unearths an advertisement -of Young Bulrock that was advertised to stand at Springfield, 1792, as -follows: “Young Bulrock is a horse of the Dutch breed, of a large size, -and a bright bay color, etc.” In speaking of his pedigree, Mr. Cook most -pithily remarks: “In view of the three-fold concurrence of time and place -and breed, it fits into the vacuum in the Morgan’s lineage as a fragment -of pottery fits into its complement.” There was another horse advertised -in Springfield that year, but he had neither name nor breed and in color -he was gray. The advertisement of Young Bulrock fits in time, fits in -color and fits in breed; and thus removes all reasonable doubt that -he was the sire of the original Morgan horse. This is the reason why -Justin Morgan “always, while he lived, called him a Dutch horse;” and -the little scrap of history given above will show why he always spoke of -him as “of the best blood.” He was right in the former and he was right -in the latter declaration. It is not possible, at this day, to prove, -technically, these matters of a hundred years ago, but after considering -all the facts in the case, we must conclude that they are satisfying to -the human understanding, and that Justin Morgan told the truth. - -For the past fifty or sixty years the breeding of the original Morgan -horse has been a subject of apparently unending controversy. The real -facts concerning his origin, however, have never been brought to light -and fully developed until within the last few years, and it is probable -that nothing of material value will ever be added to the foregoing -tracing. We have found from contemporaneous history that Lieutenant -Wright Carpenter stole a horse from Colonel James De Lancey and was -successful in carrying him into the camp of the patriots at Fishkill, and -that is all we know about that particular horse. After the war was over -it is stated that “one Smith” sold a horse to Mr. Ward, of Hartford, and -represented that he had stolen the horse from Colonel De Lancey, and Mr. -Ward sold that horse to Selah Norton, who seems to have owned him as -long as he lived. It must be accepted as true that Lieutenant Carpenter -captured a horse from Colonel De Lancey, but we cannot accept it as true -that this was the same horse owned by Norton. We must first know how and -where “one Smith” got him. Norton had this horse and advertised him in -different parts of the country for public service seven or eight years -before the romance of his history and pedigree was given to the world. -As this romance would have been a grand feature in an advertisement of a -stallion, Mr. Norton was too slow in evolving it, and when he did bring -it out nobody believed it. At that period many portions of New England -abounded in stallions with bogus pedigrees and histories, and if we judge -Norton by his acts in giving his horse three different names at different -times and places, we must conclude he was ready to conceal or invent -anything that would add to his horse’s popularity and patronage. - -SHERMAN MORGAN.—In his history of the Morgan Horse, Mr. Linsley names -this and three or four other sons of the original, that were kept for -stock purposes, but none of them seems to have attained any eminence, -except Sherman. As he never made any pretensions to being a trotter, -he would have been forgotten long ago, had it not been for the lucky -circumstances that he was the sire of Black Hawk, and thus his name -has been preserved. He was scant fourteen hands high, with heavy body -on short legs, and carried his head well up. He was a chestnut and -foaled about 1809. There has always been a doubt in the minds of many -as to whether he was the sire of Black Hawk, but that question will -be considered when we reach that horse. His dam was a very handsome -mare, brought from Narragansett, a pacer, and a very desirable saddle -mare. In the trotting “Register,” three representations are given as to -the breeding of this mare, namely, that she was of the Spanish breed; -that she was an imported English mare; and that she was brought from -Virginia on account of her beauty and speed. The first claim seemed to -have the best historical support, and besides this she was brought from -Providence, Rhode Island, and was a very fine pacer. The theory was then -prevalent that the Narragansett pacers were of the “Spanish breed.” The -elimination of that foolish notion from the history of the pacers does -not affect the plain statement that she was a Narragansett pacer. It is -not known that this mare ever produced anything else, either by the -original Morgan or by any other horse. - -BLACK HAWK.—As his name indicates, this horse was a jet black, and was -something over fifteen hands high. He was foaled 1833, was got by Sherman -Morgan, and was bred by Benjamin Kelly, of Durham, New Hampshire. As the -question of his paternity has been the subject of a great deal of bitter -controversy, continued through many years, and participated in by men of -intelligence, on both sides, I must give the history, as I understand it. -Mr. Kelly kept a tavern at Durham and Mr. Bellows, the owner of Sherman -Morgan, made this house one of his points of stopping as he traveled his -horse, in his circuit of the season. Along with Sherman he had another -horse called Paddy, black as a raven, that did some service at seven -dollars, while the price for Sherman was fourteen dollars. On one of -his visits, Mr. Kelly’s black mare, called “Old Narragansett” was bred -to Sherman and proved to be in foal. Not long after this Mr. Kelly sold -the mare to Mr. Shade Twombly, living about two miles from Durham, and a -part of the agreement was that if the mare should prove to be with foal, -Mr. Twombly was to pay for the services of the horse. The next spring -the mare dropped a fine black horse colt, and Mr. Twombly claimed the -colt was by Paddy and not by Sherman, hence, he refused to pay fourteen -dollars for the services of Sherman, but was willing to pay seven dollars -for the services of Paddy. This resulted in a lawsuit in which it was -proved that Sherman was the sire of the colt, and Mr. Twombly’s estate -had to pay the money. The colt was kept by Mr. Twombly’s heirs, at -pasture in Greenland, New Hampshire, till he was about two years old, -when he was sold at auction to Albert Mathes, of Durham, for seventy -dollars and from him he passed to Benjamin Thurston, of Lowell, for two -hundred dollars. In Thurston’s hands he became quite noted, locally, as a -trotter, and in 1844 he became the property of David Hill, of Bridport, -Vermont, where he became altogether the most popular stallion in the -United States, and died there November, 1856. He was the first horse to -command one hundred dollars for his services; and many of the great mares -of the country were sent to his embrace, among them the world-renowned -Lady Suffolk, but unfortunately she failed to produce. - -To understand why the fight against the Sherman Morgan paternity of this -horse should have been so bitter and so persistent, we must consider the -condition of the horse interests in New England at that time. When Black -Hawk came to the front the Morgans of the real Morgan type had already -attained some degree of popularity and here came a horse overtopping -them all, with no trace of the Morgan type about him. He and his family -attracted the attention of purchasers and threw a shadow of doubt over -the little punchy, hairy-legged fellows that knocked out many a sale. -Besides this, it was a serious and real question in the minds of a great -many honest and intelligent men, as to whether Sherman Morgan, so typical -of his family, could possibly have been the sire of a horse so completely -outside of the family, not only in appearance and formation, but in his -ability to trot. In 1847 Black Hawk was pitted against the Morse Horse, -mile heats, best two in three, at the Saratoga State Fair. He won the -first heat in 2:50½ and the second in 2:43½. He was then fourteen years -old and this was very fast, for a stallion of that period. It is but -justice to say that the Morse Horse contingent claimed that Black Hawk -was set back in the first heat for running and that the heat was given to -the Morse Horse in 2:52½ and that the second and third heats were won by -Black Hawk in 2:54½ and 2:56. Just what the truth is in this disagreement -I am not able to determine. As we look at this horse, so distinct from -all his tribe; and as we consider the very indistinct knowledge of the -laws of generation as held by the masses in that day, we cannot wonder -that the paternity was so vehemently disputed. Neither can we wonder, as -his descendants pass in review before us, that this dispute has never -been settled to the satisfaction of the contending parties. The old -Morgan type never reappears in the descendants of this family. - -But, we must not forget that we have considered only half of the -inheritance of this horse. He had a dam as well as a sire. To that -half of his pedigree we must now give some attention. The story of the -“half-bred English mare, brought from New Brunswick” has had its day -and we may as well lay it aside as a humbug. Mr. Allen W. Thomson, of -Woodstock, Vermont, has brought out the facts with regard to this mare in -a form that is very clear and satisfactory. In 1876 Mr. Thomson visited -Albany for the purpose of examining everything that had been said in _The -Country Gentleman_ newspaper touching on the paternity of Black Hawk. In -this search for the sire he would necessarily find many references to -the dam and among these references he was greatly surprised to find she -had been described as “a pacing mare.” He goes on to say: “In our visit -the same fall to Durham, Dover, Portsmouth and Greenland to learn more -of her, we found a number that knew her when owned in Durham, and they -said she was then known as the ‘Old Narragansett Mare.’ They said that -Benjamin Kelly, deceased, brought the mare into Durham, that he had a -son John L. living in Manchester, New Hampshire, and that he would know -more about her, etc.” After learning that Mr. John L. Kelly was a very -intelligent and responsible man, having been city marshal and mayor of -Manchester, and known as “Honest John,” he wrote him and received the -following reply: - - “In answer to your inquiries about the dam of Black Hawk, I - will give you my best recollections, aided somewhat by a diary - which I kept at that time. I returned to Durham from a sea - voyage in the fall of 1830. In the following spring I went to - Boston with my father with a lot of horses. We stopped over - night at Brown’s Hotel, at Haverhill, Mass., where we met a - teamster from Portsmouth, N. H., with a team of four horses. In - the hind span was a large gray horse and a dark bay mare. Among - father’s horses was one which was a good match for the gray - horse. The man noticed it and told father that the mare was too - fast for the horse, was worth two of him for speed and bottom, - yet he would trade with father for his gray horse. After a good - deal of talk, with the aid of Mr. Brown, the trade was made - and we drove the mare in the carriage to Boston, leading the - others. We found her to be a splendid roadster, and as she was - not in good condition to sell, we took her back to Durham. At - this time she was chafed and bruised up very badly with the - heavy harness, yet in a few months she came out of it, with no - traces of it, except a few white spots on her back and breast. - The teamster said she was a Narragansett mare. She would weigh - 1,000 pounds. Father kept her as one of his stable horses. She - was found to have great speed as a trotter, and father was - always bragging about her. One day, late in the season, Israel - Esty, of Dover, drove up to Durham with a trotter, and bantered - father for a trot, mile heats on Madbury Plains, between Durham - and Dover. I had great faith in the mare and pleaded with - father to accept his offer, and he did, and fifty dollars was - staked on the race. John Speed was father’s hostler at the - time, and he commenced getting the mare ready for the race. - He had only three weeks to do it in. At the time specified, a - large collection of people from Dover and Durham collected to - witness the race. Dr. Reuben Steele was one of the judges. The - Esty horse won the first heat, the Kelly mare won the next two, - distancing the horse in the last one. In the spring of 1832 - John Bellows came to Durham with the old Sherman Morgan, and - I persuaded father to have the mare bred to him. He did, as I - saw the horse cover her. I was 21 in 1832; went to sea again - that fall. My recollection of the dam of Black Hawk is she was - a very fine pointed dark mare, with a nostril so large, when - excited, that one could put his fist into it. - - JOHN L. KELLY. - - “Manchester, N. H., August 25, 1876.” - -The only “trip” in this letter is where Mr. Kelly speaks of the mare as -“a dark bay,” but as the identity of the mare is fully maintained by -other witnesses, this shade of color is not material and is, doubtless -a slip of the pen. We don’t know she was a Narragansett mare, but we -do know that she was called a Narragansett. It is wholly possible she -may have been a bastard Narragansett, or she may have been called a -Narragansett merely because she was a pacer. At that date there were -still many descendants of the old Narragansetts to be found, of greater -or less degree of purity in their breeding. Among Mr. Thomson’s gleanings -from persons who knew the mare there are some bearing upon her color -and gait that are in order at this point of our inquisition. Mr. John -Bellows, the owner of Sherman Morgan, says: “She was a good-sized black -mare, a fast trotter, with a swinging gait, and resembled in appearance -the Messenger stock of horses.” The following description was gathered -from several persons who knew the mare well and among them Mr. Wingate -Twombly, son of her former owner. “She was a large, rangy mare, a little -coarse and brawny, did not carry much flesh, might have weighed some over -one thousand pounds and was a trifle over fifteen and one-half hands -high. Head and ears rather large, neck long and straight, withers low and -thin, medium mane and tail, had more hair on the fetlocks than her son, -was called black a little way off, but close to one could see her grey -hairs mingled with her coat and close to she was called a steel mixed. -She had a white strip in her face and some say a little white on one hind -foot. She was smart to go, but her gait was not a smooth, square trot. -Some called it a sort of a pace, others that she single-footed. She went -with her head low when trotting fast. One person said it was about a -straight line from her back to her head when she was going fast.” She was -called the Narragansett Mare when Mr. Kelly owned her. From other sources -and from men who personally knew the mare and had ridden beside her, we -have undoubted evidence that she was very fast, but all through there is -some confusion about the character of her gait. Mr. Bellows, who ought to -know something about the gait of a horse, says: “She was a fast trotter, -with a _swinging gait_.” Now just what he means by the phrase “swinging -gait” is hard to determine. Putting all these bits of evidence together, -the reasonable conclusion seems to be that she was double-gaited, and -when speeded she would go from the trot to the pace or from the pace to -the trot as the case might be. - -[Illustration: ETHAN ALLEN. - -Son of Vermont Black Hawk.] - -From this synopsis of all that has been developed in the blood lines -of Black Hawk, there can be no longer any mystery about where he -got the characteristics making him so intensely different from the -representatives of the typical Morgan. His sire was out of a high-class -Narragansett pacer, and his dam was probably a fast Narragansett pacer, -thus giving him presumably seventy-five per cent. of Narragansett -blood and twenty-five per cent. of Morgan blood. The fight that was -made against him all his life, as not being a genuine Morgan, had its -foundation in justice and truth. He was not a Morgan in either blood or -character. He founded a very valuable line of trotters, something that -no other branch of the Morgan family has ever accomplished, and of right -his descendants should be designated as “the Black Hawk Family,” and -not jumbled up with the heterogeneous mass of nondescripts still called -“the Morgan Family.” Black Hawk’s gait was spluttery and uneven, rather -than square and mechanical. A few of his progeny were very perfectly -gaited, but a great many of them manifested their evil inheritance, -which, together with unskillful handling, destroyed all possible value -as trotters. He placed three in the 2:30 list; fourteen of his sons were -sires of 2:30 performers, six of them with two or more, and two daughters -produced 2:30 performers. He died November, 1856. - -ETHAN ALLEN, 43.—This was a handsome, bright bay horse, less than fifteen -hands high, with three white feet and a star. He was foaled 1849, got by -Black Hawk, 5; dam, a fast trotting grey mare of unknown pedigree. With a -list of all the celebrated American horses before him, it would be very -difficult, if not impossible, for the best informed horseman to select -an animal that has been so great a favorite with the American people, -and for so long a time, as the famous Ethan Allen. When four years old -he gave the world a sensation by eclipsing everything that had appeared -before him at that age; and again when he was eighteen years old he -renewed and intensified the sensation by trotting in 2:15 with a running -mate. These sensations of his youth and his old age, did much to give -him a standing with the people; but his wonderful beauty and remarkable -docility and kindness, with the elegance and ease of his action, made him -the favorite of everybody. His trotting gait was recognized by the best -judges and experts as probably more perfect than that of any horse of his -day. Others have gone faster singly, but no one has done it in greater -perfection of motion. In his great flights of speed he was not bounding -in the air, but down close to the ground, with a gliding motion that -steals from quarter-pole to quarter-pole with inconceivable rapidity. He -was bred by Joel W. Holcomb, of Ticonderoga, New York, and as the result -of a practical joke he played, for the purpose of annoying his uncle, -David Hill, the owner of Black Hawk, against whom he had some pique just -at that time, many well-meaning and no doubt honest people once believed, -and possibly still believe, that Ethan Allen was by Flying Morgan and not -by Black Hawk. The fact that Ethan Allen was the same color as Flying -Morgan and that there was some resemblance in size and style of action -of the two horses, lent a strong suggestion to the joke as a truth. I am -indebted to Mr. I. V. Baker, Jr., of Comstock’s Landing, S. B. Woodward, -then of Ticonderoga, and B. H. Baldwin, of Whitehall, New York, for the -details of the way the Flying Morgan story started, and need only say the -narrator was an eye-witness to the whole affair. In the spring of 1852, -in the barroom of S. B. Woodward’s hotel, at Ticonderoga, quite a number -of the villagers being present, Mr. Joel W. Holcomb came in and said -he was going to write a letter to R. M. Adams, of Burlington, Vermont, -the owner of Flying Morgan, and he was going to have some fun with him; -and, going to the desk in the room, he wrote, substantially as follows: -“I don’t know but I have made all the reputation for David Hill and old -Black Hawk that I care to. I am willing to have the credit go where it -belongs, and desire to let yourself and the public know that my colt -Ethan Allen is got by your horse Flying Morgan.” - -“There,” he said, “you will see this in all the Vermont papers next week. -Won’t Uncle David be mad?” - -“What!” exclaimed some of his neighbors, after hearing it read, “you -won’t put your name to such a falsehood as that? It’s a shame.” - -“Well, well,” said Holcomb, “I’ll add a postscript.” And going to the -desk he wrote below his signature, leaving a good wide space between his -signature and the following words: - -“Flying Morgan never covered the dam of Ethan Allen, never smelt of her -and never saw her, consequently Ethan Allen was not by Flying Morgan, -but he can beat Flying Morgan or any other stallion in the State of -Vermont.” - -The next fall Mr. Adams visited many of the fairs with his horse and -showed Holcomb’s letter, and, it is said, with the postscript torn off. -Every man in Ticonderoga knew as well as Mr. Holcomb how Ethan Allen -was bred, and this letter created much indignation. But Holcomb was a -reckless man and cared for nothing more than what he called a good joke, -and the more it hurt any one’s feelings the better it suited him. - -This account of the “joke” was written down by Mr. Baker, at the -dictation of Mr. Woodward, April 22, 1875, and I have implicit confidence -in its substantial accuracy. It has been said that the reason Holcomb did -this was out of ill feeling toward Mr. David Hill, the owner of Black -Hawk, and Holcomb’s uncle, because he dunned him for payment of the -horse’s services in getting Ethan Allen. One day at the Fashion Course, -in the spring of 1867, as I was looking at Ethan while he was taking -his daily exercise, either Mr. Holcomb or Mr. Roe, his partner—I knew -them both by sight as the owners of Ethan Allen, but not well enough to -distinguish one from the other, but I think it was Mr. Holcomb—came up to -me and expressed a good deal of solicitude to know how I was registering -the horse. He appeared gratified when I assured him I had no doubt he -was a son of old Black Hawk and would so enter him. He remarked “that -was right,” and said the Flying Morgan story originated in a practical -joke and should not be permitted to go into history as a fact. This is -the full history of the basis of the controversy, and certainly, to a -reasonable man, it does not leave a single peg on which to hang a hope -for the Flying Morgan story. - -But, the paternity of Ethan Allen is not left to the uncertainties of -recollection nor to be trifled with by practical jokers. The books of -Black Hawk’s services show that the dam of Ethan Allen was bred to him -on a certain day or days of the season of 1848, and was taken away -believed to be in foal. This fact is conceded on all hands as wholly -indisputable, but it is claimed that Flying Morgan was kept in Holcomb’s -stable one night, after the mare returned from Bridport, and the two -were there surreptitiously coupled. I have studied this claim in all its -details, I have examined every detail minutely, and I do not hesitate to -say there is not a single shadow of evidence to support the claim. In -Vermont, as in Kentucky, there are many people who can remember things -that never occurred, but in the former State these people are at a great -disadvantage, for they are not able to get so many to agree with and -support their remarkable memories. The Vermonters are very far from being -all honest, but they are very much disposed to make up their own minds, -whether right or wrong. - -In searching for the breeding of the little flea-bitten grey mare, -“called a Messenger,” that produced Ethan Allen, I have not been sparing -of either time or labor. I have assiduously followed every clew that -presented itself, and waded through “sloppy” correspondence “knee deep,” -but I never have been able to reach a single point that was relevant and -tangible. From the first that is known of her at Hague, New York, her -identity has been maintained by a spavin on one leg and one hip knocked -down, and thus she has been traced through the hands of many owners till -she reaches Mr. Holcomb, of Ticonderoga, New York. A pretence has been -set up that she was by some Morgan horse, but this was only a wish of the -originator, and not a fact founded on reasonable evidence. It is said -she was quite a fast trotter, in her younger days, and that she could -beat all the farmers’ horses against which she was started. That she had -a trotting inheritance, and probably from Messenger, there can be no -reasonable doubt. - -Ethan Allen made his first appearance as a trotter at the Clinton County -Fair, as a three-year-old, and made a record, over a very bad track, of -3:20-3:21. In May following, then four years old, at the Union Course, -he beat Rose of Washington in 2:36-2:39-2:42. This was then the fastest -time ever made by a four-year-old. He then retired to the stud and did -not again appear till October, 1855, when, over the Cambridge Park -Course, he beat Columbus, Sherman Black Hawk, and Stockbridge Chief for -the stallion purse in 2:34½-2:37. Three of the contestants here were sons -of Black Hawk. The next season he defeated Hiram Drew twice, to wagon, -making a record of 2:32¾. October 15, 1858, at Boston, he beat Columbus -Jr., and Hiram Drew, 2:37-2:35-2:33. The same month, on the Union Course, -he beat George M. Patchen, to wagons, distancing him the first heat in -2:28. At the Union Course, Long Island, July 12, 1860, he beat Princess, -distancing her the second heat in 2:29½-2:25½. This is his fastest -record. He was frequently beaten by George M. Patchen, Flora Temple, -etc., and it was thought by many that he could not take up the weight -and “hold the clip” for the full mile out. His most famous performance -was made in 1867, and as I had the pleasure of witnessing it, from a very -eligible position, I will here repeat the description as then made: - -“On the 21st of June, 1867, on the Fashion Course, it was my good fortune -to witness the crowning event of his life. Some three weeks before, with -running mate, he had beaten Brown George and running mate, in very fast -time, scoring one heat in 2:19. This made horsemen open their eyes, and -there at once arose a difference of opinion, about the advantage to -the trotter of having a runner hitched with him, to pull the weight. -This resulted in a match for two thousand five hundred dollars to trot -Ethan Allen and running mate against Dexter, who was then considered -invincible. As the day approached the betting was about even; but the -evening before the race, word came from the course that Ethan’s running -mate had fallen lame and could not go, but they would try to get Brown -George’s running mate, then in Connecticut, to take the place of the -lame runner. As the horses were strangers to each other, it was justly -concluded that the change gave Dexter a great advantage and the betting -at once changed from even to two to one on Dexter. Long before noon the -crowd began to assemble; the sporting men everywhere were shaking rolls -of greenbacks over their heads, shouting “two to one on Dexter.” I met a -friend from Chicago, who sometimes speculated a little, and when he told -me he was betting two to one on Dexter, I took the liberty of advising -him to be cautious, for I thought the team would win the race, and that -its backers knew what they were doing. Before the hour arrived I secured -a seat on the ladies’ stand, from which every foot of the course, and -the countless multitudes of people, could be taken in at a glance. The -vehicles in numbers were simply incalculable, and the multitudes were -estimated at forty thousand people. Upon the arrival of the hour, the -judges ascended the stand and rang up the horses, when the backers of the -team came forward, explained the mishap that had befallen the runner, -that they had Brown George’s mate on the ground, but, as he and Ethan -had never been hitched together, they were unwilling to risk so large a -sum, and closed the race by paying one thousand two hundred and fifty -forfeit. When this announcement was made there was a general murmur -that spread, step by step, through all that vast multitude. The betting -fraternity were just where they started and every spectator realized a -feeling of disgust at the whole management. As soon as this had time to -exert its intended effect upon the crowd, the backers of the team came -forward again and expressed their unwillingness to have the people go -away dissatisfied, and proposed a little match of two hundred and fifty -a side, which was promptly accepted by the Dexter party; and when it was -known there would be a race after all the shout of the multitudes was -like the voice of many waters. - -“This being a new race, the betting men had to commence _de novo_. The -surroundings of the pool stands were packed with an eager and excited -crowd, anxious to get on their money at two, and rather than miss, at -three to one on Dexter. The work of the auctioneers was short, sharp and -decisive, and the tickets were away up in the hundreds and oftentimes -thousands. But the pool-stands did not seem to accommodate more than a -small fraction of those anxious to invest, and in all directions in the -surging crowd, hands were in the air, filled with rolls of greenbacks, -and shouting “two to one on Dexter.” I was curious to note what became -of these noisy offers, and I soon observed that a quiet-looking man came -along, took all the party had to invest and then went quietly to another -of the shouters, and then another and so on, till I think that every one -who had money to invest, at that rate, was accommodated. The amount of -money bet was enormous, no doubt aggregating a quarter of a million, in a -few minutes. - -“When the horses appeared on the track to warm up for the race, Dexter, -driven by the accomplished reinsman Budd Doble, was greeted with a shout -of applause. Soon the team appeared, and behind it sat the great master -of trotting tactics, Dan Mace. His face, which has so often been a puzzle -to thousands, had no mask over it on this occasion. It spoke only that -intense earnestness that indicates the near approach of a supreme moment. -The team was hitched to a light skeleton wagon; Ethan wore breeching, and -beside him was a great strong race horse, fit to run for a man’s life. -His traces were long enough to allow him to fully extend himself, but -they were so much shorter than Ethan’s that he had to take the weight. -Dexter drew the inside, and on the first trial they got the send off -without either one having six inches the advantage. When they got the -word, the flight of speed was absolutely terrific, so far beyond anything -I had ever witnessed in a trotting horse, that I felt the hair rising -on my head. The running horse was next to me, and notwithstanding my -elevation, Ethan was stretched out so near the ground that I could see -nothing of him but his ears. I fully believed that, for several rods at -this point, they were going at a two-minute gait. - -“It was impossible that this terrible pace could be maintained long, and -just before reaching the first turn Dexter’s head began to swim and the -team passed him and took the track, reaching the first quarter-pole in -thirty-two seconds, with Dexter three or four lengths behind. The same -lightning speed was kept up through the second quarter, reaching the -half-mile pole in 1:04, with Dexter still farther in the rear. Mace then -took a pull on his team, and came home a winner by six or eight lengths, -in 2:15. When this time was put on the blackboard, the response of the -multitude was like the roar of the ocean. Although some distance away, -through the second quarter of this heat I had a fair, unobstructed side -view of the stallion and of his action, when going at the lightning rate -of 2:08 to the mile. I could not observe that he received the slightest -degree of propulsion from the running horse; and my conviction was then, -and is now, that any such propulsion would have interfered with his own -unapproachable action, and would have retarded rather than helped him. -The most noticeable feature in his style of movement was the remarkable -lowness to which he dropped his body and the straight, gliding line it -maintained at that elevation. - -“The team now had the inside, and in the first attempt they were started -for the second heat, but they did not appear to me to be going so fast as -in the first heat. Before they had gone many rods Ethan lost his stride -and Dexter took the track at the very spot where he had lost it in the -first heat. The team soon got to work, and near the beginning of the -second quarter collared Dexter, but the stallion broke soon after and -fell back, not yards, nor lengths, but rods before he caught. Incredible -as it may seem, when he again got his feet, he put on such a burst of -speed as to overhaul Dexter in the third quarter, when he broke again and -Mace had to pull him nearly to a standstill before he recovered. Dexter -was now a full distance ahead and the heat appeared to be his beyond all -peradventure. I was watching the team in its troubles very closely and -my idea of the distance lost was the result of a deliberate and careful -estimate at the moment; and the query in my mind then was whether the -team could save its distance. At last the old horse struck his gait, and -it was like a dart out of a catapult, or a ball from a rifle. The team -not only saved its distance, but beat Dexter home five or six lengths in -2:16. - -“In the third heat Mace had it all his own way throughout, coming home -the winner of the race in 2:19. The backers of Dexter, up to the very -last, placed great reliance on his well-known staying qualities; but -the last heat showed that the terrible struggle told upon him more -distressingly than upon the team. It is said by those who timed Dexter -privately that he trotted the three heats in 2:17, 2:18, and 2:21. As -an opinion, I will say that if ever there was an honest race trotted -this was one, but there was such an exhibition of sharp diplomacy, of -the “diamond cut diamond” order, as is seldom witnessed, even among the -sharp practices of the turf. It is not probable that Ethan’s running mate -fell amiss at all, the evening before, as represented; and if she did, -it was not possible to send to Connecticut for another horse and have -him there early in the morning as was pretended. This was a mere ruse -put out to get the advantage of the long odds. The managers of the team -knew just how the horses would work and knew they had speed enough to -beat any horse on earth. When the race was called and they came forward -and paid forfeit, it was merely to give the ‘two to one on Dexter’ money -encouragement to come out. It did come out most vociferously and was all -quietly taken. It was said John Morrissey was the manager in chief, and -that his share of the winnings amounted to about forty thousand dollars.” - -I have here given my personal impressions of this race, not because the -performance was of any special value, as a test of speed, but because -the time was then phenomenal, even with this kind of hitch, and as an -illustration of what certain horses can do when relieved of all weight. -This was among the first of the contests of this kind, and although -some effort was made to introduce this plan by which a poor horse could -beat a good one, it never has received much encouragement. With all his -perfection of gait and wide popularity, extending from early life to old -age, Ethan Allen was not a success as a progenitor of speed. He placed -but six in the 2:30 list, and the best—Billy Barr—with a record of 2:23¾. -He left but one son equal to himself as a sire, and several daughters -that became the producers of single performers. He was kept several -seasons in Kansas and died there September, 1876. - -DANIEL LAMBERT, 102, was a chestnut horse, foaled 1858; got by Ethan -Allen, 43; dam Fanny Cook, by Abdallah; grandam by Stockholm’s American -Star, etc. His color was a light chestnut, and his mane and tail were of -the yellow, flaxen shade. He was about fifteen hands high and long and -light in the body, with no indications of Morgan blood about him unless -it was in the kinkiness of his mane and tail. But why should he not -resemble almost anything else than the little nondescript Morgan, when he -had only one-sixteenth of his blood in his veins? He had more Messenger -than Morgan blood, and according to the rules of arithmetic it is a -misnomer to call him a Morgan. More than this, his dam was a daughter -of the great Abdallah, far and away the greatest trotting sire of his -generation. When we consider that he had four times as much of the blood -of Abdallah as he had of the original Morgan, we can see the absurdity -of sticking to the right male line after that line has been wiped out by -other lines far more potential. Lambert was bred by Mr. John Porter of -Ticonderoga, New York, and as a colt he showed great promise on the ice, -and was thought to be the fastest and best of the get of Ethan Allen. He -was known far and wide as the “Porter Colt,” and he was the popular heir -to very great expectations. To have created so much enthusiasm he must -have shown great speed for a youngster, and he is credited with a record -of 2:42 as a three-year-old. As a sire of trotters he stood very high at -one time and was even with Blue Bull in his number of representatives in -the 2:30 list, but in the end the little “plebeian” pacer outstripped him -a long way. Lambert put thirty-seven trotters into the 2:30 list, but -when we come to study this list we are not very favorably impressed, for -about one-third of the animals have but a single heat inside of the mark, -with only five or six reputable campaigners and a single one—Comee—that -ranked among the real good ones. Comee had seventy-one heats to his -credit and a record of 2:21¼. Thirty-three of Daniel Lambert’s sons -have put one hundred and thirty-six in the list, and forty-four of his -daughters have produced seventy-four performers. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -THE ORLOFF TROTTER, BELLFOUNDER, AND THE ENGLISH HACKNEY. - - Orloffs the only foreign trotters of merit—Count Alexis - Orloff, founder of the breed—Origin of the Orloff—Count Orloff - began breeding in 1770—Smetanka, Polkan, and Polkan’s son, - Barss, really the first Orloff trotting sire—The Russian - pacers—Their great speed—Imported Bellfounder—His history - and characteristics—Got little speed—His descendants—The - English Hackney—Not a breed, but a mere type—The old Norfolk - trotters—Hackney experiments in America—Superiority of the - trotting-bred horse demonstrated in show-ring contests. - - -It may be a little outside of the field of our discussion to include the -Orloff Trotter, but as a few of them have been brought to this country, -and as that is the only organized and recognized _breed_ of trotters in -all the world beside our own, it seems to be necessary to give a brief -synopsis of the origin and history of that breed, so far as we may be -able. An additional and probably a more cogent reason for making this -foreign detour is the fact that there are now many American trotters on -the turf in Europe, and practically their only competitors, whether on -the turf or in the breeding studs, are the Orloffs of Russia. - -“Wallace’s American Trotting Register,” the first volume of which was -issued in 1871, was an individual enterprise. Two years afterward the -director-in-chief of the Russian Imperial Studs submitted a series of -questions to different scientific gentlemen, whose studies were in -the right direction, soliciting their views, on the practicability -and advisability of establishing a governmental standard by which the -Orloff trotters should be classed and officially registered. The report -was favorable and the Russian trotting register was established under -governmental direction. This was the second movement toward establishing -a _breed_; not merely by writing a lot of names in a book, but by writing -those names on the turf of two continents. A delegation from France once -visited me to consult about establishing a Register in that country, -and to learn how to commence such an enterprise. When I asked them what -strains of blood they had that could trot, they did not seem to know of -any particular strains, or any one strain better than another, to serve -as a foundation, but they were sure they had plenty of trotters. This was -the first I ever had heard of French-bred trotters, and it was the last I -ever heard of the French trotting register. - -The stalwart Alexis Orloff took a very active part in making Catherine -II. Empress of Russia—for which he was loaded with honors as well as -lucrative offices. In the war with the Turks in 1772 he was given command -of the Russian fleet, and with the assistance of the English fleet -under Admiral Elphinstone, he achieved a great victory and captured the -pasha in command of the Turkish fleet. Owing to some unusual kindness -Count Orloff was able to extend to the captured Turkish commander, or -his family, he presented the count with a pure white stallion, said -to be a Barb, which he took home with him and placed in his stud of -horses, that he had established but a short time before. Another story -is that the count bought this white horse, which he called Smetanka, -while he was in Greece and paid a large price for him. I am not able to -say which representation is the more probable, and it is not material -to our history, as there is no dispute about the identity of Smetanka -as the nominal head of the Orloff breed of horses, and neither story -gives any information about his blood. No doubt he was a Turk. Count -Alexis commenced his breeding stud in 1770, and there appears to have -been a good deal of system about it or else a large amount of very free -guessing. When first established, the horse breeders say, it consisted of -stallions and mares as follows: Arabs, 12 stallions, 10 mares; Turkish, -1 stallion, 2 mares; English, 20 stallions, 32 mares; Dutch, 1 stallion, -8 mares; Persian, 3 stallions, 2 mares; Danish, 1 stallion, 3 mares; -Mecklenburg, 1 stallion, 5 mares. From this it will be seen that he had -more English running blood than all the other varieties put together, -and yet no trotters came from that source. From this great variety of -composite material the count had free rein in his grand experiment of -producing the type of horse that best pleased his fancy. As a matter of -course the indiscriminate commingling of these different strains and -types would produce a mongrel lot, from which a few superior animals -might be selected, and doubtless were selected, for breeding purposes. - -The different writers who have discussed the result of this experiment -seem to agree, substantially, that two distinct types were the -result—the galloper for the saddle and the trotter for harness—but they -assume what appears to me to be a very unreasonable conclusion that both -these types were indebted to the super-excellence of Smetanka. The count -was one of the most prominent sporting men of his day, an inveterate -horse-racer and cock-fighter, and under this kind of management it is -hardly credible that the twenty English thoroughbred stallions should -have been put aside for the little white horse of positively unknown -origin. But whatever may have been the predominating blood in the saddle -department, it is certain that the trotter is lineally descended from -Smetanka. He was bred on a Danish mare and produced Polkan (Volcan), -without anything new or striking in his characteristics. Polkan was bred -on a Dutch mare and produced Barss, and this was the first to manifest a -disposition to extend himself to his utmost at the trot and to stick to -it. Barss became a great favorite with his master; for, although stumbled -upon, he was a new creation and is the real progenitor of all the horses -that bear the name Orloff. His component elements are easily expressed. -He had twenty-five per cent. of the blood of Smetanka; twenty-five per -cent. of the blood of the Danish mare, and fifty per cent. of the blood -of the Dutch mare, it seems to be reasonable to conclude, therefore, that -the trotting instinct must be found in the unknown elements of the Dutch -mare. - -Some years ago Prof. —— (the name I cannot now recall), from the Imperial -Agricultural College, near Moscow, Russia, paid me several visits for -the purpose of gathering up what information he could obtain about the -origin and history of the American Trotter. He was very intelligent and -thorough in his methods of obtaining information, and each succeeding day -he came back to me with a new series of questions hinging upon previous -interviews, and all carefully prepared. These questions were so admirably -shaped to reach the vital points of the subject that I became greatly -interested in the man. When it came my turn to ask questions, my first -one was, What was the origin and lineage of the Dutch mare that produced -Barss? He replied, “Ah, the scientific men of Russia would give a great -deal to be able to answer that question.” We both agreed, perfectly, that -the living instinct of the trotter came from that mare, but he was not -able to tell me anything of her history or habits of action. He told me -there were many pacers in Russia and that the best ones came from the -province of Viatka and from the region of the Volga River. - -As the true source from which the Russian trotters have drawn their -ability to trot fast has not been developed nor determined by history, we -must consider the problem in the light of the surrounding conditions, and -possibly our American experiences may lead to its solution. In 1873 Prof. -Von Mittendorf, at the request of the director-in-chief of the imperial -stud, prepared a very able paper on the scientific questions involved -in the establishment of a Government Register for the Orloff trotters. -In this paper he discusses the pace and the trot as both original and -natural gaits and insists that there are no outward indications in form -or shape by which the animal, when at rest, can be decided to be a pacer -or a trotter. In his own words he says: - - “In answer to the question whether, from the form of a horse - at rest, it can be ascertained what gait would be easiest - assumed by it, viz., trotting or pacing, I must confess that - I have never seen, read or heard of such marks, and, indeed, - there never are any symptoms or signs of inclination for pacing - in the proportions of any horse with the single negative - exception, viz., that great speed in one-sided motion does not - agree with a large frame, which is more adapted to leaping, and - hence fast pacers are never found among large horses.” - -This is the view as taken by a Russian scientist of the distinction, or -rather lack of distinction, between the trotter and the pacer. I have -not quoted this paragraph from Prof. Mittendorf because it contained -anything new in the economy of breeding, but to prove that there were -pacers in Russia and that their relation to the trotter was considered in -the formation of the rules of admission to the Orloff trotting register. -A very intelligent writer, evidently a Russian and one who knew what he -was talking about, contributed an interesting article to the New York -_Sun_ of July 9, 1877, from which we get a clear and strong light on the -practical side of the Russian pacer, and I will here again quote: - - “Up to the middle of the last century horses in Russia were - not scientifically bred; they ran wild in many parts of the - country. Those caught on the steppes of the river Don, and - in the wilderness of the district of Viatka, obtained early - celebrity, which they still maintain. The Don horses are those - famous Cossack steeds about which so much has been written of - late. The Viatka horses, or Bitugues, as they are called are - the genuine trotters of Russia. They are all pacers, equally - remarkable for their speed and their endurance. But since - the Orloff breed has been introduced, the Bitugues have been - excluded from all matches, on the ground that their pacing is - not orthodox. - - “It is with these Bitugues that the peculiar troika team, of - which a specimen was shown in Fleetwood Park, on Saturday, - originated. A fast, sturdy Bitugue is put in shafts, and a - light running horse from the steppes harnessed on each side of - him. A good Bitugue trots so fast that the wild steppe runners - have to be whipped all the time to force them to keep up with - him. The idea of putting an Orloff trotter in the place of a - Bitugue is very queer, as no square trotter can equal the speed - of those famous pacers of Viatka, and keep abreast with side - runners.” - -From these three several sources we learn a number of facts that may -have a more or less important bearing upon the true origin of the Orloff -trotter. (1) That there are now, and have been for generations past, -plenty of pacers in Russia. (2) That these pacers have a common habitat, -north and east of the Don. (3) That they are a very old race, running -back in the centuries away beyond the knowledge of man or the records of -history. (4) That they are a very fast and very enduring race, and that -they have been trained for generations as the shaft horses of the troika -and their speed so well developed as to require good running horses -to keep abreast with them. (5) That they are of smaller size than the -average and lack symmetry, and thus, notwithstanding their great speed -and bottom, they and their blood are excluded from registration with the -Orloffs. (6) That they are also excluded from competing for any prizes -that may be offered, and no other reason is suggested than that they -would be sure to win. - -Russia and America both have pacers and they are both carrying forward -the breeding and development of the trotter with great intelligence and -success. No other nation has been able to make even a beginning in this -field of animal economy except by the introduction of the foundation -stock from one or other of these two countries. It may be taken as -historically true, and as applying to every nation on the face of the -earth, that where there are no pacers there are no trotters. Hundreds of -unmistakable experiences in this country go to show that the pacer is a -great source of trotting speed. At one time a pacing stallion of obscure -pacing origin stood at the head of the list of all stallions as the sire -of the greatest number of trotters with fast records. A great multitude -of our fastest trotters at maturity were foaled pacers from trotting -parents. It is no longer a matter of wonder or surprise that with two -animals from the same parents one of them should be a fast trotter and -the other a fast pacer. Neither is it any longer remarkable that a fast -trotter with a very fast record should turn around and make just as fast -a record at the pace. The American people are just beginning to realize, -in its full force, the declaration of more than twenty years ago; that -the trot and the pace are simply two forms of the same gait, in the -economy of motion. The only difference that has been observed as between -two brothers, the one a pacer and the other a trotter, is that with the -same skill in handling the pacer will come to his speed much quicker than -the trotter, which is of itself a strong suggestion at least that the -pace is the more natural and easier form of the one gait. - -Now, in view of the fact that Smetanka was of Saracenic origin—a strain -of blood that has always been antagonistic to the pacer, and never -produced a pacer or a trotter; and in view of the fact that his grandson, -Barss, is accepted as the first of all Orloff trotters; and in view of -the further fact that in thousands of American experiences the trotter -has come from the pacer, it seems to be a reasonable conclusion that the -“Dutch Mare” that produced Barss had a strong pacing inheritance, and -possibly had her speed fully developed, as the Bitugue in the count’s own -team. - -Among all the pleasures which Count Orloff derived from his experiments -in breeding, whether of gamecocks, or race horses, or saddlers, or -trotters, Barss was his greatest favorite because he was his highest -achievement in the art of breeding. This judgment of his master has been -confirmed in the experiences and history of all succeeding generations -for a hundred years, and the name of Barss will be known through the -coming centuries as the founder of a mighty breed of trotters. I once -possessed a fine picture of Barss hitched to a sleigh and driven by his -breeder, Count Orloff, himself; and I have seen it stated somewhere that -this picture was a copy of a bronze statue erected to the memory of the -Count Orloff and the greatest horse of Russia. - -It has been stated by some writers, but with what measure of authority -I do not know, that for about thirty years after the appearance of -Barss his daughters were bred to English thoroughbreds, to Arabs, to -Anglo-Arabs, and, indeed, to all the highly bred crosses that the great -establishment was able to furnish, and there was no improvement in either -the quality or the speed of the produce. From this it is evident that -the count and his managers were at that period entangled in the same -foolish notions that befogged the minds of so many very worthy gentlemen -in this country some years ago, viz., that the way to improve the trotter -was to go to the runner—the horse that never could trot. This foolish -notion, that never had a spark of reason in it, naturally and necessarily -weakened the trotting instinct of the descendants of Barss, and would -have wiped it all out if it had been followed persistently, and there -would have been no Orloff trotters to-day. - -After this narrow escape from the annihilation of much of the good that -Barss had done, the management then began to look for the same blood and -the same habit of action that the “Dutch Mare” transmitted to her son, -and, with this element to the front, progression was resumed. Out of his -great variety of forms and of strains of blood the count and his managers -could pick and choose for the size, shape and forms they wanted, but they -were not able to transfer with the size, shape and form the instincts and -psychical nature of the horse. The count seems to have carried forward -his great enterprise rather with a view to experimentation than its -commercial possibilities. Smetanka lived but a year or two, and when -he stumbled upon the production of Barss, a magnificent individual and -a great trotter, his head seems to have been turned, as he evidently -supposed that he could breed any kind of horse he wished to breed, and -be able to do anything he wished him to do. At his death, in 1808, he -left no male heir to succeed him, but he provided in his will that his -stud should not be dispersed. It was kept intact till about 1845, when it -was purchased by the government, and finally divided among a number of -prominent breeders in different portions of the empire. - -Without having any knowledge on the subject that is definite and -specific, I am led to infer that the rules on registration and racing in -Russia are a hindrance to the breeding and development of the trotter. -As I understand it, no horse can be registered unless he is purely -descended from Barss. And I understand further, that he must possess -the same requirements in order to enter and start in a public race -against the Orloffs. If it be true that these restrictions are really in -existence and are enforced, we can understand why the American trotter is -so far ahead of the Orloff in speed and in the markets of Europe. The -Orloff is restricted to certain lines of blood and is protected against -competition from others that might beat him. The American is free from -all restrictions of blood and gathers up all that is best and fastest. He -neither asks nor accepts protection from any quarter, but throws down the -glove to all comers. - -BELLFOUNDER was imported from England, July, 1822, by James Boott, of -Boston, Mass. He was placed in the hands of Samuel Jaques, Jr.—a very -shrewd manager who understood the use of printer’s ink and did not -hesitate about employing it liberally. In his advertisement for 1823 he -says: “This celebrated horse is a bright bay with black legs, standing -fifteen hands high.” From this we are safe in concluding he was not -more than fifteen hands, and from another contemporaneous source it -is learned that he was a little below that measurement. On this point -the recollections, or perhaps impressions, of Orange County horsemen -are not very trustworthy, as one of them places his height at sixteen -hands and others at fifteen and a half. His pedigree was given on the -card which was distributed by his groom in the form following: “Got -by old Bellfounder, out of Velocity by Haphazard, by Sir Peter out -of Miss Hervey by Eclipse.” “Velocity trotted on the Norwich road in -1806, sixteen miles in one hour, and although she broke five times -into a gallop, and as often turned round, she won her match.” Although -after diligent search I have not been able to find this performance -of Velocity, it may be true that a mare so named may have trotted as -represented, but she was not a daughter of Haphazard. The dates make this -utterly impossible, and Mr. Jaques was smart enough never to put this -humbug pedigree in his elaborate advertisements that appeared in the -leading agricultural papers of the country, year after year. - -As the great mass of people of that day knew nothing and cared but little -about pedigrees, the astute manager of the horse struck an expedient in -the way of advertising that was very effective. He had a cut made of a -horse trotting loose on the road, at the rate of a hurricane, and in -the background was an entablature with the legend “Seventeen and a half -miles an hour,” which anybody and everybody would interpret to mean that -this was a record made by imported Bellfounder, and there he was doing -it. This cut in reduced form went the rounds of the agricultural press, -and in 1831 made its appearance in the “Family Encyclopedia of Useful -Knowledge.” This dodge was exceedingly effective, and as it appeared in -a book it must be true. Thousands of people interpreted the picture to -mean that imported Bellfounder had trotted seventeen and a half miles -in an hour. Mr. Jaques did not say this in letters and figures, but he -said it even more plainly in a picture. The basis of this deception is -found in the advertisement itself, where, in speaking of the speed of old -Bellfounder in England, he says: “His owner challenged to perform with -him seventeen miles and a half in one hour, but it was not accepted.” -Here we have a possible challenge of the sire transmuted into an actual -performance of the son, for the sole purpose of securing public patronage. - -There can be no doubt that this horse was a true representative of what -was then known as the Norfolk Trotters and at this time designated as -Hackneys or Cobs. Bellfounder was of a quiet, docile disposition, with a -display of great nervous energy in his movements when aroused. His knee -and hock action was high and showy, giving the impression of a great -trotter, without much speed. At several points his form was measurably -reproduced in Hambletonian, especially in his low, round withers and his -great, meaty buttocks. In seeing these points so plainly developed in his -idol it is not remarkable that Mr. Rysdyk should have placed too high an -estimate on Bellfounder blood as a factor in the American trotting horse. -If he had thoughtfully asked himself the question, What has Bellfounder -blood done in its own right in the way of getting trotters? the illusion -would have vanished. - -Bellfounder was in the control of Mr. Jaques for six years, and never -in my knowledge of trotting stallions have I known one so widely and -successfully advertised. The name “Bellfounder” was heard and known -everywhere. From 1829 to 1833, inclusive, he was under the control of -Mr. T. T. Kissam, of Long Island. After that time he seems to have gone -“a-begging” wherever there seemed to be a chance to earn his oats. At -last, at Jamaica, Long Island, he died, having made twenty-one seasons -in this country—one more than Messenger. The question was once raised -as to where Hambletonian got his aversion to the chestnut color, and it -was flippantly assigned to Bellfounder. The truth is, quite a number of -Bellfounder’s get were chestnuts, perhaps as large a percentage as would -naturally come from the average stallion. - -It is the testimony of several gentlemen who were familiar with trotting -affairs in the time of the Bellfounders, that a number of them were -skillfully and persistently trained and none of them could trot faster -than about 2:50. The one exception to this fact so widely established -is the case of the dam of Hambletonian. After this filly passed into -the hands of Peter Seely he gave some attention irregularly to the -development of her speed, and before he sold her he gave her two trials -to saddle on the Union Course and she trotted in 2:43 and 2:41. As she -was then but four years old it is safe to conclude that she would have -made a trotter, beyond all doubt. This is the only one, old or young, -from the loins of Bellfounder that ever trotted so fast. I once put the -question directly to Mr. Rysdyk as to whether the Kent Mare was as good -and as fast as her dam, One Eye, and he promptly replied that One Eye was -much the faster and greater mare. To this answer he added that One Eye, -under the same circumstances, would have been the equal of Lady Thorn or -any other that ever lived. This may account for the superiority of the -Kent Mare over all the other Bellfounders, and it may account for the -superiority of Hambletonian over all other stallions. - -BELLFOUNDER (BROWN’S OR KISSAM’S), was a bay horse, foaled 1830, got by -imported Bellfounder; dam Lady Alport, by Mambrino, son of Messenger; -grandam by Tippoo, son of Messenger; great-grandam by imported Messenger. -With such breeding he should have been a great horse. He was bred by -Timothy T. Kissam, of Long Island, and sold along with a full brother one -year younger, named Bellport, about 1834-5, to L. F. and A. B. Allen, -of Buffalo, New York. Bellfounder was a bay horse, sixteen hands high, -and Bellport was sixteen and one-half hands, but was poisoned and died -at four years old. Bellfounder passed into the hands of some parties at -Cleveland and then to Mr. Brown, of Columbus, Ohio, made most of his -seasons in that portion of the State, and died September, 1860. This was -altogether the most valuable son the imported horse left—indeed the only -one that made any mark in the world. He was not much of a trotter and did -not get trotters, but got colts that were excellent types of the coach -horse, and for that purpose was very highly esteemed. Some of his sons -and daughters, especially the latter, are met with sometimes in trotting -records as having produced something that had more or less speed. - -CONQUEROR was a bay gelding, foaled 1842, and got by La Tourrett’s -Bellfounder, a grandson of the imported horse, and out of Lady McClain by -imported Bellfounder, and she out of Lady Webber by Mambrino, and she out -of a mare brought from Dutchess County and represented to be a daughter -of imported Messenger. This gelding had been pounded about in slow races -for years and had the reputation of being a stayer. In 1853 a match -was made with him to trot a hundred miles in nine hours. The race was -started and the horse won in 8h. 55m. and 53s., and he died three or four -days afterward. This is the only instance that I know of in which the -advocates of Hackney blood can point to a trotting record made in this or -indeed in any other country. - -In closing the account of this family—for out of courtesy we have called -it a “family”—we find we have nothing left but a name with nothing in it. -The name that was more widely known than that of any other horse of his -generation has now practically ceased from the earth, with nobody so poor -as to do it reverence. - -The type of horse now known as the “Hackney” is found chiefly in the -shires bordering the northeastern coast of England—Norfolk, Lincoln and -Yorkshire. The name now given is not only new but it is appropriate and -applies to any one part of England as well as another, and applies to any -one horse, suited to the general use of a Hack, as well as another, no -difference what his blood or what his country. The name “Norfolk Trotter” -fifty or a hundred years ago was often applied to horses of this type -coming from that part of the country, but it did not follow that they -were “trotters.” In the discussions of the association preceding the -adoption of a name it was urged that the qualifying word “trotter” would -imply the ability to trot fast, and as the material to be registered -could not do this, it would subject the whole movement to ridicule and -contempt. It was also urged that the name “Norfolk” would give that -particular region an advantage over all other parts of England in the -prospective sales of registered stock, and thus the old title was fully -disposed of. When the name “cob” was suggested, it was conceded that it -represented just what they had, but it was too common, as everybody in -all England, rich and poor, had “cobs.” Then came the term “Hackney,” -which meant the same kind of a horse as the cob, but as it was not in -such universal use it was adopted. On this point it must be admitted -that it is an honest name. - -The Hackney is a good horse for all the uses to which he is adapted. He -is short on his legs and stout, with a good share of nervous energy. He -is symmetrical, and, we might say, handsome, if we can use that word -without any show of fine breeding, for he is far short of the ideal blood -horse. But he is not a saddle horse, he is not a hunter, he is not a -runner, and he is not a trotter. As against these desirable and useful -qualifications, he has been bred and trained when in action to jerk up -his limbs to the highest point anatomically possible, and put them down -again with a thud at a point but little removed from where he started. In -this showy, undesirable action he exhausts his nervous energy, pounding -the earth without covering much of the distance. In this excessive knee -action every element of easy, graceful and rapid progression is wanting. -This fad will have its day and then along with the barbarous excision of -the caudal appendage they will disappear together as they came, and we -will know them no more forever. - -There are two points in advocating the merits of the Hackney with which -every Englishman is thoroughly familiar and which he will call to your -attention on the slightest provocation: (1) Bellfounder was a Hackney and -it was his blood that gave us the greatest trotting sire that the world -has ever produced. This is the Englishman’s estimate of Bellfounder when -he has a Hackney for sale, and especially if the prospective purchaser -be an American. (2) He is descended from a long line of distinguished -trotters. To the first of these reiterated and parrot-like claims an -answer will be found in the chapter relating to that horse, where his -twenty-one years of stud service have been carefully considered, and -where he is shown to have been a monumental failure. In the second claim -there is some truth and we must consider it very briefly. - -Of all the elements entering into the families of horses locally and -indefinitely called Norfolk Trotters, there were two that might be looked -upon as the founders—Useful Cub and Shales—for they were more conspicuous -and valuable than any others. Mr. John Lawrence was not only a practical -horseman, but he was the most intelligent and reliable of all the writers -on the horse in the latter part of the last century. He was the only one -who gave any attention to the trotter and trotting affairs. He says: “To -old Shales and Useful Cub the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk are -indebted for their fame in the production of capital Hackneys.” Useful -Cub was bred by Thomas Jenkinson, of Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, and -was foaled about 1865-70, and was got by a Suffolk cart horse, doubtless -a light weight, and his dam was by Golden Farmer, a son of the famous -half-bred Sampson, that was the great-grandsire of Messenger and beat -most of the best horses of his day. Mr. Lawrence knew Useful Cub well, -and was beaten by him in Hyde Park. We have no details of this horse’s -performances, but it seems to be conceded that he trotted fifteen, -sixteen and seventeen miles in the hour. Old Shales, or Scott’s Shales, -as he is sometimes called, is described by Lawrence as “the bastard son -of Blank,” son of Godolphin Arabian, but Mr. Euren, the compiler of the -Hackney Stud Book maintains that he was the son of Blaze and not the -son of Blank. The reasons given for this change I do not remember, but -they would have to be well founded before I could throw overboard the -contemporaneous evidence of Mr. Lawrence. It will not do to say that Mr. -Lawrence mistook the name Blaze for Blank and so wrote it by mistake, -for he knew all about both horses. This distinction, however, is of but -little practical value. The horses Shales and Useful Cub were both fast -and successful trotters, in their day, and they both became distinguished -sires of trotters. By this I do not mean that they were the sires of -all the trotters, for there were many that were wholly unknown in their -breeding. - -Judging from the numbers of leading contests that were reported in -the _Sporting Magazine_ and other publications, we must conclude that -trotting contests reached their height as well in numbers as in public -interest about the last decade in the last century. The contests were all -to saddle, on the road, and the leading ones were made under the watch -and over a long distance of ground, specifying such or such a distance -to be made inside of an hour. To form a correct estimate of the speed of -those horses, I will copy one paragraph, entire, from the description -given by Mr. Lawrence concerning his own mare Betty Bloss: - - “My own brown mare, known by the name of Betty Bloss, was the - slowest of all the capital trotters, but at five years old - trotted fifteen miles in one hour, carrying fourteen stone, - although fairly mistress of no more than ten. She afterward - trotted sixteen miles within the hour, with ten stone, with - much ease to herself and her rider. She was nearly broken down - at four years old, had bad feet, and, besides, too much blood - for a trotter, having been got by Sir Hale’s Commoner, out of a - three-part-bred daughter of Rattle, son of Snip.” - -In this paragraph, from the best-informed man of his generation, it -will be noted incidentally that the cry, “no more running blood in -the trotter,” is not new, but more than a hundred years old. The best -performances were about sixteen miles in the hour, but there was an -occasional one that reached sixteen and a half. A black gelding called -Archer was recognized as the fastest of that period, and on one occasion -under a stop watch he trotted the second one of two miles in a little -less than three minutes. From my gleanings I find but a single instance -from which we might be able to approximate the money value of trotting -horses of that day, and this is given as a phenomenal price, viz., -Marshland Shales, a paternal grandson of the original Shales and out -of a mare by Hue and Cry. He had beaten Reed’s Driver in a match of -seventeen miles for 200 guineas. He was foaled 1802 and in 1812 he -was sold at auction for 3,051 guineas—$15,255. He was a great horse, -but this price was just as startling to Englishmen of that day as the -$105,000 was in our own day, when Axtell was sold. This seems to have -been the culmination of the “boom” in Norfolk Trotters, and from then -till the present there has been a steady deterioration in the trotting -step of the Norfolk horse. In the earlier part of this period of eighty -or ninety years, possibly some exceptions may be found, but they are -only individual exceptions and do not controvert the broad fact that -must be apparent to all observers. They had been breeding and training -their horses to strike their chins with their knees—the up-and-down -motion—instead of getting away and covering some ground in their action. -I have stood and watched scores of them in the show-ring, on their native -heath, with their grooms at the ends of long lines running and yelling -like wild Indians to rouse up their horses, and they called this training -the trotters. When I privately expressed the wish that saddles might -be put on a few of the best and the ring cleared so that the trotting -action might be studied, I was very kindly and politely assured that -they did not show their trotters that way in England. Thus with the -taut check-rein, the long leading-line and the whoops of the groom they -got the up-and-down action upon the perfection of which the prizes were -awarded. This explained why the splendid foundation of a breed had been -lost by non-use and why England had produced no trotters in the past -fifty or eighty years. - -While our English cousins know they have no trotting horses of their own -they seem to be exceedingly anxious, possibly for commercial reasons, to -make it appear that the American trotting horse is the lineal descendant -of the Norfolk Trotter. This effort is not restricted to the idle -twaddle about Bellfounder, which everybody on this side of the Atlantic -estimates at its true value, but it has taken an official and wider -range, which, trifling though it be, my duty as a historian impels me -to expose. Mr. Henry P. Euren, the compiler of the Hackney Stud Book, -wrote to the Commissioner of Agriculture, at Washington, D. C., in 1888, -taking exceptions to some conclusions reached in an article written by -Mr. Leslie E. Macleod, in my office, on “The National Horse of America,” -and published in the report of the Department of Agriculture for 1887; -Mr. Euren claiming that the American trotting horse came originally from -Norfolk, in England. In proof of this he says: “I beg to inclose you -a cutting which confirms my idea.” And now for the “cutting” which he -offers as proof: - - “It appears from an Act of Parliament, passed December 6, 1748, - in the Legislature of the State of New Jersey, America, that on - and after the publication of this Act, all Norfolk pacing or - trotting of horses for lucre or gain, or for any sum or sums - of money at any time (excepting such times as are hereafter - expressly provided for by this Act), shall be and are hereby - declared public nuisances, provided always that at all fairs - that are or may be held within this province, and that on the - first working day after the three great festivals of Christmas, - Easter and Whitsuntide, etc., etc.” - -The act passed by the provincial legislature of the colony of New Jersey -in 1748 embraced very stringent regulations against dice, lotteries, -etc., as well as horse racing. It is divided into several sections, and -at Section 4 we reach the provision against racing as follows: - - “And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid that - after the publication of this Act, all horse racing, pacing or - trotting of horses for lucre or gain, or for any sum or sums - of money at any time (excepting such times as are hereafter - expressly provided for and allowed by this Act), shall be and - are hereby declared public nuisances, and shall be prosecuted - as public nuisances, in manner hereinbefore directed. Provided - always, and it is the true intent and meaning of this Act, that - at all fairs that are or may be held within this province, and - that on the first working day after the three grand festivals - of Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide, etc., etc.” - -These quotations are sufficiently extended to afford an unmistakable -comparison, and on their face evidence that cannot be doubted for one -moment that they both purport to be copied from the same act of the -Jersey Colonial legislature. In the official printed copy which is -before me as I write, the mandate is against “all horse racing, pacing -or trotting of horses for lucre or gain.” In Mr. Euren’s “cutting” the -mandate is against “all Norfolk pacing or trotting of horses for lucre -or gain,” etc. The substitution of the word “Norfolk” instead of “horse -racing,” is in the nature of a forgery, and I cannot believe that Mr. -Euren would be guilty of any such execrable piece of trickery. It must -have been conceived and written by some horse sharp who was trying to -sell a Hackney to an American with a pocket full of money, and after he -had effected his sale he could mutter quietly, when at a safe distance -from his victim, the couplet from “Hudibras:” - - “The paltry story is untrue - And forged to cheat such gulls as you.” - -Unfortunately, however, for Mr. Euren, he indorsed the trick, and not -only indorsed it, but sent it to the Commissioner of Agriculture with the -hope and possible expectation that it would receive public recognition -and become part of the horse history of this country. Did he not know -that somebody would be nosing round among the old laws and expose the -dirty deception? But, on the basis that Mr. Euren was deceived by this -wretched interpolation of a fraud into the law, could he not see that the -date of the law—1748—was before old Shales or Useful Cub was foaled, and -long before the very first “Norfolk trotter” was ever heard of either in -Norfolk or in any other part of England? - -The exposure of this foolish attempt, wherever it originated, to -incorporate into an old New Jersey statute a fiction, or a forgery, as -it may be called, carries with it a punishment that should be felt by -the most unscrupulous of horse sharps; but when we find it unequivocally -indorsed and given to the world as true by the compiler of the Hackney -Stud Book, it destroys all confidence in the accuracy and reliability -of that work. This is a misfortune that the friends of the Hackney in -England as well as in this country must feel as a blow at the value of -the whole interest. Opinions may change with new light, and opposing -conclusions may be honestly reached from different standpoints, but -running against a fixed and certain date, as in this case, is like -running against a two-edged sword. - -In conclusion, the Hackney is merely the dear-bought and far-fetched -fashion of the hour. A few years ago he was “something new in horses,” -just as the modiste has “something new in dresses.” He was found in -England, where there are no flies, without a tail, and as that was -the fashion in England we must have horses in America without tails, -notwithstanding the millions of torments they have to endure without -the natural means of defense. As hack-a-bouts they are good horses, but -their “churn-dasher” style of action will never become acceptable to the -American people. - -A few years since a quite persistent attempt, backed by unlimited -wealth and all the prestige that metropolitan “fashion” and “society” -could bestow, was made, particularly in New York, to create a Hackney -“boom” in America. All that element in the social life of our great -cities that affects a disdain for things distinctively American, and -particularly for American horses, and that glories in the stultifying -habit of aping things “English, ye know,” took up the Hackney fad with -unbounded enthusiasm. As a park and road horse the American horse—the -incomparable trotting-bred driver—was to be incontinently crowded out -of the driveways, the markets and the shows. The National Horse Show -Association, whose annual show at Madison Square Garden is the great -social _fête_ of the year in New York, lent all its powerful influence -to forward the Hackney “boom,” which was, it must in fairness be said, -consistent; for the miscalled National Horse Show has always catered more -to foreign horses and foreign customs in horsemanship than to American -horses and horsemen. Men of great wealth and prominence established -extensive Hackney studs, imported famous prize-winning stallions and -mares, and there was only one thing left to be done, and that was to -convert the American people to the belief that the driving horse they had -been breeding and developing with a special purpose and care—the fleetest -and most versatile harness horse in the world—was inferior to an imported -nondescript. In that attempt the Hackney advocates have failed in America -as completely as did Mr. Blunt and others in England, when they sought to -make racing men believe that the Arab was a better race horse than the -English thoroughbred. - -Perhaps nothing illustrates better what I have called the versatility -of the trotter than this contest with the Hackney in the latter’s own -especial field—if he may be said to have any. Of course there could be -no contest between the horse of a special breed and the nondescript as a -harness horse for speed or usefulness on the road, whether the distance -were half a mile or a hundred miles; but in the show-ring the Hackney -men claimed absolute pre-eminence for their “high-acting” horses. They -did not dare contest with the trotter in the matter of road speed, so -to have any contest at all the trotting horse men had to “carry the war -into Africa.” This they have done with a vengeance. They have taken the -pure-bred trotting horse, dressed him in the fashion dictated by the -Hackney “faddists,” taught him the Hackney tricks, the preposterous -Hackney action and all that, and have beaten the Hackneys not once but -time and again right on their own ground, viz., at the National Horse -Show in Madison Square Garden. In almost all cases in classes where -trotters have been admitted to compete with Hackneys, the former have -carried off the honors within the past two years. Many notable instances -might be cited, but one will suffice. At the National Horse Show, 1896, a -class was offered for “half-bred Hackneys,” sires to be shown with four -of their get. The Hackney end of the argument was upheld by Mr. A. J. -Cassatt’s renowned prize-winner, imported Cadet, with four of his get. -Against him was entered the well-known trotting sire Almont Jr., 2:26, -with four of his get, and though the judges were gentlemen identified -more or less with the Hackney interest, so superior in form, action and -style were the four youngsters by the trotting sire that they carried -away the honors from the chosen progeny of one of the most noted Hackney -show horses in the world. - -In the sale ring this verdict has been corroborated. The highest -prices—the record figures—paid in the fashionable New York market for -park horses, “high steppers,” or by whatever name the merely spectacular -harness horse may from time to time be called, have been paid for -trotting-bred horses: and in advertised sales of “Hackneys” it has become -somewhat common to encounter half-trotting-bred and full-trotting-bred -horses. - -While no genuine American and horseman can without regret see a typical -American horse mutilated and his action perverted in the manner required -to bring him into “Hackney” classes at the National Horse Show, or in -the markets where New York society people buy their stub-tailed horses, -it is some compensation to know that these experiments have demonstrated -the superiority of the American-bred horse even in the field claimed as -especially that of the Hackney. And the Hackney “fad” in America, while -it lasted, accomplished a good end in so far as it directed the attention -of American breeders more to the importance of form and style, and taught -them that in their own trotting families they have the material from -which may best be produced, in form and style and quality as well as in -speed, pre-eminently the most excellent park horses in the world. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -INVESTIGATION OF DISPUTED PEDIGREES. - - Tendency to misrepresentation—The Bald Galloway and - Darley Arabian— Godolphin Arabian—Early experiences with - trotting pedigrees—Mr. Backman’s honest methods—Shanghai - Mary—Capt. Rynders and Widow Machree—Woodburn Farm and - its pedigree methods—Victimized by “horse sharps” and - pedigree makers—Alleged pedigree of Pilot Jr. conclusively - overthrown—Pedigrees of Edwin Forrest, Norman, Bay Chief and - Black Rose—Maud S.’s pedigree exhaustively considered—Captain - John W. Russell never owned the mare Maria Russell—The deadly - parallel columns settle it. - - -A few years more than forty have slipped away since I first began to -give serious attention to the subject of horse history and to contribute -an occasional article to the press on that subject. Among my very -earliest observations, or I might say, experiences, was the realization -of the fact that exaggeration as a habit of thought and utterance was -practically universal among horsemen. Sometimes I have thought this -tendency to the untrue resulted from the ammoniacal exhalations of the -stable, but this thought is not a satisfactory solution, for some of the -greatest liars about horses have never known anything about stables. -Then, again, I have thought that a really skillful metaphysician might -write a learned disquisition of the question and satisfy himself as -to the cause of this moral delinquency, but nobody would be able to -understand him when he had completed it. This wretched vice, so prevalent -everywhere, was not restricted to the professional country “hoss jockey,” -ready to “swap” with every man he met on the road, but it reached up -to men of otherwise excellent character, and these men would “stretch -the blanket” tremendously about the blood and other qualities of the -horses they were selling. The only way we can account for an otherwise -honest and truthful man exaggerating the merits and blood of his horses -must be (1) in the fact that he has become attached to him and thinks -him better than he is, or it may be (2) that he bought with a false -pedigree and without examining it, he assumes it is true and represents -it accordingly. But underlying all this, the representation cannot be -disproved, and (3) it may add to the market value of the horse. - -This weakness of human nature, so pervasive of all interests connected -with the horse, did not originate in this country, but came from the -old world. We inherit it from our ancestors. “The fathers have eaten -a sour grape and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Take the case -of the little bald-faced, pacing-bred horse known in the old records -as “The Bald Galloway” and while it is not probable he had a single -drop of Saracenic blood in his veins, he is fitted out with a grand -pedigree, full of that blood. Although I have already referred to this -horse as an exemplification of the dishonesty of the early records of -English pedigrees, I will again look at it in a more specific manner. -He was nothing more nor less than a little native horse, belonging to a -tribe of noted pacers in the southwestern part of Scotland and in the -northern part of England. These Galloways were probably the very last -remnant of pacers to be found in Great Britain. He is represented in -the books to have been by a horse called “St. Victor’s Barb;” dam by -Whynot; grandam a Royal Mare. The Bald Galloway was foaled not later than -1708, and it was probably a few years earlier. His reputed sire, “St. -Victor’s Barb,” is not to be found anywhere and was probably fictitious. -His dam was represented to be by Whynot, and this horse was not foaled -till 1744—thirty-six years _after_ his grandson was foaled. The grandam -is given as a “Royal Mare,” which in that day was a convenient way of -rounding out a pedigree, just as we now attempt to round them out when -we know nothing of the blood by saying “dam thoroughbred.” “The Bald -Galloway” was one of the most successful stallions of his day, and yet -he was nothing in the world but a good representative of the old pacing -Galloways of that portion of Scotland then called Galloway. He was low -in stature, but he was esteemed as one of the greatest and most valuable -racing sires of his generation. One of his sons—the Carlisle Gelding—was -still a race horse when he was eighteen years old. - -“The Darley Arabian” was contemporaneous with the Bald Galloway, and -they commenced service in England about the same year. It is said he was -brought from Aleppo, in Syria, or, perhaps I had better say Asia Minor. -Aleppo is but a short distance from the borders of ancient Cappadocia and -Cilicia, countries that were famous in history for the great numbers -of fine horses that they produced far more than a thousand years before -the first horse was taken to Arabia. This horse is called an “Arabian,” -and in the brief record of his importation we have the same venerable -“chestnut” served up to us that has served so many generations of -speculators in “Arabian blood.” The record says that Mr. Darley had a -brother who was an agent for merchandise abroad, who “became a member -of a hunting club, by which means he acquired interest to procure this -horse.” This “gag” has been played too often to give _éclat_ to horses -claimed to be brought from Arabia, in the past two hundred years, to -have much effect on the minds of people who have any sense. That it -required great social or political influence to induce the old Arab -sheik to part with him, was intended merely to secure the attention of -prospective customers to his superlative excellence in order to obtain -their patronage. This horse probably never was within five hundred miles -of the nearest part of Arabia, and to call him an Arabian is a misnomer -wholly unjustifiable. He came from a country where horses were abundant -and cheap on all sides, and of a quality far superior to any Arabian. He -was simply a Turk, he was for sale, and it required no influence to buy -him except the contents of the purchaser’s purse. This horse has always -been classed as one of the two great founders of the English race horse. -His progeny from well-bred mares were not numerous, and his greatest -distinction is in the fact that he was the sire of Flying Childers. In -accordance with the truth, he should be known in the records as “Darley’s -Turk.” - -The horse bearing the dishonest misnomer of “Godolphin Arabian” was -really the greatest regenerator and upbuilder of the running horse that -England ever possessed. There seems to be no historical doubt that he -was brought from France, and that is all we know about his origin and -early history. It may be laid down, therefore, as a safe proposition, -that the odds are as a thousand to one that he was a French horse. The -only evidence that can ever be furnished as to the strain of blood that -he may have possessed must be found and studied in his portrait, which -appears in this volume. I believe this portrait to be a correct and -true delineation of the horse, and there is not a single lineament in -or about it that indicates the blood of either the Arabian or the Barb. -His pedigree is in his picture, and, from what is known in history and -from what has been preserved in art, instead of “Godolphin Arabian” his -true title should be “Godolphin Frenchman.” But this subject has been -discussed at greater length in the chapter on the English Race Horse, to -which my reader is here referred. - -In the chapter on the American Race Horse, I think sufficient attention -has been given to the frauds and impossibilities that are to be found -everywhere in the extended pedigrees of our own running horses to satisfy -any one that the remote extensions of pedigrees are a great mass of -dishonest rubbish, with scarcely a speck of truth to be found. I will, -therefore, pass along to the consideration of some of the difficulties, -of the same nature, that have been developed in investigating and -recording the pedigrees of the American Trotting Horse. In entering the -untrodden wilderness of trotting-horse history it became the ambition -of my life to reach the truth in every possible instance and to cut -off and reject all frauds wherever they showed their heads. This meant -war from the beginning with a great many horsemen, but it also meant -the enthusiastic support of a great many honest men. The trouble, at -this point, was in the fact that a number of prominent, wealthy and -influential breeders insisted upon their right to state their pedigrees -in their own way and thus compel me to indorse them by inserting them in -the Trotting Register. When at work on the early volumes of the Register, -especially the first, if a man of unblemished reputation and intelligence -sent me a list of his stock to be registered, I assumed that he had too -much regard for his reputation and standing as a breeder to print a lot -of pedigrees in his catalogue that he did not _know_ to be correct, and -hence I accepted many a pedigree that was based upon fiction. In course -of time it began to dawn upon my understanding that there were many -men in the world of unsullied reputation, as they were known in their -business relations, who would stand up boldly for a fiction or a fraud in -the pedigrees of their stock. It is but just to say that all the men who -uttered fraudulent pedigrees were not equally guilty, for in some cases -the owners had been victimized by unscrupulous rogues from whom they -had purchased, and in others they had been betrayed by the still more -unscrupulous rogues whom they had employed to make up their catalogues on -the supposition that they were capable and honest. This state of things -soon developed another line of thought and observation in my mind which -evolved a rule by which I could determine the difference between the -degrees of honesty among horsemen. One man, when a fiction in a pedigree -was pointed out, would go to work and carefully investigate it; while -another would hang and higgle about it and finally investigate, not to -find the truth, but to find how many old rummies, swipes and negroes he -could get together, who would support his claim and swear to it for a -half-dollar each. The first man investigates to find the truth wherever -it may lead; while the second man investigates merely, not to find the -truth, but to find some kind of evidence to sustain the untruth. In the -everyday affairs of life these two men may stand on the same plane, but, -at heart, the one is honest and the other a rogue. - -When Mr. Charles Backman founded the great Stonyford breeding farm in -Orange County, New York, he was an excellent horseman, in a general -sense, although he did not pretend to know much about pedigrees. About -1869 he placed all his pedigrees in my hands with the request that I -would give them a careful examination, strike out everything that was -wrong and note everything that was doubtful or uncertain, that it might -be investigated and the truth fully determined, no difference where it -might lead. Many investigations followed which were conducted by his -secretary, Mr. Shipman, either by mail or by personal visitation—so -many, indeed, that Mr. Shipman became quite an expert in this kind of -difficult work. As an illustration of the methods pursued, one instance -will serve to show how it was done, and more than this, it is a very -interesting history in itself. In the first volume of the Register I had -entered Green Mountain Maid, the dam of the famous Electioneer and all -that family, as “by Harry Clay, dam said to be by Lexington.” This was -the form in which Mr. Backman had received the pedigree, except that it -was stated positively and without any “said to be” that the dam was by -Lexington, the great running horse. After a time I called Mr. Backman’s -attention to this “said to be” and suggested that if the mare was really -a daughter of Lexington she could certainly be traced and established. -The next day, Mr. Shipman started to Western New York and to Ohio. On -his trip he found the mare had been known in Western New York as the -“Angelica Mare” and afterward as “Shanghai Mary,” that she was a trotter, -well known locally, and that she had trotted a race and won at a State -fair, in very fast time for that day. She had been brought from Ohio by -some sheep-dealers, who were able to give her exact age, and it was thus -found that she was older than her reputed sire. Several expert horsemen, -from a picture secured by Mr. Shipman on his trip, have not hesitated to -give it as a strong conviction that she belonged to the Cadmus family, -in Southern Ohio. In the last two or three years a correspondent of the -Chicago _Horse Review_ brings out some local facts that make it almost -morally certain that she was bred by Goldsmith Coffein, of Red Lion, -Ohio, and that she was got by Iron’s Cadmus, the sire of the great -Pocahontas. The final nail has not been clinched in establishing this -pedigree, and probably never will be, but the circumstances are so fully -detailed as to scarcely leave room for a doubt that she was a half-sister -to the famous Pocahontas. - -From what has here been said about the methods of Mr. Backman, the -leading breeder of that period, in the North, it should not be inferred -that all Northern breeders were like him. The first real battle I ever -had against fraudulent pedigrees originated in Orange County, New York, -with the notorious Captain Rynders, in which the pedigree of the once -famous Widow Machree, the dam of Aberdeen, was involved. The pedigree of -this mare had been registered as obtained from Mr. James W. Hoyt, who -once owned her, and her dam was given as by Durland’s Messenger Duroc. -When Aberdeen came before the public for patronage, his owner, Rynders, -advertised him as out of Widow Machree and she out of a mare by Abdallah. -This was challenged as untrue by Mr. Guy Miller and Mr. Joseph Gavin, of -Orange County, and I was called upon to demand the evidence upon which -the change had been made from Messenger Duroc to Abdallah. As a matter -of course “the fat was in the fire” at once, and out came Rynders with -a terrific explosion of anger, abounding in threats and denunciations -against anybody and everybody who attempted to interfere with his -“business.” The good names of Guy Miller and Joseph Gavin carried too -much weight as against that of Isaiah Rynders, and, as his last card, he -brought out a duly and formally executed affidavit, sworn to by a man -whose name I will not here mention, stating that he bred the Abdallah -mare; all of which was the very rankest perjury, which was so easily -exposed that it did Rynders far more harm than good. At last the whole -truth came out in a form that was complete and conclusive, showing that -the mare in question was bred by Garrett Duryea, of Bethel, Sullivan -County, New York, and was got by a horse known as Pintler’s Bolivar. -Rynders had been a leader in New York politics so long that he knew just -how to manage things where the truth must be suppressed. He was a liberal -advertiser, the two sporting papers were needy for patronage in that -line, and their columns were closed to any and all communications against -his side of the question. But all this failed to suppress the truth and -uphold a fraud, and I doubt whether there is a man living to-day who does -not believe that the fight was fairly and honestly won. This contest -taught me a very important lesson, and that was, that if I expected -to fight bogus pedigrees I must have a channel of communication of my -own. Hence _Wallace’s Monthly_, which, in its day, was not only able to -expose bogus pedigrees, but lead intelligent thought and experience on -all breeding subjects, till it fell into the hands of an unscrupulous -neocracy, where it soon died for want of brains. - -Having given a very brief illustration of the methods which governed Mr. -Backman in ascertaining and determining the blood elements which entered -into the foundation of his great breeding establishment, and the care and -promptness with which errors were eliminated, it is now in order to take -a glance at the methods pursued at the great Woodburn Farm, founded by -R. A. Alexander in Kentucky. These were the two earliest establishments, -of any prominence, for breeding the trotter, in the whole country. The -one was the northern center of the interest and the other the southern, -and they together may be considered as representative of both sections. -Mr. Alexander, I think, was reared and educated in Scotland, and there -inherited a large estate. Upon coming into this inheritance he determined -to transfer his interests to Kentucky, where he bought up a cluster -of farms and shaped them for the purpose of building up a mammoth -establishment for the breeding of all varieties of domestic animals of -the highest type and excellence. I think his fancy ran more to Short Horn -cattle than to any other line of breeding, probably because he knew more -about the value and merit of the different tribes of that breed than he -did of any other variety. The founding of an establishment so immense, -and for the grand purpose of the breeding and improving the varieties -of domestic animals, was the agricultural sensation of the period, and -everybody, from one end of the land to the other, soon knew of and -applauded the great enterprise. There had been great enterprises on -similar lines before, and there have been even greater ones since, but -Mr. Alexander’s Woodburn Farm, of Kentucky, may always be looked upon as -the real pioneer in stock breeding on a large and methodical scale, and -without limit as to resources. A university education in Scotland, with -all its training in the refinements of logical distinctions, did not -bring to Mr. Alexander a knowledge of the pedigrees of Kentucky horses, -nor did it train him in the detection of the tricks of Kentucky horse -dealers, and thus as a purchaser of his breeding stock he was looked upon -by the “sharps” as a fat goose, ready to be plucked. After these “sharps” -had secured their pluckings, Mr. Alexander called in a professional -pedigreeist to put the lines of the blood he had purchased in order and -print a catalogue. This “professional” was not a pedigree _tracer_, -for he never traced anything in his life, but a pedigree _maker_, and -wherever he thought that anything was needed he added it, whether true or -not, and it went to the world in that form. This is more conspicuously -true in the department of trotting pedigrees, as will appear below. -Thus the acts of an incapable and dishonest employee were given the -indorsement of an honorable and eminent name; falsehoods were made to -appear as truths; counterfeits were put in circulation that are still -circulating as genuine coin, with many people. Under the circumstances, -Mr. Alexander could hardly be blamed, for, knowing nothing of such -matters of his own knowledge, he employed what he supposed was the best -authority then to be found. For my own part, when I came to register the -Woodburn stock, I was ready to accept as true whatever I found in the -catalogue, believing that Mr. Alexander was incapable of publishing to -the world a misrepresentation. In this estimate of his character I was -right, and I have never changed my opinion on that point, but when I came -to examine the structure of his catalogue I found there was rotten wood -all through it. A few examples that have been carefully investigated will -serve to show the value of the work done by the “pedigree maker” for Mr. -Alexander. - -Pilot Jr. was a gray horse, foaled 1844, was got by Old Pacing Pilot and -attained the distinction of being the head of a well-known family of -trotters. He was foaled 1844, bred by Angereau Gray, and owned a number -of years by Glasgow & Heinsohn, of Louisville, Kentucky. He was kept -a number of years about Lexington, Kentucky, by Dr. Herr, Mr. Bradley, -and perhaps others, and always advertised as “by Pilot (the pacer), dam -Nancy Pope, grandam Nancy Taylor.” Nobody then ever pretended to know -what horse was the sire of either Nancy Pope or Nancy Taylor. He was -then owned by the parties who afterward sold him to Mr. Alexander, and -it is evident they did not then know anything about the sires of these -mares. Mr. Alexander bought him in 1858, and immediately his “pedigree -maker” furnished the sires of these two mares; Nancy Pope was given as -by Havoc, son of Sir Charles, and Nancy Taylor as by imported Alfred. -The controversy about this pedigree was long and sharp, the one side, -headed by the modern management at Woodburn, as usual laboring to sustain -the infallibility of the Woodburn catalogues, and the other to reach the -exact truth, whatever it might be. The Board of Censors of the National -Breeders’ Association sent out a call for information on certain abstract -points and finally reached a decision as follows: (1) That Havoc, the -reputed sire of Nancy Pope, the dam of Pilot Jr., died in 1828. (2) That -Nancy Pope was not foaled till 1832. (3) That the breeding of Nancy -Taylor, the dam of Nancy Pope, was unknown. These dates were fixed by -undoubted evidence, and, as afterward developed, another might have -been added with equal authenticity. Imported Alfred, the reputed sire -of Nancy Taylor, was not imported till several years after Nancy Taylor -was foaled, and thus it was clearly shown by the absolutely insuperable -difficulties of dates that both the sires inserted in the pedigree were -nothing more than very stupid fictions. - -Edwin Forrest seems to have held second place in the list of stallions -in the Woodburn Stud at that period, and the remote extensions of his -pedigree were also fictitious. His grandam was represented to be by -Duroc, the famous son of imported Diomed, and his great-grandam by -imported Messenger. The first two crosses were technically inaccurately -stated, but the second two, as given here, were purely fictitious. - -Norman, the third stallion in the catalogue, had his sire correctly given -as the Morse Horse, but his dam was given as by Jersey Highlander and -his grandam as by Bishop’s Hambletonian, son of Messenger, both of which -were wholly fictitious. His dam was by a horse called Magnum Bonum, a -representative of a family of that name, and that is all that is known -of his pedigree. A full showing of this pedigree will be found in the -“Trotting Register,” Vol. III. - -Bay Chief was a bay son of Mambrino Chief, with a bald face, and was -often called Bald Chief. He was the sensational trotter of the whole -Mambrino Chief family, and I believe it is true that when four years old -he showed a half-mile on Mr. Alexander’s track in 1:08 and repeated in -1:08½. In the catalogue he is given as foaled in 1859, got by Mambrino -Chief, dam by Keokuk, son of imported Truffle; grandam a thoroughbred -mare by Stamboul Arabian. As this was found in Mr. Alexander’s catalogue -I took it for granted it must be true, but I never had heard of a -running horse called Keokuk before, and I kept hunting for ever so many -years without finding hide nor hair of him, until 1885, when the whole -mystery was developed. Mr. Richard Johnson, of Scott County, Kentucky, -had business interests in Keokuk, Iowa, in the early fifties, probably -locating land warrants, and he bought a pair of mares in Keokuk to travel -over the prairies, and when he was through with his work he brought the -team home with him to Scott County. He knew nothing whatever of the -breeding of those mares, but they were a good pair of drivers and one of -them was quite a smart roadster that he called “Old Keokuk.” He bred this -mare, Keokuk, in 1858 to Mambrino Chief, and in 1859 she produced the -colt called Bay Chief. In 1862 he was bred to some sixteen or eighteen -mares, and the fall of that year Mr. Alexander bought the colt at public -auction, paying one thousand dollars for him. He was taken to Woodburn, -put in training and never covered any more mares. In the spring of -1865 he was killed in a raid of Southern troops upon the horse stock -at Woodburn. (For further particulars of this little sketch the reader -is referred to _Wallace’s Monthly_ for 1885, page 285.) To fix up a -pedigree for the maternal side of this colt was no easy matter, but Mr. -Alexander’s “pedigree maker” proved himself fully equal to the occasion. -There was the nasty name Keokuk fastened to the old mare, and it would -stick as tight as wax to the end of her days, coming from a region where -there was no drop of running blood; so he made a “thoroughbred” horse, -right on the spot, and gave him the name of Keokuk, which would account -for the name of the mare, and pronounced him a son of imported Truffle. -To supply a “thoroughbred” grandam was comparatively easy, for Mr. -Johnson had long been a resident of Scott County, and the horse Stamboul -had been kept in that county, hence there could be no doubt that she -was a “thoroughbred” daughter of that horse. With this review of the -misfortunes of Mr. Alexander in placing the arrangement and, I might say, -care of his pedigrees, in dishonest hands, we will pass whatever may -remain of his early stallions, and take a glance at some of the pedigrees -of his brood mares. - -Black Rose proved to be one of the best brood mares ever owned at -Woodburn. I am told she was a pacer, and certainly all that is known of -her blood was pacing blood. She was sought after and procured by Mr. -Alexander because she had produced several trotters, and it can be read -all through his purchases for the trotting stud, that he had undoubting -confidence in the theory that trotters must come from trotters. When this -mare first appeared in the Woodburn catalogue no dam was given to her, -but meantime the “pedigree maker” had come around, and the next year she -was fitted out with the following, in fine style. - - “Black Rose, bl. m., foaled about 1847; got by Tom Teemer; dam - by Cannon’s Whip; g. d. by Robin Gray, son of imp. Royalist.” - -The pedigree stood in this form a number of years, and probably would -still be so standing had it not been that in trying to learn something -more about the sire, Tom Teemer, I received some intimations that made -me doubtful about the maternal side. On a certain occasion I asked Mr. -R. S. Veech, of Kentucky, what he knew about it, and he replied that -he had made a trip to Clark County for no other purpose than to trace -and investigate the pedigree of Black Rose, and he was not able to get -a single syllable of information about her dam, any more than if she -never had a dam. Some time afterward I wrote to Mr. Brodhead, manager -at Woodburn, inquiring where the pedigree of Black Rose as given and -perpetuated in the Woodburn catalogues came from and on what basis it -rested. He replied promptly and briefly that Mr. Veech had made a trip -to Clark County in search of this pedigree and the result of that search -was what appeared in the catalogue. These are the facts, substantially, -as given me by these two gentlemen, and this is the first time I have -ever given them to the public. I have known Mr. Veech intimately and -trustingly for twenty-eight years and I know him to be eminently -truthful. I have not known Mr. Brodhead so long, and if he had not -published the fraudulent extension of this pedigree in his catalogues -every year for more than ten years, before Mr. Veech made his trip to -Clark County, I might at least express my sympathy with him in having so -bad a memory. Mr. Brodhead had nothing to do with either the original -construction or utterance of this fraud, for he was not then connected -with the management of Woodburn. My readers can employ their own terms -in characterizing, as it deserves, the fraudulent act of manufacturing a -pedigree out of whole cloth; and they can also exercise their own ethical -discrimination in determining whether the man who executes the fraud is -any worse than the man who maintains and supports it after he knows it is -fraudulent. - -We pass on to Sally Russell, the grandam of Maud S. It is not a pleasant -task to review an old controversy, whatever it might bring to light; -but a controversy which involves the true lines of descent of so great -a family as that of Maud S., Nutwood, Lord Russell, etc., is worth -preserving for the enlightenment of future generations. It all turns -upon the breeding of Sally Russell and the identity of her breeder. She -was a little chestnut mare, represented to have been foaled 1850, got -by Boston and out of Maria Russell, by Rattler, and so on, claimed to -be thoroughbred. She was bought by Mr. Alexander from the foreman on -Captain John W. Russell’s farm, with the pedigree given as above. The -name of her breeder was not given to Mr. Alexander, I think, but Bruce -has it that her dam, Maria Russell, and this mare Sally Russell were both -bred by Benjamin Luckett. In 1863 this mare was offered, with others, to -the highest bidder, at Mr. Alexander’s annual sale, being then thirteen -years, old according to the records of the establishment, and the -auctioneer was not able to coax a bid of ten dollars on her and she was -led out unsold. Five years later—1868—I attended the Woodburn sale, and -a little scrubby-looking old mare was brought into the ring, represented -to have been stinted to imported Australian, and when this was announced -a subdued whisper went round the ring, “She’ll never raise another foal.” -The auctioneer was eloquent upon the value of the Australian blood on -the Boston blood, and the possibilities of the coming foal, but all to -no purpose, as the mare was led out of the ring the second time, with -no person willing to bid a dollar. I was astonished that such an animal -should have been put up at auction, for she had all the appearance of -being twenty-eight instead of eighteen. She died that summer, apparently -of old age, and I have no shadow of doubt that she sank under the weight -of years. On two separate occasions great crowds of practical horsemen -had, in this manner, proclaimed that Mr. Alexander had been victimized in -the age of the mare, and fifteen years later I determined to settle the -question as to whether this judgment was right. - -As the supposed age and breeding of Sally Russell has been made to turn -and rest upon the ownership of her dam, Maria Russell, it is important -that we should have the antecedent circumstances set out in the plainest -possible manner. Captain John A. Holton and Captain John W. Russell -were farmers in Kentucky, living a few miles apart, and I think they -were both river men at one time or another; certainly Russell was in -command of a snag boat on the Ohio and Mississippi along about 1836-40. -Like many other Kentucky farmers, they both bred a few running horses, -but not enough, singly, to justify the expense of separate training -establishments, so they united their strings in one stable, sharing the -expense and dividing the profits, if any, equally. The partnership did -not extend to the joint ownership of any of the horses, but simply to the -losses or profits of training and racing, and Major Benjamin Luckett was -in their employ as trainer. - -Before going to work in earnest on this investigation, I learned that -Mr. Llewellyn Holton, a son of Captain John A. Holton, still resided on -the old farm and that he was old enough to know all about the origin and -history of Maria Russell, as well as the other stock belonging to his -father at that time. This was very encouraging, but I wanted to know -whether he was a man who could be relied upon to tell the truth. On -this point I addressed an inquiry to the late Colonel R. P. Pepper, and -his reply is as follows: “Your letter of the 29th received. I regard L. -Holton, of this county, as a man of honor, integrity and intelligence, -and the peer of any gentleman of my acquaintance. In my opinion any -statement he will make upon any subject, as to his own knowledge, will -be accepted in this community as readily as that of any gentleman in it. -He is a man who sometimes gets on sprees from intoxicating liquors, but -I have never heard of it affecting his intelligence, honor or integrity, -and, as above stated, his word will be accepted in this community at this -time as soon as the word of any gentleman in this county or community.” - -With this very high indorsement I did not hesitate to send a commissioner -to interview Mr. Holton and get from him the exact facts in the case, -without any leading questions and without any shading of the truth or -bias on either side. What this commissioner learned will be given further -on. - -Let us now turn to the other side and see how Mr. Brodhead manages to get -Maria Russell into the ownership of Captain John W. Russell. Under date -of April 30, 1883, he wrote to the _Turf, Field and Farm_ as follows: - - “A Colonel Shepherd, of the South—New Orleans, I think—gave - or sold to Captain J. W. Russell and Captain J. A. Holton a - Stockholder mare, out of Miranda, by Topgallant, etc. This mare - was called Miss Shepherd. They owned and bred this mare in - partnership. Among the produce thus owned were Maria Russell - by Rattler, Mary Bell by Sea Gull, and Swiss Boy by imported - Swiss. Captain Russell sold his half of Swiss Boy to Mr. - Taylor, son-in-law of Ben Luckett, for $750. Maria Russell was - owned and run as a partnership mare by Holton and Russell, but - was trained by Major Ben Luckett.” - -Then follows a lot of stuff, without any relevancy whatever, going -to show that Ben Luckett trained her at three years old, but had no -connection whatever with the family, all of which is known to everybody, -and then he again asserts that “in the division of the partnership -property, Maria Russell fell to Captain Russell.” The next dash that -Mr. Brodhead makes is for a negro seventy-five years old, who had been -in the Russell family from his birth, named Jesse Dillon. Jesse was no -exception to his race, or indeed to many of the white race, for whenever -any information is wanted from them they are always ready to give it, as -they expect at least one half-dollar, and if they tell the story “right -up to what is wanted” they expect two. Jesse was sharp enough to discover -just what his interviewers were after, and he was ready to supply “the -long-felt want.” Jesse was able to tell just how the mare got her eye -knocked out and just how he took her to Blackburn’s and had her bred -to Boston. In all this, including the loss of the eye and the trip to -Blackburn’s, Jesse may have had in his mind Captain Russell’s one-eyed -mare, Mary Churchill, while his interviewers were thinking about Maria -Russell. It is no uncommon thing for white people as well as black, at -seventy-five, to get names of forty or fifty years past confused. - -This is all of Mr. Brodhead’s case so far as what he presents has any -relevancy to the point at issue, namely, the identity and ownership -of the mare Maria Russell. The pedigree was not made at Woodburn; Mr. -Alexander in this case as in many others was simply the victim of the -sharper. The only shadow of evidence that has been presented that the -pedigree might be true is the evidence of a superannuated negro, Jesse -Dillon. For the Woodburn side of the case the reader is referred to -_Wallace’s Monthly_ for June, 1883, page 366. In replying to this case I -will try to summarize the different considerations as briefly as possible. - -_First._ The case is opened with the assumption that Colonel Shepherd -presented the mare Miss Shepherd, by Stockholder, to Captain J. W. -Russell and Captain J. A. Holton. We might laugh at this by asking -which half he gave to Russell and which half to Holton? This is -merely constructing a theory by which the ownership of Russell might -be maintained. It is safe to say the mare was given to Holton and to -Holton alone, and here is the proof of it. There is a silver cup, now in -possession of Mr. Bowen, grandson of J. A. Holton, with this inscription: -“J. A. Holton, awarded by Franklyn Agricultural Society, 1836, for filly -Maria Russell.” Where is Captain J. W. Russell’s ownership at that date? - -_Second._ When S. D. Bruce was compiling his Stud Book, Captain John W. -Russell had his thoroughbred stock entered there. There were several -brood mares with their produce under them, but where were Maria Russell -and her daughter Sally Russell? They appear as the property of Ben -Luckett, when everybody knows he had nothing to do with them. As Captain -Russell did not have them entered when he was entering his other stock, I -must take it as _prima facie_ evidence that he did not own them at that -time. - -_Third._ It is now in imperishable evidence that John W. Russell did -not own Maria Russell in 1836, and that he did not own her at the time -Bruce was compiling his Stud Book, and now the question is, was there -ever a time when he did own her? To answer this question we must turn to -Llewellyn Holton, the only man then living who knew and had a right to -know all about the history of this mare. His statement is as follows: - - “FORKS OF ELKHORN. May 24, 1883. - - “This is to certify that my father, Captain John A. Holton, - was, for a number of years, interested with Captain John W. - Russell in a number of thoroughbreds, and they raced them in - partnership. When they dissolved and divided the stock, I am - positively certain that my father retained all the descendants - of the Stockholder mare—among them Maria Russell, and all - her produce—and I know to my certain knowledge that Captain - Russell never owned or had in his possession the mare Maria - Russell, or any of her produce; and I further know to my - certain knowledge that said mare, Maria Russell, had two good - eyes from the time of her foaling until the day of her death. - If my father bred a mare to Boston in 1848, I incline to the - opinion that it was a bay mare called Limber, for the reason - that she, Limber, was very uncertain, having missed several - seasons. There is one point, however, that I feel very certain - upon, and that is that neither my father nor Captain Russell, - during their racing or breeding career, ever owned a Boston - filly. As Boston was the most famous horse of his time, it is - not at all possible that there could have been a Boston colt - or filly on my father’s farm and I not knowing of the fact. I - was born in the old homestead the 15th of November, 1820, and - have resided either there or adjoining all my life; therefore I - had constant opportunity to know all about my father’s stock of - horses. - - L. HOLTON. - - “I hereby attest that the above is my father’s signature.—J. A. - HOLTON, son of Llewellyn Holton.” - -_Fourth._ With the foregoing clear and decisive statement before us, it -is not necessary to determine whether the partnership between Holton and -Russell embraced the joint ownership of the racing stock or whether the -running colts of the two farms were brought together from year to year, -and as a matter of economy and profit, trained and raced as one stable. -This latter view of the question seems to be made plain. In his interview -with Mr. Holton my commissioner reported as follows: “The horses were -always trained by Captain Holton at his private track at the Forks of -Elkhorn. That he, Llewellyn Holton, always went after the colts that -were on the Russell farm when the training season commenced, and at the -close of the racing campaign of the year he always took those back that -came from the Russell stock, while those from Captain Holton’s stock were -kept on the home farm. When the partnership between Captain Holton and -Captain Russell was dissolved, Mr. Llewellyn Holton is positively certain -that Captain Russell retained his own stock and Captain Holton his own, -the latter consisting of the produce of the Stockholder mare, among them -Maria Russell, and all her produce. And he is still more positively -certain that neither the mare, Maria Russell, nor any of her produce was -ever in the hands of Captain Russell.” At the close of each season the -owners, respectively, took their own stock home till the next spring, and -after a series of years each owner took his own stock home, and that was -the end of the arrangement. - -_Fifth._ In the summer of 1883 I met Mr. John W. Russell, son of Captain -Russell, at the house of Mr. R. S. Veech, near Louisville, Kentucky, -and we had some conversation on the question of the pedigree of Sally -Russell, which had then been in hot controversy for some months. The -subject was not a pleasant one to him and he either parried or negatived -the few questions I asked. A year or two after this I met him at the -Galt House in Louisville, and we had a very pleasant conversation. The -controversy about Sally Russell had then subsided, and I asked him if -he remembered his father’s thoroughbred mare Mary Churchill. “Oh, yes,” -he said, “she was the first horse I ever rode, and my folks were very -much afraid I would fall off and get hurt.” I then asked him if Mary -Churchill was blind of one eye, and he answered he “could not remember.” -My next question was, whether he recollected anything about Maria -Russell, and his reply was: “Nothing that is definite.” Then followed -the inquiry, “whether there were any traditions in the household going -to show that his father ever owned Maria Russell,” and he replied: -“There are no traditions that are reliable.” These replies were a most -grateful surprise to me, and if I have not given the precise words used I -certainly have given the precise meaning. - -_Sixth._ Llewellyn Holton was sixty-three years old in 1883 and he was -afflicted with physical paralysis, but his mind seems to have been -perfectly sound and memory good for a man of his age. Before he had the -slightest intimation that a pedigree was being investigated that might -call him into controversy, he was asked about Maria Russell by one of the -most prominent and distinguished of all the breeders of Kentucky, and -that breeder wrote me as follows: - - “I have seen Mr. L. Holton, the son of Captain John A. - Holton, of this county, and he says his father bred and owned - Maria Russell; that she was by Rattler, and out of a mare by - Stockholder, and was foaled 1834. He says he thinks a man by - the name of William Duvall can give some information about - these mares. I will see him to-morrow, and write you.” - -As this information about Maria Russell was elicited from Mr. Holton -on the spur of the moment, and as he gave her pedigree correctly, and -not only this, but gave the year in which she was foaled correctly, his -memory, at least so far as this mare is concerned seems to have been -remarkably good. - -_Seventh._ My correspondent wrote a few days later: “I have just -learned from William Duvall, who trained for Captain J. A. Holton in -1842, that he remembers the mare Maria Russell, and he thinks she was -by Seagull, and out of Limber, by Whipster; he also remembers a mare -owned by Holton that was by Rattler, but cannot remember any more about -her.” This confirms Mr. Holton’s recollections in a very striking and -satisfactory manner. As a trainer Mr. Duvall did not handle the brood -mares, but only their produce. He recalled a Seagull mare and a Rattler -mare, that Captain Holton owned, but he attached the name “Maria Russell” -to the wrong one. This kind of impromptu inaccuracy is almost always an -element of strength, for it goes to prove that the witness has not been -“coached.” He remembered there was a mare by Rattler in the field, and -as there was no other Rattler mare owned by either Holton or Russell, -the identity of Maria Russell is clearly established as the property of -Captain Holton in 1842. - -_Eighth._ With the high indorsement of Mr. Llewellyn Holton as a man of -truth and honor, given on page 421 of this chapter; and with the evidence -before me of his clear and unclouded memory in giving correctly not only -the pedigrees but the year in which Maria Russell was foaled, and all -this before there was any pressure or suspicion on his part as to where -his disclosure might lead, I cannot, as an honest man, fail to believe -that he told the truth. Thus, after leaving out all the minor evidences, -we have the three major points fully and clearly established, namely, (1) -the inscription on the silver cup that Captain Holton owned her in 1836; -(2) the evidence of William Duvall that he owned her in 1842; and (3) the -statement of Llewellyn Holton that he owned her always and that she died -his. - -_Ninth._ At the Woodburn sale of 1863 and 1868 there were certainly at -least two hundred experienced horsemen and breeders present who were able -to discriminate concerning a mare represented to be thirteen years old -when she looked ten years more; or concerning a mare represented to be -eighteen years old when she looked as if she were twenty-eight. Hence, -no man was willing to bid five dollars on her. This I take it, was the -personal judgment of every man who thought anything about it, and when -she died a few weeks after the last sale, nobody could doubt that she -died of old age, and nobody could doubt that Mr. Alexander represented -her to the public just as she had been represented to him, both in age -and breeding, by the rogue who victimized him. - -The mare Sally Russell, the grandam of Maud S., had been sold to Mr. -Alexander by the foreman of Captain Russell’s farm, and it does not -appear that he represented her as having been bred by Captain Russell. -Indeed, it was not claimed at Woodburn that Captain Russell bred her -until a representative of that establishment called at my office to -examine the service books of Boston and there found that “John Russell’s -one-eyed mare” had been bred in 1849. If a fraud, therefore, was -established the Russell family must bear the odium. Hence all evidence -from that source must be considered in the light of the fact that -every member of the family is deeply interested. But notwithstanding -the efforts of the Russell family to preserve the father’s name from -obloquy, and notwithstanding the trip in search of some superannuated -darkey who could remember anything and everything in consideration of -the _pour-boire_ that would be forthcoming, there stood that terrible -statement of Llewellyn Holton that could not be met by evidence. The -whole matter was against him, and Mr. Brodhead was not happy. He knew -he could not prove him wrong, and the only course left open was to get -him to take back certain things that he had said on the ground that his -memory had failed and that the fight was between “Old Kaintuck” and -outside parties who had no business to interfere with Kentucky affairs. -On an appointed day, therefore, all who were supposed to have any -influence with Mr. Holton, in the whole countryside, met Mr. Brodhead, -and they came down on “the poor old paralytic” hammer and tongs. They -asked him what he remembered about all the horses, each in his turn, in -the whole neighborhood, whether he had ever heard of them before or not. -This was kept up a long time, but they could not prevail on him to take -back a single specific statement he had made. He had said Captain Russell -had never owned Maria Russell or any of her produce, and he would not -take it back. He had said Maria Russell had two good eyes when she died, -and he would not take it back. At last when the poor old invalid was -worn out they sprung the patriotic dodge of “Kentucky against the world” -upon him and this had some effect, but not enough to save the anxious -“bulldozers” from a feeling of great depression. At last Mr. Brodhead -seized a pen and indited a letter for him to sign, addressed to me, -with the request that I would publish it. I am not able to say how many -attempts were made to get such a letter as he would be willing to sign, -but several different drafts were made, and sick and worried, and in -order to get rid of his tormentors, he signed, and the letter came to me, -and I published it as follows: - - “FORKS OF ELKHORN, June 12, 1883. - - “Mr. J. H. WALLACE. - - “DEAR SIR: In answer to your letter to my son, of May 21, 1883, - there are three points suggested. First, in regard to her - produce (Maria Russell’s). I have no recollection any further. - I have no data from which I could find out concerning them. - Second, I have no remembrance of her death nor the manner of - it. Now, in regard to the statement I made to Mr. John K. - Stringfield. I think he has made it too strong, for I told him - my statement was from memory only, and that I could not nor - would not swear to it. Since that time I have had sufficient - proof to overbalance my memory, and circumstances called to - mind that have convinced me I was in error. I simply stated - what I believed to be true at that time. I have no interest in - the matter whatever—only want to be understood. I trust that - you will oblige me by publishing the above letter. - - Yours truly, - - “L. HOLTON.” - -It must have been a most pitiful sight to see six or eight able-bodied -men, headed by the stalwart Brodhead, acting as chief inquisitor, -circling round the reclining form of a poor old invalid, trying to -convince him that he had no memory and that he was a liar, prodding -him with questions about horses that he never had heard of, and when -he failed to tell them, torturing him with remarks that if he couldn’t -answer that question how could he know so well about Maria Russell? But -with all their tortures they couldn’t force him to say his father did not -own Maria Russell all her life and that she did not die with two good -eyes. It was simply a little Spanish Inquisition on the waters of the -Elkhorn from which came the cry, “Recant, Recant,” dinged into the ears -of the helpless paralytic. Still, helpless as he was against so many, he -obeyed his conscience and maintained his integrity, notwithstanding all -the satanic arts of Torquemada. When all else had failed the war-cry was -shouted in his ear: “New York is trying to destroy the breeding interests -of Kentucky, and all true Kentuckians must stand by each other or we all -go under.” The old man brightened up and said: “I’m a Kentuckian, but you -mustn’t try to make me a self-convicted liar.” The piece of patchwork -given above, in the shape of a letter, was then shaped up by his -tormentors, for the old man was not able to write a line, and dispatched -to the office of _Wallace’s Monthly_, where it was printed just as it was -received. Each one of the tormentors made a copy of it, and no one of -them was satisfied with it; even the inquisitor-general said it fell far -short of what they wanted, but that by industriously speaking of it as a -recantation, the public would soon come to treat it as a recantation. - -When, after years of fruitless effort, Mr. Brodhead, manager at Woodburn -Farm, got control of registration, he made an early move to have the -cloud removed from the pedigree of the stallion Lord Russell, and brought -the matter before the neocracy of his own creation, of which he was -himself the head and brains, and the action thereon was published in -_Wallace’s Monthly_ for February, 1893. The presentation is imposing -in length and abounds in many things that have no possible bearing on -the question at issue. Unfortunately I have no means of determining the -extent to which the crime of the interpolation or excision has been made -manifest except in two of the exhibits which I will give. In Exhibit -1 (Holton’s letter above) the following words are interpolated: “and -in justice to all I correct my statement.” These words are not very -important to the meaning, but they are very important as indicating -the accuracy, and hence reliability, of a witness. In the same exhibit -Mr. Brodhead says: “I insist that you will oblige me,” etc., while the -original uses the word “trust” instead of “insist.” Again, Mr. Brodhead -has his letter dated June 11, 1893, instead of June 12, 1883, as it is -in the original. The variation of the dates here seems to have had a -purpose, whatever it may have been. This letter must have been a great -trouble, for I have seen three or four copies of it, so called, and no -two of them alike. - -I was duly notified that the question of Sally Russell’s pedigree would -be brought up at that meeting, and requested to be there to sustain my -view of that question. The court and the jury were made up of Brodhead’s -creatures, and organized simply to register his edicts. The wise man -said, “Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.” The -bird looked on, from a safe distance, and saw the fowler impaled in his -own snare, by his own act, and his true character revealed to the world. -It is very difficult to understand just why it should have been deemed -necessary to cut out the very pith and heart of Mr. Holton’s letter, when -he knew that it would make no difference with his court whether there was -any evidence at all. Under the law of retribution, a man’s character may -be determined by his own acts. - - -HOLTON’S TRUE STATEMENT. - -“FORKS OF ELKHORN, May 24, 1883. - -“This is to certify that my father, Captain John A. Holton, was for a -number of years interested with Captain John Russell in a number of -thoroughbreds, and they raced them in partnership. When they dissolved -and divided the stock, I am positively certain that my father retained -all the descendants of the Stockholder mare—among them Maria Russell -and all of her produce AND I KNOW TO MY CERTAIN KNOWLEDGE THAT CAPTAIN -RUSSELL NEVER OWNED OR HAD IN HIS POSSESSION THE MARE MARIA RUSSELL, -OR ANY OF HER PRODUCE. And I further know to my certain knowledge that -said mare, Maria Russell, had two good eyes from the time of her foaling -until the day of her death. If my father bred a mare to Boston in 1848, I -incline to the opinion that it was a bay mare we owned called Limber, for -the reason that she, Limber, was very uncertain, having missed several -seasons. There is one point, however, that I feel very certain upon, and -that is, that neither my father nor Captain Russell, during their racing -or breeding career, ever owned a Boston filly. As Boston was the most -famous horse of his time, it is not at all possible that there could -have been a Boston colt or filly on my father’s farm and I not knowing -of the fact. I was born in the old homestead the 15th of November, 1820, -and have resided either there or adjoining all my life; therefore I had -constant opportunity to know all about my father’s stock of horses. - - L. HOLTON. - -“I hereby attest that the above is my father’s signature.—J. A. HOLTON, -son of Llewellyn Holton.” - - -BRODHEAD’S REPRESENTATION OF IT. - -“FORKS, ELKHORN, May 24, 1883. - -“This is to certify that my father, Captain John A. Holton, was for a -number of years interested with Captain John Russell in a number of -thoroughbreds, and they raced them in partnership. When they dissolved, -and divided the stock, I am positively certain that my father retained -all the descendants of the Stockholder mare, among them Maria Russell -and all her produce, and I know to my certain knowledge that said Maria -Russell had two good eyes from the time of her foaling until the day of -her death. If my father bred a mare to Boston in 1848, I incline to the -opinion that it was a bay mare he owned called Limber, for the reason -that she, Limber, was very uncertain, having missed several seasons. -There is one point, however, that I feel very certain upon, and that -is that neither my father nor Captain Russell during their racing or -breeding career ever owned a Boston filly. As Boston was the most famous -horse of his time, it is not at all possible that there could have been a -Boston colt or filly on my father’s farm and I not knowing of the fact. -I was born in the old homestead the 15th of November, 1820, and have -resided either there or adjoining all my life; therefore I had constant -opportunity to know all about my father’s stock of horses. - - L. HOLTON. - -“I hereby attest that the above is my father’s signature.—J. A. HOLTON, -son of L. Holton.” - -The deadly parallel columns tell the whole story. The central and most -important fact in Mr. Holton’s statement has been deliberately and -carefully cut out by Mr. Brodhead, and the evidence that he did so cannot -be wiped out either by money or by the torture of invalids. The testimony -of cold type remains forever. Has Mr. Brodhead, it is asked, professed to -have given the whole of Mr. Holton’s statement, and suppressed a vital -part of it? He has given every word and letter of the statement, from -the date line to the signature, except the one sentence that is the life -and soul of the whole statement, and that sentence I have printed above -in capital letters, so that it may be easily distinguished and compared. -For years I have known that Mr. Brodhead possessed most remarkable visual -powers. When he wanted to see a thing he could see it through a stone -wall and without any assistance from the “X-rays,” and when he didn’t -want to see a thing he couldn’t see it even when held up to his very -nose under an arc light. The deception practiced here might justly be -designated by a harder name, for it was deliberately planned and carried -out in order to gain an end by suppressing the truth. Why did he not -free himself from his marvelous powers of vision, and looking out of the -natural eyes of his mind, see the imminent danger of a terrible exposure? -In keeping back part of the truth with the pretension that he had given -it all, how could he avoid recalling the fate of Annanias and Sapphira -for keeping back part of the price with the pretension that they had -given it all? - -As an exercise in ethical athletics I will submit the following abstract -question to the debating clubs, especially in Kentucky, viz., “Is the man -who suppresses the truth in order to sustain a fraudulent pedigree any -more worthy of belief than the man who made the pedigree and sold the -horse upon it?” - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -INVESTIGATION OF DISPUTED PEDIGREES.—(_Continued_.) - - How Belle of Wabash got her pedigree—Specimen of pedigree - making in that day and locality—Search for the dam of Thomas - Jefferson—True origin and history of Belle of Wabash—Facts - about the old-time gelding Prince—The truth about Waxy, the - grandam of Sunol—Remarkable attempts to make a pedigree out - of nothing—How “Jim” Eoff worked a “tenderfoot”—Pedigree of - American Eclipse—Pedigree of Boston—Tom Bowling and Aaron - Pennington—Chenery’s Gray Eagle—Pedigree of George Wilkes in - doubt. - - -At Louisville, Kentucky, October, 1860, a ten-mile race was trotted which -excited a good deal of local interest and comment. The contestants in -this race were entered as follows: - - “Captain Magowan, by imp. Sovereign, dam by American Eclipse.” - “Gipsy Queen, by Wagner, dam by imp. Glencoe.” - “Belle of Wabash (Indiana Belle), by Bassinger, dam by imp. William.” - -The names of the parties making the entries are given in the entries of -the first and second, and the Louisville _Journal_ of the week before -remarks that “J. J. Alexander will represent his State honorably with the -Belle of Indiana.” Captain Magowan held the lead from start to finish, -and at the end of the eighth mile, some say the seventh, Belle of Wabash -was drawn. It will be observed that, so far as given, each one of these -animals was furnished with a first-class race-horse pedigree; for it -was then held as firmly as any religious tenet that no horse could go -that distance at any gait unless he was strictly thoroughbred, and, in -Kentucky, if he did not have such a pedigree they gave him one on the -spot. At that time they never bothered their heads hunting up the breeder -of an animal to learn how it was bred. They simply wanted to see the -performance and then make the pedigree to suit it. These three pedigrees -were all bogus in all their elements, and I knew so little of the ways -of the horse world, at that time, that I accepted and recorded them as -genuine. - -Captain Magowan was a roan gelding, willful and bad tempered, and all -that seems to be known about his origin is the conceded fact that he was -bred in Kentucky and that he was probably descended from the tribe of -Copperbottoms, or possibly the Tom Hals. The roan color prevailed in both -tribes and the horse himself looked like the Copperbottoms. - -Gipsy Queen, at the time of the above race in 1860, was owned by a -“sporting man” named George Bidwell, of Chicago, or at least she raced -under his direction. About the time of this race, Mr. Thomas J. Vail -bought the mare and took her to Hartford, Connecticut. He bred her to -Toronto Chief and she produced a black colt. The mare and colt afterward -passed into the hands of Mr. William B. Smith, and this colt grew up to -be the famous Thomas Jefferson—“The Whirlwind of the East.” In connection -with Mr. Smith I devoted a good deal of labor to a futile search for the -origin and pedigree of this mare, and the result of our search amounted -to nothing more than a reasonable probability that she was bred at -Rochester, New York; was got by a son or grandson of Vermont Black Hawk -and was taken from there to Chicago. This latter point of the transfer to -Chicago seemed to be quite circumstantially fixed in Mr. Smith’s mind. - -Mr. Allen W. Thomson, of Woodstock, Vermont—a man of great industry and a -lover of the truth for the truth’s sake—also made an exhaustive search, -and from a recent contribution to the press he evidently thinks he has -found it, and possibly he has; but while I generally agree with Mr. -Thomson’s conclusions, and prize them as honest and carefully reached, -I am forced to dissent in this case. Without going into details, he -brings the mare from Williamstown, Vermont, and takes her to Woodstock, -Illinois, where she is paired with another black mare, and after passing -through two or three hands they at last land in a public livery stable -in Chicago, and there the identity of the suppositious Gipsy Queen is -lost, and so far as known she never came out of that stable. One or -two years afterward a black mare from Chicago, in possession of George -Bidwell, appeared in some public races, notably the one given above, and -the conclusion is at once reached that this black mare, Gipsy Queen, -was the black filly brought from Williamstown, Vermont. To this all the -intermediate owners between Williamstown and Behrens’ livery stable were -ready to insist that this black mare was the Williamstown filly, but not -one of them had ever seen the mare that George Bidwell was handling, and -some of them evidently were not worthy of belief if they had seen her. -There is the “missing link” between Behrens’ stable and George Bidwell, -that has not been supplied and probably never can be supplied. The -chances that the Williamstown filly was the real Gipsy Queen, all things -considered, seem to stand as about one to a thousand. We must, therefore, -conclude that we have no satisfactory information as to how or where this -mare was bred. - -BELLE OF WABASH.—My first inquiry about this mare was made more than -twenty-five years ago, and I did not then suppose that her pedigree would -ever become a question of any general interest. In the first volume of -the Register I had entered her as a black mare, foaled 1852, got by -Bassinger, son of Lieutenant Bassinger, and dam said to be by imported -William IV. She was then owned by George C. Stevens of Milwaukee, -Wisconsin. After her son—The Moor—proved himself a great sire of trotters -in getting Beautiful Bells, Sultan, and other good ones, her pedigree -became a question of very great importance. As the search for it would -occupy more space, in detail, than I can give to it in these pages, I -will here give the references in _Wallace’s Monthly_, where the principal -correspondence may be found: Vol. XIV., p. 510; XV., p. 441; XVI., p. 43; -and for a complete understanding of the matter the references here given -should be carefully examined. - -Mr. S. D. Puett, of Indiana, was the first to give me a starting point in -the investigation of the pedigree of this mare. In all that had been said -about her I never was able to find a man who really knew anything about -her origin, until Mr. Puett gave me the address of Cyrus Romaine, who had -owned her when very young and handled her for speed. He says “she was -sired by a colt from her own dam, that was got by a Copperbottom stallion -from Kentucky.” He was not able to give any information about the sire of -the dam, and as to the gait of the dam he says: “Her dam was a natural -pacer. I cannot say as to her sire, as he was unbroken at the time.” He -bought the mare at three years old, handled her one year and sold her to -Mr. J. J. Alexander, of Montezuma, of the same county (Parke), in 1856. -Mr. Alexander still owned her in 1860 when she trotted in Louisville, -and after his death Williams, his trainer, married his widow and still -controlled the mare. Mr. Romaine failed to give the name of the breeder -of the mare, which will be explained further on. Soon after he wrote, -April 26, 1880, he removed to Nebraska and I have not heard from him -since. In 1857 she was trained for Mr. Alexander by John Williams on -Stroue’s track at Rockville, Indiana, the county seat of Parke County. -In 1860 she was entered by Williams in several races at Indianapolis -and at other points, and made a record of 2:40. About 1865, or perhaps -a year or two earlier, she became the property of George C. Stevens. In -his catalogue for 1868 she is entered merely as “Old Belle,” and he know -nothing of her origin or history till I gave it to him, along with the -humbug pedigree that I had copied from the entries at the Louisville -ten-mile race. - -Through the kindness of Mr. Puett I received the following letter from -Mr. Henry C. Brown, a very reputable business man and a grain dealer -in Rockville, Parke County, Indiana. This letter from Mr. Brown has in -it such evidence of candor and intelligence that I will here insert it -entire: - - “DEAR SIR: In reply to your inquiry of the 23d ult., as to what - I know of the ‘origin and history of the mare called Belle of - Wabash,’ I will give you the following _facts_: - - “In the year 1855, or ’56, I am not positive which, this mare, - when a three-year-old, was purchased by Cyrus Romaine, then a - resident of this county, of an old farmer in Clay County, this - State, paying $85 for her. This farmer lived at that time about - a mile and a half north of Brazil, the present county-seat of - Clay County. - - “As to this farmer’s name, neither myself nor Romaine can tell. - He was an old man at that time, and undoubtedly has gone to his - reward long ago. _Neither do we know anything at all about the - pedigree of the mare._ - - “There is no person living, so far as I or Romaine know, that - can tell anything about her ancestors, and in my opinion it - would be impossible, at this late day, to find any one in Clay - County that could give us any information in regard to her. - - “The country around Brazil at that time was almost a - wilderness; now the city is spread out, and covers, no doubt, - the farm where the mare was foaled. Clay County is now the - center of the Indiana coal-fields, and, of course, the entire - face of the country about there is changed wonderfully since - 1856; consequently it would be almost if not quite impossible - to find the exact location. - - “After keeping the mare eight or nine months, Romaine sold - her to John Alexander, of Montezuma, this county, for $160. - Alexander soon after commenced training her, and in about one - year I think he, or his trainer, John Williams, took her to - Kentucky, and entered her there in some kind of races. Since - then you know her history much better than I do. - - “At the time Romaine bought the mare he and I were trading in - stock together, boarding at the same house and sleeping in the - same bed. I mention, this only that you may understand that I - know what I am writing about. - - “I am truly sorry that I cannot give you the true pedigree - of the mare, but it cannot be done. There is no man here or - anywhere else that can tell you anything more than I have - stated herein. - - “You will no doubt think that there is considerable of - superfluous matter in this letter, but I do not see how I could - tell you what I wanted to in fewer words. - - “Everything stated herein is _truth_, and, if necessary, I am - willing to make affidavit to the same at any time. - - Very truly yours, - - “HENRY C. BROWN.” - -Mr. Romaine’s representation amounted to nothing definite or satisfactory -about the pedigree of Belle of Wabash, because he failed to give the name -and location of her breeder, but Mr. Brown’s letter clears this all up -on the grounds that Mr. Romaine really did not know the breeder’s name. -Whatever her sire and whatever her dam, we may feel sure they were not -trotting-bred, although she was a trotter. We are left, therefore, to -conclude that, as in a thousand other cases, this mare was a pacing-bred -trotter. The one point that is vital is settled by Mr. Brown, as he -was with Mr. Romaine when he bought the mare and knew all about the -transaction. He cannot remember the breeder’s name, but he locates him -as “living a mile and a half north of Brazil,” and that it is now all -cut up into residence and mining lots. This seems to fix the location -of the breeder beyond all doubt. This old man seems to have been a -pioneer in a very poor county and still a comparative wilderness when -this transaction took place. At that time the coal fields had not been -touched, and it is wholly beyond belief that he took his unknown old mare -out of his own county, across the adjoining county of Parke and into -Vermilion County, wherever in it Mr. Weisiger lived, to have her bred -to his part-bred stallion Bassinger. And then when he came to sell the -foal at three years old for $85, when horses were high, can we believe -he would do so without ever mentioning how the filly was bred? The chain -of ownership is complete, as she passed from her unnamed breeder to Mr. -Romaine, from him to Mr. Alexander, in whose hands she did her trotting, -and then to Mr. Williams, and there is no place for the Louisville humbug -pedigree to come in. She got her bogus pedigree at the same time and in -the same way that Magowan and Gipsy Queen got theirs, and there was not a -single shadow of truth in any one of them. The tenacity with which some -people hold on to a “thoroughbred” origin for their trotters when the -evidence is all against them has long been a mystery to honest folks, -who are able to look at things as they are; but it is not difficult to -understand the phenomenon when we analyze the reasons for it. First, -the owner is anxious to hold on to all he can possibly claim in the way -of aristocratic descent with the hope that it may help his sales; and -second, there are always a few “featherheads” with golden pockets ready -to buy that kind of stuff, because they have never gone far enough in -horse history to be able to kick themselves loose from the swaddling -clothes of their infantile prejudices. - -PRINCE.—The chestnut gelding Prince was one of the great trotters in -the early “fifties.” He was pitted against Hero, the pacing son of -Harris’ Hambletonian, Lantern and others. As usual at that time he was -given a thoroughbred pedigree, which I was then led to accept, without -really knowing anything about his origin. He was represented to have -been bred in Kentucky, and owned by R. Ten Broeck of that State. Then -would naturally follow a thoroughbred pedigree coming from that State, -and nobody doubted it for a long time. He was represented to be by -Woodpecker, son of Bertrand; dam by imported Sarpedon; grandam said to be -thoroughbred. When he started in his ten-mile race against Hero, William -T. Porter said he was by Woodpecker, and out of that grew the pedigree -above. In the old _Spirit of the Times_, of October 11, 1856, there is a -short communication signed “Hiram,” in which is the only circumstantial -account of the origin of Prince that I have ever seen. It is implied by -the writer that he was bred by a Mr. Dey, of Chautauqua. County, New -York, for he says he was got by “an old chestnut horse called Duroc, -from Long Island,” and came of the Dey Mare. It seems that Dey sold the -colt to a young man named Worden, and he was first known as “the Worden -colt.” He was then sold to Manley Griswold, and from Griswold to Daniel -Vanvliet, who sold him in Buffalo to Bennett & Jones (or Thomas), for one -thousand dollars, and they sold him to William Whelan, of Long Island, -for fifteen hundred dollars. “Hiram” carries the history of the horse -no further, as he had then placed him in the hands of the great artists -of the trotting world. Of his sire, “Old Duroc,” he says he was taken -from Long Island to Villenova, in Chautauqua County, by a merchant of -that place, named George Hopkins, and after getting about twenty colts -he died. Among these twenty we find Prince and another afterward known -as the Walker Horse, which achieved a high local reputation as a sire -of trotters and I have frequently met with his cross in the pedigrees -of good animals. This showing is not absolutely complete, but it is -infinitely better than any other that has over been given to the public. - -WAXY, the grandam of Sunol. When the two-year-old filly Sunol in 1888 -came out and trotted a mile in 2:18, it fairly took one’s breath away, -and the first question on every tongue was, “How is she bred?” She was -represented to be by Electioneer, out of Waxana by General Benton, and -she out of Waxy by Lexington, and “thoroughbred.” When asked who bred her -and how it was known that Waxy was by Lexington, the answer came back -that the breeder was not known—that she had been taken across the plains -by a man who died on the way. The search then commenced for the breeder -of Waxy and the identification of her dam. As the search progressed there -were some very curious things developed. When it started in the spring -it was a yearling stallion colt, and when it reached California, in -the fall, it was a two-year-old filly. More than this, it was shown by -indubitable proofs, such as they were, that she had two dams, and then -shown that she had no dam at all. With such a Kentucky muddle on hand -there was an excellent opportunity for a controversy that might possibly -become somewhat heated. This controversy is famous in the history of the -exposures of untruthful pedigrees, and I will give a brief outline of it, -with some specimens of the evidence adduced to sustain it. - -Early in the spring of 1864 Mr. John P. Welch, an intelligent man, -trained to the profession of civil engineer, reached the blue grass -region of Kentucky for the purpose of securing and taking across the -plains a band of well-bred horses to California. In this venture he was -backed by Mr. John Anderson, a wealthy gentleman of the latter State. Mr. -Welch was successful in perfecting his arrangements, and when on the very -eve of starting he sent forward a complete inventory of all the animals -he had in his band and sent this inventory to the _California Spirit -of the Times_, in which paper it was published May 14, 1864, and is as -follows: - - 1. Bay mare, 6 years old, by imp. Sovereign, dam by Glencoe, g. d. - Ann Merry. - 2. Bay filly, 3 years, by Vandal, dam Miss Singleton by Old - Denmark, g. d. Bellamira by Monarch. - 3. Bay filly, 2 years old, by Mambrino Chief, dam by Commodore. - 4. Bay horse, 3 years old, by Mambrino Chief, dam by Gray Eagle. - 5. Black colt, 2 years old, by Kt. of St. George, dam (dam of - Capitola) by Margrave. - 6. Bay mare, 9 years old, by imp. Glencoe, dam by Rudolph, g. d. - Belle Anderson. - 7. Bay filly, 2 years old, by Revenue, dam Sally Morgan by - Emancipation. - 8. Chestnut filly, 4 years old, by Vandal, dam by Gray Eagle, g. d. - Churchill. - 9. Chestnut mare by Wagner (dam of No. 11). - 10. Bay mare by Sovereign. - 11. Black colt, 2 years old, by Kt. of St. George, dam No. 9, by - Wagner. - 12. Chestnut filly, 3 years old, by Jack Gamble, dam Betty King by - Boston. - 13. Bay mare, 6 years old, by imp. Sovereign, dam by Mirabeau, g. d. - Arabella. - 14. Captain Beard, b. s., 9 years old, by imp. Yorkshire, dam by imp. - Glencoe, g. d. by imp. Leviathan, g. g. d. by Stockholder. - 15. Gray mare by Gray Eagle, dam Mary Morris, by Medoc. - 16. Hope, ch. m. by Glencoe, dam Susette by Aratus. - 17. Bay mare by Sovereign, dam by Gray Eagle. - 18. Chestnut filly, 2 years old, by Bob Johnson, dam by Brawner’s - Eclipse. - 19. Chestnut filly, 3 years old, by Kt. of St. George, dam by Gray - Eagle. - 20. Bay colt, one year old, by Lexington, dam by Gray Eagle, g. d. - Mary Morris. - 21. Ch. c., 2 years old by Ringgold, dam Hope by Glencoe. - 22 and 23. Pair 3:00 six-year-old trotting mares. - 24. Black mare, trotter, 8 years old; time, 2:50. - 25. Bay gelding, trotter, 5 years old; time, near 3:00. - 26. Bay mare for show, but not to go. - -From this inventory we must conclude that Mr. Welch was a careful and -methodical man. He knew he had twenty-six animals ready to start, -and after he had written off the descriptions and pedigrees of these -twenty-six animals he verified his work by numbering them from one to -twenty-six inclusive, and then he knew he had not omitted any one. This -inventory is the basis of the whole truth in this matter, and is the -only evidence in the wide world of what animals Mr. Welch started with -to California. As this is the vital and only starting point to reach the -truth, I trust my readers will examine it again carefully and see whether -it includes any filly or mare by Lexington, of any age. When you ask any -of these “more-running-blood-in-the-trotter” people who took Waxy, the -phantom daughter of Lexington, to California, you will get an evasive -answer, and when pressed they will at last say, John P. Welch. Now, as to -John P. Welch, “he being dead yet speaketh.” From his unknown grave he -tells these people they are trying to establish what is not true, and -with his ghostly finger points to the inventory and demands, “Where is -the Lexington filly in that list? You are trying to displace the truth -with a falsehood,” and he drives this charge home to the heart of each -one of them. - -Here we might close this case and leave it to the enlightened judgment -of all intelligent and honest people, for there is not a scintilla -of evidence that any two-year-old daughter of Lexington was taken to -California in 1864. Until this evidence is adduced, no attempt to -overthrow the contents of John P. Welch’s inventory has a single peg to -stand on. But I am not yet done with some of the peculiarities that have -been developed in this case, for long ago I learned in this pedigree -business, - - “That for ways that are dark, - And for tricks that are vain, - The heathen Chinee is peculiar.” - -At this point the case bifurcates, one fork leading to the Grey Eagle -mare as the dam of Waxy, and the other to the Brawner’s Eclipse mare, and -I think my language will not be wholly unparliamentary when I pronounce -them both frauds. Mr. Levi S. Gould, a worthy business man of Boston, -whom I have always esteemed as honest, was the first to dig up this whole -matter in the columns of the _California Spirit of the Times_, and the -first to give the above inventory to the public. He traveled thousands -of miles and claimed to have traced Waxy to the stable of her breeder, -Philip Swigert, of Frankfort, Kentucky. The full account of his laborious -trip was published in _Wallace’s Monthly_ for March, 1889, p. 17. In the -inventory he found one animal got by Lexington, but this was a bay colt -of 1863, and out of the Grey Eagle mare, but he wanted a chestnut filly. -After studying the matter over, he concluded that this “bay colt” was a -typographical error for “chestnut filly” and that this established the -pedigree of Waxy. He interviewed a number of people who had known of, or -had been in some way connected with, the Welch venture, and they were -all able to confirm his discovery of the typographical error, and could -recount to a nicety their distinct recollections of the sorrel filly by -Lexington, out of the Grey Eagle mare. These people seemed to possess -the most astonishing memories, and the color, breeding and age of a -filly they had not seen nor heard of for a quarter of a century all came -back to them with as much freshness as though the events had occurred -yesterday. Then there was a peculiar element in their memories, for they -could recall everything about this one filly and nothing about any of the -others. At last Mr. Gould reached Mr. Brodhead, of Kentucky, where the -“finishing touches” were put upon the pedigree of Waxy. Mr. Satterwhite -did not reach Woodburn till after Mr. Gould had left, but that did not -prevent him from making a “statement” that exactly fitted the theory -of the pedigree as matured by Mr. Gould and Mr. Brodhead. He had been -Mr. Philip Swigert’s foreman in 1864, and had a right to know something -of the transfer of some eight or ten head of stock from Mr. Swigert to -Mr. Welch in the spring of that year. Satterwhite was quite too good a -witness, as he disclosed his cramming frightfully. He remembered “the -light chestnut filly, by Lexington and out of the Grey Eagle mare,” with -great distinctness and was sure she was foaled in 1863. In no single case -was he certain except in the filly by Lexington, and in no single case -was he able to give the ages of the other young things correctly. After -Satterwhite made his visit to Woodburn, Mr. Brodhead wrote Mr. Gould as -follows: - - “Satterwhite says Dick Jackson was with Welch. I think, with - what you have, the pedigree of Waxy is conclusively proved, and - you can get your article ready. The sooner it is published the - better. I forwarded some letters to you, and I hope they gave - you additional information.” - -It will be remembered that Mr. Gould started out on the assumption that, -as there was but one animal in the inventory by Lexington and that was -a bay colt of 1863, that “colt,” he argued, was a typographical error, -and instead of “bay colt” it should read “sorrel filly.” On this very -uncertain basis he worked throughout. On this basis he collected all his -futile statements. On this basis, and to lend a helping hand, Satterwhite -testified; and on this basis Brodhead wrote, “With what you have, the -pedigree of Waxy is conclusively proved.” Now that Mr. Brodhead is -satisfied and that Mr. Bruce promptly entered Waxy in his Stud Book as by -Lexington and out of the Grey Eagle mare, we must drop the whimsical idea -of the “typographical error” and consider whether the bay colt of 1863, -by Lexington, did really become a sorrel filly of 1862 when he reached -California a few months later. - -1. The bay colt, No. 20, of the inventory, was the only animal in the -band by Lexington. He was a foal of 1863, and was a year younger than any -of the others. - -2. In speaking of the losses, by death on the route, of some of the more -noted animals, Mr. Anderson enumerates the noted stallion Captain Beard, -and a very fine yearling colt by Lexington, called Frank. Here perished -the only foal by Lexington in the band, and we may as well bury Mr. -Gould’s and Mr. Brodhead’s “typographical error” with him, for the colt -kicked it to death before he died. - -3. When the band reached California there were several additions smuggled -into it as being part of the originals from Kentucky, and among these -additions was the light chestnut filly that has been since known as Waxy, -given as a foal of 1862, and got by Lexington, dam unknown. - -4. As Mr. Brodhead had proved conclusively, from the records at Woodburn, -that Mr. Swigert’s Grey Eagle mare was barren in 1862, the “typographical -error” parties found themselves placed “between the devil and the deep -sea.” - -This outside filly that had been smuggled into the band of Kentuckians -was advertised along with them, as a foal of 1862, in the fall of 1864; -she was sold as a foal of 1862; she was entered in a sweepstake for -three-year-olds as a foal of 1862; she was exhibited at a horse show as -a foal of 1862; she started to run the only race she ever attempted as a -foal of 1862, and proving herself utterly worthless as a race mare, she -was given away on the spot as a foal of 1862. - -As the only representative of Lexington in the band was “the yearling bay -colt Frank,” as shown by Mr. Anderson, the partner of Mr. Welch; and as -the records at Woodburn had clearly and distinctly shown that Swigert’s -Grey Eagle mare was barren in 1862, the bottom was out of the conspiracy -and it was abandoned. There was a little fussing about the possibility -that there might have been a mistake and that Waxy might have been a foal -of 1863 after all, but it amounted to nothing more than the enfeebled -squeak of an asthmatic mouse and then all was quiet. - -Before passing to the other branch of the investigation, this seems to be -the proper place to speak of the incidents of the sale and its sequences -at the Fair Grounds at San Jose, January 3, 1865. There were some twelve -or fifteen head, that had been previously advertised, offered at public -sale, and a number of those were sold, all indeed in which this inquiry -has any interest. When the stock arrived at San Jose, there was a good -deal of confusion, and it is just possible that some of them were not -correctly placed. The only discrepancy which I have found between Mr. -Welch’s inventory and the facts is in the color of the filly No. 18, that -appears in the inventory as a chestnut, but is advertised and sold as a -bay. This mistake in color is not infrequent in the spring of the year -before the old coat is shed, and I think it may be reasonably accounted -for on this ground. James L. Eoff, well known from ocean to ocean as the -king of all “horse sharps,” seems to have taken a good deal of interest -in assorting the animals and in picking up scraps of information from -the boys who had come with them. At the same time he was an excellent -judge of racing stock, and as silent as the grave to the victims whom -he sought to mislead and then beat. In this way he soon knew more about -the breeding of the animals than those in charge of them. Mr. William -Woodward seems to have been his friend (?) with plenty of money, but a -perfect “tenderfoot” in the mysteries of the race horse. No doubt he -pointed out to Mr. Woodward the so-called Lexington filly and advised -him to buy her, assuring him that he wanted her himself, but if he -wanted to take a little fly in racing he would not bid against him. The -sale came off, and Eoff ran up the Revenue filly, out of Sally Morgan, -to three hundred and twenty-five dollars and got her, it is said, for -Theodore Winters. When they came to the filly by Bob Johnson, out of -the mare by Brawner’s Eclipse, Eoff bought her at two hundred and fifty -dollars for himself, and named her Lilly Hitchcock. The next animal sold -was the filly by Lexington, dam unknown, and she was bought by William -Woodward at two hundred and fifty dollars, and he named her Waxy. The -sale was slimly attended and much of the stock was bid in for the owner, -Mr. John Anderson. That night the wine flowed very freely, as it was -the initiation of the “tenderfoot,” Mr. Woodward, into the ranks of -running-horse men. After they all “got hot” (except Eoff), a sweepstakes -was opened for the three fillies, Ada C. (the Revenue filly), Lilly -Hitchcock and Waxy, at two hundred and fifty dollars each, and Eoff was -careful to see that it was made “play or pay.” The race was a dash of -a mile and a quarter, and it took place nearly twelve months after the -match was made. Eoff won easily with Lilly Hitchcock, and Waxy was so -badly beaten that Woodward gave her away on the spot and “swore off” -ever owning another running horse. Thus Eoff’s cunning carried his plot -through, without a break at any point. From the hour he bought this filly -he stoutly maintained she was by Lexington and out of the Brawner’s -Eclipse mare. She ran all her races under this pedigree and never was -challenged, and if ever there was a mare in California bred in this way, -this is likely to be the mare. We can understand just how he could have -discovered where Waxy came from, and that she never saw Kentucky, and on -this knowledge he based the game he played on poor Woodward. - -After the failure to establish the claim that Waxy came out of Philip -Swigert’s Grey Eagle mare and publicly confessing that the evidence upon -which Mr. Gould and Mr. Brodhead based their conclusions was fallacious -and the conclusions themselves incorrect, the advocates of “more running -blood in the trotter” pulled themselves together for another bout. What -purported to be an old document was dug up somewhere—indeed I am told -there were two of them dug up, one in Kentucky and the other somewhere -on the Pacific coast—purporting to be duplicates of an agreement entered -into, in March, 1864, between John P. Welch, of California and Philip -Swigert, of Kentucky, by which Welch agreed to take certain blood horses -to California and sell or breed them on the shares, etc. This document -possessed all the paraphernalia of authenticity, with government stamp, -witnesses to the signatures of the contracting parties, etc. This -document (I don’t know which “duplicate”) was shown to me in April, 1891, -and at the first glance, and without reading a word except the date, it -astounded me. There was a paper purporting to be twenty-seven years old, -and it looked as bright and fresh as though it had been written within -twenty-seven hours. There was no fading of the luster of the ink and -there was no ageing in the color of the paper. Having devoted a great -deal of time to the examination of writings, varying in age from one day -to a hundred years and more, and this experience extending through many -years, I ought to be a fairly competent judge of the effects of age on -ink and paper. Here was a paper purporting to be over a quarter of a -century old with all the newness of yesterday, and when Mr. J. C. Simpson -showed it to me I was impressed with the belief, on this one point of -evidence alone, that it was spurious, and that Mr. Simpson had been made -a victim by some rascally scrivener. With so much for the appearance of -the paper, on its face, we will now examine the contents and see whether -any evidence can there be found that will throw further light on the -question of its authenticity. Unfortunately I have not what purports to -be the original of this document before me, and I must therefore depend -upon my memory and upon what Judge Halsey, as attorney for Mr. Brodhead, -has printed as the contents. In giving the list of animals I will follow -the order of the “document” and place before each one, for convenience -of reference, the number attached to that animal in Mr. Welch’s original -inventory. - - 15. One gray mare, by Grey Eagle, out of Mary Morris. - 16. One sorrel mare, Hope, by Glencoe. - 17. Sovereign filly, out of Grey Eagle mare, four years old. - 8. Vandal filly, out of bay Grey Eagle mare, four years old. - 18. One two-year-old filly, by Bob Johnson, out of bay Grey Eagle mare. - 19. One two-year-old filly by Lexington. - 20. One yearling colt, by Lexington, out of Grey Eagle mare. - 21. One two-year-old filly, by Ringgold, out of Hope. - -In looking over this list there are several points suggested for remark -and they all have a bearing, more or less direct, on the question at -issue. The list seems to have been prepared, if prepared by Mr. Swigert, -very hurriedly and without sufficient regard to completeness or accuracy. -He started off, possibly to make a careful list, as he gave the color -of the two-year-old mares at the head and then dropped all purpose of -completeness and gave no colors nor descriptions to those that followed. -He gives No. 21 as a filly when it was a colt, and so appears in the -inventory, was sold as a colt with pedigree at San Jose, January, 1865, -and again, with the same pedigree, at The Willows, February, 1866. Under -ordinary conditions the statement of the breeder should be conclusive -against all others, but in this case the evident hurry and absence of -descriptions have destroyed the value of the whole list, in great degree, -as evidence that could be accepted with safety. We must, therefore, look -for something in the way of evidence more deliberative and descriptive -in its preparation, and this we find in the joint work of Mr. Swigert -and Mr. Welch, as embodied in the inventory. When the descriptions of -the animals were taken, both men were equally interested in accuracy and -completeness, both were present, and probably the animals were before -them. Hence my infinitely greater confidence in the deliberative work of -the two, as found in the inventory. - -The one point about which all this hubbub has been raised is the -so-called “Lexington filly,” that appears as the sixth in the above -list. She has no number attached to her name, and this means that she -was not in the inventory, and it means more than this; for it is, in a -manner, the dying testimony of an honest man that he took no Lexington -filly to California, and fortunately this testimony has been preserved. -The methods introduced to prove that Welch did take her are the methods -of the imbecile. Let us admit, for the moment, that Swigert had a -Lexington filly and that she was in a contract with Welch to be taken to -California; does that prove that Welch took her, when he says he did not? -There are hundreds and hundreds of people every year who buy steamship -tickets to go to Europe who fail to go. The records of Mr. Swigert’s -ticket office show that the ticket was bought, but they fail to show -that the purchaser went aboard the ship. You must go to Purser Welch and -get a list of passengers actually on board in order to determine who did -and who did not go. Accidents, sickness and death are all factors in the -movements, of horses just as they are in the movements of human beings. -It is the observation of a long lifetime that horsemen are never so -near their best as fools as when they attempt to establish a fraudulent -pedigree by evidence that utterly fails to cover the case. They claim -to have found a ticket that would carry Waxy to California, and whether -genuine or counterfeit they rely wholly on this ticket as evidence that -she went. The master of the vessel affirms she was not aboard his vessel, -and in support of this he shows a complete list and description of the -passengers numbered from one to twenty-six inclusive. This is the whole -thing in a nutshell. The proof is clear and conclusive that Mr. Welch did -not take any daughter of Lexington to California. Now, will the prominent -and active supporters of Waxy’s pedigree, as a daughter of Lexington, -come forward and in a manly way answer this question of five words? “_Who -took Waxy to California?_” If Welch, prove it. If anybody else, prove it. -We may be able to catch a few gulls with chaff, the first attempt, but we -can’t repeat it. If the question can be answered, it is well, and if not, -honest people will form their own conclusions that it is not sustained -and is no more worthy of belief than the “Grey Eagle mare” form of the -same pedigree, which is now universally conceded to be a fiction. - -AMERICAN ECLIPSE.—It is not my purpose to frighten people by overthrowing -landmarks that have stood for years, but it is my purpose to tell the -truth and expose falsehood in pedigrees wherever I meet it. As a -satisfaction and guide to breeders in the future it is important to know -just how the early stock were bred, although they may have belonged to -past generations. A breeder never can know too much of the lines in -which he is operating. This great horse was a good chestnut, with a star -and left hind foot white. He was stout, with heavy limbs, and somewhat -coarse, and not of the best quality, but possibly better than the -average of the Durocs. He was a fraction of an inch below fifteen two. -He was foaled 1814, got by Duroc, son of imported Diomed; dam Miller’s -Damsel, by imported Messenger; grandam a mare by Pot8os, imported by Mr. -Constable along with the horse Baronet, in 1795. This is just as far as -we can go with any certainty, and this leaves the greatest race horse of -his day far short of being thoroughbred. When Mr. Constable bought the -Pot8os mare in England he got no certificate of pedigree, but he was told -there she was out of a mare by Gimcrack. Mr. Cadwallader R. Colden was -the best-informed man of his day on the history, blood, and performances -of the blood-horse, was a very intimate and warm friend of Mr. Constable, -and he did everything that could be done to straighten out and extend -this pedigree, but he utterly failed. He thought it probable that the -mare was thoroughbred, but he believed the Gimcrack cross was a fiction. -Some eighteen or twenty years ago, when in London, Mr. Tattersall -suggested to me that if Lord Grosvenor bred a filly by Pot8os in 1792 -that was thoroughbred, there could hardly be a doubt that she was entered -in some of the stakes for three-year-olds. Then and there we searched the -old records, but nothing could be found to support the supposed pedigree. -It was not till 1832 that any special effort was made to establish the -pedigree through the press, and in January of that year the famous -Patrick Nesbit Edgar, of North Carolina, wrote as follows to Mr. Skinner, -editor of the _American Turf Register_: - - “The authority I had for sending the remote pedigree of - American Eclipse for publication was that it was furnished me - lately by a gentleman in England, who put himself to uncommon - pains to procure it. He resides near Bath, in that country. All - the authority requisite I have at this time in my possession. - The Pot8os mare was got by Pot8os; her dam, foaled in 1778, by - Gimcrack, out of Snap-Dragon, sister to Angelica by Snap. (See - English Stud Book.)” - -Mr. Edgar wrote more on the same subject, after he was pressed to it by -Mr. Colden, but he failed to produce any evidence whatever that he was -telling the truth. According to his representations his correspondence on -the subject had been very extensive, and he complained that he had paid -out forty shillings in postage. - -It will be observed how cleverly Mr. Edgar conceals the sources of -his information while he pretends to give them, and that has been the -favorite “dodge” of all rascally “pedigree makers” from that day till -the present. Mr. Constable always insisted that the mare was bred by -Lord Grosvenor, and that she was by Pot8os, but he did not insist that -she was out of a mare by Gimcrack. As Lord Grosvenor was one of the -most prominent of all breeders of race horses in his day, and as he -evidently kept the records of his stud with more care than most of his -contemporaries, we might reasonably expect to find some trace of this -mare if she was thoroughbred. After a careful and diligent search of all -the records of that period, it is found that Lord Grosvenor never bred a -Gimcrack filly to Pot8os. This disposes of Mr. Edgar’s humbug story, and -when we state the pedigree of American Eclipse we can simply say he was -got by Duroc; dam Miller’s Damsel by Messenger, and grandam the imported -Pot8os mare, and there we must stop. - -For years past I have observed that the less a man knows about horse -history and horse achievements, the more importance he attaches to -the word “thoroughbred;” and of all the millions and millions of lies -that have been told about pedigrees nine-tenths have been concocted -and circulated for the one purpose of enhancing the supposed value of -the animal by claiming “thoroughbred” blood. The “instinct” to lie -about pedigrees, so common among certain classes of horsemen, seems to -be “the sum of inherited habits” that has come down from generation -to generation. If you ask one of these mendacious gentlemen whether -American Eclipse was a thoroughbred he will answer, with a strong marked -expression of contempt and pity for your ignorance on his countenance, -“Certainly he was thoroughbred.” If you then ask him about his pedigree -he will answer, “I don’t know anything about his pedigree.” Then you -venture to ask how he knows he was thoroughbred if he does not know -anything about his pedigree, and he will squelch you completely by -saying, “No horse not thoroughbred could ever have done what American -Eclipse did.” Here we get at the real basis of the universal mendacity -on this subject. The preacher wrote a great book called “The Perfect -Horse” in which he maintained that the Morgan Horse was thoroughbred. -The lawyer wrote another great book on “The American Roadster” in which -he maintained that Dexter was a thoroughbred. With two gentlemen of -intelligence and education writing such miserable stuff, what are we to -expect from the masses? - -Now here is the horse American Eclipse, the greatest horse of his day -in his racing achievements, that in his blood is very far from being -“thoroughbred,” under any rule that has ever been suggested or devised. -Now, with this taint on his escutcheon, it follows that no one of his -descendants for at least five generations can be classed as thoroughbred. -As a progenitor, Eclipse cannot be considered a great horse, either in -his immediate or more remote descendants. Medoc was about his best, and -he was better than his sire. Another son, called Monmouth Eclipse, was -grandly bred on the side of his dam, was sold, it was said, for fifteen -thousand dollars for stock purposes, and proved a most lamentable -failure, never having got a colt that was worth fifteen dollars as a -race horse. The great fame of American Eclipse, therefore, rested upon -what were then designated as “his mighty achievements upon the turf.” -A reasonably complete history of this horse may be found in _Wallace’s -Monthly_ for March, 1877, p. 160. His great race against Henry, in which -he represented the North as against the South, was doubtless the most -memorable turf event that ever took place on this continent, and a very -brilliant description of it will be found at the reference given above. -This race of four-mile heats took place on the Union Course, Long Island, -May, 1823, for twenty thousand dollars a side, and it was, in effect, -Eclipse against the world. Eclipse, fit or not fit, must start, while his -opponents had several prepared to start against him and all they had to -determine was to select the fastest and best of the whole party. At the -last hour Henry was chosen as the champion of the South, and he won the -first heat by about a length in 7:37½. A change was made in the rider -of Eclipse and he won the second heat by about two lengths in 7:49. In -the third heat the instructions to the rider of Henry were not to hurry -the gait, but to trail to near the finish and then pull out and win in -a rush. The rider of Eclipse understood the tactics of the enemy and he -hurried the pace every step of the way, in order to tire out his younger -opponent. When near the finish Henry made his dash and covered Eclipse’s -quarter with his head, but he could get no further and abandoned the -contest. Eclipse had been punished unmercifully from start to finish, and -the time of the heat was 8:24. This shows an average rate of speed in the -third heat of two minutes and six seconds to the mile, a rate which half -a dozen trotters and a round dozen of pacers have beaten for a single -mile. It shows also the cruelty, to say nothing of the absurdity, of heat -racing at the distance of four miles. Still American Eclipse was the -greatest running horse of his generation. - -BOSTON was a chestnut horse, foaled 1833, and bred by Mr. John Wickham, -the very eminent jurist, of Richmond, Virginia. He succeeded to the -great fame of American Eclipse, and although about two generations, in -a racing sense, after him there was no horse between them that was the -equal of either of them. He was a terror to all competitors whether of -the North or the South. But it is only my purpose here to put on record -the real facts about his pedigree and to expose a glaring fraud that has -been propagated concerning his breeding for many years. Mr. Wickham, the -breeder of Boston, bought a mare by imported Alderman (1802 or 1803) from -John Randolph, of Tuckahoe (not “Roanoke” as sometimes stated). This mare -was out of a mare by imported Clockfast, and here, to sum it up and give -Mr. Wickham’s exact language, as he wrote in 1827: “This mare, a dark -bay, foaled about 1799, was got by Alderman, her dam by Clockfast, out -of a mare said to be full-blooded, of the Wildair blood.” This Alderman -mare he bred to Florizel, and she produced the race horse Tuckahoe, and -a filly that was bred to Timoleon and produced Boston. Then Boston’s -pedigree stands; Got by Timoleon; dam by Florizel; grandam by imported -Alderman; great-grandam by imported Clockfast; great-great-grandam “said -to be of the Wildair blood.” This is down to “hard pan,” and there is -no authority in the wide world to add anything to it. If we admit the -Wildair mare to be genuine and authentic we are still one degree short -of the thoroughbred standard. The six additional crosses that have been -added to this pedigree are entirely fictitious. They were copied from the -advertisement of a stallion descended from this maternal line, that had -neither indorsement nor name attached to it. This was seized upon by the -late Benjamin Bruce, and boasted of as a “discovery” of the extension -of Boston’s pedigree. After the appearance of this advertisement Mr. -Wickham prepared and published a full list of his stock, with their -pedigrees, from the first of his breeding operations, and when he -reached the Wildair mare he stopped, just as I have stopped at that -point. Here we have the two authorities—Mr. John Wickham, distinguished -for his eminent character as a man and a jurist; or a nameless stallion -advertisement without any shadow of truth or responsibility. - -Timoleon, the sire of Boston, was one of the most distinguished sons of -the great Sir Archy, his dam was by imported Saltram, and his grandam by -Wildair, but beyond that the pedigree is a hopeless muddle, embracing -some features that are absolutely impossible. - -TOM BOWLING AND AARON PENNINGTON.—The first of these horses was by -Lexington, the second was by Tipperary, son of Ringgold, and they -were both out of Lucy Fowler, by imported Albion, grandam-by imported -Leviathan, great-grandam by Top Gallant, great-great-grandam Eli Odom’s -saddle mare, which means, in that country, she was a pacer. Tom Bowling -was probably the best race horse of his year, and Pennington may be -classed as mediocre, but as the latter is credited with some pacers or -trotters that have come within the 2:30 list, his pedigree becomes of -interest on this account. I will, therefore, give the facts in some -detail, which go to show the truth about what the pedigree contains and -what it does not contain. - -In 1869 the late William R. Elliston, of Nashville, Tennessee, furnished -me the following facts, which he obtained personally from Mr. Eli Odom. -It was very fortunate that Mr. Elliston obtained these facts when he -did, for Mr. Odom was advanced in years and died not long afterward. -He was a brother-in-law of the once very famous breeder and race horse -man, Colonel Elliott, of Tennessee, and in early life had charge of his -establishment and knew more about Colonel Elliott’s stock than he did -himself. He lived to old age, highly respected by all who knew him, and -was a man of truth. He kept for his own use a pacing saddle mare whose -blood he knew nothing about, and he bred her to Top Gallant, son of -Gallatin, and the produce was a filly. This filly he bred to imported -Leviathan, and in due time there came another filly which he bred to -imported Albion, and the next filly was Lucy Fowler. This filly passed -through the hands of a Mr. Fowler and perhaps one or two others, and at -last became the property of Price McGrath, of Lexington, Kentucky, and -was the dam of Tom Bowling, Aaron Pennington and others. Starting in -with the pacing mare, Mr. Odom bred all that followed until we reach -Lucy Fowler, and there we find she had seven parts of running blood and -one part of pacing blood. While an animal bred in this way is certainly -not “thoroughbred,” nobody can deny that he is “running-bred,” for -there are hundreds of instances on record where animals of even shorter -pedigrees than Tom Bowling have been noted race horses. But there is -another fact connected with this family that is very interesting. When -the running qualities of Pennington were exhausted, McGrath presented -him to a kinsman of his, somewhere in Western Missouri. After awhile I -began to hear of an occasional trotter from this horse and I wrote his -owner (whose name I cannot now recall), and he replied that “he went all -the saddle gaits and was a pacer.” Here was a tidbit that I thought well -worth looking after, and I wrote the owner again for specific information -of the character of his pace and whether it was a clean and pronounced -side action, but for some reason or other I never was able to get a reply -to my questions. There can be no mistake about his going the “saddle -gaits,” but whether this was the result of training or whether he took to -them naturally as inherited from Mr. Odom’s old pacing mare, is a point -about which I have never been fully satisfied. - -GREY EAGLE (CHENERY’S).—When Mr. Winthrop W. Chenery, of Boston, bought -this horse, about 1866, he got with him the following pedigree. - - “Got by Grey Eagle; dam by imp. Trustee; g. d. by Columbus; g. - g. d. by Stockholder; g. g. g. d. by Pacolet. Bred in Kentucky, - and passed through many vicissitudes, both as a runner and a - trotter, beating his competitors at both gaits; owned for a - time in Ohio, now the property of Winthrop W. Chenery & Co., - Boston.” - -This was a correct type of the pedigrees of that time, lacking date, -location, breeder and all other things necessary to trace and determine -its value. The horse had certainly trotted in 2:31, and he had trotted -two miles to wagon in 5:09½, and to this evidence of his trotting ability -it was claimed that he had run and won many races at all distances. This -was such a combination of abilities as I never had heard of before, and -in attempting to solve the riddle I became deeply interested. The search -then instituted has been kept up ever since, and I must say that after -all these years I know absolutely nothing about the breeding of this -horse. His first known owner was a petty gambler and general outlaw in -the neighborhood of Portsmouth, Ohio, and the story he told will be found -in _Wallace’s Monthly_, Vol. I., p. 53, and Vol. VII., p. 597, besides -other references. The search has been so barren that I have not even the -shadow of a theory as to what his blood may have been. He got two or -three trotters and one or two pacers, I think, and here we have to leave -him as the most completely unknown horse in all my experience. - -GEORGE WILKES.—It is a grievous misfortune that the pedigree of this -great progenitor should be in doubt. The misfortune is not in the fact -that his descendants lose the supposed Clay cross in his dam, for that -was not of very great value, but in the fact that we should not know just -what belongs in its place. In December, 1877, I had the good fortune to -meet with Mr. Harry Felter and Mr. William L. Simmons at a breeders’ -banquet, and it was not long until we were in conversation about the -blood of the dam of George Wilkes. I knew that the breeding of that horse -had never been established, but I was greatly surprised that these two -gentlemen—one the breeder and the other the owner of Wilkes—had never -made any effort to trace and establish so important a fact. Mr. Felter -stated that he had bought the mare from Mr. W. A. Delevan, and that Mr. -Delevan had bought her from Mr. Joseph S. Lewis, of Geneva, New York. -Thereupon I wrote to Mr. Lewis and the following is his response: - - “Some twenty-six years since I bought a brown mare from a - gentleman by the name of James Gilbert, then living in the town - of Phelps, in this county, for a friend, and very soon after - sold her to W. A. Delevan, of New York. She was then about five - years old, a fine roadster, and could speed in about 3:30. He - took her to New York, and after driving her some time sold - her to my esteemed friend, Harry Felter. I think she passed - into the hands of his father, and met with an accident. She - was put to breeding, and had a colt by Rysdyk’s Hambletonian, - that grew up to be the famous George Wilkes. For the benefit - of many persons in New York I lost no time in looking about to - learn the pedigree of the mare and of the horse that got her. - On seeing Gilbert I learned that he got the mare of an old man - who is now dead, by the name of Josiah Philips, of Bristol, - in this county. I lost no time in sending a man, who lived - with us at the time, by the name of John S. Dey, to Bristol, - to get all the facts in the mare’s pedigree that he could get - hold of. He learned through Philips that the father of this - mare was the old Wadsworth Henry Clay, owned for many years by - General Wadsworth, of Genesee. There is no mistake about this, - as I have since learned from his neighbors that she was a Clay - colt. Philips further stated that the mother of the mare was - got by a horse called Highlander, a good horse, and owned in - that section of country. I have no doubt about this, as there - was such a horse in that section about that time. When I go - to Buffalo, where Gilbert now lives, I may be able to get at - more facts in regard to your inquiry, and if I can get hold of - anything that will give more light on the subject before I am - down in New York, I will drop into your office to see you. - - Very truly yours, etc. - - “J. S. LEWIS.” - -The receipt of this letter, so straightforward and clean-cut in its -statements, developed a mystery that was incomprehensible to me. Dates, -names, places, circumstances, all stand out as evidences of the truth -of the representations, and also as evidences that Mr. Lewis had fully -investigated the matter, and given the results of his investigations -to his friends in this city; still, those friends had never heard the -facts, or had entirely forgotten them. As there was a strong prejudice -against Clay blood in certain quarters, it occurred to me that possibly -that cross had been left in abeyance so long that it really had been -forgotten. This did not clear up the mystery, however, and I determined -to have the whole matter investigated from a different starting point. I -submitted the matter to Mr. John P. Ray, a very capable and very honest -man, and he kindly and without reward undertook the investigation. The -Philips family lived in the vicinity of Bristol, and the first of the -family met by Mr. Ray was Mr. E. V. Philips, nephew and adopted son of -Joshua Philips (not Josiah, as Mr. Lewis had it), and he enumerated -several head of Clays that had been owned by his uncle Joshua, among them -a mare that was bred by Mr. Clark Philips, bought of him when a yearling -by E. V. Philips, sold as a four-year-old to his uncle Joshua, and by him -the next year to “some man from the eastern part of the country.” He next -met Mr. Clark Philips, who fully confirmed E. V. Philips about the Clay -filly already referred to and said she was got when old Henry Clay was -owned by Kent and Bailey of Bristol, and that her dam was “Old Telegraph” -by Highlander, etc. In his original report to me of his investigation Mr. -Ray uses the following language: - - “When Henry Clay was being brought from the East to his home in - Western New York, he stopped one night at the hotel then kept - in Bristol by Dr. Durgan, deceased (the breeder of Castle Boy), - and made a season at this place the following year, when he - became the property of Kent & Bailey. He was kept in that town - for several years, etc.” - -Now, as between the original and voluntary statement of Captain Lewis -and the investigation carried through by Mr. Ray, there is no conflict -and all is smooth sailing, and upon the information derived from these -two sources the pedigree of George Wilkes was decided as established -by the Board of Censors. But more recent discoveries made by Mr. Ray, -in which I have no doubt he is thoroughly conscientious and possibly -thoroughly right, have raised a conflict that is irrepressible, for dates -are involved and insisted upon that make the pedigree impossible. In his -original statement Mr. Ray says that Henry Clay made the season of 1846 -at Bristol, “when he became the property of Kent & Bailey. He was kept in -that town for some years.” Up to this point there is no contradiction and -no impossibility; Ray agrees with Lewis and Lewis agrees with Ray. But in -the past two or three years Mr. Ray believes he has secured additional -information, and this places Captain Lewis in a very unenviable position. -The whole point of Clark Philips’ evidence is that he bred his mare “Old -Telegraph” to Henry Clay when that horse was owned by Bailey Brothers, -of Bristol, and I suppose they were the successors of Kent & Bailey of -an earlier date. Now, as Mr. Ray told us in his first investigation that -Henry Clay passed into the hands of Kent & Bailey in 1847, and as he -tells us later that he did not pass into their hands till nine or ten -years after that date and then fails to fix the precise year, it must -be conceded by all that his information is not wholly satisfactory. -Recollections may be ever so honest, but they are of various degrees -of reliability. The best and final evidence is the service book of the -horse. My best judgment of the whole matter is that Mr. Ray’s later -information is probably correct, but until all doubt is removed by the -production of some contemporaneous record covering the case there must -remain an element of uncertainty attaching to the pedigree. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -HOW THE TROTTING HORSE IS BRED. - - Early trotting and pacing races—Strains of blood in the - first known trotters —The lesson of Maud S.—The genesis of - trotting-horse literature—The simple study of inheritance—The - different forms of heredity—The famous quagga story not - sustained—Illustrations in dogs—Heredity of acquired characters - and instincts—Development of successive generations necessary - —Unequaled collections of statistics—Acquired injuries and - unsoundness transmitted. - - -As preparatory to taking up the consideration of the breeding problem, -it may be well to look back a little and see what had transpired in the -trotting-horse world, leading up to the serious consideration of how -he was bred. It has been generally accepted as true that there were no -trotting contests in this country till about the second decade of the -present century, but this impression has grown out of the fact that the -newspapers, down to that period, failed to report such contests. It -is historically true that pacing races were a common amusement among -the people of different portions of the colonies nearly two hundred -years ago. This is established by the legislative action of some of -the colonies, in the first half of the last century, in suppressing -all “pacing and trotting races.” It is well to note, in passing, that -pacers and trotters of that early period were commingled, just as they -are to-day, with the former the more prominent, and the more highly -prized. Of that hundred years of silence we have no details and but few -historical references that were contemporaneous with the events. Hence we -are practically dependent upon the legislative action of the colonies to -establish the truth beyond question. - -When we reach the period when the newspapers began to report some of the -more conspicuous and important trotting events about Philadelphia and New -York, we find a condition of things for which we are hardly prepared. The -pacer has lost his prominence and is but little in evidence, and all the -best trotters seem to be descended from the imported horse Messenger. -The best performers of that period were as follows: - - Topgallant - Paul Pry - Dutchman - Jersey Fagdown - Commander (Bull) - Gipsy - Bull Calf - Lady Warrenton - Betsy Baker - Sir Peter - Screwdriver - Chancellor - Whalebone - Lady Suffolk - Andrew Jackson - Fanny Pullen - Washington - Sally Miller - Greenwich Maid - Charlotte Temple - Confidence - Rattler - Lady Salisbury - Modesty - -These were all descended from Messenger, and with the exception of Edwin -Forrest and one or two others, believed to be descended from pacing -blood, they were the leading performers of their day. All of the above -animals were not equally strong in Messenger blood as three of them -were by sons and out of daughters of Messenger, five were by sons of -Messenger, and all the others had more or less of his blood. More than -eighty years ago the descendants of Messenger, wherever known, were -recognized as a family of trotters and this broad fact became a kind -of universal belief among horsemen. This belief, being founded on a -truth, was all right, but a plausible deduction from it, which was not -a truth, inflicted a terrible penalty upon the pockets of otherwise -intelligent men for a period of more than fifty years before they -discovered their error. The postulate was in this form: “Messenger was -a thoroughbred horse and founded a great family of trotters, hence, -any other thoroughbred horse, under the same conditions, would have -accomplished the same results.” This “stock” form of the argument was -plausible and it was in everybody’s mouth from one end of the land to -the other. Every stable boy, every breeder, every editor believed the -deduction was sound, and, I may as well own it, I believed it myself -until I had gathered together all the accessible trotting statistics of -this country and reduced them to order and method, so that they might be -studied and their true teachings be drawn from them. As an illustration -of the ignorant intolerance and dishonesty with which certain editors and -their followers maintained, less than twenty years ago, that all that -was of any value in the trotter was inherited from the runner, take the -following: In the autumn of 1878 the famous Maud S., then four years old, -came out and trotted a mile in 2:17½, which was then a world’s wonder. -She was a pacer of the plastic type, but she had to wear toe-weights -through all her brilliant career to keep her on her gait as a trotter. -Everybody was astounded at this phenomenal performance and went wild over -it as something that had never been done before, by a four-year-old, -and probably never would be done again. On this performance I simply -remarked, in the _Monthly_: - - “Her trotting inheritance is very strong and well defined on - both sides of the house, and she has a right to trot, and trot - fast, and her 2:17½ shows that she trots instinctively, and - without much training; and in this she is phenomenal. She is - simply a little in advance of her time; for no truth is more - fully sustained by analogy and reason than that, in a few - generation of judicious selections, such mares will not be - phenomenal.” - -From this four-year-old record of 2:17½ in 1878, we pass on to the -two-year-old record of 2:10¾ in 1891. A four-year-old now trotting -in 2:17½ is only commonplace. It was not a gift of “prophecy” nor an -overwrought enthusiasm, therefore, that enabled me to determine that -2:17½ for a four-year-old would become commonplace, but a study of the -laws of breeding in the light of all past trotting experiences. When -this performance was made the late B. G. Bruce, of Lexington, Kentucky, -then editor of a sporting paper, went into ecstasies over it and was at -once able to show, to his own mind, that it was all owing to the running -blood in Maud S. that enabled her to show phenomenal speed. He figured -this all out and showed that she possessed eleven-sixteenths of what he -called “pure blood,” to five-sixteenths of what he called “cold blood.” -In winding up his article, he says: - - “In conclusion we deem it evident from her form and action that - the great power of Maud S. comes from her pure blood; that her - breeding back on the form and action, courage and endurance - of the blood horse is the very reason why she is so superior - to all four-year-olds that have ever appeared. And another - point is obvious: the pure blood matures so much earlier than - the cold blood that years are gained in development over the - cold-blooded trotter.” - -Now instead of Maud S. possessing eleven-sixteenths of “pure blood,” as -claimed by Mr. Bruce, it has never been shown and never can be shown that -she possessed one single drop of “pure blood.” When Sally Russell, the -grandam of Maud S., was sold to Mr. R. A. Alexander, she was sold under -a fraudulent pedigree, and when Pilot Jr. was sold to Mr. Alexander an -utterly impossible pedigree was manufactured for him. In both cases he -was the victim of sharpers, for in his life and character he stood away -above all suspicion. The pedigrees of Pilot Jr. and Sally Russell have -been fully considered in Chapter XXIX. of this volume. - -After publishing “The American Stud Book” in 1867, and the first volume -of the “Trotting Register” in 1871, and having carefully compiled all -past trotting races and trotting experiences, up to the close of 1872, -it began to dawn upon me that possibly I had been handling a great many -fictions and thereby given them an indorsement to the world as truths. -This “gave me pause,” as well as many a sleepless night and anxious day. -The old adage, “What everybody says must be true,” gave me no comfort, -for I had just found that Mr. “Everybody” was a great liar. Then a higher -and purer maxim suggested itself to my mind, “One, with the truth on his -side, is a majority,” and under this banner I enlisted for the war which -I knew was coming. Having compiled the pedigrees of all running horses -and all trotting horses, so far as known, up to 1870, and more especially -having gathered up all past trotting experiences and statistics, I felt -that I was equipped to enter the lists with everybody against me. I knew -I was liable to meet antagonists on every side, and some of them of -great ability, but at the same time I knew they had neither the armor -of truth nor the weapons of facts at their command. Mere prejudices and -the limping opinions that spring from them have no force in an earnest -combat. The platform upon which I stood was aggressive, but simple and -easily comprehended, viz., “The English horse Messenger, in his own right -and by his own power, founded a family of trotters—something which no -other English horse had ever been able to take the first step toward -accomplishing.” This was the central point around which the battle -raged, and to it I added the pacer as a subsidiary or minor source of -speed, equally certain in fact, but not equally well defined in lines -of descent, nor equally important in numbers and value. From these -major and minor sources it is literally true that all our trotters have -descended. In confirmation of this, a very capable and careful writer in -the New York _Sun_, within the past few months, has said: “Hambletonian -is the progenitor of ninety per cent. of the fast trotters now on the -turf.” When we start with Hambletonian, the triple great-grandson of -Messenger, we are safely within the period of records of both blood and -performances, and we are relieved from some possible uncertainties in -the earlier period of Messenger himself, hence the writer quoted above -is at bed-rock in the sources of his information. This makes my major -proposition so plain and so triumphantly sustained that it is doubtful -whether there is now living an intelligent horseman who would even think -of disputing it. - -In the spring of 1872 I wrote a series of articles under the caption -of “How shall we breed the Trotting Horse?” which was published in the -_Spirit of the Times_ in February and March of that year. These papers -were revised and enlarged and published, as an introductory treatise on -breeding the trotter, in the second volume of the “American Trotting -Register.” This treatise is the genesis of all discussions in which the -laws governing the breeding of the trotter are considered. Up to that -period contributions to the press on breeding subjects were generally -transient and confined to the writer’s own experience. If he was trying -to breed trotters a comparison of his material always corresponded with -his arguments, and the only thing he demonstrated was his own inability -to see over the fence surrounding his own paddocks. I love a man who -loves his horse, and, as a man, I cannot dislike him because he thinks -his horse is the very acme of all equine perfection, although he may be -a worthless, brute; but when a man spends a whole lifetime in trying to -breed trotters from blood that cannot trot, I lose all respect for his -mental operations. The man who cannot widen out and take profit from -the demonstrated experiences of the whole trotting world, had better -turn his attention to some business suited to his capacity. Not a single -thought advanced nor a position taken in the article referred to has ever -been successfully controverted, although they excited much opposition. -An attempt was made to laugh the phrase “trotting instinct” out of -court, but that little phrase not only held the fortress, but became, -as it were, the basis of the whole system of thought represented in the -treatise. It had a meaning and a fitness in what it meant that put it in -everybody’s mouth, and there it stays for all time. Instinct is “the sum -of inherited habits;” and these five words express the best practical -definition of its meaning that I have ever met with. - -THE LAWS THAT GOVERN.—In all animal life the resemblance of the offspring -to the parents is the universal law. The law is not only true in the -physical conformation of the offspring, but it is also true in the -mentality and instinctivity of the offspring. In former years it was -very aptly termed the law of inheritance, but the more general usage is -now the law of heredity. In casting about for a definition of this newly -coined word, I have not been able to find anything more comprehensive and -expressive than that given by Ribot, in the opening sentence of his work -on this subject. He says: - - “Heredity is that biological law by which all beings endowed - with life tend to repeat themselves in their descendants; it is - for the species what personal identity is for the individual. - By it a groundwork remains unchanged amid incessant variation; - by it Nature ever copies and imitates herself.” - -This has been the law ever since the command went forth, “Let the earth -bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping thing -and beast of the earth after his kind.” Hence sprang the varieties, -species, genera and orders into which naturalists have sought to classify -the animal kingdom. In generations long past our ancestors used such -phrases as “Like father, like son,” “Trot father, trot mother, trot -colt,” “Like begets like,” etc., meaning just what we mean to-day by the -word “heredity.” While heredity is a universal law of animal life, it -must be remembered that its results cannot be pre-determined by any rule -of arithmetic. Every colt has a sire and a dam, four grandparents, eight -great-grandparents, and then sixteen, and next thirty-two progenitors. -Here we have five generations embracing sixty-two different animals, and -the experiences of many years have gone to show that if these sixty-two -animals are all purely bred in the breed which you are seeking to secure -there is a reasonable certainty that your prospective colt will be a -good representative of that breed. By this I mean that with this number -of generations there is but little danger of your colt following some -undesirable type outside of and beyond these five generations. The only -way to study this problem intelligently and with satisfaction is to -tabulate the pedigrees of the two animals you propose to couple and then -study each individual of the different generations and see what each one -has done in the direction you are breeding. If you are breeding for a -Derby winner you want every one of the sixty-two to have proved himself -or herself a first-class runner, and you don’t want a single drop of -outside blood in any of them. If you are breeding for the two-minute -trotter, you don’t want any blood but the fastest trotting blood. If you -are breeding for the two-minute pacer you want nothing but the fastest -pacing blood. But, possibly you may be breeding for size, style, and -beauty, and in that case you must be particularly careful to have your -tabulation full of animals possessing these qualifications. In times past -many breeders have been led to their own hurt in making ill-considered -attempts at improvement by mating animals of antagonistic instincts. The -fast runner and the fast trotter have nothing in common between them in -the way of gait. In physical structure there may be no antagonism that we -can see, but in mental or psychical structure there is nothing but what -is inharmonious. Each animal and each line of blood must be considered -as it stands separate from the other, and the question must be not only -asked but answered: “What has this line of blood done in its own right -and by its own power?” - -In studying these tabulations it certainly is not necessary to remind any -thinking man of the comparative value of near and remote individuals. -The first and second generations are the important factors in the -character and value of the proposed colt, and, as a rule, the four -grandparents are not given that weight in making up a sound judgment -to which they are entitled. A tabulated pedigree may show a general -equality or average goodness all over, in the direction we are looking; -although it may embrace but few stars it is not a pedigree that should -be hastily rejected. The student should never lose sight of the truth -that bad qualities are just as certain to be transmitted as good ones. -Bad feet, bad limbs, bad eyes and bad respiration should be sufficient -cause for prompt rejection. Derangement or unhealthiness of the internal -viscera or any of them is just as likely to be transmitted as an external -malformation or disease. - -In some instances the qualities sought seem to emanate entirely from the -sire or the dam, and this prepotency seems to appear more frequently as -the work of the sire than of the dam, perhaps because the opportunities -are greater in the number of services. Thousands of stallions have failed -to get trotters out of running-bred mares, but as many as you could count -on the fingers of one hand, probably, have succeeded in a few instances. -Of these Pilot Jr., Almont and Electioneer occur to me at this time as -the most prominent. These horses, so far as we know the lines of their -blood, were strictly trotting and pacing bred, with no tincture of -running blood in their veins. On a certain occasion Senator Stanford -wished to demonstrate to the writer that Electioneer could get trotters -out of running-bred mares, and after showing the step of the famous Palo -Alto, he remarked: “None of my other stallions can do that. Electioneer -alone has the power to get trotters out of some thoroughbred mares, but -not all.” This ability to get a trotter out of a running mare is the -highest test to which the prepotency of a trotting sire can be put, as is -shown by the very small number that have ever succeeded. - -DIRECT HEREDITY.—While it is true that all inheritance must come through -the parents, it is also true that phenomena of form, character and -quality are not infrequently presented that the parents do not seem to -possess, and upon looking further we find those phenomena in some of the -more remote ancestors. When we find the character of the offspring a -practical reproduction of one or both the parents, we designate this as a -case of “direct heredity” merely for the convenience of description and -elucidation. Ideal or perfect heredity never has been reached and never -will be. There are two sources to the life of the new being, and each -of these sources is made up of never-ending variations. There may seem -to be a very complete coalescence of the elements of the sire and dam -in the foal, but it is not like either of them and yet it may resemble -both. A mere physical resemblance to a great sire is no evidence that the -colt will be equally great. I have seen many of the sons of the great -Hambletonian, and among them all the one that bore the strongest physical -resemblance to him was of the least value, either as a performer or a -progenitor. Hambletonian left many great sons behind him, some of them -even greater than himself, and while they all possessed certain family -characteristics, I cannot recall a single one that strikingly resembled -him in his physical conformation. From this incident, as well as a -thousand other similar ones, we cannot avoid the conclusion that heredity -controls the whole animal, man or beast, in his mental as well as in his -physical constitution. - -CROSS HEREDITY is one of the forms of direct heredity, and is not very -well exemplified in trotting experiences, nor very valuable in the -lessons it is supposed to teach. In its first form it embraces instances -where the character of the sire is transmitted to his daughters and the -character of the dam is transmitted to her sons. Long ago I established -a table in the “Year Book” to embrace the sires of mares that produced -two or more animals in the 2:30 list, but had failed to place any -representative there from their own loins. The development of this table -simply showed an array of sires that were not able to get 2:30 trotters, -but when their daughters were bred to horses of stronger inheritance, -horses indeed that were able to get trotters from almost any kind of -mares, they produced foals that came within the circle. This was a -grandsire’s table and depended upon second causes, that is, the horses -that gave it life occupied secondary positions in it, and it presented -but little that was of value to the student of horse history. In the -discussion of this particular form of heredity the books are filled up -with instances of vicious fathers begetting vicious daughters and vicious -mothers producing vicious sons, with more or less uncertainty as to the -individual origin of the parties in question. - -INDIRECT AND COLLATERAL HEREDITY.—When a child or a colt does not -resemble its parents, but “takes after” the grandfather or some more -remote ancestor, it is said to be a case of atavism, or indirect or -collateral heredity. Twenty years ago I visited, by appointment, a -branch of my family at the old homestead of my great-grandfather, on -the maternal side. There never had been any knowledge of each other or -intercourse between these two branches of the family. On arriving at my -destination I was warmly greeted by a gentleman who came forward from -the crowd and named me. As there were a good number of people alighting -from the train at the same time I asked my cousin how he knew me, and he -replied that I bore such a striking resemblance to my grandfather that -at a single glance he could have picked me out of a hundred men. This -grandfather was the father of my mother and he died when I was a small -boy. But there was a still greater surprise awaiting me. My kinsman was -an intelligent man of excellent sense, and during the few days I spent -in his family he was to me a most interesting study. In a hundred ways -he reminded me of my brother, not in resemblance of face, for there was, -practically, no resemblance; but in the action of his mind, in his way of -putting things, and especially in his unstudied and peculiar gestures of -his hands in conversation, the one seemed to be a perfect reproduction -of the other. They were both born and reared on farms, they were both -heads of families, and they were both elders in the Presbyterian church. -The one was the third and the other the fourth remove from their common -progenitor. I have read carefully descriptions of many cases of mental -heredity, but this case, coming under my own observation and deliberate -study, seemed to be more thoroughly convincing than any or all others. - -The fact that certain qualities may lie dormant through several -generations and then be unexpectedly developed was well known to the -ancients more than two thousand years ago. Plutarch mentions a Greek -woman who gave birth to a negro child and was brought to trial for -adultery, but it was discovered that she was descended in the fourth -degree from an Ethiopian. Montaigne expresses his astonishment at this, -and remarks: - - “Is it not marvelous that this drop of seed from which we are - produced should bear the impression, not only of the bodily - form, but even the thoughts and inclinations of our fathers? - Where does this drop of water keep its infinite number of - forms? How does it bear these likenesses through a progress - so haphazard and so irregular that the great-grandson shall - resemble the great-grandfather, the nephew the uncle?” - -The most prolific and satisfactory sources of evidence in support of -indirect or reversionary heredity are to be found in the crosses between -the white and the black races. They abound in all quarters wherever the -two races are to be found, and many a proud family has been humbled -to the dust when the long-concealed “black drop” makes its unexpected -appearance. There are hundreds of such cases in the world, and it is -impossible to make even an approximation of the number of generations -that would be required to wash out the stain. - -HEREDITY OF INFLUENCE.—When the subject of “How to Breed the Trotting -Horse” was in its infancy there was a wonderful amount of mystery -about it. Nobody could understand why one horse of the same general -conformation should not trot just as fast as another. When it was found -that this way of looking at the problem would not meet the facts, one -thought it was owing to the length of certain bones, another that it -was all in the hind quarters, another that it was “the trotting pitch,” -another that it was “a happy nick,” etc. When it was all made plain that -a horse was able to trot fast because his ancestors were able to trot -fast, the seekers for the mysterious had nothing left that suited their -taste but the effects of first impregnations, resting on Lord Morton’s -story of the quagga and the mare, which is here dignified with the title -“Heredity of Influence.” Now, just how “influence,” two or three years -after the event, should become a controlling factor in the paternity of -a colt, is a mystery sufficiently profound to satisfy our friends of -earlier years, so intent upon finding something mysterious. For about -three-quarters of a century the story, coming from so reputable a source, -has been cited in many scientific bodies and accepted by many scientific -men and writers without a question or doubt. No writer, so far as I know, -has ever attempted to controvert it, and if the facts be well founded -it demolishes in its conclusions all the laws of generation, to say -nothing of the universal law of heredity. The point to be considered is, -whether the first impregnation influences the offspring of subsequent -and different impregnations. In other words, whether the children of a -widow by her second husband will partake of the characteristics of her -first husband. Ribot says “that from the psychological point of view, we -are skeptical in regard to this form of heredity. The fact seems to be -perfectly out of the order of things.” He then goes on to consider it as -though it might be true, and cites any number of the veriest fables in -support of it, without ever stopping to inquire whether they have any -foundation of truth. In every assemblage of breeders brought together for -the purpose of discussing how best to breed and rear our domestic animals -at a profit, there is always somebody to bring in the everlasting story -of the mare and the quagga, not because it may have any relevancy to the -subject, but it is an opportunity not to be lost to show one’s learning. -As this story has served the purpose of showing off the learning of so -many thousands who never saw it, I will here give it in its original -and official form. A communication from the Earl of Morton was read -before the Royal Society of London, November 23, 1820, and published in -“Philosophical Transactions” for 1821, p. 20, and is as follows: - - “I yesterday had an opportunity of observing a singular fact in - natural history, which you may, perhaps, deem not unworthy of - being communicated to the Royal Society. - - “Some years ago I was desirous of trying the experiment of - domesticating the quagga, and endeavored to procure some - individuals of that species. I obtained a male; but being - disappointed of a female, I tried to breed from the male quagga - and a young chestnut mare of seven-eighths Arabian blood, and - which had never been bred from; the result was the production - of a female hybrid, now five years old, and bearing both in her - form and in her color very decided indications of her mixed - origin. I subsequently parted with the seven-eighths Arabian - mare to Sir Gore Ousley, who has bred from her, by a very fine - black Arabian horse. I yesterday morning examined the produce, - namely, a two-year-old filly and a year-old colt. They have the - character of the Arabian breed as decidedly as can be expected, - where fifteen-sixteenths of the blood are Arabian; and they - are fine specimens of that breed; but both in their color and - in the hair of their manes they have a striking resemblance to - the quagga. Their color is bay, marked more or less like the - quagga, in a darker tint. Both are distinguished by the dark - line along the ridge of the back, the dark stripes across the - forehand, and the dark bars across the back part of the legs. - The stripes across the forehand of the colt are confined to - the withers, and the part of the neck next to them. Those on - the filly cover nearly the whole of the neck and the back as - far as the flanks. The color of her coat on the neck adjoining - the mane is pale, and approaching a dun, rendering the stripes - there more conspicuous than those on the colt. The same - pale tint appears in a less degree on the rump; and in this - circumstance of the dun tint also she resembles the quagga. - - “The colt and filly were taken up from grass for my inspection, - and owing to the present state of their coats I could not - ascertain whether they bear any indications of spots on the - rump, the dark pasterns, or the narrow strips on the forehead, - with which the quagga is marked. They have no appearance of - the dark lines along the belly or the white tufts on the side - of the mane. Both their manes are black; that of the filly is - short and stiff, and stands upright; and Sir Gore Ousley’s - stud groom alleged it never was otherwise; that of the colt is - long, but so stiff as to arch upward, and to hang clear of the - side of the neck, in which circumstance it resembles that of a - hybrid. This is the more remarkable, as the mane of the Arabian - breed hangs lank and closer to the neck than those of most - others. The bars across the legs, both of the hybrid and of the - colt and filly, are more strongly defined and darker than those - on the legs of the quagga, which are very slightly marked; and - though the hybrid has several quagga marks which the colt and - filly have not, yet the most striking, namely, the stripes on - the forehand, are fewer and less apparent than those on the - colt and filly. These circumstances may appear singular, but - I think you will agree with me that they are trifles compared - with the extraordinary fact of so many striking features which - do not belong to the dam, being in two successive instances - communicated through her to the progeny not only of another - sire, who also had them not, but to a sire probably of another - species; for such we have very strong reasons for supposing the - quagga to be” - -This is Lord Morton’s original quagga story without abridgement, the -substance of which has been quoted and printed millions of times, but I -never have seen anything like an analysis of it, either for or against -its value as determining any fact or principle in breeding. The elements -are: a young chestnut mare, “seven-eighths Arabian blood,” was bred to a -quagga and produced a hybrid. She was afterward bred to a black “Arabian” -and produced a colt and a filly that were supposed to be marked like the -quagga; hence, first impregnations influence all subsequent foals; and -hence “the heredity of influence,” as called by some scientists. Lord -Morton has given an intelligent and, no doubt, faithful description of -the colt and the filly that came out of the mare that had previously -produced the hybrid quagga; but he has failed to show that none of the -near-by ancestors of the sire and dam of this colt and filly were of a -dun color and were marked just as the colt and filly were marked. Until -it is shown that the peculiar markings of this colt and filly could not -have been inherited from their natural ancestors, the half-formed theory -that they were the result of the coupling with the quagga, years before, -wholly fails to satisfy the human understanding. When Lord Morton tells -us that the dam was seven-eighths, and the sire full Arabian, he seems -to think he has covered that point; but he has not, for he has not shown -that there was a single drop of Arabian blood in either of them. It -must not be forgotten that at the period here referred to all Eastern -and Southern horses were called Arabians, when not one in fifty of them -ever saw Arabia either through his own eyes or through the eyes of any -of his ancestors. The composite material out of which the English race -horse was built up was of all colors, including the dun, with the dark -stripe on his back, the short stripes or patches on his shoulders, and -the transverse bars on his legs. A horse of this color, I am told, once -won the Derby. The Kattywar horses of Northwestern India, Mr. Darwin -informs us, are from fifteen to sixteen hands high, of all colors, with -the several shades of dun the most common, and when one of them fails of -having the spinal stripe, the shoulder stripes, and the leg stripes the -purity of his breeding is doubted. This is the type of horse the British -officers ride, and when their term of service expires sometimes bring -home with them. There are many duns in Persia and in Eastern Asia Minor, -I am informed, and the stripes seem to belong to the color. In Norway the -color of the native horse is dun and the stripes are considered evidence -of pure breeding. Many of the mountain horses of Spain are duns, with -the stripes. The dun color prevailed, to a greater or less extent, among -the native English horses of three hundred years ago, and some of them -were brought to this country in the early colonial period. Mr. Darwin, -in his “Animals and Plants under Domestication,” fully describes the dun -horses of Devonshire, and in order to be clearly understood he figures -one of them showing the dark stripes on the shoulder and the transverse -bars upon the legs. I have seen numbers of dun horses so marked, in this -country, the most conspicuous that I can now recall being Wapsie, the -distinguished son of Green’s Bashaw. The fact that horses of this color -and marking are to be found in all parts of the globe, has led many -thoughtful writers to the conclusion that these characteristics are among -the very earliest in the history of the horse. To bring this instance to -a close, I must say: - -1. Beyond the color alone of the sire and dam of this colt and filly, -there is no evidence whatever that they might not have inherited, by -ordinary generation, the color and markings from some of their ancestors. - -2. The miscegenous breeding of the ass upon the mare has been practiced, -we know, for more than three thousand years, and yet in all that time, -and down to our own day and experiences, there has been no established -indication that the first impregnation of the filly by the ass had any -influence whatever upon her subsequent produce by the horse. - -This theory of the first impregnation having an influence on all -subsequent produce is probably more generally maintained among dog -fanciers than any other class of breeders. In some instances when a -valuable maiden bitch gets astray she is banished from the kennel and -either destroyed or given away. For this foolish notion some antique -authority might be cited. Burdach, a French writer on physiology, says: - - “If a bitch be once put to a dog of another race, every litter - of puppies afterward will include one belonging to that other - breed, except the first time she be put only to dogs of her own - breed.” - -This is a kind of pseudo science that is only calculated to mislead, -for the vital facts are omitted. What was the pedigree of the bitch? -She may have looked like a well-bred pointer and a high price may have -been paid for her, but her sire may have been a mongrel, or, possibly, a -miserable cur. No dog breeder or dog dealer has ever been known to drown -the results of a _mésalliance_ if it was a fairly good-looking puppy. It -goes into the records as a thoroughbred and finds a market. When a dog -and a bitch, seeming to be well-bred and costing a high price, bring into -the world a litter of puppies showing a mixed inheritance, the fancier at -once jumps to the conclusion that there is something mysterious about it, -and as he has heard of the evil results of first impregnations, he thinks -he has discovered the source of the trouble and straightway this is -another example resulting from first impregnation. He then goes back on -the dealer, or possibly the breeder, and there to conceal the fact that -the blood of his kennel was not pure, he would naturally play the rogue -and admit that the young bitch might have got astray. This satisfies the -unsophisticated owner, and another trick of an unscrupulous “dog jockey” -goes on record as a case of “heredity of influence,” when in fact it was -nothing more nor less than a dirty fraud in the breeding of the dog or -bitch, or both. - -Some of the early French writers on scientific subjects, as Burdach, -Michelet, etc., advanced the theory more than a hundred years ago -that the children of a second marriage, in some cases, inherited the -resemblance and character of the first husband. In the nature of things -this theory could have but very feeble support and that chiefly among -scandalmongers. In connection with this phase of “heredity of influence” -I will give a little instance of my personal experience. Twenty years -ago, or more, I was making an address before an association, in a New -England city, on the subject of “How to Breed the Trotting Horse.” The -audience was very large and composed exclusively of gentlemen. At the -opening it was announced that at the close of each specific topic an -opportunity would be given to any one in the audience to ask questions -on the thoughts presented. The signal had hardly been given when a -gentleman arose in the audience and raised the question whether I had not -omitted an important fact in heredity? He then went on to rehearse the -everlasting quagga story, with a most confident flourish of his learning -and a sure grasp on a triumph. - -“The quagga story,” I remarked, “is well known to everybody, but there -are some facts about it that are not known to anybody. The mare herself -may have been from a dun tribe of horses, or the horse to which she was -afterward bred may have been from such a tribe, hundreds of which have -stripes on the back, the shoulders and the legs, and thus the stripes -might be accounted for by indirect heredity; not because the quagga had -stripes, but because the dun horse ancestry had stripes. Most people, -probably, look upon it as a freak of nature, and as the case has never -duplicated itself, in all the years before or since, it fails to be a -practical question, and in our personal experiences as breeders, we need -not be afraid of suffering harm from it.” - -“Your explanation,” replied my interlocutor, “fails to cover the case, I -think, for I have seen, with my own eyes, instances of it in the human -family and I will relate one. A dozen years ago, or more, a friend of -mine married a lady who was a brunette in complexion, with black eyes and -black hair. He was of florid complexion, with blue eyes and sandy hair, -just about the color of my own. After three or four years the husband -died leaving two children of his own complexion and color of eyes and -hair. In course of time the widow married a man with black hair and -black eyes, and there came a second set of children that were as perfect -reproductions of the first husband as his own children were in complexion -and color of hair.” - -“How long have you personally known this family, and have you ever seen -these two sets of children?” - -“I have known the family intimately ever since the first marriage and I -have seen both sets of children very often.” - -“You certainly have had abundant opportunity to know whereof you affirm, -and the facts seem so plain that it would be a refinement on folly to -undertake to contradict them; but there is one element in this case that -has not been explained, and it is a vital one. How are we to know whether -some man of ‘sandy complexion’ and with ‘hair and eyes just the color of -yours,’ is not the father of this second set of children?” - -This ended the colloquy in a “roof-raising” shout, and I never have -been called upon since, in a public meeting, to even allude to the -“heredity of influence.” With the experiences of thousands of years of -miscegnatious breeding between the ass and the mare and no indication -among the writers of the ancients as to the evil and abiding effects of -first impregnations; and with the experiences of more than a century in -this country, with the same results, we are compelled to throw over all -claims of this kind until furnished with full and complete pedigrees of -the sire and dam, showing the color and markings of each individual for a -number of generations. - -HEREDITY OF ACQUIRED CHARACTERS AND INSTINCTS.—On this point there -is a lack of unanimity among the promoters of the “primordial germ” -theory, and the principal advocate of the negative side of this question -appears to be Professor Weismann. Mere opinions of men, no difference -how profound their learning, cannot be of any value, unless they are -sustained by actual experiences, on questions of this kind. To determine -this matter we are not dependent upon any of the explanations of the -central Darwinian hypothesis of creation without a Creator, for we have -all around us, safely within the historic period of human observation -and experience, mountains of evidence, so to speak, heaped upon us, going -to show that “acquired character and instincts” are transmitted and -become hereditary. - -Dr. Pritchard, in his “Natural History of Man,” gives the following -illustration on this point: - - “Two other very important observations made by M. Roulin, in - South America, were pointed out by M. Geoffrey St. Hillaire, in - his report to the Academy of Sciences. They refer to the fact - of the hereditary transmission of habits originally impressed - with care and art upon the ancestors. Of this fact I will - adduce other examples in the sequel; at present I only advert - to M. Roulin’s observations. The horses bred on the grazing - farms of the table-lands of the Cordillera are carefully taught - a peculiar pace, which is a sort of running amble. This is - not their natural mode of progression, but they are inured to - it very early, and the greatest pains are taken to prevent - them from moving in any other gait; in this way the acquired - habit becomes a second nature. It happens occasionally that - such horses becoming lame, or no longer fit for use, it is - then customary to let them loose, if they happen to be well - grown stallions, into the pasture grounds. It is constantly - observed that these horses become the sires of a race to which - the ambling pace is natural, and which requires no teaching. - The fact is so well known that such colts have received a - particular name; they are termed ‘aguilillas.’” - -The fact that there were some pacers in South America came to me from -many sources, and especially from gentlemen of intelligence and character -who had spent years in that country, and was for a long time a puzzle -to me. All the evidences of history went to show that the horse stock -of South America was Spanish, and no evidence could be found that the -Spanish horse was a pacer, or that there was any tendency to pace in -the blood of the Spanish horse. This report to the French Academy of -Sciences was made in the early part of this century and is really the -first information I have ever had of Spanish horses pacing. Dr. Pritchard -was one of the earlier modern writers on natural history and stands very -high as a man of conscience as well as learning. The surprising feature -in this South American experience is the wide and, apparently, immediate -measure of success that seems to have followed the training to the pacing -gait in its transmission. It may be taken as a rule that the changing of -the gait from the diagonal to the lateral, or _vice versa_, is a slow -process, and it seems to me that with few exceptions it would require -several generations before the new habit of action would become fixed -in the breed. It is just possible, however, that there may have been a -tincture of pacing blood in the Spanish horses of the sixteenth century. -The Visigoths, one of the early Asiatic hordes that overran Europe, first -settled in Scandinavia, and the southern part of Sweden is still called -“Gothland.” After a long stay in that country they became dissatisfied -with soil and climate and determined to seek another. According to the -historians, they first migrated in a southeastward direction and from -there in a southwestward till they reached the southern part of France, -from which they soon passed over into Spain, which they subdued, and -established there a dynasty which lasted two hundred years. In A.D. 711 -the Saracens from Africa crossed over, and after a very bloody battle -lasting two days, defeated Rhoderic, the last of the dynasty, and cut his -army to pieces. In Scandinavia, and especially in Norway and Sweden, we -find plenty of dun horses that are pacers, and they are recognized as a -very old breed. In the mountains of Spain we also find small dun horses, -and it is, perhaps, not an unreasonable possibility that the Visigoths -may have carried some of their horse stock with them in their migration -from the North to the South of Europe, and thus this habit of action -that may have remained for centuries latent in the breed may have been -unusually plastic in its restoration. This, however, is a mere surmise as -to a possibility and cannot displace the historic observations reported -by M. Roulin and presented before the French Academy. The gait of the -South American pacers, as I understand it, is not that of the pure pace, -with two strokes completing the revolution, but is more like the “saddle -gaits” that we find in the West and Southwest of our own country. The -true pace seems to be exceptional, because that is not a saddle gait. It -is a fact often observed in this country that foals from parents trained -to the saddle gaits will take to those gaits naturally and as soon as -they are dropped. In a preceding part of this work I have given some -consideration to the fact that three or four hundred years ago the horses -of our English ancestors were largely pacers, and to the methods adopted -in that day for changing the action from the diagonal to the lateral -gait—the hopples, rattles, weights, etc. The descendants of those horses, -brought to this country by the colonists, as will be seen at another -place, were nearly all pacers. - -The following letter, addressed by Dr. William Huggins to Charles -Darwin and by him published in “Nature” twenty years ago, very strongly -illustrates the heredity of instincts, and as it is authentic and true -beyond question I will here insert it. Dr. Huggins says: - - “I wish to communicate to you a curious case of mental - peculiarity. I possess an English mastiff, by name Kepler, a - son of the celebrated Turk out of Venus. I brought the dog, - when six weeks old, from the stable in which he was born. The - first time I took him out he started back in alarm at the - first butcher’s shop he had ever seen. I soon found he had a - violent antipathy to butchers and butchers’ shops. When six - months old a servant took him with her on an errand. At a short - distance before coming to the house she had to pass a butcher’s - shop; the dog threw himself down (being led by a string), and - neither coaxing nor threats would make him pass the shop. The - dog was too heavy to be carried, and as a crowd collected, - the servant had to return with the dog more than a mile, and - then go without him. This occurred about two years ago. The - antipathy still continues, but the dog will pass nearer to a - shop than he formerly would. About two months ago, in a little - book on dogs, published by Dean, I discovered that the same - strange antipathy is shown in the father, Turk. I then wrote - to Mr. Nichols, the former owner of Turk, to ask him for any - information he might have on the point. He replied: ‘I can say - that the same antipathy exists in King, the sire of Turk, in - Turk, in Punch (son of Turk), out of Meg, and in Paris (son - of Turk out of Juno). Paris has the greatest antipathy, as he - would hardly go into a street where a butcher’s shop is, and - would run away after passing it. When a cart with a butcher’s - man came into the place where the dogs were kept, although they - could not see him, they all were ready to break their chains. A - master butcher, dressed privately, called one evening on Paris’ - master to see the dog. He had hardly entered the house before - the dog (though shut in) was so much excited that he had to be - put into a shed, and the butcher was forced to leave before - seeing the dog. The same dog, at Hastings, made a spring at a - gentleman who came into the hotel. The owner caught the dog and - apologized, and said he never knew him to do so before, except - when a butcher came to his house. The gentleman at once said - that was his business. So you see that they inherited these - antipathies, and show a great deal of breed.’” - -Some ancestor, not far removed, of these three generations of dogs -must have suffered a life of oppression and cruelty at the hands of an -unfeeling master, and that master must have been a butcher. We fail to -understand and appreciate the mentality of the dog and the horse, and -as they are above the average of the brute creation we fail of a word -midway between instinct and reason to express that mentality. We call it -“instinct,” and correctly, too, but this grade of instinct requires a -more expressive word to represent it. That a feeling of antipathy should -have been so deeply seated in the nature and life of a dog that the -resentment and hatred should have been transmitted to his descendants -for three generations in succession is a very remarkable instance of -the heredity of instinct. As a companion piece to the foregoing and as -showing the difference between the hatred of one dog and the gratitude -and love of another, I will relate an instance that came under my own -observation and knowledge more than forty years ago. General John G. -Gordon was a merchant in Muscatine, Iowa, and Dr. George Reeder was a -physician of great skill and very large practice. These two gentlemen -were among my most intimate personal friends. On a certain occasion one -of Gordon’s well-to-do farmer customers brought him a puppy a few months -old as a present. He had no use for a dog and didn’t want one, but he was -not willing to forfeit either the good wishes or the custom of his farmer -friend, so he accepted the gift with thanks. When he took the puppy home -in the evening there was consternation in the household, and in a family -conference it was decided that he should not be allowed to run through -the house with his dirty feet, and thereupon he was consigned to the cow -stable, and that became his home as long as he lived. Every night and -morning he got a liberal ration of milk fresh from the cow and they soon -became inseparable friends. In cold nights, as if by mutual agreement, he -always slept cuddled up close to the cow. At that time in the history of -the town, the country was open and pasture abundant in every direction, -and everybody kept a cow. In the mornings these cows would start out to -their grazing grounds, in bands, radiating in every direction, and in -the evenings could be seen “the lowing herds wind slowly o’er the lea.” -Gordon’s dog never missed a day for years in going with his friend the -cow and returning with her in the evening. - -Dr. Reeder used two or three horses in his practice, and his stable was -on the same alley, and some ten or twelve rods distant from Gordon’s -cow stable. One day in winter time he was having his bins filled with -corn in the ear, and to make room for it all he had to fill up a large -dry-goods box that stood in one corner of the stable. While he was -supervising the delivery of the corn Gordon’s dog came in, reared up on -his hind legs, seized an ear of corn and made off with it. The doctor -was very much surprised at this act of the dog as he never had seen or -heard of a dog eating corn. While he was thinking about this strange -act of the dog, he came back again and seized another ear and made off -with it. This time the doctor watched him, and he carried it direct -to his friend the cow, dropped it before her, and she soon made away -with it. This phenomenal exhibition of the attachment of one animal to -another of entirely different nature aroused the doctor’s desire for a -further confirmation of what he had seen. Concealing himself behind the -door he awaited further developments and in a little while the dog came -back, seized the third ear, and whipping past some other cows, carried -it safely to his friend. I have seen this dog a hundred times, and he -was a mongrel nondescript, about the size of the average pointer, with -nothing remarkable about his appearance; but in all the illustrations of -all the naturalists I have not met with any authenticated instance where -character in a dumb animal was so beautifully exhibited. In history we -have many touching examples of the attachment of the dog to his master -and of his heroism in defending the weak against the strong, but this -case seems to be unique. Here is a character developed that is far more -than “the sum of inherited habits.” We may call it instinct, but that -word fails to express it. In whatever light we view this character, it -has in it an element of reason and we have no word that expresses it. - -The oldest written evidence we have of the origin of the setter dog dates -back about two hundred years, in which we find John Harris agreeing to -teach Henry Herbert’s “spaniel bitch Quand” to set game. Allusions are -made in the old writers to dogs used for this purpose long before, but -the setter certainly has an ancestry dating back at least two hundred -years. The pointer is of much more recent origin and seems to have come -from an ancestry wholly distinct from that of the setter, and yet, in the -field, it would be very difficult for the most competent jury to decide -which stands to his game with the greater steadiness. It is agreed, I -think, among experienced sportsmen and breeders that the best dogs are -the result of couplings made in the midst of the hunting season when the -instincts of the parents are aroused and active under the gun. Puppies -so bred are already half-trained when they are whelped. The instinct to -point the game instead of rushing upon it is an instinct acquired at an -earlier or later date, well within the historic period, and we know that -it is transmitted and inherited under the laws of heredity. We know also -that this instinct is strengthened and improved by training and use; -and at the same time it is weakened, if not obliterated, by neglect and -non-use for a few generations. - -The Scotch collie, with plenty to do, is altogether the most useful, and -hence, in a utilitarian sense, the most valuable of all the varieties of -the canine race. In understanding his master’s commands and the motions -of his hand in the management of the flock, he evinces an intelligence, -an instinct, that is almost human. There is a marked distinction between -the instinct of the pointer and the collie. The former acts chiefly -by his innate mental endowments, while the latter is at his best when -carrying out the will of his master. In both cases the instinct was -acquired in comparatively recent years, and it is now fixed in the breeds -and is transmitted with great certainty. - -The most remarkable results in the development and use of an instinct -that was practically latent, or never developed, are to be found in the -history of the American Trotting Horse. Fifty-one years ago Lady Suffolk -was the first trotter to cover the mile in 2:29½. Four years later -Pelham, a converted pacer, trotted in 2:28, and four years still later -Highland Maid, a converted pacer, trotted in 2:27. In 1859 Flora Temple -trotted in 2:19¾; in 1874 Goldsmith Maid trotted in 2:14; in 1885 Maud -S. trotted in 2:08¾; in 1892 Nancy Hanks trotted in 2:04; and in 1894 -Alix trotted in 2:03¾. But a greater performance than any of these was -that of the two-year-old colt, Arion, when in 1891 he covered the mile in -2:10¾. I have no hesitation in pronouncing this the greatest performance -ever made, to this date, not because it was the fastest, as shown by -the watch, but because it was made by a two-year-old, and from this -fact there had been no time for prolonged and skillful training. He was -essentially the product of heredity and not the result of education. - -Fifty-one years ago there was but one animal in the 2:30 list, and at the -close of 1896 there were over fifteen thousand within that limit and far -more than fifteen thousand others hovering on its border. This astounding -result must be attributed primarily to a trotting inheritance, but this -inheritance has been constantly strengthened, reinforced, fortified by -the acquired capacities resulting from the development of the trotting -speed of succeeding generations. This is not a mere estimate of what has -resulted from acquired characters and instincts, for if we put all the -observations of all the writers on subjects of natural history, large and -small, together, they make but a meager and unsatisfactory showing when -compared with the fifteen thousand actual experiences, officially noted -and recorded on the spot and printed in “Wallace’s Year Book.” In all the -world there is no other collection of statistics so vast, so accurate -and so valuable as is there to be found, touching the question we are -considering. - -While the heredity of acquired characters and instincts is thus clearly -and fully established, there is another truth intimately connected with -it that should not be forgotten. In an inheritance springing from recent -acquisitions there seems to be less of adhesive strength than in one -that has come down through many generations. This being true, it follows -that whether the lines of inheritance be long or short there must be -an intelligent and constant exercise of good judgment in strengthening -them by bringing the best and strongest together and uniting them in -the prospective foal. When this has been done it is possible that the -foal may not be of much value, but the chances of success are in exact -proportion to the strength of all the lines of inheritance that are -united in the foal. Beyond the chance of failure and beyond the average -chance of an average production, there is a chance for something better -than any of the ancestors. This latter hope always has been and always -will be the inspiration of the breeder. In his structure and form he -may be an improvement on his parents, but his value as a trotter can -only be determined by the development of his instincts and speed as a -trotter. Without such development he may transmit what he inherits, -but he adds nothing to his inheritance except by the development of -his own powers. These accretions, growing out of the development of -succeeding generations, are the material cause that has placed the -American Trotter at the very edge of two minutes to the mile, and with -wise management will eventually carry him away beyond that rate of speed. -This whole topic may be summed up in a single sentence: every acquisition -of eminence and superiority adds something to the value of what is -transmitted. - -HEREDITY OF BAD QUALITIES, UNSOUNDNESS, ETC.—Under the laws of -inheritance no distinction can be made between the desirable and the -undesirable, nor between the earlier or later acquisitions, as they -are all liable to be transmitted and to become hereditary. The bitter -must go with the sweet. Dropping below is just as liable to occur as -rising above what might be considered the average inheritance of the -immediate parents. This may result from following or throwing back to -some undesirable or unsound cross that may exist in some of the lines -of inheritance which possibly may be distant several generations. As a -practical consideration it makes but little difference whether a tendency -to, or a fully developed, unsoundness has been in the inheritance for -generations, or whether it may be the result of some recent accident or -injury, it is liable to be transmitted. It is known to everybody that -the great running horse Lexington was blind, and it was urged that his -blindness was not congenital, but the result of an accident; hence it -was argued by those interested that it would not be unsafe to breed to -him. It was stated and repeated a hundred times that while in training -he got loose in his stable and stuffed himself at the oats bin, and -without knowing this his trainer took him out next morning and ran him -a trial of four miles, from the effects of which he lost his sight. -Without giving full credence to this as the cause of his blindness, it is -nevertheless true that he filled the country with blind horses. If, for -example, a joint or a ligament or a muscle of the hind leg be sprained by -overexertion or by a misstep, a spavin or a curb may develop, or possibly -something still worse, and this is a blemish and generally an unsoundness -that is likely to be transmitted, if not in a developed form, then in an -unmistakable tendency in that direction, which, in turn, will make its -appearance in succeeding generations. The horse world, and I might say, -the whole animal kingdom under domestication, abounds in examples, seen -and unseen, of unsoundness originating in injuries to the parents. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -HOW THE TROTTING HORSE IS BRED (_Continued_). - - Trotting speed first supposed to be an accident—Then, that it - came from the runner—William Wheelan’s views—Test of powers of - endurance—The term “thoroughbred” much abused—Definition of - “thoroughbred”—How trotters may be made “thoroughly bred”—How - to study pedigrees—Reward offered for the production of a - thoroughbred horse that was a natural pacer—The trotter - more lasting than the runner—The dam of Palo Alto—Arion as - a two-year-old—Only three stallions have been able to get - trotters from running-bred mares—“Structural incongruity”—The - pacer and trotter inseparable—How to save the trot and reduce - the ratio of pacers—Development a necessity—Table proving this - proposition—The “tin cup” policy a failure—Woodburn at the - wrong end of the procession. - - -Before the question of speed in the trotter began to be considered, -either from a historical or a philosophical standpoint, or, in other -words, a question involving scientific truths, there was a universal -concurrence in the idea that speed at the trot was an accident and -that there was nothing of inheritance or heredity about it. This idea -was greatly strengthened by the performances of such horses as Boston -Horse, Rattler, Edwin Forrest, Dutchman, Confidence, Moscow, Pelham, -Flora Temple, Tacony, etc., whose origin and blood were wholly unknown, -while they were on the turf. Contemporaneous with these there were such -splendid performers as Topgallant, Screwdriver, Lady Suffolk, Sally -Miller, O’Blennis and many others that were known to be descended from -Messenger, a horse that was looked upon by everybody as a “thoroughbred.” -Hence, the conclusion that the flying trotter was either an accident in -breeding, or his speed qualities came from the English running horse. -The fact that such champion trotters, in their day, as Pelham, Highland -Maid, etc., had originally been pacers and changed from the lateral -to the diagonal gait was sedulously concealed from the public, during -their day, and only after they had passed away was this bar-sinister -in their origin brought to light. Doubtless this same fact might have -been developed in the origin of Edwin Forrest and others, if action had -been taken in time. In that day—say the first half of this century—it -is not remarkable that the plebeian origin of some of our most famous -early trotters was concealed, for everybody was claiming a thoroughbred -ancestry, and the more famous the performer the more certain he was to be -furnished with a thoroughbred pedigree. - -“Whatever is of value in the trotter must come from the runner, and -whatever is of value in the runner must come from the Arab,” was the -view that was universally accepted when I was a boy. And yet there were -thousands of fast trotters and fast pacers in this country long before -the first running horse was brought from England, and England itself was -abundantly supplied with horses several hundred years before there was -a horse in Arabia. These two facts are historical, and the dates make -them incontrovertible. Some forty or fifty years ago William Wheelan, -a successful trainer and driver of trotting horses in this country, -took some trotters over to England, to try his “luck,” as others had -done before him, in making matches and winning stakes. He was quite -successful, and when he came home he was kept busy answering questions -about English horses and why they did not have more trotters there. He -replied that “there were plenty of horses that could trot as well or -better than our American horses, if they were trained; they had plenty of -blood and most of them good limbs and feet, with all the substance that -was needed.” This made William Wheelan an authority, and his opinion was -quoted all over the land; which went to prove that the way to breed the -trotter was to get plenty of running blood into his veins. About this -time the English running horse Trustee was bred on a famous trotting -mare, Fanny Pullen, a daughter of Winthrop Messenger, of Maine, and the -produce was the gelding Trustee, the first to trot twenty miles within -the hour, or at least the first to make that distance regularly and to -rule. This gave a tremendous “boost” to running blood, as everybody -except Hiram Woodruff ascribed the result to the great powers of the -imported running horse. All subsequent experiences fully demonstrated -that Hiram Woodruff, although alone, was right; for although Trustee’s -blood commingled more kindly with trotting blood than most of the other -running horses, he left no trotters but this one. The highest rate of -speed of which this gelding was capable was about 2:40, and at last, in -a race of mile heats with some fifth-rate old pelter, at Cincinnati, -Ohio, on a very hot day, he fell exhausted on the track and died from -the effects of the heat. But the great fame of being the only horse able -to trot twenty miles within the hour did not long remain with this son -of imported Trustee. Five others have done the same thing, viz., Captain -Magowan, Controller, John Stewart, Mattie Howard, and Lady Fulton, all of -whom went faster than Trustee, except Lady Fulton. - -There have been many crucial tests of the “staying qualities” of running -blood in the trotter, as against the trotter without any running blood, -in which the running blood has uniformly been worsted. The last of these -which I now recall was a match for two thousand dollars between Scotland, -a half-bred son of imported Bonnie Scotland, and Lizzie M., by Thomas -Jefferson, and out of a pacing mare. The race was two-mile heats, best -three in five—a very unusual race, and admirably adapted to test the -staying powers of the contestants. Scotland was a fast and well-seasoned -trotter; while the mare had, probably, a little higher flight of speed -she never had been tried at such a distance, and in her breeding she was -short, and had not a single drop of running blood in her inheritance. The -mare won the first and second heats in 4:56—5:03, and the gelding the -third heat in 4:55½, the fastest in the race, but he was not able to come -again, and the last heat was won by the mare in 4:58½. This race took -place at Philadelphia in 1883, and if, at that time, there still remained -any advocates of “more running blood in the trotter,” they have not since -been in evidence, with two or three addle-pated exceptions. - -In looking back over the many years I have devoted to the literature of -the horse, and especially to the breeding of the trotting horse, I can -find no word in the English language that has been so much abused as the -word “thoroughbred.” A minister wrote a great, pretentious book on the -horse in which he maintained that the Morgan horse was a “thoroughbred.” -A lawyer wrote another pretentious book in which he maintained that the -trotting horse Dexter was a “thoroughbred.” With these two shining lights -in the learned professions writing books on the horse and pronouncing -this family or that individual “thoroughbred” without knowing the meaning -of the term, we should not deal too severely with uneducated men for -following their example. The minister and the lawyer evidently had -always heard the term “thoroughbred” applied to what men considered the -best, and when they were discussing their favorites which they considered -the best, they naturally called them “thoroughbreds” without knowing what -they were saying. This was more than twenty years ago, and was really -the popular conception of the meaning of the term at that time. Not one -man in a thousand then knew that the term had any other meaning than -the individual superiority of the animal, and that it applied only to -the pedigree, or concentration of blood in the veins of the animal, was -quite foreign to the popular conception. After the founding of _Wallace’s -Monthly_ the light began to dawn on this as well as on many other -questions, and to-day the true meaning of the term is very generally -understood. - -To constitute a “thoroughbred” of whatever variety or species the animal -must possess a certain number of uncontaminated crosses of his own -breed, and this applies to all kinds of domestic animals that are bred -for special uses or qualities. There is no law determining the number of -these uncontaminated crosses, except the law of usage. The cattle men, -I think, were the first to establish a rule on this subject, in this -country, and they did it on enlightened and scientific principles. It was -found in experience that the danger of atavism, or throwing back to some -undesirable ancestor, was diminished in the ratio of the number of pure -crosses through which the animal was descended. At two crosses it was -found that there were many reversions to some type outside of the breed; -at three crosses there were not so many; at four there were very few, -and at five reversions had practically disappeared. While some required -another cross the majority drove the stake at the fifth generation, -proclaiming thereby that an animal bred through five uncontaminated -generations of ancestors was free from the dangers of reversion, and -hence was “thoroughly bred.” This is the formula and this is the -principle, and it applies with equal propriety to the colt, the calf, the -pig, the puppy, the chick, or the birdling. In this phrase “thoroughly -bred” we have the origin, reason and meaning of the term “thoroughbred.” -The formula of this rule, if tabulated, would show two parents: next, -four grandparents; next eight great-grandparents; next sixteen ancestors -and next thirty-two, making in all sixty-two ancestors, all of which -must be “thoroughly bred.” This rule of breeding is not limited to the -running horse alone, but applies to all the varieties of our domestic -animals; and whenever the point is reached at which the danger of -reversion has been overcome the animal is “thoroughly bred,” and the term -“thoroughbred” applied just as properly to one kind of domestic animal as -to another. - -The question here arises as to whether the American Trotting Horse can -be so thoroughly bred as to be entitled to be ranked as a thoroughbred -trotter? This question is already affirmatively answered when we say the -rule “applies to all the varieties of our domestic animals.” This is -the general fact, but the trotting horse has a qualification, already -determined, that serves as a fixed starting point in giving him rank. The -standard as originally adopted and honestly administered was the mighty -engine that wrought the revolution in breeding the trotter. It fixed a -certain qualification that had to be complied with before an animal could -be admitted to standard rank, and that qualification was in brief to -either perform or produce a performer that could cover a mile in 2:30. -It excluded no strains of blood, but it admitted the animals only that -had fully demonstrated the ability to trot or to produce trotters. The -standard is now antiquated, and far behind the speed of the trotters, -which is a clear demonstration of the wisdom of its construction and -adoption, but to this topic I will refer at another place more at length. -With the standard, then, and the unmistakable evidence it furnished of -the possession of what we will call “trotting blood,” we have a more -definite and satisfactory starting point than can be claimed for any -kind or variety of domestic animal. With this demonstrated ability to -trot fully established, we can commence to count the generations of -standard animals in a trotting pedigree, and if we find five generations -of ancestors, with every animal standard bred, we can safely and -intelligently say the animal is “thoroughly bred” as a trotting horse. -With those sixty-two progenitors all legally established as standard -animals, who will say this is not a thoroughbred trotting horse? He -is not only thoroughbred, but he is more distinctly and completely -thoroughbred than any other domestic animal, because the fifth generation -of his ancestors, and the fourth and the third and the second and the -first have all proved that they are either trotters or the producers -of trotters. No other breed has ever been established on so good a -foundation, for they have fairly won their initial honors by what they -have done. But this is one degree higher and embraces one generation -more than the formula usually prescribed as necessary to constitute the -rank of thoroughbred. Five “generations of ancestors” do not include the -representative product of those generations. The product would be the -sixth generation, which is one more than the generally accepted usage -requires. An animal representing five generations of standard trotting -blood, complete and without contamination, is “thoroughly bred” and is -justly entitled to be classified as a “thoroughbred trotting horse.” At -this point of breeding it is considered that the danger of reversion is -practically eliminated, and hence this distinctive classification. At the -time of this writing (1897) there should be, in this country, quite a -number of youngsters fully entitled to rank as thoroughbreds. - -All intelligent breeders have long been aiming at this point, not merely -for the name “thoroughbred,” but for the greater certainty of uniformity -in producing what they want—the ability to perform; and the quality -of these thoroughbred trotters must be determined by the ability to -perform and the quality of each and every one of the ancestors. If each -and every one of the four or five generations of ancestors was able to -go out and win himself or herself, there could hardly be a doubt that -the colt could do the same, but some of those ancestors may be in the -standard merely from reflected honors, which are good, but not a crucial -test of superiority in the individual. There is nothing like the animal -that “has gone out and done it” himself, over and over again, and when -we sit down to the study and comparison of pedigrees in the thoroughbred -rank we find great differences in the quality of the lines of descent. -The reflected honors of an uncle or an aunt are of much less value than -the honor of a direct ancestor. While the blood of all the ancestors is -tested blood, the individuals may not all have been tested, and hence -are less certain in transmitting the true trotting instinct. While the -standard has done wonders in teaching the true art of breeding, like -all other human devices it has its imperfections. Just like the runner, -the trotter may be strictly thoroughbred, and yet in taking after some -of the imperfections of one or more of his ancestors, he may be of but -little value as a performer. This truth has been verified in a thousand -experiences in the runner, and it is just as liable to be verified in the -trotter. Hence the supreme importance of looking well to the qualities -and capacities of every animal in the inheritance. - -At the very inception of the idea that the trotting horse could be bred -and developed into a breed, an opinion prevailed everywhere that it -could not be done. The theory that speed at the trot came from speed at -the gallop was universally held and advocated. In 1868 I made a tour -among the breeders and horsemen of Tennessee and Kentucky, for the -purpose of gathering information about both runners and trotters. Those -States were then beginning to pull themselves together after the war. -At General Harding’s, among others, I was shown a large, heavy-boned -colt, and the General remarked that if he did not make a race horse he -would make a capital stallion to take to the West and breed on trotting -mares. At Balie Peyton’s I was shown a great big, coarse horse that had -run some races and won in very slow time, and that was unsound at many -points. He was over sixteen hands high, and had very bad limbs. Mr. -Peyton remarked that “he was too big for a race horse, but he would do -well in the West as a trotting sire.” This was the remark everywhere as -applied to big colts that couldn’t run. About the same time Mr. Joseph -Cairn Simpson, then in the employ of a sporting paper in New York, as an -editorial writer, expressed his sorrow that Hambletonian did not have a -thoroughbred cross, close up, and his opinion that such a cross would -have made him a much greater sire. Thus, East and West, North and South, -the opinion prevailed everywhere that the way to breed the trotter was -to go to the runner. This universal belief, wholly without foundation, -soon generated the cry, “more running blood in the trotter,” and the -instincts of all the rogues in the country were quickened to make their -pedigrees conform to the popular belief of what was best. This resulted -in a period of fictitious claims, for when a man had a colt out of a -mare of unknown breeding the rule was to say, “dam thoroughbred,” and -if the owner was unusually conscientious and knew the breeding for one -or two crosses, he would give them correctly, but seldom failed to -tack on two or three thoroughbred crosses that were wholly fictitious. -After all my years of experience with the pedigrees of horses, it is my -deliberate and candid opinion that no word in the English language has -been so much abused as the word “thoroughbred.” It has been the medium -of more deceptions and downright falsehoods than any other word in the -vocabulary. For many years it was the word above all other words that the -unscrupulous jockey employed to defraud his inexperienced victim. And if -there had been no strong hand to take the improper and dishonest use of -the word by the throat there would be no breed of trotters, and the whole -business of breeding and developing the trotting horse would be to-day -just where it was thirty years ago. The old, threadbare stock argument -was in everybody’s mouth, to the effect that “Messenger was an English -thoroughbred and he founded a family of trotters, hence any other English -thoroughbred could do the same thing under the same circumstances.” When -this ancient formula was submitted to the test it was found to be fatally -unsound at both ends, as has been shown in another chapter. Messenger -was found to be far short of being thoroughbred in his inheritance; -forty other English thoroughbreds had been in competition with him and -bred upon the same mares, yet no other English thoroughbred, in the -experiences of a hundred and fifty years, ever founded a family of -trotters. The two ablest advocates of “more running blood in the trotter” -that this country has produced, Mr. Charles J. Foster and Mr. Joseph -Cairn Simpson, when challenged to produce an English thoroughbred horse -that had founded a family of trotters, conceded the whole contention by -naming Bishop’s Hambletonian and Mambrino, both sons of Messenger and -the principal channels through which Messenger had founded his family -of trotters. This knocked all the noise out of the famous formula, and -instead of the braying of an ass we have heard nothing since on this -subject but an occasional and very feeble squeak of a mouse. - -In the earlier portion of the period when the American Trotter was -beginning to assume the shape and character of a breed, the term -“thoroughbred,” meaning English racing blood, was adhered to with -astonishing tenacity, as an indispensable element in the breeding of the -trotter. A few men of clear and independent minds commenced to study -the question in the light of experiences, and they were not long in -reaching the truth; but, as a rule, the less a man knew of the question, -whether a breeder or a writer, the more blatant and vociferous he was -in maintaining that all trotters were dependent for their speed on the -blood of the “thoroughbred English race horse.” When Maud S. made her -four-year-old record and astonished the world, the acclamations of this -class went up in tremendous volume pointing to the Boston blood of her -grandam as the element that did it. Now, it never has been shown, and it -never can be shown, that there was a single drop of Boston’s blood in -her veins. Besides all this, Boston was not a thoroughbred horse, for -neither his sire nor his grandam was thoroughbred. A curious phase of -the interest attached to the mere word “thoroughbred” was brought out -by a Catholic priest, in New Jersey, in a very cranky and ill-natured -letter addressed to the editor of _Wallace’s Monthly_ protesting against -the frequent use of the term “running-bred” instead of “thoroughbred.” -Priests are generally educated men, but this poor man struck out into a -field where he was entirely ignorant. A horse with two or three immediate -and direct running crosses may be properly and truthfully called “running -bred,” because that blood predominates in his veins, but to be justly -and truthfully called “thoroughly bred” he must have at least five -direct and distinct crosses, and each and every one of them pure and -without any contamination from any other blood. As an illustration of -what results from this definition of the word “thoroughbred,” we may -take the very cream of our old American racing families and not one in -fifty is “thoroughly bred.” American Eclipse was far short of being -thoroughbred, even if we admit that Messenger was thoroughbred. Timoleon, -the greatest son of Sir Archy, had an impossible and untruthful pedigree -on the side of his dam. His great son Boston was short and deficient on -both sides, and with these taints how could he get the great blind horse -Lexington and make him a thoroughbred? These horses were distinctively -“running bred,” but not technically “thoroughbred.” It is not to be -presumed the priest was angry because I preferred not to use a word that -conveyed an untruth and to use one that told the exact truth, for he was -not qualified to judge which was true and which was not true, but like -hundreds of others he feared the value of his property might be affected -by the refusal to apply the term “thoroughbred” to some supposable cross -in some of his pedigrees. - -“More running blood in the trotter” was a “fad” that has been completely -extinguished by all the experiences of later years. It was a freak that -never had any foundation either in nature or in reason. No animal can -transmit to his posterity qualities and capacities which he has not -inherited, or which he does not possess by acquirement. This is a rule -which seems to be perfectly plain to the comprehension of everybody, and -in observation and experience it proves itself true every day of the -year. To breed a horse that can go fast at the trotting or pacing gait -we must go to the horse and the blood that has gone fast at one or the -other of these gaits. It seems like a needless work to expend any time -or space on what is self-evident in all human experiences. A few years -ago I offered a money reward, of sufficient amount to justify some labor -in a search, to any one who would report to me any thoroughbred running -horse, with the proofs, that had ever made a trotting record of a mile in -three minutes, and there was no response. Some years later I renewed the -offer, doubling the amount of the former offer, and still there came no -response. I regret now that I did not make the offer for a mile in four -minutes instead of three, for I very much doubt whether there ever was a -thoroughbred horse able to trot a mile in four minutes. What is the use, -then, of giving further attention to the consideration of the value of -thoroughbred running blood in the trotter? - -But after conceding that the instinct to stick to the trot and the step -of the trotter must come from the trotter, the advocates of “more running -blood in the trotter” plant all their heavy guns on the proposition that -running blood is needed to give the trotter more courage, endurance, -and beauty of form. In all the past years we have had so many grand -panegyrics on the will power and undying courage of the “courser of -the desert” that they have become threadbare and have an “ancient and -fish-like smell,” and we would prefer to exchange them for something -more recent and practical. When we go to a race meeting and see so many -contests at various distances less than a mile, a few at something over -a mile, and all these merely single dashes, we naturally and justly -conclude that the distance of ground to be covered in each contest is -adjusted to the courage and stamina of the racers. I cannot conceive of -any fairer criterion by which to determine the measure of gameness and -pluck of running horses than simply to consider the distance chosen, and -that for a single dash. Trainers and owners know just where each horse -will quit, if hard pressed, and they will not enter him in any distance -beyond the point where they know his courage will fail. With the data of -distances for these single dashes already fixed for the accommodation of -horses with different degrees of staying qualities, and after making a -liberal allowance for age and lack of condition, we seem to have a solid -foundation for a safe conclusion that the crucial test of the speed of -the average race horse fails him before he reaches the first mile-post. - -When the trotter starts out for his summer’s campaign he has no choice -as to the length of his races, and he is not looking about for single -dashes of four, five, six or seven furlongs, but enters the field -boldly and throws down the glove to all the best strains of trotting -and pacing blood. Every race will be mile heats, best two in three or -three in five, and it often requires six, seven or eight heats before -the victor is declared. This experience is repeated, week after week, -during the whole season. Such a weekly experience as this, continued -through twenty consecutive weeks, would probably destroy the best and -stoutest running horse now living. This is the test to which the trotter -is subjected, and no man can say it lacks in severity in determining his -qualities as a race horse, in his stamina, his courage and his gameness. -In touching this point I will here take the liberty of entering my -protest against what I consider the unnecessary severity of this test. We -want all these tests, and from the standpoint of the breeder we cannot -progress without them, but we want them to stop short of injury to the -animal. When a contest is drawn out to six, eight or ten heats, it not -only becomes cruel as a sport, but it is liable to inflict irreparable -injury to the soundness of the animal. Unsoundness, either external or -internal, is liable to result from all such abuses. This is a dominant -fact, and while we may not be able to see the injury with the eye, we -are likely to see the evil results in the progeny. Animals of the kind -most likely to be subjected to this over-severity of test are the hope -of the future as producers, and by all means wise and possible we should -seek to preserve them in their pristine soundness and vigor. As breeders -we cannot afford to let them go without development and test, neither -can we afford to impair or destroy their producing qualities, in the -test. This can be done only by shortening the race; not the distance of -ground, but the number of heats that can be trotted. With an inflexible -rule that not more than five heats should be trotted in any race, and -that at the conclusion of the fifth heat the money should be divided -according to the places of the contestants, I would not be particular as -to whether the race was for the best two in three, or the best three in -five. The invariable results have been that in long-drawn-out contests -of many heats there have been bargains and combinations for or against -certain horses, and all managed by and in the interest of the so-called -“speculators.” If this were done the combinations of the gamblers would -be checkmated, the cruelty of the sport would be eliminated, and our best -horses would come through the campaigns ready and fit to propagate their -species. - -In breeding for a particular purpose or qualification all experience -goes to show that the elements entering into the new creature must be -carefully selected as possessing the quality that we seek to propagate. -Nobody would think of breeding a running mare to a trotting horse if -he was seeking to breed a running colt. No thoughtful and intelligent -man would think of breeding a running horse upon a trotting mare if he -were seeking to breed a trotting colt. The runner to the runner and the -trotter to the trotter has been demonstrated ten thousand times as the -right way. The cross-bred or half-and-half-bred animal may be something -of a trotter or something of a runner, doing neither well; and this -uncertainty never can become a certainty as to which it may be till -you try him. The evil of half-and-half breeding does not cease with -the life of the animal, for the division in his own inheritance will -manifest itself in his progeny for generations, or till it is bred out. -But, strange as it may seem, there are still a few old men living who, -from pride of opinion advanced in their younger days, still maintain -that trotting speed must come from the “thoroughbred” and “point with -pride” to the great horse Palo Alto as the complete illustration of -their belief. In relation to the breeding of Palo Alto I will here tell -a little story, premising that I neither accept it as true nor reject it -as false, for I know nothing about it. The late Mr. William H. Wilson, -of Cynthiana, Kentucky, was in many respects a remarkable man. He was -full of energy and push, and his brain seemed to teem with formidable -ideas, chiefly relating to his prospects, and the management of his own -business. He was intelligent in horse matters, and very well informed -on local horse history. He did a great deal of work for me in the way -of straightening out tangled skeins, and in tracing obscure pedigrees. -In this way I came to know Mr. Wilson very well, and as I never found -him wrong on these questions I came to place great confidence in his -word and his judgment in all pedigree matters that he had investigated. -Some time about 1889, probably, he asked me to investigate the pedigree -of Dame Winnie, the dam of Palo Alto, for, he said, he had every reason -to believe she was not by Planet, but by a trotting-bred horse that -he named, but that name has escaped me. I replied that I had not time -then, but I would think about it. Some months afterward he was again -in my office and he again urged the investigation. My reply was that -there were some very upright and honest men in Kentucky as well as some -great rogues, and if I were to undertake to investigate this pedigree -the rogues could get forty men, if so many were necessary, for a bottle -of whisky or a half-dollar a head, who could remember just what it was -necessary to remember, and forget just what it was necessary to forget -in order to prove that the mare was by Planet. I recalled my experience -with suborned evidence in the past, and knew just what I might expect -in the future, and so I had concluded to make no more investigations in -certain portions of Kentucky until I had an opportunity to cross-examine -the witnesses. Dame Winnie was a plain, common-looking mare, with -nothing about her to indicate high breeding, and if we lay aside Mr. -Wilson’s story and accept the pedigree as usually given she was strongly -running bred, but at several points in her pedigree she fails of being -thoroughbred. The internal evidence as to the breeding of this mare, -brought to light in the performance of her produce, suggests very -strongly the probability that she possessed some trotting blood, from -some source not far removed. She has five representatives in the 2:30 -list, and this of itself strongly supports Mr. Wilson’s untold story, -that I would not listen to. In passing I will say I would be glad to -listen to it now; for this solid foundation of experience is so stoutly -corroborative of what he suggested as to justify an effort to reach the -exact truth. When it was known in Kentucky that Senator Stanford had sent -his representative down there to gather up a lot of “thoroughbred” mares -from which to breed trotters in California, every dealer in the State had -just what he wanted. He was looking for pedigrees, and it was a very easy -matter to shape up the pedigrees just to suit him. - -Whatever may have been the breeding of his dam, Palo Alto was a great -horse, but he came to his speed slowly, and this would seem to indicate -that if his dam had any trotting inheritance it was weak in the direction -of attaining a high rate of speed. From the day he was weaned till the -day he died he was Senator Stanford’s idol, and with this horse as an -object lesson he was going to teach the world how to breed the trotter. -At two years old he was driven a mile privately in 2:22¾, and his owner, -feeling that his dream was realized in breeding the greatest horse the -world had produced, named him “Palo Alto,” as he deemed him worthy of -being at the head of the greatest breeding establishment of the world. -He was in the hands of the most skillful and careful of all trainers, -and the training went on without respite, year after year. When four -years old he went through the Eastern circuits, winning the larger share -of his purses, and making a record of 2:20¼. Now let us consider for a -moment whether the Senator did not make a great mistake and select the -wrong horse as the typical representative of his great establishment. In -1888 he bred a colt by Electioneer out of Lula Wilkes, grandam the famous -trotting mare Lula, 2:15, by Norman, etc., intensely trotting bred, and -when he was three years old he made a record of 2:16. This is better than -2:20¼ as a four-year-old, for this fellow had not to take one-half the -training that Palo Alto was subjected to. The next year he bred another -colt by Electioneer called Arion, out of a mare by Nutwood; she out of a -sister to Voltaire, 2:20¼, by Tattler, 2:26; and she out of the famous -trotting brood mare Young Portia, by Mambrino Chief; and the next dam -Portia by the pacer Roebuck. This colt came out and trotted a mile in -2:10¾ as a two-year-old. The four-year-old had a great “boom” and was -considered by many as the phenomenal colt of his year, but when we place -his record of 2:20¼ beside the 2:16 of the three-year-old, it looks very -sickly, and when we compare it with the 2:10¾ of the two-year-old it is -shaded into a deathly pallor. The four-year-old is largely the result of -skill and art; the two-year-old is the result of nature. Arion is the -best horse, by the record, that the world has ever produced, and the -Senator was mistaken in his dream. We must judge of the value of a fast -performance by the degree of naturalness which it represents and the -measure of its freedom from the arts of the trainer. The “born trotter” -is what we want, and at two years old Arion, or any other colt, was at -the right age to determine whether a fast performance was the result of -nature or of art. - -It is a fact well known to everybody that some trotting-bred stallions -have shown greater power in controlling the action of their progeny than -others that seemed to be equally well bred. If out of the great mass of -stallions, past and present, that have been more or less successful as -trotting progenitors, we pick out thirty of the very best, as shown by -their progeny, it will probably surprise many of my readers to learn -that only three of that number have been able to triumph in the supreme -test of getting trotters out of running-bred mares. Of these three -Electioneer stands first, Almont second, and Pilot Jr. third. After -making all allowance for the anxiety of certain Californians and certain -Kentuckians to prove the need of “more running blood in the trotter,” -and their manifest willingness to help along with pedigrees in that -direction, I am fully convinced that these three horses, in some cases, -were able to meet and overcome the hostile elements of the galloper. -Not in every case, certainly, nor in a majority of cases. When Senator -Stanford was showing me the step of Palo Alto, on his own track, as -a three-year-old, I remarked, “Well, Electioneer certainly triumphed -in that case,” and the Senator replied, “Yes, but none of my other -stallions can do it, and there are some thoroughbred mares upon which -Electioneer can’t do it.” When approached by others on this subject in -the riper years of his experience, he was in the habit of replying: -“There are thoroughbreds and thoroughbreds; some of them will produce -trotters to Electioneer, and some will not.” He accepted everything -as thoroughbred that had been bought by his agents as thoroughbred, -whether in Kentucky or California, and he claimed to be able to pick out -those that would produce trotters by their appearance. When pressed to -give the characteristics by which he was able to make his selections, -he spoke of the shape of the animal, in a general way, and especially -by the head and the expression of countenance. In selecting his mares -to put in the trotting stud by their “appearance” he would naturally -select such as had the “appearance” of trotters, and as he personally -knew no more about their pedigrees or the inheritance of the animals -than the mares knew themselves, he was very liable to be deceived in -the breeding of the animals as he selected them. In selecting a mare by -“appearance” as indicating that she might throw trotters to Electioneer, -there is a strong suggestion that this “appearance” may have been a -legitimate “inheritance” sought to be covered up by that sadly abused -term “thoroughbred.” Whether this suggestion ever entered the Senator’s -mind I have no means of determining. But whether some of the mares called -“thoroughbred” had really a mixed inheritance or not, the fact remains -that the three horses named above did succeed in getting some trotters -from mares that were strongly running bred. Then the question arises: Why -did these three horses succeed where all others failed? We are not able -to give an answer to this question that is complete and irrefutable, -for there is so much in the laws of generation that we do not and cannot -know. Take two brothers, for example, and one is a great success and the -other a great failure, and often the failure is the better formed and -the better looking horse of the two. All that science teaches us here is -that one took after some ancestor, near or remote, that was good, and -the other after some ancestor that was not good. Electioneer, Almont -and Pilot Jr. all had short pedigrees composed exclusively of trotting -and pacing blood, except possibly a few drops of running blood that may -have trickled down from the runner through trotting or pacing channels. -Their instincts to stick to the trot had been encouraged and more or -less completely developed. Electioneer and Almont both had pacing blood -some distance away, and Pilot Jr., so far as we know, had nothing but -pacing blood, and yet he never paced a step in his life. This embraces -all we know of the three horses that proved themselves the most prepotent -in overcoming all antagonisms of race or blood. Others equally great, -no doubt, have come up since their day, but as breeding is now better -understood and as the laws of nature are now more carefully followed, -tests of this kind are not often made. - -After all the “wiring in and wiring out” of the tortuous advocates of -“more running blood in the trotter” had found that their efforts had -borne no fruit and that all intelligent breeders had left their theories -away behind, a remarkably brilliant genius struck out a new line of -thought and argument, which unfortunately died “a bornin’” just as -the attention of all intelligent breeders was turning away from “more -running blood in the trotter” as a senseless “fad,” and looking to the -pacer as a possible source of increased trotting speed. In formulating -and exploiting his idea, our genius seems to have reasoned after this -manner: “The crisis is here, the breeders are all turning away from the -thoroughbred as a source of trotting speed and considering the pacer, and -now if I can convince them that the pacer is at least half-thoroughbred -I will beat the standard and win the day.” Here we have the motive and -the subject, and now we are ready for the manipulation. In due time -the article appeared, and I must do the writer the justice of saying -I never have been fully satisfied that he believed a single word of -it himself. He starts out to show that the pace is not the result of -hereditary transmission but the result of “structural incongruity.” He -declared that this “structural incongruity” is the result of breeding -the thoroughbred horse on the slab-sided, ill-shapen mares of the West -and Southwest. From the inheritance, part of the animal is structurally -formed to run and the other part structurally formed to trot, and -between the two a compromise is made on the pace. In this “structural -incongruity,” between the two parts the pacing gait originated, and hence -whatever speed the pacer may possess comes from the “thoroughbred;” and, -therefore, of necessity, whatever speed the trotter gets from the pacer -comes from the “thoroughbred.” There are many humbugs in the literature -of the horse, but this is the craziest humbug I have ever met with. -What a pity he left his work unfinished, and failed to tell us which -end of the horse was running bred and which end trotting bred, so that -we might locate the “incongruity” and cut it out! But to look at this -“structural incongruity” seriously, it lacks but little of a scandal on -the intelligence and honesty of American writers on the horse. Here is -a gentleman of reputed intelligence, who wields a facile pen and has -been writing on breeding subjects for about thirty years, and much of -his work was well done; and now at the close of the nineteenth century -he undertakes to tell us how the pacer originated in this country. The -veriest tyro in horse history knows that pacers abounded in England in -the twelfth century, and indeed long before that. Every colony in this -country was full of pacers a hundred years before the first thoroughbred -crossed the Atlantic. But wild and absurd theories can safely be left to -the public judgment. - -It required several years of labor and iteration to convince the breeding -public that the trot and the pace were simply two forms of one and the -same gait. When first advanced it was received by the more intelligent -breeders as an abstraction that had nothing practical in it, while those -of less ability to think for themselves only laughed at it. Since then -the inevitable processes of experience have demonstrated its truth, -and the question of today is how to separate these two forms of the -same gait and to breed either form, as we may desire, as a distinct and -certainly transmissible gait. With a few it will still remain a matter of -indifference whether the colt comes a pacer or a trotter, but with the -great mass of breeders the question of profit in breeding the harness -horse must be considered. Everybody knows that in the market for road -horses the clean-stepping trotter is worth more than the smooth-gliding -pacer. This is not a question to be determined by fashion, but a fact -of universal experience that the trotting action is better suited to -harness and the pacing action better suited to the saddle. Fashions may -change, but these two facts are unchangeable, for they are founded in -the nature and mechanism of the two forms of action. The difficulties -in the way of separating the diagonal from the lateral form of the trot -are very great, and there is no use or wisdom in attempting to blink -this fact. Speed at both forms of the gait comes from the same source, -the same blood, the same inheritance; and source, blood and inheritance, -in a breeding sense, are the hardest things in nature to overcome. So -far as experience teaches there is but one method or treatment that has -ever been successful in wiping out the pacer. In the first half of the -seventeenth century England was full of pacers, and about a hundred -years later she did not have one. The trouble about this remedy is that -the trotters were wiped out also, and today England has neither a pacer -nor a trotter. When she now wants a trotter she has to send to this -country and get some of the blood of the little despised pacer that was -shipped from her own shores in the early colonial days. The blood of the -Saracenic horse has not lost its potency as a pacing expunger, as shown -by modern experiments, and all our breeders have to do is to use it in -copious effusions, and we will soon be rid of the pacer, and the trotter -along with him. The pacer and the trotter are never found separate from -each other, so far as my information goes. In Russia they breed trotters -methodically, and they have a full supply of very fast pacers that are -used as shaft horses in their droskies. As in the past, so in the future, -we never need expect to see the two forms of the gait entirely separated. - -Our people, however, are not ready, and as long as the horse is used for -business and pleasure never will be ready to dispense with the trotter; -and even though some considerable number might deplore the presence and -prominence of the pacer, every one of them would welcome him with great -joy if they knew he was a necessary adjunct of the trotter. When we -consider the problem of reducing the ratio of pacers and increasing the -ratio of trotters in what we produce, there is so much that is old and -still imperfectly known in what we incorrectly call our “earlier” period -of trotting that we find nothing encouraging in the study. The origin -of the principal trotters of the early part of this century, except -the direct descendants of Messenger, was so sedulously concealed that -it was entirely natural for so many men to conclude that the trotter -was not bred, but made by the trainer. When Flora Temple was the queen -nobody knew that her speed came from a pacer. Old Kentucky Hunter was a -very fast pacer. When Pelham was king nobody knew he had been a pacer. -When Highland Maid eclipsed all records nobody knew she was pacing bred -and had been a pacer herself. When Vermont Black Hawk was the most -popular sire of his day nobody knew that his dam was “Old Narragansett,” -a pacer. When Ethan Allen stood at the head of all young trotters the -old grey mare, his dam, was, and still remains, entirely unknown, but -everybody believes that a large share of his speed came from that mare. -Andrew Jackson, the head of the great Clay family, was out of a fast -pacing mare. And thus we might extend the list indefinitely. But away -back, more than a hundred years before the period of which we are here -speaking, pacing and trotting races had become so numerous that they had -to be suppressed by legislative enactment. More than two hundred years -ago there were pacing races and trotting races in this country, and then -as now it seems evident that the form of the action of the prospective -colt, whether lateral or diagonal, was uncertain until it appeared. This -condition of uncertainty about the secrets of the womb has existed for -centuries, as it exists today; and if we were furnished a complete list -of all the great trotters of the last two decades that were born pacers -we would hardly be willing to believe our own senses. The following short -list of such animals as have gone fast at both forms of the gait will -serve to illustrate the oneness of the two forms: - - PACING. TROTTING. - Jay-Eye-See, bl. g. by Dictator 2:06¼ 2:10 - Direct, bl. h. by Director 2:05¼ 2:18¼ - Monbars, b. h. by Eagle Bird 2:16¾ 2:11¾ - George St. Clair, b. h. by Betterton 2:10¼ 2:15¼ - Heir-at-Law, bl. h. by Mambrino King 2:07½ 2:12 - Ottinger, br. g. by Dorsey’s Nephew 2:11½ 2:09¾ - Bert Oliver, b. h. by Ashland Wilkes 2:08¾ 2:19¼ - Vassar, gr. h. by Vatican 2:07 2:21¾ - Pilgrim, br. h. by Acolyte 2:10½ 2:20¾ - San Pedro, bl. g. by Del Sur 2:10¾ 2:14½ - Wardwell, b. g. by Almont Jr. 2:16¼ 2:14¼ - Gazette, b. h. by Onward 2:09¾ 2:23¾ - Welcome, b. h. by Arthur Wilkes 2:10½ 2:27¼ - Story’s Clay, b. b. by Everett Clay 2:14¾ 2:18¼ - Captain Crouch, ch. h. by General Smith 2:13 2:25 - Red Bud, ch. h. by Redfern 2:12½ 2:14½ - Cleveland S., b. h. by Montgomery 2:10 2:24 - Connor, bl. h. by C. F. Clay 2:14 2:13¼ - Babette, b. m. by Sir John 2:12¼ 2:22¼ - -This exhibit might be further extended, but the foregoing will suffice -for the purpose intended. The only remark that seems needed by way of -explanation is that all the animals named, except two (San Pedro and -Wardwell), made their records first as trotters. - -In surveying the whole situation there is but little encouragement in -attempting to solve the problem of how to reduce the ratio of the pacers -and at the same time avoid the reduction of the speed of the trotters. -The central point in the problem is the development of speed; and so -long as the pacer comes to his speed so much quicker and easier than the -trotter, and so long as the best pacer is a little faster, as he has -always been, than the best trotter, there is no probability that his -speed will not be developed. All efforts at repression or exclusion of -the pacer from contesting for prizes at public meetings would be futile -and, in a sense, unjust. Moreover, this would not be in the province of -the breeder and he must work out his plans within the boundaries of his -own domain. The laws of heredity apply to either of the two forms of the -trot—the lateral and the diagonal—just as certainly as they apply to the -two forms united. This is the breeder’s opportunity, and if he grasps it -he will make progress slowly but surely. In his breeding selections he -must lay it down as an inviolable rule that all pacers, especially pacers -with their speed developed, must be excluded, no difference how strongly -they may be bred in the best trotting lines. If a horse produces some -fillies that, like Maud S., Sunol and hundreds of others, are halfway, -or more than halfway, inclined to pace, he must rigorously keep them at -the trot and nothing but the trot, unless he sells them. He must study -intelligently the pedigrees and produce of the generations away back, -and make such selections as are most likely to promote his object and -least likely to violate the rule laid down. Of all the varieties of -the horse on the face of the globe the American trotter is the typical -harness horse. Our civilization no longer requires the saddle to climb -through mountain passes, and to follow seldom-trodden paths through the -wilderness. For either business or pleasure we travel on wheels, and we -want the bold, bounding trotter to propel us. The pacer is the early and -only saddle horse in the world, but he is not a harness horse. Aside from -the few that will be used as gambling machines, his value will recede -while that of the trotter will always advance. In the hands of a man of -intelligent and fixed purpose it is certainly possible to breed a family -of trotters in which the appearance of a pacer from birth would be of -rare occurrence, and the longer such careful selections and purposes are -continued the more rare will be the recurrence of the lateral habit of -action. - -That the development of the speed of the parents was very important, if -not necessary to the increased speed of the progeny, was a proposition -that was long disputed. Generally, as on other questions, each man -argued it from the standpoint of his own stable, but not a few men of -clear minds took that side of the question without regard to the potency -of the law of heredity. In the early stages of the discussion of this -question it was a difficult one to handle effectively. At that time very -few sires, and still a less proportion of dams, had ever been regularly -developed as trotters, hence the field for generalization was narrow -and many of the instances quoted were disputed. For a time the battle -raged quite fiercely around Hambletonian, as he was the most prominent -stallion of that period, and if a man was trying to build up another -family he would rave till he got black in the face against “Bill Rysdyk’s -bull.” It is but just to say that the man who led in all this froth and -fury against Hambletonian was engaged in breeding what he called “Clay -Arabs,” and after dodging his creditors for a number of years his last -hoof was sold from him by the sheriff. On the other hand, Hambletonian -made his master a rich man, and he left a large estate. Hambletonian was -only partially developed, but sufficient to show he was a fast colt for -his period. (For full particulars see his history in another chapter.) -Abdallah was a very great sire of speed and he was not a developed -trotter, but his dam, old Amazonia, was quite fully developed. She won -many races and was the fastest trotter of her day. Whether her speed came -from a fast pacing ancestry, or whether it came from the reputed “son of -Messenger,” as stated when she was bought near Philadelphia, never can be -determined. The “son of Messenger” story seemed to be straight, but her -form was coarse and plain, and her legs were so hairy that many who knew -her best condemned the story; hence, all we can say about her is simply -that she was a fast developed trotter. Andrew Jackson had but little -trotting inheritance from his sire, and his dam was a fast pacing mare of -unknown breeding, but his speed was very fully developed as a trotter, -and he became the progenitor of the Clay and the Long Island Black Hawk -families, that became famous in trotting history. While this reasoning -was true in experience and sound under the canons of science, it was not -strong and convincing, for the one and only reason that the basis of the -generalization was too narrow and lacked in a sufficient number of cases -to convince the understanding of the skeptical. We have had to wait for -the accumulation of the experiences of a number of years, and now we have -the evidence that is so complete as to be really startling and which no -man can gainsay. The following little table embraces all the breeding -farms in this country that have produced three or more trotters with -records of 2:15 or better, and here the rate of speed is certainly high -enough and the foundation is certainly broad enough to furnish just and -safe conclusions: - - Leland Stanford 18 - Fashion Stud Farm 13 - William Corbitt 9 - Wm. H. Wilson 8 - C. J. Hamlin 7 - Glenview Farm 6 - Timothy Anglin 5 - Henry C. Jewett 4 - Wm. C. France 4 - Woodburn Farm 4 - Robert G. Stoner 4 - R. S. Veech 3 - C. W. Williams 3 - Highland Farm (Lee, Mass.) 3 - Fairlawn Farm 3 - E. W. Ayers 3 - Charles Backman 3 - George H. Ely 3 - Mrs. S. L. Stout 3 - Monroe Salisbury 3 - -Quite a number of other breeders have produced one or two that have made -records in 2:15 or better, but I think the above list embraces all that -have bred three or more with trotting records of 2:15 or better. The -table will be a surprise to everybody, but I doubt whether it will be a -greater surprise to anybody than it is to myself. At the head of the list -stands the late Senator Stanford’s great establishment with eighteen to -its credit, but this is not a fair basis of comparison with any other -establishment in the whole country, for he had about three hundred mares -in the trotting department of his breeding stud—about six times as large -as the average of the larger studs of the country. The average number -of horses in training, the year round, was about eighty, exclusive of -yearlings and the kindergarten. In attempting to institute a comparison, -therefore, with the average breeders of the country, we might as well -compare the daily receipts of John Wanamaker’s store with those of the -little green-grocer on the corner. But at the head of this establishment -stood the great Electioneer with his strong breeding and trotting speed -well developed, and indeed, in many respects the greatest horse of his -generation. He was the sire of eleven in the list, and the remainder were -either by his sons or out of his daughters. - -Mr. Henry N. Smith, of New York, a prominent Wall Street man, became -greatly interested in trotting sport, and in 1868 he organized a trotting -stable of his own, which contained some remarkable animals, as will be -seen below. His stable was very successful, and this success naturally -increased his attachment to the trotting interests. He then determined -to establish a breeding farm, and about the year 1869 he purchased the -famous old Fashion Course adjoining Trenton, New Jersey, embracing one -hundred and forty-five acres of land and provided with an excellent -mile track and much stabling that had been constructed years before for -running horses. This property he very appropriately named the “Fashion -Stud Farm,” and on it he placed the grandest assemblage of developed -trotters, for breeding purposes only, that had ever been brought together -in this or any other country. His stallions were Jay Gould, 2:20½, -Tattler, 2:26, and Gen. Knox, 2:31½. This was Knox’s fastest record, but -it was known he had trotted miles, in races, faster than this. The speed -of all three horses was developed, and it is evident at a glance that -there was only one first-class horse among them. But the great strength -of the establishment was in the grand galaxy of mares, some of which I -will enumerate, namely. Goldsmith Maid, 2:14, Lady Thorn, 2:18¼, Lucy, -2:18¼, Lady Maud, 2:18¼, Rosalind, 2:21¾, Belle Strickland, 2:26, Western -Girl, 2:27, Idol, 2:27, Big Mary, 2:28½, Daisy Burns, 2:28, Music’s Dam -(that had produced 2:21½ speed), besides others with slower records or -known to have had their speed developed as fast road mares, making in all -about thirty mares on the farm, and Mr. Smith claimed that every one of -them had shown more or less speed as trotters. - -Mr. Smith neither knew nor cared much about pedigrees, in a general -sense, and when you came to talk to him about “nicks” and “trotting -pitch” and all that kind of tomfoolery, his mind simply recurred to -the old adage uttered generations ago: “Trot father, trot mother, trot -colt.” His whole philosophy was wrapped up in the one central truth that -the horse that could go out and trot fast, when bred on the mare that -could go out and trot fast, would produce a colt that would go out and -trot fast. This was sufficient for him or indeed for anybody else, for -it contains and expresses the whole substance of the laws of heredity. -Mr. Smith’s great mares acquired in their training and development new -characters and new capacities which they never would have possessed had -it not been for the care and skill expended in their training. Here we -touch the very marrow of a question around which the scientists of today -are warring. Darwin taught that such acquisitions were transmissible, -of the truth of which I have no doubt, but a post-Darwinian school has -arisen which controverts this position, and claims that it weakens and -destroys the whole evolution theory of creation. But it matters not -about the hypothesis of evolution concerning things we know, for it -is simply an attempt to show how all things might have been created -without a Creator. I have read a great deal about evolution and the -transmissibility of acquired characters, but in all I have read I never -have met with a lesson so broad and so strong as that furnished by Henry -N. Smith’s great mares, proving that acquired characters are transmitted. - -In instituting a comparison between the high-class products of the Palo -Alto and the Fashion Stud Farms, it seems to be necessary to place the -premier stallions of the two side and side. They were half-brothers on -the side of the sire, but Electioneer had the greatest speed-producing -dam of her generation. She was a fast natural trotter herself, and was -out of a fast and fully developed trotter. Jay Gould was out of a good -road mare by American Star, but nobody has ever said she had any speed, -and she was out of a nondescript mare that we know nothing about. Gould’s -dam never produced any other trotter with a reputable rate of speed, so -far as I have been able to learn. Electioneer was trained and developed -by Mr. Backman, but he never was in a race, and consequently he has no -official record. After he was taken to Palo Alto he was given quite -regular work, and it is beyond all doubt that when in stud condition he -could show a quarter in a little better than a 2:20 gait. The difference -in the rate of speed, therefore, as between the two horses was not very -great, but whatever it was must go to the credit of Jay Gould. But the -offspring of Electioneer had a very great advantage over those of Jay -Gould in the methodical and skillful development of their speed. In his -maternal inheritance as a trotter, as already indicated, Electioneer -had a marked superiority, and on an equally high class of developed -mares he would have far outstripped his rival. Now, with this attempt -at a clean-cut description of the two horses, we are ready to consider -the question in its arithmetical elements, and it will be found a plain -question of “simple proportion” which anybody can solve in a minute, as -follows: “If the Fashion Stud Farm from thirty mares produced thirteen -trotters with public records of 2:15 or better, how many of equal -capacity should the Palo Alto Farm have produced from three hundred -mares?” The answer is one hundred and thirty, but the facts, up to the -close of 1896, furnish us with the beggarly number of eighteen. - -The grand assemblage of so many great trotters at the Fashion Stud Farm, -and all for the purpose of breeding, was the subject of much comment -among breeders from one end of the land to the other, and not a few -pronounced it all wrong and that it would be succeeded by failure. Mr. -Smith lacked some of the elements that go toward making a man popular, -and hence, in many cases, there was not much sympathy between him and -his brother breeders, but he held tenaciously to the central truth that -the way to breed high-class trotters was to mate high-class trotters. -His experience has clearly demonstrated the soundness of this canon of -breeding, and it has just as clearly demonstrated the unsoundness of -the notion that high-class trotters can be bred from animals that never -trotted and never could be made to trot. The law, as we have taught it -for years, has been vindicated, and that by experiences so wide and so -complete that it can no longer be controverted. Mr. Smith has achieved a -great honor, and as a producer of high-class speed he stands at the head -of all American trotting-horse breeders. - -As we have now considered a great triumph, with the causes that led up -to it and the lesson it has taught, it seems to be in order to give an -example of a great failure and the causes which have produced it. For -more than forty years Woodburn Farm, in Kentucky, has been breeding -trotters, and up to the close of 1896 just four with records of 2:15 -or better have hailed from that great establishment. During all these -years, and until Palo Alto Farm was established, Woodburn was the largest -establishment in this country. With thousands of broad acres of the most -productive soil, with the possession and control of money without limit, -and with the experiences of forty years in which to select and breed only -to the best, it is the natural and reasonable expectation of everybody -interested in the question of breeding the trotter to look to Woodburn as -leading all other establishments in the whole world in the production of -first-class trotters. And what has Woodburn done? With her experiences -of forty years, with all her broad acres and boundless wealth, up to the -close of 1896 she has produced just four trotters with records of 2:15 -or better. Instead of leading all others, she is at the wrong end of the -procession, and if we consider the proportional advantages involved, we -find that “all others,” little and big, are leading her. By referring to -the above list of breeders that have produced three or more with records -of 2:15 or better, we find that Henry N. Smith has produced thirteen, -that William Corbett, from his little stud in California, has produced -nine, and that the late William H. Wilson, of Cynthiana, Kentucky, from -his little band of mares, and without either broad acres or money, has -produced eight within the past twelve or fifteen years, and all except -one by the same horse. This places Mr. Wilson first among all Kentucky -breeders. In the short period of its existence Glenview Farm produced -six, and the quite unpretentious farmer, Mr. Timothy Anglin, produced -five; W. C. France and Colonel R. G. Stoner produced four each—the same -number as Woodburn—but they did not require forty years to accomplish -it. Thus the breeding world, with “the little fellows” on top, has -gone away ahead and left Woodburn to mumble over her “tin cups,” and -exult in the many triumphs she has won against the watch in 2:30. The -policy of Woodburn for years past seems to have been to hold the lead of -Kentucky breeders in the production of 2:30 trotters, and to this end -the youngsters are put in training in the early spring and kept at it -till the frosts come, when such of them as are sure to win are brought -out and started against the watch, for a “tin cup,” and these are the -victories that Woodburn wins. Nobody has ever heard of Woodburn entering -a youngster in a stake where he would have to win on his merits. That -would be bringing him down to an equality with the colts of such people -as William H. Wilson, Colonel R. G. Stoner, Farmer Timothy Anglin, and -all the other “little fellows.” Woodburn has made a great deal of money -out of these humbug tin-cup records, and as registration and the standard -are now absolutely under the control of her manager, the 2:30-tin-cup -still remains the evidence of a fast trotter, worthy of standard rank. -True, everybody nowadays laughs at the idea that 2:30, with the “tin -cup,” is any evidence of even reputable speed, but as they have given a -certain kind of pre-eminence and made money in the past, the twins will -not be separated, but will hold their places just as long as the standard -is under the present control. - -From this brief examination of the symptoms I think a safe diagnosis can -be made. The trouble seems to be twofold, or it may be said there are -two troubles, either one of which is dangerous, but the two together may -prove fatal in the end. It is a well-known fact in veterinary science -that there are certain diseases among horses that may be communicated to -the men who have them in charge. There is one disease, vulgarly called -“big-head,” that comes creeping upon its victim before he is aware of its -existence or approach, and against the insidious steps of this destroyer -the manager at Woodburn should be affectionately warned. Sham records -of 2:30 for standard rank are no longer welcomed with enthusiasm in -this country. The other trouble is not so much with the manager as with -the material which he manages, which seems to be affected with what may -be called “dry-rot.” This view of the non-productive character of the -Woodburn breeding stock, when measured by first-class performers, seems -to be borne out by the fact that the names of those gentlemen who have -depended most largely on Woodburn blood do not appear on the foregoing -list as the producers of first-class trotters. For about forty years -the fame of Woodburn as the greatest of all our breeding establishments -has been as wide as the boundaries of the nation. But notwithstanding -the weight and influence which great wealth and an unblemished name may -have secured, the records up to the close of the year 1896 have deposed -her from the first rank as a breeder of trotting horses, and sent her -away to the rear, where she now occupies her true place in the eighth -rank. It is well known to everybody that, since the days of the first -Mr. Alexander, Woodburn has never entered a colt in a stake nor started -one against other people’s colts, prize or no prize. This air of assumed -superiority is sought to be explained on high moral grounds against the -evils of horse-racing. This is like the man who never tasted whisky for -conscience’ sake, in view of the great evil it was doing in the world, -and yet he was the chief owner in a large distillery. At the great local -meetings in Kentucky practically all the breeding establishments of that -region, except Woodburn, are represented in the stakes, and while they -are being contested Woodburn will come in with a string of youngsters, -between the heats, and win sham records in 2:30 for “tin cups.” Depending -on this kind of test and this kind of development, it is not remarkable -that all the small breeders of the State have left Woodburn in the rear. -This shining example of failure teaches unmistakably the necessity -of honest and full development of breeding stock in order to produce -high-class trotters. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -HOW THE TROTTING HOUSE IS BRED (_Continued_). - - Breeding the trotter intelligently an industry of modern - development—Plethora of turf papers, and their timidity of - the truth—The accepted theories, old and new—Failure of - the “thoroughbred blood in the trotter” idea—“Thoroughbred - foundations,” and the Register—“Like begets like,” the great - central truth—Long-continued efforts to breed trotters from - runners —New York the original source of supply of trotting - blood to all the States—Kentucky’s beginning in breeding - trotters—R. A. Alexander, and the founding of Woodburn—The - “infallibility” of Woodburn pedigrees—Refusal to enter - fictitious crosses in the Register and the results—The - genesis and history of the standard—Its objects, effects and - influence —Establishing the breed of trotters—The Kentucky - or “Pinafore” standard —Its purposes analyzed—The “Breeders’ - Trotting Stud Book” and how it was compiled—Failure and - collapse of the Kentucky project—Another unsuccessful attempt - to capture the Register—How honest administration of the - Register made enemies—The National Breeder’s Association - and the Chicago Convention—Detailed history of the sale and - transfer of the Register, the events that led up to it, and the - results—Personal satisfaction and benefits from the transfer, - and the years of rest and congenial study in preparing this - book—The end. - - -All that American breeders know about producing the trotting horse they -have learned in the past twenty-five years. In that short period this -interest has developed from practically nothing into a great national -industry that has placed this country in front of all the nations of the -earth in the character, quality and speed of the light harness horse. -It is true we had the “raw material” out of which to build up this new -breed, and this had been in our possession we may say for generations, -but we didn’t know how to use it. There may be some apparent indelicacy -in making the remark, but I think every intelligent man who is acquainted -with the subject will sustain me in saying that, had it not been for the -compilation of the “Trotting Register” and _Wallace’s Monthly_, with the -facts, statistics and reasonings which were developed through them, we -would know no more about the trotter today than we did thirty years ago. -The trotting horse, therefore, as we contemplate him in his position -of superiority to all others of his kind, is simply the result of great -labor in collecting the facts and sound reasoning from the lessons taught -by those facts. With all the facts placed in his hand, any breeder of -intelligence, if he were honest, could not fail to reach the truth; but, -unfortunately, all breeders have never learned to divest themselves of -their prejudices, and to accept the plain teachings of the facts, just as -they are. - -To be able to think intelligently and honestly and to reason soundly, is -the first requisite to success in breeding the trotter. It is a seeming -paradox, but it is nevertheless true, that many men who are able to think -a little are not able to think honestly. It is easy to understand why a -man may act dishonestly, for there is the hope of gain to impel him; but -why he should think dishonestly is not so apparent. Let us illustrate -this matter of thinking dishonestly. On an occasion a correspondent asked -a breeding journal to give a list of the thoroughbred horses that had -sired trotters. A list of horses, represented as thoroughbred in the -reply, was given, embracing some ten or twelve, about half of which were -either unknown or dependent upon the most flimsy kind of representation -as to their blood. It is not with the actual misrepresentation of the -blood of most of the animals named, but with the use that was made of the -list that I will now speak. After accepting the list as true and genuine, -the correspondent comes before the public with his conclusions. He shows -that these dozen performers from about as many horses made an average -record of 2:24 and a fraction, and then triumphantly raises the question -whether any single trotting-bred sire can show as many performers with as -low an average record. Having satisfied himself that all the running-bred -sires, real and imaginary, put together could more than equal any one -trotting-bred sire in the average high rate of speed, he reaches the -profound conclusion that the way to breed the trotter is to go to the -runner. This is a real and not an imaginary instance of a few years -ago. No doubt this man thought he was thinking when he reached this -conclusion, and that he had solved the problem of breeding the trotter; -but, poor man, he was simply trying to advertise a half-and-half-bred -stallion he had in his stable. - -I have no old scores to pay off against the breeding and sporting press, -for I generally managed to pay them off as we went along, and the triumph -of the views I advanced and sustained has become sufficiently complete -to satisfy the most fastidious. It seems to be a real misfortune that -there are so many weekly journals in this field and most of them leading -a precarious existence. It may be observed in most directions that the -management of these journals is hesitating and timid, as though afraid -that somebody might be offended and a five or ten-dollar advertisement -lost thereby. It is all right to make the advertising patronage -remunerative, but it is all wrong when that department is placed in -control of all the others, from the fear that somebody may be offended -if the truth be told. In the present depressed condition of the breeding -interests, and indeed of all interests, the horsemen of the whole country -feel that they are carrying too heavy a burden in supporting so many -papers, and the question of the “survival of the fittest” is already -imminent. But, whatever the present financial and intellectual condition -of the breeding and sporting publications of the country may be, a number -of them have had their part in the discussions and wrangles that were -naturally coincident with the progress of the revolution on the question -of breeding the trotter, which finally brushed everything out of its way -and fully established the truth of the laws of inheritance. Twenty-five -years ago there was a good number of intelligent and capable writers -on the horse, and they were either engaged in editing horse papers or -contributed to them, and one and all they were handicapped with the idea, -inherited from their fathers, that whatever of excellence that was found -in the American horse came from the English race horse, and that all the -speed, at any gait, that he was able to show came from the same source. -From this absurd fallacy, it naturally followed that speed at the trot -was merely the result of accident or of the persistent skill of the -trainer. This was, substantially, the view of the general public at that -date. - -When, therefore, it was announced that the horse was far more than a -mere machine, that he had a mental as well as a physical organization, -that these were both equally matters of inheritance, that one horse ran -fast because his ancestors ran fast and that another horse trotted fast -because his ancestors were able to trot fast, and that no fast runner -was ever a fast trotter, there was a tremendous hubbub. This was a new -gospel, and it threatened to annihilate the stupid Anglo-Arabian fetish -that all that was good in horsedom must of necessity come from that -source. For generations the belief had been universal that the only way -to improve the horse for any purpose under the sun was to “breed up” to -the running horse and thus get back to the blood of the pure Arabian. -On the other hand, and as opposed to this ancient fallacy that the way -to breed the trotter was to go to the runner, it was urged, with a -thousand proofs at the back of it, that the way to breed the runner was -to go to the horse that could run, and the way to breed the trotter was -to go to the horse that could trot. Here was a direct issue squarely -made, and it was not to be expected that such men as Charles J. Foster, -Peter C. Kellogg, Joseph O. Simpson, etc., all writers of ability, would -quietly surrender without a battle. They had committed themselves to -the running-blood traditions, some rich men had shaped their breeding -studs in that direction, and without deciding whether a rich man had -necessarily more sense than a poor one, they knew instinctively that -a rich man could be more liberal in advertising, and that he could -be more generous in properly recognizing the little courtesies that -might be extended in the way of keeping his establishment before the -public in an approving light. Thus, with an eye to the weather-gauge, -the editors were able to maintain their own consistency. As the -experiences of every succeeding year added thousands of proofs to the -plain proposition that the trotter inherits his speed from a trotting -ancestry, the “irreconcilables” began to shift their ground, conceding -that there must be trotting blood to give the action, but that there -must be “speed-sustaining” blood from the thoroughbred to give courage -and endurance. This was the second position, and in a commercial sense -it was shrewdly chosen for the advantage of certain localities. This -position furnished the “thoroughbred foundation” argument, and for a time -it had its supporters. This theory also furnished its promised commercial -advantages to such localities as had formerly bred running horses, and -it was but a week till everybody in those localities had “thoroughbred -foundations” for their trotting pedigrees, and those who did not have -them could easily procure them. This brought an avalanche of pedigrees, -especially from Kentucky, with “thoroughbred foundations,” consisting -of long strings of dams by famous horses, but without names, dates, -breeders or histories, and many of them impossible. To checkmate this -inundation of manufactured foundations, in the office of the Register, -a rule was adopted requiring satisfactory identification and history -of each dam, and where that could not be given the pedigree would be -cut off. This rule saved the “Trotting Register” from becoming the mere -dumping place for countless frauds, but it aroused such a feeling of -antagonism on the part of the manager of Woodburn Farm that he, at once, -started an opposition Register to be compiled at the farm, under his own -personal direction. Of this, and what came of it, I will speak further -on. It is but just that I should say here, that from a wide knowledge of -men and from a study of their moral fiber extending through many years -in connection with horse affairs, I have found many Kentuckians that -were thoroughly truthful and reliable in pedigree matters; but at the -same time it must be admitted that the conditions there for generations -past have not been favorable, among horsemen, for the cultivation of -the highest type of truthfulness. Many of them have been making their -own pedigrees for so long, and padding them out with nameless dams by -suppositious sires, to suit themselves—and the market—that they don’t -take kindly to any restraint in what they consider their own business. - -The great central truth in reproduction, whether of animals or plants, -is summed up in the homely but axiomatic phrase, “like begets like.” -With the rank and file of intelligent breeders who were able to think, -this axiom was soon accepted as a fundamental and basic truth. The -phrase “trotting instinct” was soon in everybody’s mouth, and the broad, -plain distinction between that and “running instinct” was so palpable -and easy of practical comprehension that the fallacy of a “thoroughbred -foundation” was buried out of sight. When it was considered that the -instinct of the one was to put forth his supreme effort at the trot, -and of the other to put forth his supreme effort at the gallop, the -irreconcilable antagonism between the two gaits was apparent. The -cumulative evidences furnished year after year by the official records -of performances on the tracks, and all going to show that the trotting -horse must have a trotting inheritance, soon became so overwhelming in -the uniformity of their teachings, and so completely unanswerable in -the force of numbers, that no man able to observe and think could any -longer doubt the truth of the position taken. But, unfortunately, some -men can neither observe nor think, and, what is still more unfortunate, -they not infrequently undertake to fill the rôle of public teachers -and leaders of public thought. We can understand how a man of average -intelligence may be wise in many things and foolish in others. When -we come to study the phenomena he presents, we find he has studied the -subjects on which he is wise, and he is ignorant on the subjects on which -he is foolish. Like “Brother Jasper,” the negro preacher, he is ready -to maintain against all comers that “the sun do move.” Another class of -men in the writing fraternity, but fortunately they are restricted in -numbers, have brains enough to apprehend the facts surrounding them and -their teachings, but they have not conscience enough to lift them above -their toadying instincts, for fear they might miss the crumbs from a -rich patron’s table. Another type of man, generally a beginner in the -breeding business, has a half-and-half-bred stallion at the head of his -little stud, and he is uniformly an enthusiast for the “thoroughbred -foundation.” As might be expected, he fills the columns of all the papers -accessible with his “views of breeding,” which are always shaped to fit -his own stallion and bring him patronage. We might here go on and point -out other types of would-be “teachers” that would be entertaining, but -certainly not profitable or instructive. We might follow the vagaries -of different writers and show the origin and reason for those vagaries, -but as the breeding world has become far more intelligent, and I think -more honest, than it was twenty-five years ago, one vagary after another -has disappeared and been buried out of sight. All such trumpery as, “to -breed the trotter you must go to the runner,” “more running blood in the -trotter,” “thoroughbred foundation,” etc., are phrases that are never -heard in our day among intelligent breeders. A mile in two minutes and -thirty seconds is “played out” as an evidence of trotting speed, but it -is still held in its place as such evidence to suit the blood and methods -of development at one particular establishment, and to gather in the -money for registration from the little fellows. - -Anything slower than “two-twenty” is no longer looked upon as of any -value in a trotting sense. - -This astonishing increase of speed has come hand in hand with a closer -and more careful observance of the law of inheritance, or heredity. If -we breed the merino ram upon a merino ewe, we know that the produce -will be a merino. If we breed the cotswold on the cotswold we know the -produce will be a cotswold, but if we breed the merino on the cotswold -the produce will be a mongrel. The physical inheritance is destroyed, -and in propagating from this mongrel confusion, uncertainty and -disappointment always follow. If we go a step higher and consider those -types of domestic animals endowed with a species of mentality that we -call instinct, we find the illustrations still more marked and effective. -The finely bred greyhound coupled with the finely bred pointer produces -neither a greyhound nor a pointer, but only a nondescript cur. Sometimes -the instincts of the greyhound and sometimes the instincts of the pointer -may be the more masterful, but the inheritance is broken and divided, and -the mongrel should never be used for propagation. If we couple the very -best specimen of the English race horse with the very best and fastest -American trotting mare, the produce would be literally half-and-half -bred. The sire never could trot a mile in four minutes and the dam never -could run a mile in two minutes, and what is the produce good for? Once -in a hundred times the running instinct might predominate and develop -something of a runner, and once in a hundred times the trotting instinct -might predominate, as in the case of Bonnie Scotland and Waterwitch, and -produce something of a trotter, but of what value would the half-and-half -progeny be for breeding purposes? Whatever might be the characteristics -of their progeny, physically, they would undoubtedly and invariably -inherit and transmit not only divided, but antagonistic, instincts that -would require generations of careful selection and training to get rid -of. While the “featherheads” may, for the sake of personal consistency, -which is a very weighty matter of public concern, still advocate “more -running blood in the trotter;” and while one great concern may still look -one way, on this question, and row the other, it being literally true -that she has not added a single drop of running blood to her trotting -stud in a quarter of a century, it is safe to say that the whole body of -intelligent breeders of this country have come to accept and obey the -great central truth that the American trotter has reached his present -state of perfection by the development of his unbroken and undivided -trotting inheritances. These inheritances have been cumulative and thus -made stronger in each developed generation of ancestors, and if this high -development of speed is kept up for a series of successive generations -the speed of the American trotter will be placed at a point of which we -have never yet dreamed. The inherited and developed instinct to stick to -the trot as the fastest gait of which the horse is conscious, coupled -with skillful preparation and handling, are the two factors that will -always put the American trotting horse in the front rank and keep him -there. - -In the early chapters of this work we have considered the horse in his -original habitat and his distribution among the different peoples of -the then known world, but we have not considered the distribution of -the trotter through the different regions of our own country. Fifty or -sixty years ago the trotting horse was hardly known outside of a limited -territory embracing the cities of New York and Philadelphia. In the New -England States the trappy little Morgan filled the place of the driving -horse with very great acceptance, but he had no speed as a trotter. We -then began to see and hear something of the “Maine Messengers,” that -were trotters in reality and able to demonstrate their speed and courage -on the track. Occasionally a converted pacer would strike a trot and -show speed that was phenomenal in that day, but it was uniformly treated -as “accidental.” There was a great deal of high-class trotting blood -in the region of Philadelphia, and for a time that was the leading -center of the trotting interest, but it did not receive that measure of -encouragement and support that was necessary to its permanent growth, -and the seat of empire was transferred to Long Island and Orange County, -New York. South of Mason and Dixon’s line the trotter was tabooed, as a -mongrel nondescript, and “not worthy of the attention of a gentleman, -sah.” They had runners and they had pacers, and as all excellence in the -shape of a horse, at whatever gait, as they argued, must come from the -running horse or his progenitor, the Arabian, they had already the very -best material in the world for the production of the fast trotter. The -belief as expressed in their motto, “Speed at the gallop was a guarantee -of speed at any other gait required,” pervaded all minds and directed -all action in matters of breeding. Thus they worked away for years -trying to breed trotters from blood that never could and that never did -trot, and, strange as it may seem, there are still some people in that -region, at the close of the nineteenth century, trying to breed trotters -from runners. From New York as a common center all the breeding States -obtained their supplies of trotting blood, and they in time became -sources of supply. The only exception to this is that of the pacer, which -eventually developed into a trotting element of some prominence and -value, especially in the West and South. - -The prominence of Kentucky as a breeding center is wholly due to the -trotting blood she obtained from New York. She had plenty of pacing -blood that was good, of its kind, but it was so uncertain and sporadic -that it did not commend itself to the breeders of that section as a -source of trotting speed. From an early period in the history of the -State the habits and fancies of the people, in the richer portions, had -been “horsey,” from their knowledge and familiarity with running races -for many years, and thus when the demand came for trotters they struck -out vigorously to meet that demand. When Mr. R. A. Alexander organized -the great Woodburn Farm he established a department of trotters, which -was among the very first of any magnitude in the State. As he had been -reared abroad he knew nothing about American pedigrees, and in making -his purchases of breeding stock he was victimized by every sharper who -came along with a brood mare to sell. He was a man of honest purpose and -excellent natural judgment which told him to buy such breeding animals -as could trot themselves or had produced trotters, and if he had been -content to stop with what little he knew of their breeding he would -have been all right; but, meantime, the professional pedigree-maker—the -successor to the famous Patrick Nesbitt Edgar—came along and tricked them -out in an excellent quality of pinchbeck pedigrees containing plenty of -running blood that had never trotted nor produced a trotter. When the -first Mr. Alexander died he was succeeded in the proprietorship of the -great estate by his brother, a very worthy gentleman who made it a law to -the establishment that none of his horses should ever start in a race. -His fancy and knowledge were all in the line of cattle, and he seemed -to neither know nor care anything about horses. Soon after this change -in the ownership of the estate a new manager was placed in charge, and -it was soon manifest that however absurd and untruthful the pedigrees -of breeding stock might be, they must not be questioned nor corrected -by any authority whatever. This doctrine of infallibility as applied to -Woodburn pedigrees was wholly incompatible with what I conceived to be -my duty to the breeding public. I had accepted the Woodburn pedigrees, -at the start, as trustworthy, on the grounds of the eminence and high -character of the first Mr. Alexander, and it was far more than a surprise -to me when I discovered something of the extent to which the pedigrees -of the whole establishment had been honeycombed with the dishonesty -of “sharpers” and “pedigree-makers.” These fictions antedated any -compilation or known authority of trotting pedigrees, and there can be -no doubt they were accepted as honest statements of the blood of the -animals in question, while many of them were wholly fictitious and all of -them contained crosses on the maternal side that were merely imaginary. -These embellishments, to call them by no harder name, were uniformly in -one and the same direction, all stretching out to embrace as much of the -blood of the running horse as possible, and often a great deal that was -impossible. Here I may state the general fact that all Kentuckians had -claimed and exercised the right so long to shape up their pedigrees to -suit themselves and to bring the most money in the market that a number -of them still claimed that as a right and became somewhat restive when -told that their pedigrees would be recorded just as far as they were -proved, and no further. Two or three breeders expostulated against this -rule, and in reply they were assured that they had a perfect right to -shape their pedigrees as they pleased, but that insertion in the Register -was the same as my personal indorsement, and that this indorsement could -not be given to any pedigree that I did not know or believe to be honest -and true. This ended all doubts about the position and character of the -Register, and I think that every breeder of any standing in Kentucky -submitted to the rule, with the solitary exception of Woodburn Farm. -The manager of that establishment was not only unwilling to have the -infallibility of Woodburn pedigrees called in question, but he aspired to -the control of the pedigrees of all other breeders in the whole country. -When the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders was organized in -December, 1876, he was not only asked, but pressed, to become a member -and take part in its management and control. But no, he would be “boss,” -or he would be nothing. New York was not the right place to organize it. -It should be organized in Kentucky, and with the manager of Woodburn -at the head of it. The arrogance of this young manager was something -amazing, his intrigues to get control of registration were continued for -a number of years, and the means employed to accomplish his ends were of -such a character as clearly to demonstrate that of all the men in the -world he was the last one who should be placed in the control of such a -trust. As this controversy extended through the period of building up the -breed of trotters, it is of necessity a part of the literature of the -formation of that breed, and as some of the more salient points seem to -be of sufficient importance to hand down to future generations, I will -here consider them very briefly. In doing this I am conscious of some -feeling of embarrassment on account of the personal matters that must -enter into the recital, but it is a part of the trotting history of the -times, and I prefer that the truth may be preserved, whatever may be the -teachings of the canons of taste. - -In the collection and registration of pedigrees that seemed to be more -or less closely allied to trotting blood, embracing all contained in the -first, second and third volumes of the “Trotting Register,” there was no -guide or rule to determine what was worthy of registration, in a trotting -sense, and what was unworthy. I had a general conception of the families -that had produced trotters and those that had not, but I had no rule by -which I could decide what to admit and what to reject, except that all -actual performers of reputable speed must be admitted. To undertake, -on individual responsibility, to determine what amount of trotting -blood should be requisite to admission, and how that amount should -be measured, was quite too hazardous, except when backed by a strong -moral and numerical force of breeders. Hence my active interest in the -organization of the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, and -my earnest desire that it might be composed of breeders of high standing -and character from all parts of the country. Upon the organization of -the association, its character was so entirely acceptable to me that I -did not hesitate to place in its hands the supervisory control of the -registration of pedigrees for the “Trotting Register,” to be exercised -by a Board of Censors to be appointed annually. The first board was -appointed and entered on its functions January 15, 1877, by formulating -the first set of rules relating to the requisites necessary to the -acceptance of pedigrees, in their form and completeness. The third volume -was then approaching completion and the Board of Censors commenced their -supervisory duties on that volume. - -The members of the Breeders’ Association were generally men of -intelligence, and capable of thinking, and every suitable opportunity was -improved to get their individual views on the question as to whether a -set of rules could be adopted by the association that would distinguish -between animals that had trotted themselves or produced trotters in say -2:30, and animals that had not. Not many had ever thought of the subject, -but all were ready to think of it more. The only objection urged was -that such a scheme would certainly reduce the fees for registration in -large degree. To this I assented as doubtless true for the time being, -though in the end it would largely increase them, but declared that it -was not for the fees I was working, but to establish a breed of trotting -horses. When satisfied that a good number of the leading breeders were -thinking favorably of the subject, it was presented to the public in -a very modest and unpretentious way. In discussing “The Future of the -Breeders’ Association,” in _Wallace’s Monthly_ for April, 1878, the -following language occurs: - - “In addition to the thought and labor necessary to secure such - an organization as the interest demands, there is another topic - that will require great deliberation and wisdom, in the near - future. The association must fix a standard of admission to the - official record of pedigrees. Up to the present time there has - been no standard of blood requisite to secure a place in the - Register. This matter has been left wholly to the compiler, - without even so much as advice on the subject. The Register, - therefore, has no value as a classification of blood, but - only as a reliable record of the pedigrees of the animals it - contains, whatever their blood may be.” - -This is the first intimation ever given to the public, so far as I -know, that any body of men ever contemplated the construction of a -standard to control the admission of trotting horses to specific rank -and registration. The question was thus placed openly before the public -and it was looked upon favorably by those most immediately interested. -In due time, at a meeting of the Breeders’ Association, a committee was -appointed to whom was referred all the suggestions that had been made for -the proposed scheme. Soon afterward (November 19, 1879) the committee -reported the standard to a large, enthusiastic and harmonious meeting of -the Association, and it was unanimously adopted as follows: - - THE STANDARD OF ADMISSION TO REGISTRATION. - - (Established by the National Association of Trotting-Horse - Breeders, November 19, 1879.) - - In order to define what constitutes a trotting-bred horse, and - to establish a BREED of trotters on a more intelligent basis, - the following rules are adopted to control admission to the - records of pedigrees. When an animal meets the requirements of - admission and is duly registered, it shall be accepted as a - standard trotting-bred animal. - - FIRST.—Any stallion that has, himself, a record of two minutes - and thirty seconds (2:30) or better; provided any of his get - has a record of 2:40 or better; or provided his sire or his - dam, his grandsire or his grandam, is already a standard animal. - - SECOND.—Any mare or gelding that has a record of 2:30 or better. - - THIRD.—Any horse that is the sire of two animals with a record - of 2:30 or better. - - FOURTH.—Any horse that is the sire of one animal with a record - of 2:30 or better; provided he has either of the following - additional qualifications: - - 1.—A record himself of 2:40 or better. - - 2.—Is the sire of two other animals with a record of 2:40 or - better. - - 3.—Has a sire or dam, grandsire or grandam that is already a - standard animal. - - FIFTH.—Any mare that has produced an animal with a record of - 2:30 or better. - - SIXTH.—The progeny of a standard horse when out of a standard - mare. - - SEVENTH.—The progeny of a standard horse out of a mare by a - standard horse. - - EIGHTH.—The progeny of a standard horse when out of a mare - whose dam is a standard mare. - - NINTH.—Any mare that has a record of 2:40 or better, and whose - sire or dam, grandsire or grandam is a standard animal. - - TENTH.—A record to wagon of 2:35 or better shall be regarded as - equal to a 2:30 record. - -In this, its original form, the standard was administered successfully -and smoothly through the period of the compilation of volumes four, five, -six, and seven of the “Trotting Register,” when it was revised by the -Breeders’ Association as follows: - - THE STANDARD. - - (AS REVISED AND ADOPTED BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF - TROTTING-HORSE BREEDERS, DECEMBER 14, 1887.) - - In order to define what constitutes a trotting bred horse and - to establish a BREED of trotters on a more intelligent basis, - the following rules are adopted to control admission to the - records of pedigrees. When an animal meets the requirements - of admission and is duly registered it shall be accepted as a - standard trotting-bred animal. - - FIRST.—Any stallion that has himself a record of two minutes - and thirty seconds (2:30) or better, provided any of his get - has a record of 2:35 or better, or provided his sire or his dam - is already a standard animal. - - SECOND.—Any mare or gelding that has a record of 2:30 or better. - - THIRD.—Any horse that is the sire of two animals with a record - of 2:30 or better. - - FOURTH.—Any horse that is the sire of one animal with a record - of 2:30 or better, provided he has either of the following - additional qualifications: (1) A record himself of 2:35 or - better. (2) Is the sire of two other animals with a record - of 2:35 or better. (3) Has a sire or dam that is already a - standard animal. - - FIFTH.—Any mare that has produced an animal with a record of - 2:30 or better. - - SIXTH.—The progeny of a standard horse when out of a standard - mare. - - SEVENTH.—The female progeny of a standard horse when out of a - mare by a standard horse. - - EIGHTH.—The female progeny of a standard horse when out of a - mare whose dam is a standard mare. - - NINTH.—Any mare that has a record of 2:35 or better, and whose - sire or dam is a standard animal. - -From the indefinite and unsatisfactory starting point, and without -any rule or guide as to what should be admitted, except the pointless -phrase, “well related to trotting blood,” it soon became evident that -the Register would soon contain as much chaff as wheat. Through the -_Monthly_, which was established for that purpose, I did not despair of -the success of my aim in leading the intelligent breeders of the country -up to the point of recognizing and establishing the American trotting -horse as a BREED. The road was long, steep, rough in places, and beset -with prejudices on all sides, but labor conquers all things, and we -have in the standard and its revision, as given above, the culmination -and perfection of the implements that were to effect this purpose. To -reject a horse from registration merely because he was running bred would -have been “flying in the face” of the prejudices of nearly everybody, -but to reject him because neither he nor any of his tribe had ever been -able to trot, was philosophical and just; and as it gave no section -of the country an advantage over any other section, and no theory an -advantage over a fact, no man could gainsay or criticise its justice or -its truthfulness. This was the wedge that split the rock of ignorance -and prejudice, and thus exploded the theories of generations as to the -value of running blood in the trotter. As I look at it to-day, the -undertaking to gather up a great lot of fragments and convert them into -a breed was a tremendous one, and although it was backed up with brains -and influence, it is doubtful whether many of its promoters had any very -clear conception of the results that would follow—either its success -or its failure. It assumed to direct and control the trotting-horse -breeding interest of the whole country, and to leave its impress for -all time. It required no gift of prophecy to see this as the result of -success, and neither did it require any gift of prophecy to foresee -that failure would wipe out the work already done in both the Register -and the _Monthly_. It was the crucial period in the history of these -publications. A misstep or an unwise provision would have brought a -disastrous end. To found a breed of horses resting primarily and wholly -upon performance and the blood descended directly from performers, or the -producers of performers, was something that never had been attempted in -the world. The basis was wholly unique, but it commended itself to the -public judgment as a just one, and as the only foundation upon which the -proposed breed could be successfully established. The basis was wisely -chosen and the superstructure erected thereon was equally wise in all its -provisions. Never have we known a set of men to work more earnestly or -more unselfishly for the common purpose. - -After very careful consideration in a large and intelligent committee, -the finished labors of that committee was reported to the Association on -November 19, 1879, at the Everett House, in this city, and the standard -was then and there adopted without so much as a question and without a -voice or a vote being raised against it. Thus the standard was launched -in unity and wisdom, and from that day it went forward on its mission -of educating the people. The “Trotting Register” has done much and the -_Monthly_ has done something in the way of education, but the standard -has been the special formula through which all these teachings have been -brought home to the breeder, great and small, in a manner that educated -both his mind and his pocket. If we could conceive of the brightest mind -directing the most pointed pen for the period of a hundred years in the -special department of how to breed the trotting horse, we feel sure he -would fail to accomplish as much as this little, practical formula called -the “Standard” accomplished in the first dozen years of its existence. - -When the standard was adopted and put in operation there was a material -advance in the market value of all animals registered under its -requirements, and it thus became not only a matter of honor, but of -profit, to breed only in the standard ranks. Everybody was willing to -pay more for a good horse that was standard in his breeding than for -one equally good that was not standard in his breeding. A record of -2:30 was then accepted as evidence of a high rate of speed, everywhere. -There was a grand rush for standard rank and the number of fraudulent -performances sent forward in order to secure such classification was -overwhelming. This led to many rejections of performances, adroitly -shaped up to deceive, and every rejection made a batch of enemies. But -great as this evil was, there was another that began to manifest itself -very strongly. The Register was rapidly filling up with colts under rules -seven and eight, and everyone of them, as soon as he was able to stand -up, wanted his number, for he was to be kept as a standard stallion. The -public attention was urgently called to the preponderating numbers of -these feebly bred colts, as a menace to the hitherto unimpeded progress -of the grand purpose of establishing a breed. The Breeders’ Association -thereupon took up the standard and revised it, wholly in the direction -of higher qualifications and more stringent requirements. By comparing -the revised standard with the original, above, it will be observed that -rule ten was stricken out, and that rules seven and eight were restricted -to fillies only, thus cutting off the source of danger altogether. The -rates of subsidiary speed were advanced and there was a tightening up -of the requirements in other directions. This revision did not suit all -interests, especially beginners who were just starting to breed their -first colt by a standard horse, but as every one knew there would never -be a time when there would not be just such groundless complaints, the -action received the hearty indorsement and support of all breeders who -kept in view the central object of the standard in building up a breed of -trotters. - -When fast horses began to multiply by the thousand, annually, say about -1890-91, we began to hear an increasing number of gibes at the standard -as “a slow coach,” “away behind the times,” “a 2:30 horse was no longer -considered a trotter,” etc., and every one of these taunts had an element -of truth in it. The standard, as the teacher of the breeders of the -country, had not only produced trotters, but _great_ trotters, with -marvelous rapidity. At one time it was the ambition of all breeders to -place their stock inside of the limits of the standard, not only because -it was an honor, but because it added materially to the bank account and -to the value of every animal, so bred, in the establishment. But breeders -both great and small are no longer stimulated to enter a standard with -the antiquated 2:30 rate of speed that is everywhere received with a -sneer. When the standard was formed on the basis of 2:30, it was within -about fifteen seconds of the fastest performance, and if the same ratio -were now preserved, “2:30” would be stricken out and “2:20” inserted -instead. The breeders would again be stimulated to look forward with -hope, and not backward with regret. - -Of the numerous criticisms of the standard after its adoption, there -were none of any special force or practicability, but from one source -there was a persistent war made upon it, not because it was unfair in -its principles or administration, nor because it lacked vigor in its -support, but evidently because it was not controlled in Kentucky, and -that the pivotal authority of that control was not placed in the hands of -the manager at Woodburn. It is but just that I should say here that many -of the stanchest and most enthusiastic supporters of the standard and -the Register were Kentuckians, and with the exceptions of two or three -breeders who stood well in their community, and a few others who were -bankrupt in character and morals, there were no enemies to engage in this -war. I would gladly skip over this period, for it is of necessity more -or less personal, but to omit it would leave the history of the times -and of the formation of the breed of trotters incomplete, and liable to -misrepresentation by those who may come after us. - -The first public suggestion or demand for a standard, and the first use -of the word “standard” in connection with rules for registration, was -addressed to the Breeders’ Association, in the paragraph quoted above, -from the _Monthly_ for April, 1878. In that paragraph, while no specific -rules were formulated, the whole scope of such rules was foreshadowed. - -In the course of correspondence with breeders all over the country as to -their views about the provisions of the proposed standard, I received -from Mr. Henry C. McDowell, of Kentucky, a little slip of paper, perhaps -as large as your hand, marked “copyrighted,” on which were printed a -number of rules that purported to be rules for the admission of certain -animals, trotters and runners, to some book that was not named or -described. This little paper was courteously received and commended as a -step in the right direction. - -The idea of inserting the word “copyrighted” seemed to be that it -might serve as a “scare head” and thus deter all makers of books from -attempting to make a book under the provisions of these rules. These -rules were strictly tentative, and they were peddled about for months, -and changed several times to see whether they would be acceptable or -not, and every revised and corrected edition was marked “copyrighted.” - -Some of the rules that were, we might say, self-evident, were not very -objectionable, but others again were simply intended to give Woodburn -and those who had their breeding stock from that establishment a great -advantage over all other breeders. The selfish object of the fourth rule -is palpable, as follows: “Any mare, the dam of any mare or stallion that -has produced or sired a horse, mare or gelding, with a record of two -minutes and thirty seconds or better.” - -To the original draft of six rules, “rule seven” was afterward added, -which reads: “The full sister of any animal entered under rules one, -two, three, and four.” This was the capsheaf of absurdity, for it not -only made the grandams of trotters standard trotting brood mares, but -all their sisters also. This not only embraced a large number of running -mares, genuine and bogus alike, in Kentucky, but it reached across the -Atlantic and made one of the greatest of English dams of running horses, -and all her famous sisters, standard trotting brood mares in America. -Bonnie Scotland, the great racing sire, never was able to get a trotter -except from old Waterwitch, and upon the strength of that scratch, his -sisters and his mother and his aunts were all made standard trotters. -No wonder this marvelously stupid production came to be known as the -“Pinafore Standard.” [A more extended review of the “Pinafore Standard” -may be found in _Wallace’s Monthly_ for December, 1879, page 831.] - -But when we come to consider the ultimate result intended to be reached, -the scheme was not “marvelously stupid”—it was not the work of a fool, -but of the other kind of fellow. The admission of the grandmothers and -all their sisters was not specially intended to bring in the great -English racing mare and all her sisters as standard-bred American -trotters, but it was intended to bring in a great host of Kentucky -running-bred mares that never could trot a mile in four minutes, and -place them on an exact equality of rank with mares that had records of -2:20 or less. This would not only place Kentucky away ahead of the North -in the length of her lines of inheritance, but would place Woodburn away -above all competitors, either North or South, and with a little help of -the Edgar-Bruce type, we would soon have had “twelfth dam, fifteenth -dam,” etc., not one of them named and not one of them honest. Great -local, and especially personal, advantages were to accrue, and the -theory that Kentucky running blood was not the best trotting blood in the -world was to be smashed, and here we reach “the milk in the cocoanut.” -So far as we can understand the conditions as they then existed and -so far as we can analyze the facts developed, this seems to be a fair -interpretation of the impelling motive. In an unfortunate hour I took -up this buntling of the young manager and exposed its absurdities, -addressing the exposure to a highly esteemed personal friend whose name -was connected with the movement, and just as soon as the gentlemen -interested could be got together, every vestige of the “Pinafore” -features was eliminated, the poor old grandmothers and their sisters -being ruthlessly turned out in the cold. This was the first set-back -which Mr. Brodhead received in his enterprise, which was to accomplish so -much for Woodburn, and which ended so disastrously. - -There was another feature embraced in the “Pinafore,” and protected by -the same “copyright,” that was of special significance. It was provided -that time made in a public trial, against the watch, should be accepted -as of equal value with time made in a race with other horses. It is -not worth while to stop to consider the question as to whether these -two kinds of performance are of equal merit, and should receive equal -honor, for every honest man will call such a claim a bald absurdity on -its face. Then why has Woodburn, from time immemorial, it will be asked, -always refused to enter a colt in a stake or start one against others? If -you ask the manager he will tell you that Mr. Alexander, the owner, is -opposed to racing in all its forms. Then why does Woodburn, in one form -or other, hold so much stock in the Kentucky Breeders’ Association, one -of the most notorious gambling concerns in the whole country? We will -not press this question too closely. There can be no shadow of doubt, -therefore, that this feature of the “Pinafore” was the special product of -the mind of the manager at Woodburn, for no one of the other gentlemen -would be willing to own it. - -The quasi-organization from which, nominally, the “Pinafore Standard” -emanated consisted of the five gentlemen following: Lucas Brodhead, -Henry C. McDowell, Richard S. Veech, James C. McFerran, and Colonel -Richard West. The names of these five gentlemen when appended to any -matter connected with their enterprise and given to the public had no -rank assigned to them, except “Committee on Rules.” This implied that -there was an organization behind them that had appointed them to this -duty, but there never was even a shadow of such an organization. Mr. -Brodhead was manager at Woodburn and ambitious to control the trotting -pedigrees of the whole country, and for the methods employed the reader -is referred to page 430 of this volume. Mr. McDowell is simply Mr. -Brodhead’s echo. In December, 1877, he attended the annual meeting of the -National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, and out of compliment -to Kentucky he was elected president. He was about the city two or three -days, and before he left for home he resigned without ever intimating any -reason why he resigned. Mr. Veech is a man of undoubted integrity and -plenty of brains, and was identified with the Breeders’ Association from -the start. Mr. McFerran and Colonel West are both dead, and while it was -not my privilege to know them intimately, I knew enough of them to trust -them as honorable and honest men. Not long after the appearance of the -original suggestion in the _Monthly_, as given above, that a standard of -qualifications for admission to registration was of paramount importance, -and that the preparation of such a standard was in the special province -of the National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, Manager Brodhead -caught the idea and the situation, and with Mr. McDowell hurried away to -spend a night with Mr. Veech, near Louisville, and thus forestall the -action the Breeders’ Association might take in the premises. They were -all of one mind as to the importance of keeping Kentucky in the foremost -position as a breeding State, but they were not all of one mind as to the -means best adapted to that end. Mr. Veech was very clear and pronounced -in his views that the way to breed the trotter was to go to the trotter -and not to the runner, but what Brodhead said McDowell said, and that -left him in the minority. Seated around a table, each with a copy of -_Wallace’s Monthly_ containing the table of 2:30 trotters under their -sires, they commenced forming some rules. With “The Great Table” before -them they could not fail to strike the self-evident requirements of a -standard, and two or three of their rules were very good, but as a matter -of course the scheme of the majority to get in all the running-bred mares -possible and enter them as standard trotting mares had to prevail. Hence -the provision for admitting the grandams. Imported Bonnie Scotland was -kept many years in the trotting latitudes, and just got one trotter and -no more at any rate of speed, hence he was a standard horse according -to this scheme, and his dam, Queen Mary, in England, was a standard -trotting brood mare. Now if the dam thus became a standard trotting mare, -why should not Iago, his sire, become a standard trotting sire? This -would have been too glaring and open, and would have been ridiculed as -an absurdity by everybody. The trick had to be carried through quietly -or it could not succeed. At a later period the sisters of all the -standard mares were made standard, and then came the very appropriate -and expressive title of the “Pinafore Standard,” for it literally -embraced “his sisters and his mother and his aunts.” This scheme would -have admitted a vast herd of so-called trotting mares in Kentucky that -had no trotting inheritance, had never trotted themselves, and never -produced a trotter. This part of the scheme was certainly not the work of -the “Committee on Rules,” but the work of an individual for the purpose -of carrying out a selfish and inadmissible scheme to promote local and -personal interests. When the exposure of this scheme came out Woodburn, -with all its influence in Kentucky, could not stand against it an hour, -and every “Pinafore” feature was promptly eliminated. - -When the processes of emendation and change in the “Pinafore,” and each -change “copyrighted,” were going forward, the views of the different -members of the “Committee on Rules” did not always harmonize, and when -it came to the selection of a man to do the work, part of the committee -insisted the work should be placed in the hands of John H. Wallace, and -after some discussion a committee consisting of Mr. Brodhead and Mr. -McDowell was deputed to tender this work to Mr. Wallace on such terms as -would be equitable and just. In due time a communication was received -from these gentlemen, informing me of the business upon which they had -been appointed and wishing to know for what compensation I would engage -to compile the book, laying down the conditions upon which it must be -done. Without having a copy of this correspondence before me I can only -give the substance from memory. First, the copyright was to be in the -committee or some member of it; second, the compilations were to be -as the committee directed; and third, the book was to be the property -of the committee when completed. This was a stunner, but I concluded -to play out the rôle they had assigned me and see what they would do. -In my reply I put the case substantially as follows: “Your proposed -book, if ever made, must be made almost, if not quite wholly, from the -first three volumes of the “Trotting Register,” and these volumes are -carefully protected by copyright. I have spent several years of hard -labor in compiling them, and a large amount of money in traveling over -the country tracing and verifying the facts which they contain. You ask -me, in effect, to take my three volumes and to skim all the cream out of -them to make one volume for you. Now, before going an inch further, we -must understand what you are willing to pay for my property, before I can -entertain any proposition to dump it into the lap of your committee.” -Sometimes I have been disposed to lament my hard fate in coming so near -the exalted position of “hired-man” to two such distinguished characters -as Henry C. McDowell and Lucas Brodhead, but I missed it. To this letter -I never received any reply, nor did these gentlemen ever make any report -of their negotiations with me to the “Committee on Rules.” - -The next news we had from the “Pinafore” was the announcement that the -book would be compiled at Woodburn, by LeGrand Lucas, and on inquiry -as to his capacity and knowledge of the subject it was learned that he -was a young kinsman of Brodhead’s, perhaps still in his “teens,” who -was employed there as a kind of clerk or bookkeeper. He was evidently -an innocent lad, for he had been installed in his new office only a -very few days when he wrote me for certain numbers of the _Monthly_, in -duplicate. In reply I wrote him that each volume of the “Register” and -each number of the _Monthly_ was legally covered by copyright and that -I could not consent to his taking my property to make up his new book, -and that he must do as I had done—commence at the beginning and hunt for -himself. Poor boy, what could he do? If he were debarred from the use of -the Wallace publications, where on the face of the globe could he get the -information? If cribbing had to be done in order to carry out the scheme, -it would be very indiscreet to do it under the very roof of Woodburn -and under the supervision of its manager. Thus the work languished for -months, and little or no progress was made. - -In Chicago there was one James H. Sanders, publishing a paper, whom I had -known for years. He never had an idea of his own in the world, but he -was one of the most notorious and shameless plagiarists that I have ever -known. As an illustration of what I knew about him in this department of -industry and thought, I will give a single example that will honestly -represent many others in my own experience. At one time he was employed -several months as editor of _Wilkes’ Spirit of the Times_, and during -that time I wrote an article for that paper that had some pith and point -in it, but I was afraid to send it for fear Sanders would steal it, so I -called in a capable friend and told him the situation, had him read it -carefully and make some notes of the order of thought that he might know -it if he ever saw it again. The paper was then signed and sent forward. -In two or three days I received an acknowledgment of the communication -effusively thankful for the favor, remarking that by a singular -coincidence our minds had been running in the same channel and that when -my communication was received he already had an article in type taking -the same view of the subject. When the paper came my friend looked it -over and remarked “that man is nothing more than a shameless plagiarist.” - -In a short time work on the book, if it were ever begun, came practically -to an end for want of material, and this was probably brought about by -a hint from the proprietor, Mr. Alexander, that Woodburn, with all its -strength, could not afford to sacrifice its good name for honesty, by -taking the property of another man, without his consent. At this juncture -J. H. Sanders, of Chicago, wanted a job, for ready money, and knowing -the situation in Kentucky, published an editorial going to prove that -pedigrees could not be copyrighted, for they belonged to the owners of -the horses, or some other such brainless argument as this. Brodhead and -his echo saw in this the opportunity of their lives, for Sanders wanted -the job, and if my work were to be appropriated they could blame it -all on him. So they hied away to Chicago, and the three worthies, all -fully inspired with the _animus furandi_, were not long in reaching an -agreement. Sanders did not want any share in the book or in the profits -it might yield, but he was ready to do the work for a fixed compensation, -in cash, and to be free from all responsibility for damages or loss. The -compensation, as represented by Sanders, was three thousand dollars. -The negotiations were consummated, announced through the press with -a brilliant flourish of trumpets, and the two gentlemen returned to -Kentucky in high feather. Work on the compilation (?) was soon commenced, -and, as related by an eyewitness, the methods were very simple and -expeditious. Mr. Sanders sat at one side of a table with the three -volumes of “Wallace’s Trotting Register,” and _Wallace’s Monthly_ open -before him, and as he read out the pedigrees in their alphabetical order, -his clerk, on the opposite side of the table, wrote them down. In a very -few weeks the work was done and Sanders put his three thousand dollars in -his pocket. Thus the clerk was paid, his employers were in possession of -his dishonest work, and J. H. Wallace was robbed of the labor of years, -but the instinctive honesty of the public conscience had not yet been -reckoned with. - -The book was published under the title of “The Breeder’s Trotting Stud -Book.” The clerical work was well done, closely following the copyrighted -sources from which it was drawn, so closely indeed as to furnish -strong _prima facie_ evidence that it was copied. But this feature of -excellence, if that word can be applied to theft in any form, furnished -literally hundreds of evidences, clear, unmistakable and conclusive, -that from beginning to end it had been copied from the “Register” and -the _Monthly_. Like all works of the kind, those volumes were not free -from errors, the spelling of a name might be wrong, the initials of a -name might have been misplaced or reversed, a date or a location may -have been incorrect, and as all these errors were copied and not one -of them corrected, and there were hundreds of them, each one stood up -as a competent and undisputed witness and told the story of the theft. -But, knowing the character of the people with whom I had to deal, I was -prompted to adopt the methods of the detective in using marked bills, -and then finding those bills on the person of the culprit. Fortunately -there was a very easy way of applying this effective and conclusive -method and I adopted it. Instead of marking bills, I marked pedigrees, -by inserting imaginary crosses. As an illustration, there was a horse -in Delaware called Frank Pierce Jr. Nobody ever knew anything about the -blood of his dam, and I supplied the place with “dam by Tom Titmouse, -pacer,” and then waited for my marked pedigrees to make their appearance. -Nobody ever heard of a horse called “Tom Titmouse” in Delaware or any -other country. In due time the book appeared and there my “marked bills” -came to light in the possession of Lucas Brodhead and Henry C. McDowell. -The piracy was a clean sweep and the evidence of it was just as complete -as the depredation itself. As a matter of course I did not delay in -raising the shout “stop thief,” and after one or two broadsides from the -_Monthly_ giving the extent of the theft and examples of the evidence -to sustain the charge, the moral sense of the breeders of the whole -country, including Kentucky, was aroused, and I was really surprised at -the sudden death of the bantling and its burial out of sight, but still -more surprised that no man opened his head in explanation or defense of -the piracy, and thus was practically confessed the truth of all that -was charged against them. It is said that Mr. Alexander, the proprietor -of Woodburn, tightened the reins on his over-ambitious manager, at this -point, and admonished him that his course had done great injury to the -good name of Woodburn, and that he must change it, and not attempt any -defense of what he had done. Whether this really occurred or not I am not -able to say, but it was just such a course as any wise employer would -adopt toward a reckless employee whose course was destroying the good -name of an establishment. It then appeared to be my duty to go forward -and under a decree of the courts have this stolen property confiscated -and destroyed, according to law, but as the bantling was already very -dead and growing deader every day, with nothing left of it but a trace of -its putrescence in the nostrils of all honest men, I concluded that the -game was not worth the candle. - -Among the amusing things that were developed in the progress of this -controversy was Mr. Brodhead’s peculiar views as to what “copyright” -really meant. He got the idea of restricting admission to the “Register” -to animals possessing certain qualifications from the _Monthly_, and -he formulated this idea into five or six rules, expressed in eight or -ten short printed lines and, as he claimed, copyrighted this idea. He -evidently seemed to think he had invented a rat-trap and got his patent -on it, and that no man dare make any rules restricting registration, -so long as he safely held the patent on his rat-trap. He could see no -difference between a patent right and a copyright. An “idea” cannot be -copyrighted, no difference whether it be expressed in one printed line, -or in a dozen. The copyright law is constructed for the special and only -purpose of protecting the author in the results and products of his -labor. The work of seeking, tracing and establishing the pedigrees of -trotting horses had been pushed forward persistently, laboriously and -expensively for more than twelve years, and it had grown into a vast -accumulation of facts of imperishable value to the whole horse world, and -every line of it was protected under the copyright law; but because it -didn’t conform to his “rat-trap” idea he seems to have persuaded himself -that it would be justifiable to hire and pay a man to transfer it from my -possession to his own. - -During its very short life and while the memory of the book was retained -in the recollections of the horsemen of that period, it was very -generally, if not invariably, spoken of as “The Tom Titmouse Stud Book.” -It has already been suggested how this name would aptly fit in among my -“marked bills,” but the reason for it has not been made apparent. In -Warren’s romance called “Ten Thousand a Year,” his “delectable,” or to -speak soberly, his “detestable” hero was named “Tittlebat Titmouse,” and -as one of the gentlemen involved in this controversy strongly reminded me -of Warren’s hero, by his arrogance and ignorance, I involuntarily wrote -in the “marked bill” “dam by Tittlebat Titmouse;” but upon looking at it -I concluded it was not good bait, for it was doubtful whether any man in -the world who ever owned a horse would name him after so contemptible -a character. Hence, to make it less conspicuous it was changed to read -“dam by Tom Titmouse, pacer,” and the bait was swallowed in a twinkling. -The Kentucky scheme, from its very inception, had its motive in securing -a local and personal advantage over the breeders of every other section -of the country and hence the provisions of the “Pinafore” standard, from -which the promoters were only driven by exposure and ridicule. The piracy -was consummated as proved by a hundred witnesses that will never die, and -of which the “marked bill” element, such as “Tom Titmouse, pacer,” is an -unmistakable representative. With the inception and consummation both -understood and named, how could we find another name so fit as “The Tom -Titmouse Stud Book?” To this might be added, on an amended title-page: -“Edited by a clerk employed by Lucas Brodhead and Henry C. McDowell of -Kentucky.” - -Some three or four years after the death and burial of the “Tom Titmouse” -book and when its odoriferous memory had become less offensive, another -effort was made to get control of the registration business, by the same -parties in Kentucky. Mr. Brodhead did not appear prominently in this -move, but worked through his echo, McDowell. The plan was to present a -monster petition to the National Trotting Association, composed chiefly -of track owners and track followers, to establish a trotting register. -This petition purported to be from breeders, but in fact it embraced -all the “swipes” and stable-boys about Lexington and Woodburn, I was -told, and there were very few actual breeders in the list, and that few -were men who were trying to breed trotters from runners. The movement -was inspired and engineered in good degree from Woodburn, and Brodhead’s -friends were at work in all directions securing the names of the “rag, -tag and bobtail” whose names appeared on the petition, and a very -great noise was raised about what was going to be done. Whether the -association took any action on the petition, or what it was, I have no -recollection, but whatever the disposition made of the petition, it never -was heard of again. To the reader not familiar with the condition of -things in Kentucky at that time, these persistent and renewed attempts -to get control of the registration of trotting horses can hardly be -comprehended. They did not grow out of ruffled tempers merely, as the -result of friction, but out of strictly _business_ considerations. -Kentucky had a great variety of brood mares from which they were trying -to breed trotters, and practically every one of them was tricked out -with more or less running blood as tail-pieces to their pedigrees, while -others were paraded with pedigrees showing a dozen or more successive -crosses by thoroughbred horses, and not one of them with a name, a -history or a breeder. There were many purchasers flocking to Kentucky -with more money than knowledge for the purpose of buying a few animals -to serve as the nucleus for a breeding stud, and it was no uncommon -thing for such purchasers to estimate the value of a pedigree by its -length. When the purchaser got home with his stock, his next step was -to send them to me for registration, and here came in the “business” -consideration. The pedigree having reached the office of the “Register,” -unless it were already known to me, every cross had to be established -circumstantially and specifically before it could be accepted, and at the -precise point where reasonable information failed the pedigree was cut -off. The purchaser then goes back upon the seller, and there the trouble -begins. He writes me an indignant letter. “You’re interfering with my -business, sah; that pedigree is just as I got it from Colonel Jones, -sah; and he’s a gentleman, sah.” It was very seldom, indeed, that a man -of this type could be mollified by assuring him that all pedigrees were -judged by the same rule and requirement, whether they came from Maine or -California or Kentucky. He generally remained an enemy to the “Register” -because “it interfered with his business.” From early in the century, -three or four counties out of about one hundred and twenty in Kentucky -bred running horses and grades and raced them, but no records were kept -of their breeding and nobody knows with certainty to-day anything about -the more remote crosses. For a time the union of two or three trotting -horses upon the top of a line of nameless dams extending ten or fifteen -generations was looked upon as the perfection of a trotting pedigree. -This notion, foolish as it was, gave Kentucky a great advantage over -the breeders of all other sections of the country, and every exposure, -with the evidence, that in nine cases out of ten these lines of nameless -dams were in whole or in part pure fictions, was cutting the ground from -under their supposed superiority in the breeding of their trotters. -Under the arguments and illustrations of the _Monthly_, supported by -the incontrovertible statistics of the “Year Book,” the Kentucky cry -for “more running blood in the trotter,” was silenced as the child of -ignorance and prejudice, and instead of looking for pedigrees tracing -back to Godolphin Arabian, everybody began to look for pedigrees that -traced to individuals and families distinguished for producing trotters, -no difference what blood they possessed. Here the public mind reached -the truth, and in grasping it the boasted predominance of Kentucky was -crushed, and producing trotting blood was again placed on an equality in -all parts of the land. The loss of the pretensions of one section could -not be of any specific pecuniary advantage to any other section, but the -establishing of the truth was of inestimable advantage to all. The loss -of mere “pretentions” would not, in ordinary affairs, be considered a -very great loss, but in this instance it was looked upon as a grievous -wrong, because it interfered with their “business.” Every slippery fellow -who failed to pass a bogus pedigree complained that it interfered with -his “business.” Every gang of cheats that got together and hired the use -of a track for a few days for the purpose of giving their horses bogus -records, when detected, cried out vigorously that this was interfering -with their “business.” Besides these, there were scores, perhaps -hundreds, of others, ready for some such game to cheat the public, but -when they learned the ordeal was severe, their courage failed and they -contented themselves by threatening the “Register” for interfering with -their “business.” Here was an army of jockeys and cheats, and all they -needed to make their numbers formidable was a leader with courage and -money, and whose “business” was their own, to seize registration and -thus recoup the losses they had sustained in their “business.” - -In considering the conspiracy that resulted in the sale and transfer of -the Wallace publications to the American Trotting Register Association, -which means simply Lucas Brodhead, there are some antecedent conditions -connected with these publications that need a brief explanation. The -first volume of “Wallace’s American Trotting Register” was published in -this city in 1871 and the second in 1874. An office was opened in this -city in 1875 and the first number of _Wallace’s Monthly_ was issued in -October of that year. The National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders -was organized December 20, 1876. The attendance was large and many of the -States were represented by men of influence and standing. Mr. Charles -Backman was elected president, and L. D. Packer secretary. From the favor -with which the idea of a national organization was received and from -the character of the men participating in it, I voluntarily and without -judicial advice placed in the association the authority to appoint -annually a Board of Censors to examine and decide all questions relating -to disputed pedigrees sent for registration. The plan worked smoothly -and satisfactorily for several years, in some of which there was not a -single case to be examined. My publications were soon past the critical -point, and they seemed to grow from their inherent strength, and not from -pushing or advertising. The Breeders’ Association seemed to take the -opposite chute, and after three or four years it became merely a name. -At first there was trouble in finding a man to take the presidency, but -at last a rich dry goods merchant was found who was willing to take the -presidency, and add five hundred dollars a year to some stake for the -honor conferred; and the secretary, L. D. Packer, was the mere satellite -of the president, and was willing to give two weeks’ work every year for -the privilege of drawing a thousand dollars a year from the treasury. The -annual meetings became a mere formality, with an attendance of three or -four and the two officers, who seemed to re-elect each other year after -year, until the association was finally buried somewhere out in Michigan, -I think, and the money that had accumulated in the treasury was, on his -petition, donated to the secretary in consideration of his valuable -services for so many years in carrying the association from the cradle to -the tomb. - -Owing to my relations to the Breeders’ Association, I felt that I was -in honor bound to maintain its good name in the minds of the people, -while every publication in the whole country was laughing at it, and that -this was my duty as well as my interest until the time came for a final -separation from it. True, when I made these efforts to uphold it I had to -put my tongue in my cheek, for I knew that its management, like “the Old -Man of the Sea,” was riding it to death. As my business continued to grow -and prosper, I began to consider the propriety of forming a joint stock -company of breeders, to own and control the property absolutely when I -was ready to retire. Greatly to my surprise this proposition gave offense -to the two gentlemen who managed the association, for I had not alluded -to that in any possible manner. When explained to me it became perfectly -plain that the offense was in the fact that making a legal corporation to -own and control the property would leave no “position” for the president, -no salary for the secretary and no further need for the N. A. of T. H. B. - -The Wallace Trotting Register Company, in due time, was incorporated -under the laws of the State of New York, and commenced business October -1, 1889. The publications of the company were the “Register,” the -_Monthly_ and the “Year Book.” The capital stock of the company was fixed -at one hundred thousand dollars, and as work came pouring in upon us -more rapidly than we could handle it, labor became a burden and I had no -time to distribute this stock among the breeders of every State, as I -intended. This was the condition of things in the office in the following -spring when, to my horror, I discovered I had been robbed of something -over fifty-four thousand dollars and the thief escaped to Cuba. The -blow was a stunner, and messages of sympathy came pouring in from all -quarters, with many tenders of pecuniary assistance all of which were -thankfully acknowledged, but all tenders of assistance were declined. - -The capitalization at one hundred thousand dollars, and the robbery of -fifty-four thousand dollars, and the company still not crushed, gave Mr. -Brodhead a new view of the possibilities of the future, and inspired him -with a new hope that he might yet reach the ambition of his life and -gain control of the registration of all the trotting pedigrees of the -country. Without much violence to the processes of Brodhead’s mind we can -imagine the way in which he reasoned out the problem. “This has become a -valuable property and is bound to be still more valuable,” he doubtless -reasoned, “and it is possible it can be bought, but if bought it must be -done before that stock is scattered among the breeders of the different -States. There are Russell Allen and Malcolm Forbes and a whole lot of -rich fellows just coming into the trotting horse business and I can show -them that this property would be a good investment. With the money in -one hand and the bluff of starting an opposition Register in the other, -it is possible the property might be got for something like its value.” -He next probably reasoned: “The first thing to consider here, is how to -make that bluff sufficiently imposing and effective, in an authoritative -way; and shall it be a mass meeting or a delegate meeting, and where -shall it be held? I have seen Packer and he evidently wants to know what -there is in it for him and Mali, in case they agree to call a National -convention. They want to perpetuate their offices in their present -so-called National Association. If it should be a mass convention, and -held at Chicago, I could send up a few carloads of farmers’ sons from -around here and every one of them would swear he was a breeder. If it -should be a delegate convention from State Breeders’ Associations, there -are several States that have no such associations, but I could get a -few friends to organize for the purpose of sending delegates. The horse -papers would be a unit on our side, for they have been ‘set on’ so often -and so hard that they would like to see the old bear superseded. Beside -this, every one of those papers has at least the one man who is competent -to succeed Wallace, and every editor who has been in the business six -months thinks he is fully qualified for that place. But the real roar of -the shouting would come from the angry men whom Wallace has disappointed -in refusing to accept their pedigrees or their performances because they -were irregular. These men are very numerous and we must have as many of -them present as possible. I think this plan will work,” he doubtless -reasoned with himself, “if we can only keep Wallace in the dark till we -get things fixed, and to throw him off his guard I will send him three or -four pedigrees to register.” - -Thus the plan of the conspiracy, with all the elements to be employed, -were evidently matured in Mr. Brodhead’s mind. There were two points -about which he was specially solicitous. The first was that I should -be kept wholly in the dark as to his movements and purposes, and the -second was some apparently official authority for calling a convention at -Chicago that would be of a nominally “national” character. On invitation -Secretary Packer visited Woodburn, and for a promised consideration it -was all arranged that the President and Secretary of the N. A. of T. H. -B. would call a convention. With the initial step thus safely provided -for, Mr. Brodhead was everywhere, east and west, north and south, beating -up recruits. In a short time, evidently by preconcerted arrangement, -there was an unusual number of horsemen in town, some of them very rich -men, while the greater number were blowers of the Dr. Day type with a -grievance. The horsemen were hustled together by Secretary Packer, in -what was called an impromptu meeting, and there President Mali, after -some apparent hesitation, fulfilled his part of the agreement and called -the convention at Chicago, and thus Mr. Brodhead secured his share—and we -will see how the other side fared further on. - -When the convention assembled at Chicago it was indeed a motley mass. -President Mali took his place as president, and called the convention -to order, and Secretary Packer took his place as secretary. This, as I -understand, was not by the choice of the convention, but by virtue of -their positions in the N. A. of T. H. B. It was eventually determined -that the meeting should be composed of delegates from State associations, -and when the associations were called, several of them had never been -heard of before and never have been heard of since. They were bogus -associations, and were gotten up especially for the occasion. Some of the -delegates bore names that never had been heard of in the office of the -“Register,” and it may be inferred they never bred a standard horse. The -names of others, again, were well known in the office from their efforts -to get spurious and unknown crosses accepted. All these men were anxious -for a new management. One man whom I had discharged from my office a few -weeks before represented a New England State. He was guilty of a flagrant -attempt at deception. He was a fawning sycophant, always laughing at his -own supposed wit, and he was known in the office as “Uriah Heep.” The man -who dominated the convention from beginning to end had not been appointed -a delegate by his own association. The whole thing, as a convention, -was about as hollow a sham as was ever enacted in Chicago. Next behind -the gentlemen who by courtesy may be designated as delegates, sat the -moneyed men who were anxiously looking for a good investment for some -of their loose funds, and Brodhead had told them this property was -paying twenty-five per cent. on a capitalization of one hundred thousand -dollars, and he thought it could be made to pay more. Like many other -fools, they thought it was a machine that when fired up in the morning -would run itself. Next to the rich men sat a good sprinkling of farmers’ -sons, some carloads of whom had been brought from Kentucky, and all ready -to swear they were breeders. As Brodhead explained this incident to a -gentleman who stated it to me: “If there was any attempt to pack the -convention he was ready to do some packing himself, with these young men -he had brought from Kentucky.” - -On the outside circle there was a large number of young men and some -older ones watching the proceedings with great intensity. They were -restless, and some of them looked hungry, and every one of them was -looking for a place if the purchase went through. One had a copy of the -Bungtown _Bugle_ in his pocket containing a report of the racing at the -last county fair, written by him, and he thought that was sufficient -evidence that he was qualified to take charge of the _Monthly_. Another -had made, with his own hands, as he asserted, a tabulated pedigree on -a large scale and shaded the letters beautifully and artistically with -pokeberry juice; and what evidence could be more satisfactory that he was -qualified to take charge of the department of registration? Every one of -them seemed to think that there would be a good place for him in the new -deal, and hence his enthusiasm at every incident that seemed to point in -that direction. Thus the little cormorants as well as the big cormorants -were all anxious for the prey. - -While the soreheads were wrangling over how best to get hold of my -property, and what they would do with it when they got it, I had several -hours in the privacy of my own apartments to look over all the conditions -of the situation, and the conclusions I then reached I have never had -reason to change. It, therefore, may be of interest to all to know just -what I thought at that crucial period, and I will give these thoughts as -contemporaneous with the event: - -“This meeting is a miserable sham, but the action of Mali and Packer -has given it a pseudo-type of regularity as a national convention of -horsemen, and this idea of ‘regularity’ will carry weight with many who -know nothing of the bottom facts. - -“The members of the press will, substantially, be a unit against me, and -ring all the changes on ‘the National convention’ at Chicago, and labor -to make it appear as an uprising of the horsemen of the whole country -against me. - -“The meeting is packed by Brodhead with his own satellites whose expenses -he has paid, and embraces a good many rogues who have failed in passing -upon me dishonest pedigrees and spurious records. Besides these there are -several men here, and very active, whose names have never been heard of -before in the horse world. - -“Taking these elements together, they are in numbers more formidable than -dangerous, but when led by Brodhead, with what they consider a fair price -in one hand and a club in the other, with the demand ‘take the price or -we’ll take the property,’ the occasion becomes serious. - -“The latter alternative means a battle that may last ten years. Ten years -ago these same people employed a man who purloined my literary property -and it was found in their possession. The evidence of the piracy was so -clear that it never was denied. - -“Have I time enough, am I strong enough, am I young enough to enter upon -this long battle? Ten years ago I was robbed of my property, but I was -then vigorous and strong; one year ago another thief robbed me of my -money and it was a terrific and lasting strain upon my vitality. - -“The days of my years number nearly threescore and ten, so there is no -time to enter upon the uncertainties ‘of the law’s delays.’ From overwork -and the anxieties growing out of family afflictions and the robbery, my -health is shattered. It is time, therefore, that I should seek to rest -rather than to struggle. - -“And what about the work to which I have devoted the best years of a -long life? Will it be attacked? Certainly it will be attacked for the -reason that it does not suit Woodburn. Will it be overthrown? No, the -laws of nature cannot be overthrown. The trotter can come only from the -trotter and nobody but an ignoramus or a fool can doubt the truth of this -declaration. The experiences of every year, of every track, and in every -race confirm this central truth and will continue to do so as long as the -world stands.” - -From the above reasonings and conclusions, when the offer of one hundred -and thirty thousand dollars was made, in a business form, it was accepted. - -When the property was transferred it was on the individual and joint -responsibility of some half a dozen rich men, and they were as gleeful -and happy over their investment as though they had obtained a gold mine -for a song. But, while these men were rejoicing over their acquisition, -there were many others cursing the deception that had been practiced upon -them by promising them places and perquisites and, in short, whatever -they wanted in order to secure their adherence to the conspiracy. Of -all this numerous class, Messrs. Mali and Packer had so little sense as -to make the nature and terms of their agreement public, namely, that -they were to be clothed with the power to annually appoint the Board of -Censors for the new organization. Poor fools! they didn’t know Brodhead. -For a consideration of place they had betrayed a trust to him that as -honorable men they should have sacredly guarded, and the more they -complained the more bitterly they were condemned by all right-thinking -men. Hence, after they had served his purpose he kicked them aside as -he would an old shoe, and thus he punished the traitors with whom he -had dealt. When the multitude of writers, statisticians, etc., who had -received private assurances of “something equally as good” in the new -deal, saw the fate of Mali and Packer, they had sense enough to keep -their mouths shut. A man who knew anything about the trotting families -and their lines of descent was not the kind of man that Mr. Brodhead -wanted to put in charge of registration. The only man who could suit -Mr. Brodhead was the man who would implicitly and without doubt follow -his instructions, right or wrong. When Mr. J. H. Steiner was appointed -Registrar it was wholly evident that this was the purpose of the -proprietor, for of all the men in my knowledge, in any way connected with -trotting horse interests, Mr. Steiner seems to be the most profoundly -ignorant of horse history and horse lineage, and till this day he does -not seem to have learned anything thereof. - -At this point the public confidence received a shock from which it has -never recovered, and never will recover. From that day till the present -the estimate of value of the publications of the company, in the minds -of breeders, has been on the “down grade,” and coupled with this is the -ever-obtruding doubt as to whether these publications are managed for -the advantage of the general breeding public, or for the little clique -of which Woodburn is the center. The lack of knowledge displayed has -resulted in a profound disgust. This has been shown most conclusively in -the fate of the poor old _Monthly_. It started out under its new owners -to controvert breeding history and breeding law in which the public had -been thoroughly and conscientiously indoctrinated. The sham pretense -of using the title _Wallace’s Monthly_ instead of _Brodhead’s Monthly_ -was “too thin” to deceive any one except the most ignorant. The labored -productions of the weaklings hired to overthrow the truth only tended to -deepen the disgust. The price was lowered as an inducement to support, -but nobody wanted the miserable thing about his house, and thus it died -without a tear except from the eyes of the rich fools who put their money -into it supposing it would live and prosper in the hands of ignorant and -incompetent men. - -It is natural for the rich men who put their money so gleefully into this -publishing enterprise, at the instigation of Mr. Brodhead, to try to -get some of it back before the final smash, which is evidently not far -removed, and hence the ignorant and blundering emasculation of the Year -Book, in order to reduce its cost. “The Great Table,” as it was called -for years, embraces all others, and all others are merely subsidiary to -that. This table should be restored in its entirety, for it is worth the -whole of them and double as many more. With every other table thrown -out and this one restored, complete, the breeders would be content. The -Year Book—the great instructor of the past—I have just learned is no -longer published for the breeders or for the press, but for the tracks. -The operation is explained as follows: Every year the secretaries of the -National and the American Trotting Associations send out by express a -lot of blank books, blanks, etc., to each track in good standing and in -this outfit for the year is a copy of the Year Book, which is charged -at the long price. The tables of fastest records, I am told, are quite -carefully made in the offices of these associations themselves, and the -book is thus made a convenience for the tracks. Thus, by this system of -forced loans on the tracks, the Year Book is kept alive. This method of -financing the company will not last long. - -A different method has been adopted in order to secure funds from -registration. Money for registration must come from the breeders -themselves directly, and there is no way of forcing them to put up -through the manipulation of intermediary officials. Hence the plan has -been tried of scaring them into it, but with what success I am not -informed. At the annual meeting in April, 1895, I think it was, a -committee was appointed, consisting of Messrs. Brodhead and Boyle, if I -remember, to consider and report to the next meeting amendments to the -standard advancing the requirements for registration, and everybody was -advised to hurry in their pedigrees or they might be excluded. At the -meeting in 1896 the committee did not report, but Mr. Brodhead reported -in a series of resolutions, in which the number of standard dams was -advanced, which suited Woodburn exactly, but there was no advance in -the time to be made, and the tin-cup record against time was carefully -protected. The resolutions were adopted unanimously, and went before the -breeding public as the new advanced standard that would be decided at the -next annual meeting. From time to time the breeders were duly informed -of the proposed advance and cautioned many times to get in while they -could. The annual meeting in April, 1897, came, and instead of a rush of -breeders interested one way or another in the proposed advance, the same -stereotyped half a dozen men were there who had been manipulating the -scare for two years, and not one of them, even Brodhead himself, voted -for the advance. This is no advance at all, in a practical sense, and -would accomplish nothing, and would do no good to anybody except Woodburn -or some other establishment that like her has been breeding trotters for -forty years. It was merely intended for a scare, and it failed under such -circumstances as to fully disclose the object in placing it before the -breeders. The scare is all out of this kind of humbug and deception, and -now what? When the standard was adopted on the basis of 2:30 that rate -of speed was sixteen seconds behind the fastest record then made. To-day -if the standard were placed at 2:20 it would be about sixteen seconds -slower than the fastest time now on record. But this real advance, -which is imperatively demanded by all the considerations of philosophy -and progress, will never be made so long as the standard is under the -control of Woodburn. The reason for this is made obvious by reference to -page 504, etc. Mr. Brodhead’s ambition has been fully gratified, he is -in full and absolute control of the registration of the country, he has -completely demonstrated his incompetency for such a position, and he has -the satisfaction of knowing, if it be a satisfaction, that no sensible -business man on the face of the globe would be willing to pay ten per -cent. of the cost for the property he now controls. And who will say -this is not a righteous retribution for the disreputable means employed, -first and last, to obtain this control? - -My life-work in building up a breed of trotting horses and thereby adding -many millions to the value of the horse stock of the country had been -more effective than I had even hoped for. I knew that I had laid the -foundation on the bed-rock of truth, and I knew that the superstructure -had been honestly erected, but I did not know what a deep root my -teachings had taken in the minds of all intelligent and thinking men. In -transferring the property the chief source of my unhappiness was in the -thought that heaven and earth would be moved to destroy what I had done -and overthrow what I had taught. But I had builded wiser and stronger -than I knew, and when the “feather-weights” were hired to pull the house -down and tear up the very roots of the seed I had planted, the people -would not listen to them and nobody would read their vapid utterances. -And thus the effort ended in the death of the _Monthly_. The harvest -of thought was much nearer the reaping time when the transfer was made -than I had supposed, and since then it has been ripening and ripening, -and to-day if any man were heard advocating more running blood in the -trotter, he would with very great unanimity be pronounced either an -ignoramus or a fool, on that question at least. - -But, much as I disliked to surrender my life-work to a man whose moral -fiber I had tested and found brittle, the transfer was really “a -blessing in disguise.” It gave me rest, it gave me health, and it gave -me leisure to prosecute the study of the horse of history in fields -hitherto untrodden. The years thus employed in digging after the very -roots of history in the libraries, at home and abroad, have glided by, -affording a continuous enjoyment in the discovery of many things that are -very old and yet entirely new to this generation. Very often, when the -work went slowly, I thought I could again hear the quiet, sympathetic -voice of a Pennsylvania Friend gently prompting me with the remark, -“Thee should remember that thee is no longer a young man.” And now that -my long-promised and pleasant undertaking is completed, it is my very -earnest wish that the thousand friends who have been waiting for it may -enjoy the pleasant surprises it will furnish them as much as I have -enjoyed their exhumation from the archives of long-buried centuries. - - - - -APPENDIX - -HISTORY OF THE WALLACE PUBLICATIONS. - -BY A FRIEND OF THE AUTHOR. - - Mr. Wallace’s early life and education—Removal to Iowa, - 1845—Secretary Iowa State Board of Agriculture—Begins work, - 1856, on “Wallace’s American Stud Book,” published 1867—Method - of gathering pedigrees—Trotting Supplement—Abandons Stud - Book, 1870, and devotes exclusive attention to trotting - literature—“American Trotting Register,” Vol. I., published in - 1871—Vol. II. follows in 1874—The valuable essay on breeding - the forerunner of present ideas—Standard adopted 1879—Its - history—Battles for control of the “Register”—_Wallace’s - Monthly_ founded 1875—Its character, purposes, history, - writers, and artists—“Wallace’s Year Book” founded 1885—Great - popularity and value—Transfer of the Wallace publications, and - their degeneration. - - -The history of the series of works known as the Wallace publications, -even in the brief form here contemplated, involves in a large degree the -biography of Mr. Wallace. It is indeed more than the sketch of a long and -indefatigably industrious life-work. It involves as well, in the forty -years of creative labor, the development of a great productive industry, -and of a distinct branch of literature. Mr. Wallace’s labors in the -field of gathering and systematizing American horse history began at a -day when there was no breed of trotters, or no trotting literature. When -he laid aside active work there were both, well established and clearly -defined factors in the nation’s progress, and in all the years from the -commencement he was the central figure in the work of establishing a -breed of trotters, and incomparably the clearest and strongest force in -the direction and upbuilding of a trotting literature. That is the simple -truth of history, which the verdict of time will render it puerile to -deny. - -JOHN H. WALLACE was born August 16, 1823, and reared on a farm in -Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. As a boy he evinced no particular liking -for farm work, but had a great fondness for reading. He was educated -chiefly at the Frankfort Springs Academy, where he was prepared to -enter the junior class at college. There occurred a little incident at -this time that illustrates how seemingly slight a thing may change the -current of a life. The then member of Congress for that district, Mr. -Dickey, a scholarly man, advised Professor Nicholson, of the Academy, -that if he had a young man in his institution whom he could recommend, -he (Mr. Dickey) would appoint him a cadet to West Point. Mr. Wallace -was selected, provided his father’s consent was forthcoming. When Mr. -Wallace, Sr., was approached on the subject his reply was, “John, I -think there is some better employment in the world for you than studying -the most approved methods of killing men”—and that ended the West Point -incident. Young Mr. Wallace, about this time, became alarmed, however, -at his then persistently delicate health, and decided to seek an outdoor -life rather than one of study. In 1845 he married Miss Ellen Ewing (who -died in 1891), of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and settled on a farm at -Muscatine, Iowa. Iowa was then a new country, and Mr. Wallace did much -in the way of organizing the industrial and educational interests of the -State. There, as related below, he began work in the line in which he -became famous. With an invalid wife he returned to Allegheny in 1872; and -in 1875 in company with the late Benjamin Singerly, of Pittsburg, started -_Wallace’s Monthly_ at New York, which has been his home ever since. Mr. -Wallace in 1893 married Miss Ellen Wallace Veech, a niece of the first -Mrs. Wallace; and since his retirement from active business he has spent -his time, at home and abroad, chiefly in prosecuting investigations into -the horse history of the remote periods, the results of which are seen in -this, his crowning life-work. - -We will endeavor here to sketch, in the abstract, the history of Mr. -Wallace’s publications to as great a degree as possible separately, -though they cannot be entirely separated. The “Trotting Register” was an -outgrowth of the “Stud Book,” and _Wallace’s Monthly_ and the “Year Book” -outgrowths of the “Register,” and both auxiliary thereto. The career -and usefulness of all were intertwined, yet each had its own peculiar -mission, and to that extent their histories will be kept distinct. - - -“WALLACE’S AMERICAN STUD BOOK.” - -During the early “fifties” Mr. Wallace, then in the prime of early -manhood, was Secretary of the Iowa State Board of Agriculture, and as -such had much to do with the management of State fairs. He was thus -frequently called upon for information about the pedigrees of animals, -and the need of an authority on horse pedigrees was pointedly and -constantly forced upon his attention. If the pedigree of a cow was asked -for he had only to turn to the “American Herd Book” to find it, but when -the breeding of a horse was wanted there was no authority to which to -turn. Mr. Wallace had been dabbling more or less in such horse literature -as there was at that day, and in 1856 began collecting information with -the ultimate purpose of publishing a stud book of thoroughbred horses—for -the thoroughbred was then here, as in England, supreme as the only horse -of literature. He already possessed certain of the publications that -were the best horse authorities of the day—a file of the _Spirit of the -Times_, Skinner’s _American Turf Register and Sporting Magazine_, and -a number of volumes of the “English Stud Book,” and English _Sporting -Magazine_. Added to these, later, were other sources of information and -misinformation most notable in this latter class being the alleged “Stud -Book” published by Patrick Nesbitt Edgar, of North Carolina, in 1833—an -utterly unreliable work, but the only American stud book in existence -prior to Wallace’s. From these, and every other available source, Mr. -Wallace began to glean and systematically compile the pedigrees of -thoroughbred and so-called thoroughbred horses. Of these sources by far -the most valuable was Skinner’s periodical, begun in Baltimore in 1829. -Novice as he was at the time, Edgar’s work was regarded with more than -suspicion by Mr. Wallace, and, as a matter of caution as well as of -honesty, whenever he borrowed pedigrees from Edgar they were so credited. - -Modern methods of investigating pedigrees were not dreamed of by our -compiler then. His principal aim seems to have been to get as large -a collection as possible, and whatever was found in print, whether -newspaper, book, or hand-bill, was taken for granted; and pedigrees -gathered from private sources were, like the others, submitted to -little scrutiny. Neither men’s motives nor their knowledge of what -they represented to know were questioned, and in this way, after years -of labor, a great mass of pedigrees was gathered, written in new form -and order, and the thoroughbred stallions numbered—which was the first -instance of numbering horses in registration. While compiling the -thoroughbred pedigrees, Mr. Wallace also incidentally seized upon such -information as he found about trotting pedigrees and records, and these -he arranged as an appendix to his work. Finally, in 1867, “Wallace’s -American Stud Book,” a great, handsome volume of 1,017 pages, bound -pretentiously in green and gold, was published in New York. - -The trotting supplement embraced about 100 pages, and that the editor was -pretty well satisfied with it is shown by a sentence in the preface: “It -is believed that this compilation of trotting horses, embracing over 700 -animals, is very nearly perfect, but it is not claimed to be entirely -so.” Of course, from the method of its compilation it was decidedly -imperfect, but it was the best and only compilation of trotting pedigrees -up to that time. - -Meanwhile Mr. Wallace was pushing forward the compilation of the second -volume of the “Stud Book,” and in this traveled much, making personal -investigations. In 1870 this was completed, all the ground up to that -year having been gone over, but in the course of the work “a great light” -began to dawn upon the compiler. He found that he had been proceeding on -a wrong plan entirely. Experience in compiling and investigating taught -him that a pedigree may be printed in a newspaper, or even in a book, and -still not be true. He discovered that the sources from which he had drawn -were largely unreliable, that hundreds of pedigrees, through ignorance or -dishonesty, or both, were fabrications and frauds, especially in their -extensions in the maternal lines, and with the realization in full force -of this knowledge came the determination, even though the last page of -the manuscript for the second volume of the “Stud Book” was complete, -that it should never see the light. - -At the same time Mr. Wallace had discovered that the trotting supplement -was the part of his “Stud Book” most used and appreciated. He saw that -the trotter was coming to be the horse of the American people, and that -there was a great and new field opening in which a literature had yet -to be formed. His experience with the “Stud Book” gave him the training -necessary for the work before him, and thus equipped, with little capital -outside of his newly acquired knowledge, and marvelous natural industry -and perseverance, with an unusual capacity for hard work, he turned in -1870 to the work before him—the literature of the trotter. - - -“WALLACE’S AMERICAN TROTTING REGISTER.” - -He had as a nucleus the supplement to Volume I. of the “Stud Book,” -added to which was the work done and knowledge gained in compiling the -second volume, together with an increasing library and written data. -Thus in incidentally adding a few pages of trotting pedigrees to his -“Stud Book,” Mr. Wallace had builded better than he knew, but he even -now had little conception of the extent and richness of his new field -of exploration. He traveled all over the country, levying upon every -source of information for his “Trotting Register;” but, taught in the -dear school of experience, depended chiefly upon personal investigation, -taking monthly and yearly less and less for granted. He gradually became -more trained in meeting the natural human fondness for embellishing, -extending and completing pedigrees without reference to fact or evidence, -and the equally common predilection for stating as known facts those -things concerning pedigrees that were only of common report. This work -was excellent training for the more extended duties of the future, and -it gave Mr. Wallace an insight into methods of the olden time, and a -knowledge of men and horses that later made him, backed by uncompromising -honesty, absolute fearlessness, and a quite unusual disregard for -“policy,” a “terror to evil-doers” in the realm of manufacturing in whole -or in part fraudulent pedigrees. - -Still the knowledge, the caution, the system that made it almost -impossible in the last years of Mr. Wallace’s administration to impose -a fraud upon the “Register” were of slow, gradual, but constant growth. -The work improved with every volume, with every year of experience, and -the evidence that would be accepted in the compilation of the early -volumes would not suffice later. Mr. Wallace had also the quality of just -as remorselessly overthrowing his own errors as those of others, and -thus a system of correction was continually going along, in which work -_Wallace’s Monthly_, founded in 1875, was a particularly effective agency. - -The first volume of the “Trotting Register” was published in 1871, -and was a neat book of 504 pages. It contained, besides the pedigrees -gathered, tables of all trotting and pacing performances up to the close -of 1870, and this was the first time in which the records of the trotting -turf were collected and published. This part of the work entailed a -vast amount of research, including a thorough review of all sporting -papers, annuals and other sources where contemporaneous record of racing -would be liable to be made, but it was a very valuable feature; and, -besides serving as a basis for Mr. Wallace’s future compilations, was -unscrupulously seized upon by imitators who, from time to time, sought to -publish “record books.” - -There was also an introduction to the volume entitled, “An Essay on -the True Origin of the American Trotter,” which showed a glimmering of -understanding of the truths of history and of breeding as now understood -by students well grounded in the subject. In the second volume, however, -was an essay that marks an epoch in the literature of breeding. Written -less than three years after the introduction to Volume I., it betrays -the fact that in the intervening years the author had risen suddenly -and broadened infinitely in his study of the science of breeding, and -his understanding of the application thereto of the facts of trotting -history. It advanced then entirely new views, and it was the first -article published, as far as the writer is aware, that rose to an -appreciation of the supremacy of biological laws in horse breeding, -and suggested such a thing as psychical heredity in the transmission -of habits of action. It originated the term “trotting instinct,” so -generally used thereafter, began the discussion of the problem of the -increasing number of fast trotters from pacing ancestors, and wound -up with ten sound propositions or conclusions based throughout on -the law that like begets like. It opened up new and endless lines of -investigation and thought, and at once elevated the discussion to a -scientific plane. This article, written by Mr. Wallace originally for -the _Spirit of the Times_, marked the advent of the school of thought on -breeding now almost universal. - -The second volume of the “Register” was published in 1874, and the third -in 1879. The first three volumes of the “Register” contained about 10,000 -pedigrees, and the statistical tables in the second and third volumes -were greatly improved and amplified over those in the first. Volume II. -gave a table of sires of 2:30 horses, with the number to the credit of -each sire, and the number of heats to the credit of each performer—a sort -of vague foreshadowing of the famous “Great Table of Trotters under their -Sires,” later to be conceived and developed by Mr. Wallace, and destined -to become the most valuable single trotting compilation yet designed, and -the one now universally used, adopted and imitated. This volume also gave -a table of 2:25 trotters to the close of 1873, arranged in the order of -their speed. The first table of trotters under their sires was published -in _Wallace’s Monthly_, covering the statistics to the end of 1877. - -The third volume was much larger than its predecessors. The industry -of breeding trotting and pacing horses was, under the stimulus of the -“Register” and _Wallace’s Monthly_, and other agencies with which Mr. -Wallace was identified, and of a general era of prosperity then dawning, -advancing and extending now at rapid strides, and about this time -certain events of almost inestimable influence on the future of the -business transpired. - -In the autumn of 1876 there was formed at New York the National -Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, an organization in which Mr. -Wallace’s influence predominated from its inception until a short time -before its dissolution, for lack of an excuse for existence. This -organization was broadly representative of the best elements in the -breeding business in its virile and useful days, and accepted a sort -of advisory and supervisory control over the “Trotting Register;” and -Volume III. and subsequent volumes were compiled under its authority. -Questions of disputed pedigrees and other such issues affecting breeding -and the record of pedigrees were decided by a Board of Censors appointed -by this association; and, aside from its usefulness in connection with -the “Trotting Register,” it contributed largely to the advancement and -encouragement of breeding by inaugurating colt stakes, and other stakes -designed more especially to attract the breeder than the professional -campaigner. - -Before the third volume was through the press the need of some measure -for restricting registration became apparent to Mr. Wallace. The -economics of the “Register” demanded it, but beyond this the need -of systematizing and establishing a specific breed called for some -definition as to what rightfully belonged to that breed. Up to this time -the only rule was the indefinite provision that “anything well related -to trotting blood” might be acceptable as eligible by the compiler of -the “Register.” The problem that confronted those who took a broad -and comprehensive view was to educate public opinion up to that point -where the possibility of establishing a breed of trotters would be -appreciated. As early as April, 1878, _Wallace’s Monthly_ strongly urged -the necessity of a standard, and this was the first suggestion of one -that had been made. At the November meeting of the National Association -of Trotting Horse Breeders that year the Board of Censors in their report -presented a letter from Mr. Wallace advising the adoption of a standard, -a recommendation which the Board indorsed. Meanwhile the matter was -being agitated and discussed in _Wallace’s Monthly_, and affairs were -gradually shaping for action. In the March, 1879, number of the _Monthly_ -a standard formulated by certain Kentucky breeders and forwarded by Major -H. C. McDowell was printed and commented upon. It was fair on its face, -but under discussion its weak points were made clear. For instance, its -fourth rule made standard “Any mare the dam of any mare or stallion -that has produced or sired a horse, mare, or gelding with a record of -2:30.” It was pointed out that under this rule the celebrated English -thoroughbred mare Queen Mary would become a standard trotter, for her -son, the race horse Bonnie Scotland, had sired the trotter Scotland. -As other provisions made the sisters and brothers of standard animals -standard, the defects of the Kentucky standard were made patent, and the -Breeders’ Association failed to approve it. Instead, at a meeting at the -Everett House, New York, November 19, 1879, the standard as printed on -pages 519-20, in the framing of which Mr. Wallace and General B. F. Tracy -did the active work, was unanimously adopted. - -Under this standard the work of compiling Volume IV., which involved -bringing forward animals registered in preceding volumes, that met its -requirements, and numbering stallions, was carried on. - -Meanwhile, some Kentucky gentlemen failed to acquiesce in the standard -decision, and had, or believed they had, other grievances against -the compiler of the “Register.” They proceeded to plan to control -the “Register.” but as in the last chapter of this work Mr. Wallace -gives full details of this and subsequent battles for the control of -registration, this history need not be here repeated. - -In the meantime the breeding interest was enjoying remarkable prosperity, -and this was reflected upon and through the “Trotting Register” and -_Wallace’s Monthly_. In 1882 Volume IV. was published, Volume V. in 1886, -and Volume VI. in 1887, these containing about 6,000 pedigrees each. -Volume VII. appeared in 1888, Volume VIII. in 1890, and Volume IX., the -last published by Mr. Wallace, appeared in 1891. - -While an adequate discussion of the standard is neither necessary or -possible in this article, it was so obviously part and parcel of the -“Trotting Register” that its history must be briefly outlined. The -standard formulated in 1879 served its purpose well, but it was but an -initial step, and it was fully recognized by Mr. Wallace at the time that -it would have to be revised and strengthened from time to time so as to -keep pace with the progress of the breeders. If the standard to-day is -held in slight esteem, or even in contempt, it is clearly because it has -been allowed to lag far behind the progress of the breed. - -Evils grew out of the standard, even in its early years, simply through -a quite general misunderstanding of its purposes and its full meaning. -Standard rank became instantly so popular and so sought after that -thousands of breeders aimed solely to breed into the standard, without -much regard for other necessary qualifications. They seemed to forget -that it was merely a definition of the blood that was eligible to -the “Register,” and not, nor ever intended, to be taken as a general -measuring stick of value. Soon after its adoption an era of great -prosperity came in trotting affairs, with recklessly high prices for -standard animals. With an apparently insatiable market there came an -abnormal expansion of the industry. Thousands of men began breeding -without knowing anything, either practically or theoretically, about the -industry, except how to get into the standard. Hence the overproduction -of not only standard trotting horses, but all kinds of trotting horses -of inferior breeding and little excellence, and the subsequent break in -prices, for all of which the standard has been by inconsiderate persons -blamed. - -Not long after its adoption Mr. Wallace saw these dangerous tendencies, -and in the _Monthly_ warned the breeders against them, and early began -agitating for a revision of the rules. But nothing could stem that -rising tide, and at first the opposition to any change in the rules was -vehement and general. The obviously easy gateway into the standard was -through rule seven, and this became the storm center of the discussion. -Mr. Wallace led in the call for the abolition of this rule, and did -it so persistently and well that gradually the leading breeders and -thinkers were won over, but the outcry against a change was so earnest -and so general among the smaller breeders that the National Association -hesitated long. Though a Committee on Revision was appointed as early as -December, 1885, it was not until December 14, 1887, that a revision was -finally effected, the standard being then adopted as printed on pages -520-21. - -Every reader can observe, by comparison with the previous standard, -that there was a wise and conservative strengthening of the rules all -along the line. The next step contemplated by Mr. Wallace was not only -a further restricting revision on blood lines, but also an increase in -the speed rate required, an advance from 2:30 to 2:25, then ultimately -to 2:20, his purpose being that the standard should keep pace with the -progress of the breed. But before any of these steps were made the -“Register” passed into other hands—and other theories and practices have -prevailed, with the result that the standard is to-day held in derision -and the value of the “Register” has sunk to the vanishing point. But -before reaching this phase of our history some account of Mr. Wallace’s -other publications is in order. - - -“WALLACE’S MONTHLY.” - -At a very early period in the history of the “Trotting Register” -Mr. Wallace perceived the necessity of there being some medium of -communication with the breeders which he could control. This was one of -several reasons, which need not here be detailed, the outcome of which -was the establishment of the publication which has played a greater part -than any other in developing the trotting literature of to-day, and in -leading American thought on the science of breeding—_Wallace’s Monthly_. -The first number came out in October, 1875, with Benjamin Singerly, -publisher, and John H. Wallace, editor. Mr. Singerly was an uncle of Hon. -William M. Singerly, of the Philadelphia _Record_, and had large printing -establishments in Harrisburg and Pittsburg, Pa. The first twelve numbers -of _Wallace’s Monthly_ were printed in Harrisburg, though published from -the outset from New York. Benjamin Singerly died in August, 1876, from -which time Mr. Wallace carried on the publication himself, from the -little office at 170 Fulton Street, overlooking St. Paul’s churchyard. - -In accordance with the time-honored custom in journalism, the first -number of _Wallace’s Monthly_ contained a salutatory outlining its -purposes and its policy, and in almost every detail that policy was -honestly lived up to while Mr. Wallace controlled the magazine. The horse -was to be made the leading, but not the exclusive feature; full trotting -and running summaries with indexes were to be published; correspondence -was invited; and, as a cardinal principle of policy, gambling in any and -all forms was to be uncompromisingly fought against. This last detail -of policy Mr. Wallace rigidly adhered to always. He opposed public -betting in any form and under any pretense, and believed, and acted up -to the belief, that if racing could not be maintained without betting it -were better that grass should grow on the tracks. The first number of -the _Monthly_ contained a descriptive article by “Hark Comstock,” and -some selected matter, but was chiefly the editor’s work—mostly concise -historical matter, dealing with the early progenitors of the trotting -breed. - -With each number the _Monthly_ strengthened, until soon it had gathered -around it the brightest writers in the country. Notwithstanding this, -however, the editorial department was always its strongest feature, and -it rapidly became a power in the land. Among the earliest contributors -were “Hark Comstock” (Peter C. Kellogg), always a fluent writer, and one -of the most versatile special pleaders on horse topics known to the turf -press; Charles J. Foster, the gifted “Privateer,” whose work, from a -literary standpoint, was oftentimes a model of finish; “Yah Amerikanski” -(Spencer Borden), and “S. T. H.” (S. T. Harris), both brilliant, -especially in controversy; H. T. Helm, Levi S. Gould, and many others -prominently known in turf literature a quarter of a century ago. - -Spirited controversy early became a feature of the _Monthly_, and in -these passages-at-arms the editor was generally found taking a leading -hand. As a writer Mr. Wallace was always above all things forceful. He -fortified himself in theory and fact amply, and his style was so direct, -yet comprehensive, that every shot told, and even those who disagreed -with him were forced to read and admire these spirited discussions. Mr. -Wallace moreover early impressed the public with his uncompromising -honesty, and with the fact that, above all things, he had the courage of -his convictions. There was no dodging issues, no dallying or compromising -with humbug of any sort; a spade was called a spade, and no consideration -of “policy” brought a note of indirection into the _Monthly’s_ editorial -pages. The personality of the editor was ineffaceably stamped on his -magazine, and its influence became potent for good far beyond the -limitations of mere circulation. - -The magazine became quickly the leader in thought on breeding subjects, -and hardly an advanced idea that to-day prevails in this field of -literature but can be found first suggested in the _Monthly_. The first -table of trotters under their sires was published in _Wallace’s Monthly_ -for 1877; the standard was first suggested in its pages; the pacer as an -origin of trotting speed was first advanced in February and March, 1883; -it was the first to formulate and advocate and put to the test a scale of -points for judging horses; and above all it was the power that educated -breeders to an understanding of breeding on truly scientific principles, -and brought about an acceptance and appreciation of the laws of heredity -as applied to breeding the trotter. And, interspersed with this -continual seeking for the light and the right, there was an amount of -historical matter published that would make the compilation of a valuable -book on the American trotter possible from the _Monthly_ alone. It was, -moreover, continually exposing frauds of history and of pedigrees, and -was as potent in guarding as it was in discovering the truth. It was the -recognized enemy of fraud, of humbug, of false pretense everywhere, and -attacked them in high places as well as low, and that its editor incurred -the enmity of many whose designs attracted the _Monthly’s_ searchlight, -and were thwarted by it, is a fact known of all men. - -This, in brief, was the character of the _Monthly_ from its foundation, -until it passed out of Mr. Wallace’s hands. To follow its detailed -history through the nearly sixteen years of Mr. Wallace’s editorship is -not the purpose of this article, but the rather to group the salient -factors that made it what it was, and that have secured for it an -enduring place in trotting history. - -The _Monthly_ was from the first illustrated, and the progress in -horse art is well demonstrated by tracing through its pages. Its first -drawings were made by James C. Beard, who came of a race of artists, but -whose attempts at horse portraits were wretched caricatures, one and -all. Still, they seemed to be the best, or rather the least bad, then -obtainable. Mr. Wallace, however, was painfully cognizant of the lack of -truthful portraits of horses, and was not less delighted than surprised -when, one September day in 1878, a young man came into his office, and -exhibited drawings that were so obviously truthful portraitures that -they were a revelation in horse art. A rapid questioning as to whether -he had drawn them, and where he had hidden his light so long, developed -that the young genius was Herbert S. Kittredge, of Pennsylvania. He -was immediately engaged, and his work in the _Monthly_ was the first -reputable horse portraiture in American literature. This gifted, -self-educated genius died in May, 1881, long before his prime, and when -his powers were daily developing. He was the forerunner of Whitney, -Dickey, Morris, and others whose ability to faithfully portray horses is -acknowledged to-day. He had not the mechanical aids—notably the camera—or -processes which they so freely call into play, but in true artistic -ability to draw faithfully, it is doubtful whether this undeveloped -master was the inferior of any artist who has yet made horse portraiture -a specialty in any country. - -From year to year the contributory staff of _Wallace’s Monthly_ -increased, and always had in its membership a number of the leading -breeders and students. For many years Mr. Wallace did practically all the -editorial work himself, as in fact he did the registration work. But this -gradually outgrew him, and soon his office staff began to increase. First -he removed the office to 212 Broadway, not far from its first location. -Then in May, 1887, the final move was made to commodious offices in the -Stewart Building, at Broadway and Chambers Street, when the office staff -had grown until more than a dozen assistants were employed on all the -publications. - -Among the earliest editorial assistants on the _Monthly_ was C. T. -Harris, later trotting editor of the _Spirit of the Times_, and still -more recently of _The Horse Review_, a faithful and conscientious worker. -Later Gurney O. Gue, a clever writer, and exceptionally well grounded in -facts of pedigree and record, occupied a desk with the _Monthly_, and is -now one of Mr. Dana’s “bright young men” on the _Sun_. In 1886 Leslie E. -Macleod became associate editor, and continued in that capacity until -1890. He subsequently became managing editor of _The Horseman_, and later -editorial writer of _The Horse Review_. - -Of contributors, among the best known may be named, in addition to those -enumerated as identified with the _Monthly_ at the start, General B. -F. Tracy, Allen W. Thompson, Samuel Hough Terry, “Mark Field” (Jas. M. -Hiatt), “O. W. C.” (O. W. Cook), Thos. B. Armitage, “Mambrino” (H. D. -McKinney), Otto Holstein, “Bill Arp,” “Aurelius” (Rev. T. A. Hendrick), -A. B. Allen, “Fidelis,” Harvey W. Peck, Benjamin W. Hunt, “Roland” -(Leslie E. Macleod), Major Campbell Brown, F. G. Smith, Judge M. W. -Oliver, Prof. Chas. T. Luthy, Colonel F. G. Buford, John P. Ray, “Vision” -(W. H. Marrett), H. C. Goodspeed, and others. - -The last number of _Wallace’s Monthly_ issued under Mr. Wallace’s -editorship was published in July, 1891. It then passed to the American -Trotting Register Company, at Chicago, and its degeneration was rapid, -and in a few months it died for lack of brains. Robbed of its virility -and of its purpose, without editorial direction, and aiming only to lead -a _harmless_ existence, and to say or do nothing to offend any one of a -score of directors and hundreds of stockholders, it soon began to lead a -_useless_ existence, and dropped out of the notice of thinking men. It -became the antithesis of all that it had been, and its end was a pitiable -one for a publication with a history of sixteen years of fearless, -honest, able direction. - - -“WALLACE’S YEAR BOOK.” - -Early in the history of the _Monthly_ Mr. Wallace decided to drop -running summaries, and give exclusive attention to trotting and pacing -statistics. These grew so rapidly that they soon became burdensome, -and an outlet became inevitable. Furthermore the adoption of the -standard, depending as it did on records of performances, necessitated -for its application a bureau of statistics, and these considerations -and others—not the least of which was the recognition of “a long-felt -want”—prompted Mr. Wallace to start “Wallace’s Year Book.” The first -volume of this valuable annual was published in May, 1886, covering the -performances for 1885, and contained, besides summaries of all races in -which a heat was trotted in 2:50 or less, a 2:30 list for the year, and -the Great Table of Trotters under their sires. The book contained 273 -pages, was bound in flexible cloth, and sold at $1. - -An improvement of the greatest value and importance was made in the Great -Table in the first volume of the “Year Book.” This was the addition after -the list of performers under each sire of the names of his sons that -had sired performers, with the number to the credit of each, and of the -performers out of his daughters. It furnished at a glance what a horse -had done, not only of himself, but through his sons and daughters, and -the Great Table thus improved became at once the gauge of trotting blood -by which breeders everywhere estimated the comparative values of the -different families and different sires. It was the most clear, condensed, -yet comprehensive and perfect summing up of all the facts and experiences -of trotting history imaginable, and so apparent is this fact that nothing -original has ever been attempted to replace it, while all compilers, -without exception, imitate it. The Great Table of itself would have -carried any book to success. - -The second volume of the “Year Book,” 330 pages, contained in addition to -the same class of matter as its predecessor, tables of sires and dams, -great brood mares, and fastest records. Still further improvements were -made in every year. Volume VI., published for 1890, was a handsomely -bound book of 642 pages, with summaries of all races in which heats were -trotted or paced in 2:40 or better, list of best records slower than -2:40, complete 2:30 lists with extended pedigrees, the Great Table with -the pedigrees of the sires extended, list of 2:20 trotters according to -records, list of 2:20 trotters under their sires, list of great brood -mares, sires of dams, mares the dams of producing sons or daughters, -tables of fastest records, champion trotters from 1845 to 1890, champions -at all ages from yearlings to five-year-olds, champion stallions, table -of 2:20 pacers, and of 2:30 pacers under sires. No such comprehensive and -valuable mass of statistics was ever arranged, and this volume was in -itself a perfect encyclopedia of trotting literature. - -No eulogy of the “Year Book” is necessary, for every farmer’s boy knew -before it was three years old that it was indispensable to all horsemen. -It instantly bounded into a place of authority, and to thousands who -felt the “Register” out of reach it was at once “Stud Book” and “Racing -Calendar,” and none of Mr. Wallace’s creations performed a wider public -service, or attained a popularity so broadcast and sudden. The new work -was peculiarly fortunate in having back of it the authority of the -“Register,” and the prestige of a name that had already become world-wide -as rendering everything it bore authoritative—but even allowing for -these advantages the quick popular indorsement of the “Year Book” was an -eloquent testimony to the wisdom of its plan. - - -CONCLUSION. - -The Wallace Trotting Register Company, with a capital of $100,000, was -organized in 1889, and October 1, of that year, all the publications -became the property of this company. The last chapter of this book -details the final transfer to the American Trotting Register Association -in 1891. - -With the fortunes of the Wallace publications since that transfer it -may be, perhaps, questioned whether this sketch has anything to do, and -yet it would seem incomplete without the sequel. As already stated, -_Wallace’s Monthly_ degenerated to nothing and died. The “Year Book” has -been emasculated until it is but a shadow, incomplete and unsatisfactory, -of what it was, and is notoriously published at a loss. Its once great -tables are cut from their complete state to be merely the tables of -a single year, and where one complete “Year Book” was in the Wallace -_régime_ the only hand-book necessary, now the student must rummage -through half a dozen, more or less, to ascertain the simplest series of -facts. The standard has been mismanaged, revisions have been made and -rescinded, and no advance has been made in the speed qualifications, -though 2:20 trotters are as common to-day as 2:30 trotters were in 1891. -In consequence, registration has fallen away, and from being a good -purchase at $130,000 in 1891, the “Register” properties to-day are rated -so dubiously far below par as to make the expression of their value in -figures hardly possible. That a period of “hard times” came shortly after -the purchase of the “Register” is true—but the practical wrecking of the -Wallace publications cannot be accounted for solely on the theory of -business depression. - -Such in brief outline has been the story of the founding of these works, -which in their own upbuilding helped incalculably to upbuild one of -the nation’s great industries. The present works may be destroyed or -pass away, but the true Wallace works cannot. Mr. Wallace’s works have -a place in horse history, secure, unique, alone. Created, we might say -from nothing, they each and all grew and prospered in his care and -guidance, and became powers for good and auxiliaries of industry. If he -is a benefactor who causes two blades of grass to grow where one grew -before, how much the more is he whose labor and genius have enriched ten -thousand farms, and been the most potent single influence in developing -a productive industry the extent of which can only be estimated in -millions. Mr. Wallace’s works will live after him. In speaking once on -the transient nature of fame, a distinguished lawyer, a man of national -reputation, said: “After I am gone I will be remembered as a successful -lawyer among many other successful lawyers, but Mr. Wallace’s name -will live as long as a horse exists on the earth.” We rarely judge -contemporaries justly. It needs the softening perspective of time in -which to lose the dimming prejudices of the present; and however much -these works may be appreciated to-day, their true worth, what they -accomplished, and the productive genius, purposeful industry, and plain, -consistent honesty from which they were evolved will only be clearly seen -and fully conceded by the historian of the future. - - - - -INDEX. - - - A - - Aaron Pennington, 451, 452. - - Abdallah, 20, 237, 261, 267, 275, 311, 316, 332, 336, 389, 414. - - Abdallah (Alexander’s), History of, 272, 294, 296, 297, 298, - 299. - - Abdallah Chief (Roe’s), 311. - - Abdallah, History of, 255, 261. - - Abdallah Mambrino, 299. - - Abdallah Pilot, 297. - - Aberdeen, 275, 311, 414. - - Abiri (strong horses), 39. - - Abraham in Egypt, 36. - - Acquired Characters and Instincts, 471. - - Acrelius, Rev. I., Colonial Writer, 137, 179. - - Ada C., 443. - - Adams, L. B., 266. - - Adams, R. M., 382, 383. - - Adams’ Stump, 359. - - Adams, Zach., 349. - - Administrator, 275. - - Adrian Wilkes, 288. - - Adval, Johannes, 28. - - Advance of Standard, 523, 524. - - Advertiser, 493. - - Aguilillas, 472. - - Albert W., 293. - - Albion, 295, 451. - - Alcantara, 288. - - Alcyone, 288. - - Alderman, 450. - - Aleppo, 59, 410. - - Alexander, A. J., 526, 530, 532. - - Alexander, R. A., 295, 296, 343, 350, 415, 416, 417, 420, 421, - 422, 458, 506, 516. - - Alexander, J. J., 432, 434, 436. - - Alexander’s Abdallah. (See Abdallah, Alexander’s.) - - Alexander’s Edwin Forrest. (See Edwin Forrest.) - - Alexander’s Norman. (See Norman.) - - Alexander’s Pilot Jr. (See Pilot Jr.) - - Alfred (Imported), 343. 417. - - Algeria, 44. - - Alix, 306, 477. - - Allen, A. B., 557. - - Allen, A. B. & L. B., 399. - - Allen, Philip, 349. - - Allen, William Russell, 538. - - Allerton, 288. - - Allerton, Isaac, 110, 121. - - Allie Gaines, 299. - - Allie West, 299. - - Alley, 302. - - Almack, 20, 237, 259, 344. - - Almonarch, 299. - - Almont, 304, 463. - - Almont, History of, 297. - - Almont Jr. (1764), 299. - - Almont Jr. (1829), 299, 407. - - Almont’s Leading Sons, 299. - - Altamont, 299. - - Ambassador, 288. - - Amble, The, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 192. - - Ambling Horses, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 192. - - Ambulatura, The, 157. - - “America Dissected.” Extract from, 176. - - American Commander, 243. - - American Eclipse, 318, 334, 363, 432, 446, 447, 448, 449, 450, - 488. - - American Eclipse. Pedigree of, 446-450. - - American Girl, 286. - - American Hiatoga, 365. - - American Native Race Horses, 96, 105. - - American Pacer and Relation to American Trotter, 172-189. - - American Race Horse, Origin of, 92, 96-105, 106. - - American Race Horse, The, 8, 42, 90-107. - - American Saddle Horse, 190-195. - - American Star (Seely’s), 303, 308, 311, 312, 338, 339, 340, - 341, 503. - - American Star (Conklin’s), 341. - - American Star Family, 338-341. - - American Star (Seely’s), History of, 338-341. - - American Star’s Services, 340. - - American Stud Book (Bruce’s), 104. - - American Stud Book. (See also Wallace’s American Stud Book.) - - American Stud Book (Wallace’s), 101-104, 459. - - American Trotting Register, 390, 412, 459, 460. - - American Trotting Register Association, 536-545, 557-559. - - American Turf Register, 97. - - American Wild Horses, 196-204. - - Amy, 313. - - Ancestors of Messenger, 205-221. - - Anderson, John, 438, 439, 443. - - Andrew Jackson, 327, 329, 336, 498. - - Andrew Jackson, History of, 323-325. - - Andrew Jackson, Jr., 327. - - Andrus Horse, 265. - - Andrus, Mr., 265. - - Andy Johnson, 329. - - Angelica Mare, 413. - - Anglin, Timothy, 501, 505. - - Anteeo, 293. - - Anteros, 293. - - Antevolo, 293. - - Antiquity of American Racing, 90. - - Antiquity of Narragansett Pacers, 180. - - Antiquity of the Pacing Horse, 16, 154-171, 180, 481. - - Antiquity of Trotters and Pacers, 481. - - Arab Barb, 93. - - Arabia (see also Arabia Felix, Arabia Deserta, and Yemen), 2, - 5, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44-95. - - Arabia (no horses at Christian era), 27-42. - - Arabia Deserta (see also Arabia), 4, 40, 55. - - Arabia Felix (see also Arabia, Arabia Deserta, and Yemen), 2, - 4, 42, 43, 55. - - Arabia, First Horses in, 28. - - Arabian Blood (see also Arabia, etc.), 167, 168. - - Arabian Horse, The, 51-66. - - “Arabians,” so-called (imported), 93, 94, 95. - - Arabian Horse. (See Arabia, Arabia Deserta, Yemen, Arabs, etc.) - - Arabian (Lindsay’s). (See Lindsay’s Arabian.) - - Arab Horses, A. Keene Richards’, 64, 65, 66. - - Arabian Traditions, 5, 455. - - Arab Horses, President Grant’s, 64. - - Arab Horses in America, 64, 65, 66. - - Arabs (English Foundation Stock), 68-72. - - Arabia, Wild Horses of, 26. - - Ararat, Mt., 28, 32. - - Aratus (by Director), 357. - - Aratus (Phare’s), 357. - - Aratus (Pugh’s), 356. - - Archer, 402. - - Argyll, Captain, Raids Port Royal, 142. - - Arion, 292, 294, 477, 493. - - Armenia, 2, 3, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 39. - - Armenian Kings, 29. - - Armitage, Thomas B., 557. - - Arnold, Azariah, 236, 260. - - Art in Portraying Horses, 556. - - Amazonia, 20, 257, 259. - - Appendix: History of the Wallace Publications, 547-559. - - Ashford, W. H., 151. - - Asia Minor, Eastern, 30. - - Asia, Western, 32. - - Assyria, 39. - - Astor, Henry, 229. - - Athanio, 294. - - Atkinson, William, 248. - - Atlantic, 299. - - Auburn Horse, 346. - - “Aurelius,” 557. - - Australian (Imported), 420. - - Austin, G. A., 265. - - Ayers, E. W., 501. - - Ayres, F. J., 350. - - Axtell, 288. - - Azote, 294. - - - B - - Babcock, Mr., 313. - - Backus, Scobey & Burlew, 345. - - Backman, Charles, 283, 289, 290, 291, 413, 414, 415, 501, 503. - - Badger (Imported), 95. - - Bad Qualities, Heredity of, 478. - - Bagg & Goodrich, 360. - - Bailey Brothers’ English Racing Register, 83. - - Baker, I. V., Jr., 382. - - Balch, Wesley P., 357. - - Bald Chief. (See Bay Chief.) - - Bald Galloway, 84, 85, 163, 213, 410. - - Bald Stockings (Tom Hal), 358. 359. - - Baldwin, B. H., 382. - - Bancroft, Historian, on Wild Horse, 201. - - Barbs (English Foundation Stock), 68, 72, 80. - - Barbs, 81, 82, 85. - - Barker, Henry L., 350, 362. - - Baronet (Imported), 334, 447. - - Baronet, 259. - - Baron Wilkes, 288. - - Barnes, Mr., 150. - - Barss, 392, 395, 396. - - Bartlett’s Turk, 346. - - Bashaws, 21. - - Bashaw (Imported), 92. - - Bashaw (Green’s), 282, 283, 327, 469. - - Bashaw Jr., 308. - - Bashaws and Clays, 321-337. - - Bassinger, 432, 436. - - Bathgate, A., 151. - - Bay Chief, 295. - - Bay Chief, Pedigree of, 418. - - Bay Kentucky Hunter, 362. - - Bay Messenger (Downing’s), 316. - - Bay Morgan, 364. - - Beard, James C., Artist, 556. - - Bear Grass, 342. - - Beautiful Bay (True Briton or Traveler), 367-763. - - Beautiful Bells, 297, 332. - - Beck, 348. - - Beckwith, Mr., 282. - - Belgrade Turk, 69. - - Bell Bird, 292. - - Bell Boy, 293. - - Belle (dam of Green’s Bashaw), 276, 283. - - Belle (dam of Belmont), 299. - - Belle (by Top Bellfounder), 335. - - Belle Brandon, 313, 314. - - Belle F., 311. - - Belle Lupe, 299. - - Belle Rice, 313. - - Belle Strickland, 502. - - Belle of Wabash, 432, 434, 435, 436, 437. - - Belleflower, 294. - - Bellfounder (Imported), 282, 335. - - Bellfounder Family, 396, 397, 400, 401. - - Bellfounder (Brown’s), 299, 399. - - Bellfounder (Kissam’s), 399. - - Bellfounder (La Tourrett’s), 400. - - Bellows, John, 377, 380. - - Belmont, 297, 298, 299. - - Belmont’s Leading Sons, 300. - - Benedict, James W., 294. - - Benger, Thomas, 224, 225. - - Ben Higdon, 355. - - Ben Hur, Famous Pen Picture from, 66. - - Bennett & Jones, 437. - - Bertrand, 437. - - Bet, 353. - - Bett, 346. - - Betty Bloss, 402. - - Betsy Baker, 237. - - Betsy Ransom, 334. - - Beuzetta, 288, 305. - - Beverley’s History of Virginia, 111. - - Bidwell, George, 433. - - Big Mary, 502. - - Big Shakespeare (Probasco’s), 355. - - “Bill Arp,” 557. - - Billington, Mr., 150. - - Billy Duroc, 345. - - Bird, 345. - - Bishop, Isaac, 234. - - Bishop’s Hambletonian. (See Hambletonian.) - - Bitugue Horses (Russian), 393, 394. - - Black and All Black, 261. - - Black Arab Barb, 93. - - Black Bashaw, 322. - - Black Hawk, 349, 376, 377, 381, 433, 498. - - Black Hawk Family, 366, 389. - - Black Hawk (Vernol’s), 282, 327. - - Black Hawk (Seely’s), 283. - - Black Hawk Prophet, 265. - - Blackie, 360. - - Black Jin, 279, 280. - - Black Messenger, 249. - - Black River Messenger, 361, 362. - - Black Prince (Scobey’s), 346. - - Black Rose, Pedigree of, 419. - - Black Warrior (Warrior), 149, 150. - - Blackwood, 350. - - Blanco, 357, 358. - - Blandina, 350. - - Blank, 70, 402. - - Blauvelt, John G., 250, 339. - - Blaze, 208, 209, 211, 402. - - Blessing, The, Voyage of, 109. - - Blind Tuckahoe, 365. - - Bloody Buttocks, 70. - - Blue Bull (Wilson’s), 352, 353, 354. - - Blue Bull, 274. - - Blue Bull Family, 352, 354. - - Blundeville, Thomas, Early English Writer, 159, 160, 161, 170, - 175. - - Blunt, Wilfred S., Experiences of, with Arabian Horses, 5, 6, - 7, 61, 62, 63. - - Board of Censors, 518, 552. - - Bob Johnson, 439, 443. - - Bodine, 302. - - Bogus, 361. - - Bogus Hunter, 361. - - Bolingbroke, Lord, 216. - - Bolivar (Pintler’s), 415. - - Bonesetter, 359. - - Bone Swinger, 261. - - Bonita, 292. - - Bonner, A. A., 304. - - Bonner, David, 304. - - Bonnie Scotland, 482, 514, 525, 527, 552. - - Boott, James, 397. - - Borden, Spencer, 156, 555. - - Boston, 420, 422, 424, 450, 451, 487, 488. - - Boston Girl, 325, 363. - - Boswell, Dr., 358 - - Bourbon Wilkes, 288 - - Bradhurst, Samuel, 333. - - Bradley, W. J., 343. - - Brasfield, George, 304. - - Brawner’s Eclipse, 439, 443. - - Breckenridge, William L., 358. - - Breeders Association, National. (See National A. T. H. B.) - - Breeding the Trotter a New Industry, 508. - - Breeding the Trotting Horse, 456. - - Breeding from Developed Parents, 499, 507. - - Breeders of 2:15 Trotters, 501. - - Breeders’ Trotting Stud Book. 528, 533. - - Brewster. Dr., 363. - - Brickmaker (Andrew Jackson), 325. - - Bright John, 365. - - Bright Phœbus, 233, 252. - - Bristol Horse, 150. - - Bristol Grey, 261. - - Britain, Early Horses, 48, 49. - - Britain, First Horses of, 157-171. - - Britain, Time of Julius Cæsar, 157. - - British Horses, Early, 164, 165, 166. - - Brodhead, Lucas, 419, 420, 422, 427, 428, 429, 431, 441, 444, - 526, _et seq_. - - Brokenlegged Hunter, 362. - - Brown, Mr., 399. - - Brown, David W., 365. - - Brown, Henry C., 435, 436. - - Brown, Major Campbell, 359, 557. - - Brown’s Bellfounder. (See Bellfounder.) - - Brown George, 385. - - Brown Hal, 359. - - Brown Highlander (Imported), 361. - - Brown Pilot, 350. - - Brown Wilkes, 288. - - Bruce (traveler), 31. - - Bruce, G. Benjamin, 305, 450, 458. - - Bruce’s Stud Book, 104. - - Bruce, Sanders D., 100, 104, 420, 423, 441. - - Buckley, John, 334. - - Buffon, 26 - - Buford, Col. F. G., 557. - - Bull Calf, 243. - - Bullock, Mr., 216, 222, 223. - - Bunbury, Sir Charles, 76. - - Burch Mare, 350. - - Burckhardt (traveler in Arabia), 54. - - Burdach, 469 - - Burlew, Charles, 346. - - Burlew, Scobey & Backus, 345. - - Burton, Abram, 261. - - Burton Horse, 261. - - Burtsell, Dr. Alex, 59. - - Bush, Charles, 247. - - Bush, Philo C., 244, 245. - - Bush Messenger, 20. - - Bush Messenger. (See Ogden Messenger.) - - Bush Messenger. (See Messenger, Bush’s.) - - Byerly Turk, 68. - - - C - - Cade, 70, 84, 163, 213. - - Cadet, 407. - - Cadiz (Gades), 44. - - Cadmus (by American Eclipse), 354. - - Cadmus (Iron’s), 354, 358, 414. - - California Patchen. (See George M. Patchen Jr.) - - Camel (“the ship of the desert”), 52. - - Camilla, 246. - - Campbell, M. C., 360. - - Campdown, 310. - - Canada, 13, 15, 16. - - Canada, Early Horse History, 142, 143. - - Canadian Maritime Provinces, 152. - - Canadian Pacer, Origin of the, 142, 143, 151, 152, 153. - - Canavan, George, 334. - - Cannon’s Whip, 419. - - Cappadocia. (See Cappadocian Horses.) - - Cappadocian Horses, 2, 28, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 42. - - Captain Beard, 439. - - Captain Lyons, 312. - - Captain Magowan, 432, 433, 482. - - Carlisle Gelding, 410. - - Carman, Charles, 330. - - Carman Mare, 333-336. - - Carman, R. F., 333, 334. - - Carpenter, Lieutenant, 369, 375, 376. - - Carpenter, Powell, 323. - - Carthage, Horses of, 44, 45, 48. - - Case, Jerome I., 314. - - Case, John, 349. - - Cassius M. Clay, 327. - - Cassius M. Clay, history of, 330-333. - - Cassius M. Clay, 329, 333. - - Cassius M. Clay Jr. (Neave’s), 332. - - Cassius M. Clay Jr. (Strader’s), 332, 333, 336. - - Cedar Park (Estate), 74. - - Celtæ and Iberi (Spanish tribes), 46. - - Centaur, False Pedigree Given, 100, 101. - - Central Truth in Breeding, 512. - - Chamich, Rev. M., 28 - - Champion (Grinnell’s), 259, 344, 347. - - Champion (807), 274. - - Champion Family, 344-348. - - Champion (Gooding’s), 346, 347, 348. - - Champion (Nighthawk), 347. - - Champion (Scobey’s or King’s), 345. - - Charcoal Sal, 324, 336. - - Charles Hadley Mare, 332. - - Charles Kent Mare. (See Kent Mare.) - - Charles II., King, 7, 14, 57, 58, 68, 135, 162, 168. - - Charley B., 346. - - Charlotte Gray, 250. - - Charlotte Temple, 322. - - Chenery, W. W., 452. - - Chenery’s Grey Eagle. (See Grey Eagle.) - - Chestnut Arabians, 70. - - Chestnut Hill, 310. - - Chestnut Hill Farm, 309. - - Childers (Imported), 95. - - Childers. (See Flying Childers.) - - Chimes, 293. - - Chincoteague Ponies, The, 111. - - Chincoteague Wild Horses, 10, 11. - - Chinn, Higgins, 358. - - Cholmondeley, Marquis of, 76. - - Cilicia, 30, 410. - - Clara (Crazy Jane), 149. - - Clara (Dexter’s dam), 303. - - Clark Chief, 318, 320. - - Clays and Bashaws, 21, 321-337. - - Clay, James B., 315. - - Clay Pilot, 297, 332. - - Cliff Dwellers, 199. - - Clockfast, 450. - - Cobs, 398, 400. - - Cobwebs, 294. - - Cock, Daniel T., 234, 241, 251. - - Cock, Townsend, 234, 236. - - Cock of the Rock, 338. - - Cockroft, James M., 315. - - Coffein, Goldsmith, 354, 356, 414. - - Coke, Mr., 70-73. - - Colden, Cadwallader R., 98, 233, 234, 244, 247. - - Colden’s Magazine, 98. - - Coles, Gen. Nathaniel, 232, 233, 251, 252. - - Collateral and Indirect Heredity, 464. - - Colonial Horses, 9, 11, 108-141. - - Colonial Horse History, 108-141. - - Colonial Running-Stock, 96. - - Columbus (Old), 151. - - Commander, 243. - - Commissioner of Agriculture, 404, 405. - - “Committee on Rules,” The Kentucky, 526, 527, 528, 529. - - Commodore, 316. - - Compton Barb, 70. - - Conductor, 294. - - Conestoga Horses, 136. - - Conklin, E. K., 341. - - Conley, John W., 304, 351. - - Connecticut, Colonial Horse History, 131-133. - - Conqueror, 399. - - Constable, Mr., 447, 448. - - Constantius, Emperor, Sends Horses to Arabia, 2, 28, 31, 42, - 43, 55. - - Consul, 365. - - Contemporaries (Runningbred) of Messenger, 220. - - Controller, 482. - - Copperbottom, 195. - - Copperbottom (Chinn’s), 358. - - Copperbottoms, 433. - - Copeland, 294. - - Cook, O. W., 132, 375, 557. - - Coomb Arabian, 70. - - Cooper, Amos, 253. - - Cooper, Benjamin B., 229. - - Cooper, J. F., Describes Narragansett Pacers, 181. - - Cooper, Richard Isaac, 248. - - Cooper’s Gray, 253. - - Corbitt, William, 501, 505. - - Cossack Horses, 393. - - Cortez Expedition and Horses, 18, 202. - - Coriander, 251. - - Count Byram, 69. - - Count Thoulouse, 69. - - Crabstick, 278, 279. - - Crabtree Bellfounder, 332. - - Crane, Mrs., 361. - - Crazy Jane (Clara), 149. - - Croft’s Bay Barb, 69. - - Cropped Fagdown, 252. - - Cross Heredity, 464. - - Cruger, H. N., 247. - - Cuba, Pacers Exported to, 173, 182. - - Cullen Arabian, 70. - - Cumberland, Duke of, 77, 166. - - Cumming’s Whip, 359. - - Cummins, Col. F. M., 282. - - Curwen’s Bay Barb, 69, 84. - - Cuyler, 275. - - Cynthia, 346. - - - D - - Dabster (Imported), 95. - - Daisy Burns, 502. - - Dame Winnie, 491, 492. - - Dam of Ethan Allen, 384. - - Dam of Jay Gould, 503. - - Dam of Messenger. (See Messenger.) - - Daniel Lambert, History of, 389. - - Daniel D. Tompkins, 241, 325. - - Daniels, P. F., 248. - - Danish Horses, 165, 391. - - D’Arcy White Turk, 68. - - D’Arcy Yellow Turk, 69. - - Darius, the Mede, 30, 50. - - Darley, Mr., 58, 59, 69. - - Darley Arabian, 58, 59, 69, 72, 106, 208, 410. - - Darwin, Charles, 468, 471, 503. - - Dauntless, 275. - - Davis, Jesse M., 345. - - Davis, Barnes, 362. - - Dean, Silas, on American Saddle-Horse, 190. - - Dearing, Jas., 243. - - DeLancey, Mr., Early Turfman, 125, 126. - - DeLancey, James. 368, 369, 370, 371, 375, 376. - - Delevan, W. A., 453. - - Delight, 250. - - Denmark (Gaines’), 194, 195, 318. - - Descendants of Messenger, 255. - - Description of Electioneer, 290. - - Description of George Wilkes, 285. - - Description of Hambletonian (10), 268-270. - - Description of Messenger, 226-228. - - De Soto, Ferdinand, 18. - - De Soto, Expedition and Horses, 202. - - Developed Speed, Breeding from, 499-507. - - Development, Value of, 499-507. - - Dewey, Henry, 362. - - Dexter, 303, 317, 482. - - Dexter’s Race with Ethan Allen, 385-389. - - Dey, Mr., 437. - - Deyr, Syrian Horse Market, 5, 62, 63. - - Dickey, Robert L., Artist, 556. - - Dictator, 275, 311. - - Dictator, History of, 303, 304. - - Dillon, Jesse, 422, 423. - - Dine, John C., 355. - - Diomed (imported), 417, 447. - - Direct Heredity, 464. - - Direct, 305. - - Directum, 305. - - Dirigo, 363. - - Disputed Pedigrees, Investigation of, 409-455. - - Distribution of Horses, Early, 36-50. - - Distribution of Trotters in United States, 515. - - Doble, Budd, 386. - - Dodsworth, 68. - - Doherty, Mr. (see Royal George), 150. - - Dole, Charles S., 305. - - Doll, 361. - - Dolly, 304. - - Dolly Spanker, 284, 285. - - Don Horses, 393. - - Dorrel, Daniel, 352. - - Dover Messenger, 251. - - Downing, Marcus, 316, 362. - - Draco, 286, 357. - - Draft Horses of Pennsylvania, 136. - - Drennon (Brinker’s), 195. - - Drew Horse, 362, 363, 364. - - Drift, 308 - - Driver, 302. - - Driver (Reed’s), 403. - - Dubois, Cyrus, 339. - - Dubois, James, 250. - - Dubois, Major, 342. - - Duke of Cumberland, 77. - - Duke of Leeds, 76. - - Duke of Newcastle, 57, 58, 70, 80, 81, 87, 162, 167, 170. - - Duke of Newcastle. (See Newcastle). - - Durgan, Dr., 454. - - Durkee, Harrison, 304, 351. - - Duroc, 338, 362, 417, 447. - - Duryea, Garrett, 415. - - Dusenbury, Theodore, 340. - - Dutch Horses, 11, 12, 129, 172, 374, 375, 391, 392, 396. - - Dutch Horses in America, 91, 120, 121, 123. - - Dutch Horses in New England, 128, 129. - - Duvall, William, 425, 426. - - - E - - Eagle (Hunt’s), 326. - - Earl of Cumberland, 166. - - Early Bird, 305. - - Early Distribution of Horses, 36, 50. - - Early English Racing, 83. - - Early British Horses, 79, 157, 171, 164, 165, 166. - - Early English Pacers, 158-171. - - Early Exportations of Pacers, 173, 182. - - Early Colonial Pacing Races, 177, 178. - - Early Pacing, Philadelphia, 179. - - Early Thoroughbred Importations, 220. - - Early American Trotters, 456, 457, 515. - - Early Horse History, Canada, 142, 153. - - Eastern Asia Minor, 30. - - Echo, 275. - - Eclipse (Lawrence’s), 332. - - Eclipse (Brawner’s), 439. - - Edgar’s Stud Book, 99, 100, 101, 102, 104, 447, 448, 516, 548, - 549. - - Edsall, Major, 295. - - Edsall’s Hambletonian, 295. - - Edward Everett, 275. - - Edwin Forrest, 325, 361, 362, 417, 457. - - Egbert, 275, 310. - - Egmont, 300. - - Egotist, 293. - - Egypt, First Horses of, 2, 30, 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43. - - Eldridge, Richard, 315. - - Electioneer, History of, 289-294. - - Electioneer, 275, 356, 413, 438, 463, 464, 503, 504. - - Electioneer’s Leading Sons, 293. - - Elector, 293. - - Elgin Marbles, 156. - - Elliot, Colonel, 451. - - Ellzey, Prof. M. C., 74. - - Elphinstone, Admiral, 391. - - Ely, George H., 501. - - Emerson, Mr., 349. - - Emma Mills, 312. - - Emperor Constantius, 79, 95. - - Enchantress, 305. - - Enemies Made by Honest Methods, 511, 512, 534, 535. - - Engineer (English), 212. - - Engineer, History of, 241-243. - - Engineer II., 251, 259, 344. - - Engineer (Burdick’s), 243, 266, 306. - - England, First Horses of, 157-171. - - English Foundation Stock, 8, 68-72-106. - - English Race Horse, The, 67-89. - - English Race Horses, Native, 82, 86-92, 105, 106. - - English Stud Book, 83, 84, 87, 88, 106, 207, 216, 217, 218, 548. - - English Pacers, 84, 85, 86, 192, 193, 473. - - English Race Horses, First Importation of, 95. - - English Trotters, 89. - - English Hackney, The, 400, 408. - - Eoff, James L., 306, 349, 443. - - Ericsson, 318. - - Eros, 293. - - Escape, 146. - - “Esopus Horses,” 122. - - Ethan Allen, History of, 381-389. - - Ethan Allen, 20, 274, 286, 334, 489. - - Ethan Allen’s Race with Dexter, 385-389. - - Ethan Allen (Drury’s), 265. - - Eton Horse, 364. - - Euren, Henry F., 169, 209, 402, 404, 405. - - European, 348. - - Exportation of Pacers, Early, 173, 182. - - Extreme Speed, Breeders of, 501. - - Eyclesheimer, J. L. B., 349. - - Ezekiel, Prophet, 4, 32. - - - F - - Fagdown, 252. - - Fairlawn Farm, 300, 501. - - Fallis, 293. - - Family of Mambrino Chief, 315-320. - - Fancy (by Messenger), 322. - - Fanny, 346. - - Fanny Cook, 389. - - Fanny Kemble, 326. - - Fanny Pullen, 241, 481. - - Fanny Ransom, 334. - - Fantasy, 294. - - Fashion Stud Farm, 308, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505. - - Favorite Wilkes, 288. - - Feagles, David R., 271. - - Felter, Col. Harry, 284, 453. - - Ferguson, George W., 362. - - Ferguson, William, 360. - - Fictions in Early Pedigrees, 104, 105. - - Fictitious Pedigrees, 511, 512, 534, 535. - - “Fidelis,” 557. - - Finnegan, P. A., 335. - - Firetail, 365. - - First Horses in Arabia, 28-31. - - First Horses Brought to America, 142. - - First Importations in New York, 120, 121, 122, 123. - - First Horses in New England, 128, 129, 130. - - First American Racing, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 134. - - First American Race Course, 90. - - First Racing in Virginia, 109, 110, 113. - - First American Horse Advertisement, 130. - - First Race-Horses in South Carolina, 140. - - First Trotting Races, 456, 457. - - First Importations of Thoroughbreds, 95, 96. - - First Impregnations, Influence of, 465. - - First Consul (Bond’s), 233, 322. - - Fisk, A. C., 311. - - Fitz, Stephen, Early English Writer, 158, 159, 170. - - Flanders Horses, 81. - - Flanders Mares, 160. - - Flora, 306. - - Flora Temple, 235-306, 335, 361, 477, 498. - - Florizel, 450. - - Flying Childers, 59, 208. - - Flying Morgan, 382, 383. - - Forbes, J. Malcolm, 538. - - Forshee Horse, 150. - - Foster, Charles J., 99, 218, 219, 221, 285, 286, 487, 511, 555. - - Foundation Stock of England, 68-72, 106. - - Foundation Saddle Stock, 194, 195. - - Founders of Trotting Families, 274. - - France, Early Horses of, 143. - - France, William C., 501, 505. - - Frank, 442. - - Franklin, Benjamin, 136. - - Frauds in Early Pedigrees, 96-97, 100, 101. - - Fred Crocker, 292, 293. - - Frolic, 334. - - - G - - Gades (Cadiz), 44. - - Gage, D. M., 306. - - Gaits of Saddle Horses, 192, 193, 194. - - Gaits, Mechanism of, 154-156, 184, 185-186. - - Gait, The Ambling, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 192. - - Gaits of Colonial Horses, 116, 131. - - Gait, The Pacing, 157-163. - - Gallatin, 451. - - Galloway, Samuel, 74. - - Galloway, R. F., 307. - - “Galloways” in Virginia, 113. - - Galloway Breed, 84, 85, 91, 163, 164, 176. - - Gambetta Wilkes, 288. - - Gameness, Trotter and Runner, 482, 489, 491. - - Gano, 318. - - Gavin, Joseph, 414. - - General Benton, 438. - - General Butler, 286. - - General Knox, 265, 309, 502. - - General McClellan, 363. - - General Taylor, 349. - - Gentry, John R., 17. - - George B. McClellan, 363. - - George M. Patchen, 274, 329, 331, 339. - - George M. Patchen, History of, 333-336. - - George M. Patchen, Jr., 302, 335-336. - - George Wilkes, 275, 308. - - George Wilkes, History of, 284-289. - - George Wilkes, Pedigree of, 453. - - George Wilkes’ Sons, Table of, 288. - - Gibson’s Tom Hal, 359, 360. - - Gideon, 357. - - Gilbert, James, 453. - - Gilmore, David W., 328. - - Gilmore, Frank, 328. - - Gimcrack, 447. - - Gipsey Queen, 432, 433, 434. - - Glasgow and Heinsohn, 342. - - Glencoe (imported), 432. - - Glencoe Chief, 306. - - Glenview Farm, 501, 505. - - Gloster, 302. - - Godfrey Patchen, 336. - - Godwin, Joseph H., 332, 333. - - Godolphin Arabian, 8, 58, 59, 60, 70, 71, 73-78, 84, 106, 353, - 402, 411, 412. - - Godolphin Arabian, History of, 72-78. - - Godolphin Arabian, Pictures of, 73-78. - - Godolphin, Lord, 70, 73, 74, 77, 78. - - Gog Magog (Estate), 70, 73, 76, 77. - - Golden Farmer, 402. - - Goldsmith, Alden, 286, 301, 302, 303, 304. - - Goldsmith Maid, 308, 358, 477, 502. - - Gomer, 28, 29, 32. - - Gooding’s Champion. (See Champion.) - - Gooding, T. W. & W., 346. - - Goodspeed, H. C., 557. - - Goodwin Watson (Strathmore), 309. - - Gordon, Gen. John G., 475. - - Gould, Ebenezer, 236. - - Gould, Jay, 308. - - Gould, Levi S., 440, 442, 444, 555. - - Governor Nicolls Establishes Racing, 90. - - Governor Sprague, History of, 312-314. - - Grace Darling, 363. - - Grand Bashaw, 321. - - Grandsons of Hambletonian, 284-314. - - Grand Sultan, 321. - - Grant’s (General) Arabs, 64. - - Grant, Mr., 349. - - Gray, Angereau, 416. - - Gray, William, 359. - - Gray’s Tom Hal, 359. - - Great Table of Trotters, 542, 551, 558, 559. - - Great Table of Trotting Families, 274. - - Green, A. C., 308. - - Greene, E. J., 364. - - Green, Joseph A., 282, 283. - - Greene, Judge W. E., 364. - - Green, Roger, Pioneer of North Carolina, 139. - - Green’s Bashaw. (See Bashaw.) - - Green Mountain Maid (by Harris’ Hambletonian), 264, 325. - - Green Mountain Maid, 289, 290, 355, 413. - - Gretchen (by Gideon), 357. - - Grey Eagle (Chenery’s), 452. - - Grey Eagle Mare, 439, 440, 441, 442, 444. - - Grey Figure, 253. - - Grey Harry, 237. - - Greyhound, 68. - - Grey Mambrino, 248. - - Grinnell, William R., 259, 345. - - Grinnell’s Champion. (See Champion.) - - Griswold, Judge, 368. - - Griswold, Manley, 437. - - Grosvenor, Lord, 207, 214, 215, 216. - - Growth of 2:30 List, 477. - - Gue, Gurney C., 557. - - Gunn, General, 246. - - Guy Miller, 285, 288, 307. - - - H - - Hackney, The English, 398, 400-408. - - Hackney Stud-Book, 169, 209, 402, 404. - - Haggin, J. B., 335. - - Haic (Haicus), 3, 29, 32. - - Haight, Daniel B., 250, 260. - - Haight, Nelson, 260. - - Halcorn (Peters’), 195. - - Hall, George C., 308. - - Hall, Joseph, 334. - - Halstead, Messrs., 335. - - Hambletonian (Bishop’s), 20, 21, 232, 235, 251, 262, 265, 267, - 306, 487. - - Hambletonian (Bishop’s) Stud Services, 234, 235. - - Hambletonian (Harris’), 20, 150, 235, 261, 309, 348, 437. - - Hambletonian (10), History of, 267-283. - - Hambletonian Speed and Training, 271, 272. - - Hambletonian (10), 20, 21, 258, 303, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, - 314, 323-329, 398, 399, 453, 459. - - Hambletonian (Green’s), 301. - - Hambletonian Jr., 302. - - Hambletonian (Andrus’), 265, 306. - - Hambletonian’s Sons and Grandsons, 284-314. - - Hambletonian’s Sons (table), 275. - - Hambletonian (Wood’s), 297. - - Hambletonian (Judson’s), 235, 265, 306. - - Hambletonian (Parris’), 265. - - Hambletonian (Sprague’s), 313. - - Hamlin, C. J., 501. - - Hanchett Horse, 264. - - Hancock, Joseph, 322, 323. - - Hanley, Moses, 365. - - Hanley, Samuel, 365. - - Hanley’s Hiatoga. (See Hiatoga.) - - Hannibal’s Cavalry, 45, 47. - - Haphazard, 397. - - Happy Medium, 243, 266, 275, 306. - - Harbinger, 299. - - Harding, General, 486. - - “Hark Comstock” (Peter C. Kellogg), 267, 555. - - Harkness, James, 345. - - Harmor, Mr., Colonial Writer, 109. - - Harold, History of, 275, 305. - - Harris, Charles T., 557. - - Harris, S. T., 555. - - Harris’ Hambletonian. (See Hambletonian.) - - Harris, Russell, 263. - - Harrison, Benjamin, 111. - - Harry Clay, 289, 332, 413. - - Harry Wilkes (Conn’s), 313. - - Hartford, First Settlement, 13, 132. - - Harvey, Dr. Elwood, 111. - - Haselton, William, 249. - - Hattie Woodward, 312. - - Havoc, 343, 417. - - Hawkins, Jonathan, 303. - - Hayward, Alvan, 238, 239, 240. - - Hazard, I. T., 174, 175, 177, 178, 181. - - Hazard, Robert, 174. - - Head’em, 334. - - Helena, 294. - - Helm, H. T., 302, 555. - - Helmsley Turk, 68. - - Hempstead Plains Race Course, 12, 90, 122. - - Hendrick, Rev. T. A., 557. - - Hendrickson, William, 335. - - Hendryx, H. J., 310. - - Henry, 338, 449, 450. - - Henry Clay, 285, 336, 454, 455. - - Henry Clay, History of, 327-330. - - Henry Clay Jr., 329. - - Henry Hal, 360. - - Henry, Mason, 319. - - Henry B. Patchen, 336. - - Henry VIII., Law of, 81. - - Heredity, 461. - - Heredity of Acquired Habits and Instincts, 471. - - Heredity of Bad Qualities, 478. - - Heredity of Influence, 465. - - Herbert, Henry, 476. - - Hero, 235, 355, 437. - - Heroine, 301. - - Herr, Dr. Levi, 316, 318, 319, 333, 417. - - Herschell, 300. - - Hetzel, Joseph, 301. - - Hiatoga (“Old Togue”), 365. - - Hiatoga (Rice’s), 364. - - Hiatoga (Hanley’s), 365. - - Hiatoga (Scott’s), 365. - - Hiatt, James M., 557. - - Hibbard, D. B., 347. - - Higbee Brothers, 313. - - High Asia Not Original Habitat of Horse, 24. - - Highland Farm, 501. - - Highland Maid, 477-498. - - Highland Messenger (Wamock’s), 362. - - Highlander (Watkin’s), 360, 361. - - Hill, David, 377, 382, 383. - - Hill’s Black Hawk. (See Black Hawk.) - - Hinda Rose, 292. - - “Hiram,” 437. - - Hiram Drew, 364. - - Hiram, King of Tyre, 35, 41, 48. - - History, Colonial Horse, 108-141. - - History of Abdallah, 255-261. - - History of Alexander’s Abdallah, 294. - - History of Almont, 297. - - History of Andrew Jackson, 323-325. - - History of Imported Bellfounder, 397-400. - - History of Belmont, 299. - - History of Black Hawk, 377-381. - - History of Cassius M. Clay, 330-332. - - History of Daniel Lambert, 389. - - History of Dictator, 303. - - History of Electioneer, 289-294. - - History of Ethan Allen, 381-389. - - History of George M. Patchen, 333-335. - - History of George Wilkes, 284-289. - - History of Governor Sprague, 312-314. - - History of Hambletonian (10), 267-283. - - History of Happy Medium, 306. - - History of Harold, 305. - - History of Henry Clay, 327-330. - - History of Jay Gould, 307-309. - - History of Justin Morgan, 367-376. - - History of Kemble Jackson, 325-327. - - History of Long Island Black Hawk, 327. - - History of Mambrino Chief, 315-317. - - History of Messenger, 222-231. - - History of the Orloff Trotter, 390-397. - - History of the Pacing Horse, 154-171. - - History of Pilot Jr., 343, 344. - - History of the Standard, 518-524. - - History of Strathmore, 309. - - History of Tippo, 145-147. - - History of Volunteer, 301. - - History of Wallace’s Monthly, 554-557. - - History of the Wallace Publications, 547-559. - - Hoagland, Sim D., 264. - - Hobbie, The Irish, 80, 85, 113, 160, 161, 163. - - Hobgoblin, 70. - - Holbert Colt, 311. - - Holcomb, Joel W., 382, 383. - - Holstein, Otto, 557. - - Holton, John A., 421-431. - - Holton, Llewellyn, 421, 423, 424, 426, 428, 429, 430, 431. - - Honest Ance, 349. - - Honest John, 325. - - Honesty, 307. - - Honeywood Arabian, 69. - - Hook, Thomas, 319. - - Hooker, Rev. Thomas, 131. - - Hoosier Tom, 359. - - Hoover, Jonas, 327. - - Hopkins, George, 437. - - Hopples, 157, 473. - - Hopson, Seth P., 260. - - Horse Advertisement, First American, 130. - - Horseman, The, 557. - - Horse Portraiture, Improvement in, 556. - - Horse Racing, First in Virginia, 109, 110, 113. - - “Horse Review, The,” 414, 557. - - Hotspur, 253. - - Houghton Hall, Norfolk, Eng., 76, 77. - - How the Trotting Horse is Bred, 456, 460. - - Howard, Rev. Erastus, 146, 148, 149. - - Howard, James, 94. - - Howard, Sanford, on Winthrop Messenger, 238, 239. - - Hoyt, Hezekiah, 294, 295. - - Hoyt, James W., 414. - - Hudson, Henry, Explorer, 120. - - Huggins, Dr., 474. - - Hulda, 288. - - Hulse Mare, 301. - - Hunt, Benjamin W., 557. - - Hunt, John W., 258. - - Hunt’s Eagle, 326. - - Hunter Mare, 357. - - Huntress, 302. - - Husted, Jacob, 251. - - Hutchinson, Mathias, 253. - - Huxley, Professor, on Primal Horse, 197. - - Hyksos. (See Shepherd Kings.) - - - I - - Iberi and Celtæ (Spanish tribes), 46. - - Idol, 502. - - Importation of Messenger, 223. - - Importations, Early, 220. - - Importations, First, 8-16. - - Importations, First to Virginia, 109, 110, 116, 117. - - Importations of Race Horses, 117, 118. - - Importations of Thoroughbreds, First, 95, 96. - - Impetuous, 306. - - Independent (Mott’s), 312. - - Indiana Belle, 432. - - Indian Hill Farm, 319. - - Indirect and Collateral Heredity, 464. - - Infidel, English Trotter, 214. - - Influence of First Impregnations, 465. - - Inheritance, Laws of, 462, 463. - - Instincts and Characters, Acquired, 471. - - Investigating Pedigrees, 22. - - Investigation of Disputed Pedigrees, 409-455. - - Iola, 261, 325. - - Irish Hobbies, 160, 161, 163, 164. - - Irons, John, 354. - - Irons’ Cadmus. (See Cadmus.) - - Isaiah Wilcox Mare, 266. - - Itasca, 334. - - - J - - Jackson, Josiah, 278, 281. - - Jackson, Tim T., 302, 330. - - Jackson, Thomas, 247. - - Jackson, Thomas, Jr., 241. - - James I. King, 7, 70, 163, 167. - - Janus (Imported), 95, 243. - - Japheth, 3. - - Jaques, Samuel, Jr., 397, 398. - - Jay Bird, 288. - - Jay Gould, History of, 275, 307-309. - - Jay Gould’s dam, 503, 504. - - Jefferson, President, 64, 111. - - Jeffries, Daniel, 323, 324. - - Jenkinson, Thomas, 402. - - Jennet, The Spanish, 160, 161, 174, 175. - - Jenny Duter, 253. - - Jenny Lind, 327. - - Jerome Eddy, 303. - - Jersey Fagdown, 252, 325. - - Jersey Highlander, 417. - - Jersey Kate, 330, 336. - - Jersey Wilkes, 288. - - Jewett, H. C., 501. - - Jigg, 211. - - Jim Munro, 297. - - “J. M.,” 270. - - Job, the Patriarch, 39, 40. - - John Anderson, 330. - - John Dillard, 195. - - John Hal, 360. - - John Netherland, 360. - - John Stewart, 482. - - Johnson, Dick, 84, 418, 441. - - Johnston, Mr., 150. - - Jolly Roger (Imported), 96. - - Jones, Hugh, Colonial Writer, 112. - - Jones, Major William, 236, 246, 247, 256. - - Jones, David W., 226, 236, 237, 241, 247, 252, 256. - - Jones, Gilbert, 260. - - Jones, Peter W., 328. - - Jones, Richard B., 321. - - Joseph (Patriarch), 29, 36, 38, 41, 43. - - Joseph, John, 365. - - Joshua, 40. - - Judge Brigham (Jay Gould), 308. - - Judge Fullerton, 308. - - Judith, 357. - - Judson, Dr. Nathan, 265. - - Julia Johnson, 359. - - Juliet (by Pilot Jr.), 319. - - Julius Cæsar’s Invasion of Britain, 157. - - Justin Morgan, 367-376. - - - K - - Kate (by Pilot Jr.), 297, 298. - - Katy Darling, 294, 295. - - Kattywar Horses of India, 468. - - Kellogg, Peter C., 267, 269, 511, 555. - - Kellogg, Mr. (Battle Creek), 345. - - Kelly, Benjamin, 377-379. - - Kelly, John L., 379. - - Kemble Jackson, History of, 325-327, 331. - - Kemble Jackson Check, 326. - - Kennebec Messenger, 238. - - Kent, Charles, 281. - - Kent & Bailey, 455. - - Kent Mare, History of, 267, 276, 277, 399. - - Kentucky Hunter, 360, 361, 498. - - Kentucky Hunter. (See Skenandoah.) - - Kentucky Methods, Early, 511, 512, 534, 535. - - Kentucky Stud-Book. (See Breeders’ Trotting Stud Book.) - - Kentucky Standard, The, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528. - - Kentucky Trotting Pedigrees, Early, 516, 517. - - Kentucky Union, 312. - - Keokuk, 418. - - Kerner, Charles H., 308. - - King Almont, 299. - - King, David, 345. - - King James Arabian. (See Markham Arabian.) - - King Pharaoh, 341. - - King Rene, 300. - - Kings of Armenia, 29. - - King’s Champion. (See Champion.) - - Kirk, Jacob, 253. - - Kissam, B. T., 256. - - Kissam, T. T., 256, 398, 399. - - Kittredge, Herbert S., Artist, 291, 294, 556. - - Kittrell, M. B., 359. - - Kittrell’s Tom Hal, 359. - - Koontz, John A., on the Wild Horse, 200. - - Kosciusko, 319. - - Kremlin, 306. - - - L - - Lady Alport, 399. - - Lady Balch, 357. - - Lady Clinton, 339. - - Lady Fulton, 482. - - Lady Irwin, 311. - - Lady Jane, 363. - - Lady McClain, 400. - - Lady Maud, 502. - - Lady Moscow, 349. - - Lady Moore, 261. - - Lady Patriot, 301. - - Lady Sanford, 308. - - Lady Shannon, 264. - - Lady Suffolk, 243, 251, 344, 361, 377, 477. - - Lady Surrey, 327. - - Lady Thorn, 286, 308, 317, 318, 319, 399, 502. - - Lady Vernon, 325. - - Lady Waltermire, 309, 313. - - Lady Warrenton, 325. - - Lady Webber, 400. - - Ladd, Mr., 312. - - Lakeland Abdallah, 305. - - Land of Uz, 40. - - Lander, Gen. F. W., 363. - - Lantern, 437. - - Lark. (See Charley B.) - - Last Pacers in Britain, 410. - - Lath, 70, 84, 163. - - Laurence’s Eclipse, 332. - - Lawrence, John, 157, 159, 165, 170, 209, 211, 212, 214, 401, - 402. - - Laws of Breeding, 512-514. - - Laws that Govern, The, 460. - - Law of Heredity, 462. - - Leading Sons of Alexander’s Abdallah, 297. - - Leading Sons of Almont, 299. - - Leading Sons of Belmont, 300. - - Leading Sons of Electioneer, 293. - - Leading Sons of George Wilkes, 288. - - Leavens, Louis T., 146, 147. - - Leedes’ Hobby, 85. - - Leonard, John, 359. - - Leviathan, 451. - - Lewis, Enoch, 177, 178. - - Lewis, Joseph S., 453, 454. - - Lewis, Mr., 112. - - Lexington, 413, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, 451, - 479, 488. - - Like Begets Like, 512, 513, 514. - - Lilly Hitchcock, 443. - - Limber, 424, 426. - - Limber Jack, 359. - - Lincoln, President, 64. - - Lindsay’s Arabian, 93, 94, 132. - - Lindsay, Captain, 94. - - Linsley, Mr., 368, 376. - - Little Albert, 294. - - Little Brown Jug, 360. - - Little Gipsey, 359. - - Lizzie (by John Netherland), 360. - - Lizzie M., 482. - - Loder, G. B., 352. - - Loder, Lewis, 352. - - Logan, Thomas, 322. - - Long Island Black Hawk, History of, 282, 327, 331. - - Longstreet, Dr., 334. - - Loomis Brothers, 361. - - Lord Grosvenor, 448. - - Lord Nelson, 311. - - Lord Russell, Pedigree of, 420-431, 434. - - Lord Russell, 344, 429. - - Louis Napoleon, 303. - - Love, Joel F., 295. - - Lovejoy, Mr., 328. - - Lovelace, Governor, 122. - - Lucas, John, 358. - - Lucas, Le Grand, 529. - - Lucia, 309. - - Luckett, Benjamin, 420, 421, 422, 423. - - Lucy, 286, 308, 309, 335, 502. - - Lucy Fowler, 451, 452. - - Lula, 350, 493. - - Lula Wilkes, 493. - - Lumps, 288. - - Luthy, Prof. Charles T., 557. - - Lynne Belle, 294. - - Lyons, Captain, 369. - - - M - - McDonald, William, 365. - - McDowell, H. C., 304, 524, 526, 527, 528, 529, 531, 533, 552. - - Mace, Dan, 286, 317, 386, 387. - - McFerran, J. C., 526, 527. - - McGrath, Price, 451. - - McKinney, H. D., 557. - - McKinney, Horace, 364. - - McKinstry Mare, 303. - - McLaughlin, Sam, 287. - - Macleod, Leslie E., 404, 557. - - McLoyd, Charles, on the Wild Horse, 200. - - McNitt, Mr., 348, 349. - - McSparran, Rev. Dr., 112, 134, 175, 176, 177, 178. - - Magog Hills (Estate), 73. - - Magnolia, 341. - - Magnum Bonum, 347, 350. - - Mag Taylor, 313. - - Maine Messengers, 515. - - Maine Messenger. (See Winthrop Messenger.) - - Major Edsall, 297. - - Mali, H. W. T., 538, 539, 542. - - Mambrino, 316, 344, 399, 400, 487, 557. - - Mambrino Chief, 20, 21, 261, 350, 418. - - Mambrino Chief and His Family, 315-320. - - Mambrino Chief Jr., 318. - - Mambrino (English), 19, 20, 213, 214, 215. - - Mambrino (Grey), 248. - - Mambrino, History of, 235-237. - - Mambrino Jr., 261. - - Mambrino Messenger, 261. - - Mambrino Patchen, 318, 319. - - Mambrino Paymaster, 20, 237, 251, 259, 261, 315. - - Mambrino Pilot, 318, 319. - - Mambrino Russell, 344. - - Mambritonian, 300. - - Manetho, Egyptian Historian, 37. - - Mannol, 26. - - Manzanita, 292. - - Maria Russell, 420-431. - - Marion’s Guerrillas, 295, 296. - - Maritime Provinces (Canada), 152. - - “Mark Field,” 557. - - Markham Arabian, 57-70, 80, 163, 167. - - Markham, John, 57, 70, 80. - - Markham, Gervaise, 80, 160, 161, 170, 175, 192. - - Marksman, 301. - - Marquis of Cholmondeley, 76. - - Marrett, W. H., 557. - - Marsh’s Primal Horse, 197. - - Marsh, Professor, of Yale, 197. - - Marshall or Selaby Turk, 69. - - Marshall, Mr., Studmaster, etc., 69. - - Marshland Shales, 403. - - Marvin, Charles, 291, 292, 357. - - Mary Bell, 422. - - Mary Churchill, 422, 425. - - Mary Gray (Imported), 96. - - Mary Morris, 439. - - Maryland, 15. - - Maryland, Colonial Horse History, 139. - - Maryland, Racing Prohibited, 15, 139. - - Mason, John T., 358. - - Maspero, Professor, 37, 39. - - Massachusetts, Colonial Horse History, 128-131. - - Masterlode, 275-311. - - Mathes, Albert, 377. - - Matthews, W. A., 335. - - Matlack, T., 179. - - Mattie Howard, 482. - - Maud S., 300, 305, 457, 458, 477, 487, 499. - - Maud S., Pedigree of, 420-431. - - May Day (by Miles Standish), 356. - - May Fly, 311. - - May Morning, 355. - - May Queen, 350, 356. - - Meander, 300. - - Mecklenburg Horses, 391. - - Media, 2, 30, 32. - - Median Horses, 29, 30, 33, 34. - - Medoc, 449. - - Merring, Mr., 352. - - Messenger (Imported), History of, 222-231. - - Messenger and His Ancestors, 205-221. - - Messenger’s Descendants, 255. - - Messenger, Description of, 226, 227. - - Messenger as a Race-Horse, 222. - - Messenger’s Stud Services, 229, 230. - - Messenger’s Sons, 232-254. - - Messenger, (Imported), Reference to, 18, 19, 316, 323, 327, - 332, 338, 344, 348, 349, 357, 361, 362, 399, 417, 457, 459. - - “Messenger,” (the name abused), 254. - - Messenger (Austin’s), 249. - - Messenger (Blauvelt’s), 250. - - Messenger (Bush’s), History of, 243-245. - - Messenger (Coffin’s), 261. - - Messenger (Cooper’s), 253. - - Messenger (Cousins’), 250. - - Messenger (Hutchinson’s), 253. - - Messenger (Nesthall’s), 146. - - Messenger (Ogden’s), 361. - - Messenger (Pizzant’s), 249. - - Messenger (Simpson’s), 364. - - Messenger (Stone’s), 364. - - Messenger’s Runningbred Contemporaries, 220. - - Messenger Duroc, 275-289. - - Messenger Duroc (Backman’s), 310, 311. - - Messenger Duroc (Durland’s), 414. - - Messenger Duroc (Laurence’s), 308. - - Messenger Duroc (Stevens’), 315. - - Middletown, 275. - - Miland, Colonel, 243. - - Miller, Guy, 270, 414. - - Miller, James, 295. - - Miller’s Damsel, 233, 246, 248, 251. - - Millington, Dr., 244. - - Mills, James M., 311, 349. - - Mills, Joseph T., 348. - - Minchin, John, 308. - - Mingo, 339. - - Minor Families, 21. - - Miss Hervey, 397. - - Miss McLeod, 311. - - Miss Russell, 299, 300, 344, 420, 431. - - Miss Shepherd, 423. - - Mittendorf, Prof. Von, 393. - - Modesty, 264. - - Mohammed, 4. - - Mohammed, Flight from Mecca, etc., 53, 54, 55, 56, 57. - - Mohammed’s Mares, 54. - - Mohammedanism in Northern Africa, 47. - - Mohawk, 327. - - Monaco, 300. - - Monkey (Imported), 95. - - Monroe, “Jim,” 295. - - Montaigne, 465. - - Moore, Hon. Ely, 326. - - Moore, R. H., 360. - - Moore, T. D., 359. - - Moors, 46. - - Morden, Isaac, 146, 147, 149. - - Morgan Family, 366-389. - - Morgan Horse, The, 482, 515. - - Morgan Tiger, 265. - - Morgan, Abner, 367. - - Morgan, John, 372. - - Morgan, John, Jr., 367, 369. - - Morgan, Mr., 321. - - Morris, Lewis, 235, 236. - - Morris Family, Turfmen, 125. - - Morris, George F., Artist, 556. - - Morrissey, John, 286, 388. - - Morse, Calvin, 349. - - Morse Horse (Norman), 348, 350, 378. - - Morton, Earl of, 465, 466, 467, 468. - - Mound Builders, 199. - - Mount Ararat, 28, 32. - - Mount Holly, 250. - - Mozza, 348. - - Muley, Ishmael, King of Morocco, 69. - - Munger, Frank. (See Royal George.) - - Munger, William, 364. - - Munson, Isaac, 262, 263, 264. - - Munson Mare, 235. - - Muir, William, Historian, 53. - - Murray, Dr. J. H., 74. - - Murrier, D., English Artist, 77, 78. - - Music’s Dam, 502. - - Mustang, The, 204. - - - N - - Nancy, 355. - - Nancy Dawson, 361. - - Nancy Hanks, 247, 307. - - Nancy Pope, 342, 343, 417. - - Nancy Taylor, 342, 343, 417. - - Narragansett Pacers, 12, 13, 14, 126, 127, 133, 134, 173-182. - - National Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, 517, 518, 519, - 520, 527, 552, 553, 554. - - National Horse Show, 406, 407, 408. - - National Trotting Association, 533, 534. - - Native British Horses, 164, 165, 166. - - Native English Race Horses, 82, 86, 96, 105, 106. - - “Natural History of Man,” 472. - - Neapolitan Horses, 81-168. - - Nelson, 357. - - Nelson, C. H., 357. - - Nestor, 250. - - Nettie Burlew, 346. - - New Amsterdam (New York), 122. - - New Brunswick, 153. - - Newcastle, Duke of, 57, 58, 70, 80, 81, 87, 92, 162, 167, 170. - - New England, Colonial Horse History, 12, 128-134. - - New Jersey, Colonial Horse History, 138, 139. - - New Jersey, Racing Prohibited, 14, 15. - - Newmarket, The American, 90, 91, 122. - - New Netherlands, 11. - - New York, Colonial Horse History, 120-127. - - New York, First Horses of, 120, 121, 123. - - New York the Source of Supply of Trotting Blood, 515. - - Nicolls, Governor, Establishes Racing, 12, 122. - - Nichols, Mr., 474. - - Night Hawk, 347. - - Niles, Stephen, 148, 149. - - Nissæum, Horses of, 30, 34, 50. - - Noble, Henry D., 262. - - Nonpareil, 327. - - Norfolk Trotters, 76, 169, 398, 400. - - Norlaine, 292. - - Norman (Alexander’s), 350, 417, 418. - - Norman Family, 348-351. - - Norman. (See Morse Horse.) - - Norseman, 79. - - North American, 309, 312, 313. - - North Carolina, Colonial Horse History, 139, 140. - - Northern Africans, 46, 47. - - “Northern Kings,” Horses of, 29, 30. - - Northern Syria, 38, 39. - - Norton, Selah, 369, 370, 371, 375. - - Norval, 293, 294. - - Nova Scotia, 153. - - Norwegian Horses, 165, 473. - - Nubian Horses, 31. - - Numidian Cavalry, Hannibal’s, 45. - - Nutwood, 298, 300, 344, 493. - - Nutwood, Pedigree of, 420-431. - - - O - - O’Blennis, 325. - - Odom, Eli, 451, 452. - - Ogden, Judge David, 247, 248. - - Ogden Messenger, 247. - - Ohio Farmer, 352. - - Old Columbus, 151. - - Old Drew. (See Drew Horse.) - - “Old Duroc,” 437. - - Old Jane, 346. - - “Old Keokuk.” (See Keokuk.) - - Old March, 360. - - “Old Narragansett,” 498. - - Old Pilot. (See Pacing Pilot.) - - Old St. Lawrence, 151. - - Old Shales. (See Shales.) - - Old Sorrel. 308. - - “Old” Spirit of the Times, 99-101. - - Old Telegraph, 454, 455. - - Old Theories of Breeding, 510. - - Old Togue. (See Hiatoga.) - - “Old Turfman” (C. R. Colden), 98. - - Oliver, Joseph, 330, 331. - - Oliver, Judge M. W., 557. - - One Eye, 21, 235, 267, 277, 278, 281, 399. - - Oneida Chief, 361. - - Oneness of Trotting and Pacing Gaits, 498, 499. - - Oneness of Trot and Pace, 155,156,184,185, 186. - - Onward, 288. - - Origin of American Race Horse, 92, 96, 105, 106. - - Origin of English Race Horse, 86-92, 105, 106. - - Origin and History of the Standard, 518-524. - - Original Habitat of the Horse, 2, 24-35. - - Orloff, Count Alexis, 391, 395. - - Orloff Trotter, The, 390-397. - - Orser, Sheriff, 328. - - Osborne, Lord Francis Godolphin, 76. - - Ott, Almeron, 346. - - “O. W. C.,” 557. - - - P - - Pace, The, 161-189. - - Pace and Trot, Varieties of One-Gait, 155, 156, 184, 185, 186. - - Pacer of Canada, 142, 143, 151, 152, 153. - - Pacer, The, in Relation to Trotter, 172-189. - - Pacers in Colonial Period, 14, 116, 126, 118, 137. - - Pacers, Early American, 112, 126, 127, 131, 132, 133, 134, 138, - 139, 141. - - Pacers, English, 84, 85, 86, 157-171. - - Pacers, Last in Britain, 410. - - Pacers of Rhode Island, 173-182. - - Pacers in Russia, 392, 393, 394. - - Pacing Ancestry of Saddle Horse, 191. - - Pacing Gaits, Mechanism of, 154-156, 184, 185, 186. - - Pacing Horse, History and Antiquity of, 154-174. - - Pacing Pilot, 152, 195, 299, 316, 343, 416, 417. - - Pacing Pilot, History of, 341-343. - - Pacing and Trotting, Oneness of, 17, 498, 499. - - Packer, L. D., 536, 539, 542. - - Paddy, 377. - - Palgrave, Historian, 52. - - Palo Alto Farm, 289, 291, 293, 294, 491, 492, 501, 503, 504, - 505. - - Parris Horse, 265. - - Parthenon at Athens, Frieze of, 16, 156. - - Pasacas, 299. - - Patchen, George M., 329, 331. - - Paul, 290. - - Paul Pry, 250, 251. - - Peabody, Warren, 295. - - Peacock, 348, 349. - - Pearce, Edmund, 342. - - Pearl, 322. - - Pease, Mark, 363. - - Peck, Harvey W., 557. - - Pedigree of American Eclipse, 446. - - Pedigree of Alexander’s Norman, 417. - - Pedigree of Bay Chief, 418. - - Pedigree of Black Rose, 419. - - Pedigree of George Wilkes, 454. - - Pedigree of Hambletonian, 267. - - Pedigree of Lord Russell, 420-431. - - Pedigree of Maud S., 420-431. - - Pedigree of Messenger, 205-221. - - Pedigree of Miss Russell, 420-431. - - Pedigree of Nutwood, 420-431. - - Pedigree of Pilot Jr., 410, 417. - - Pedigree of Sully Russell, 420-431. - - Pedigree of Sunol, 438-446. - - Pedigree of Tippoo, 145-147. - - Pedigree of Waxana, 438-446. - - Pedigrees, Early Fictions, 8. - - Pedigrees, Early Frauds in, 96, 97, 100, 101. - - Pedigrees, Investigation of, 22, 409-455. - - Pelham, 498. - - Penn, William, Arrival of, 14, 135. - - Pennsylvania, Colonial Horse History, 135-138. - - Pepper, Col. R. P., 397, 421. - - Perkins, Mark D., 328. - - Perry, Alvah, 365. - - Persian Horses, 49, 50, 391, 468. - - Pet, 325. - - Peyton, Balie, 486. - - Pfifer, Dan, 335. - - Phallas, 305. - - Phallamont, 305. - - Pheasant, 232. - - Phidias, Greek Sculptor, 16, 156. - - Philadelphia, Early Pacing at, 179. - - Philips, Clark, 454, 455. - - Philips, E. V., 454. - - Philips, Josiah, 453. - - Philostorgius, 27, 39, 42, 95. - - Phœnicia. (See Phœnician Merchants.) - - Phœnician Merchants, 4, 33, 35, 38, 39, 40-48, 79, 185. - - Photius, Early Writer, 27, 42. - - Pick’s Turf Register, 83, 84, 214, 215, 216. - - Pictures of Horses, First Correct, 556. - - Piedmont, 299. - - Pierce, Abraham, 356. - - Pilot Family, 343, 344. - - Pilot Jr., 274, 309, 316, 416, 417, 458, 463. - - Pilot, Pacing, 195. - - “Pinafore Standard,” (See Kentucky Standard.) - - Pixley, 309. - - Place’s White Turk, 68. - - Plato, 251. - - Plow Boy, 327. - - Plutarch, 465. - - Pocahontas, 355-358, 414. - - Pocahontas (Young), 355. - - Polk Brothers, 359. - - Polkan (Volcan), 392. - - Polonius, 311. - - Polybius, Historian, 45. - - Polydore Virgil, 165, 170. - - Pope Mare, 297. - - Porter Colt. (See Daniel Lambert.) - - Porter, John, 389. - - Porter, Judge J., 245. - - Porter’s _Spirit of the Times_, 99. - - Porter, William T., 98, 99, 235, 259, 344, 437. - - Portia, 493. - - Port Royal, N. S., Raid on, 142. - - Portraits of Horses, First Correct, 556. - - Pot8os, 447. - - Potomac (by Messenger), 245. - - Pray Colt, 279. - - Pray, Ebenezer, 278, 280. - - Pratt, John, 216, 222, 223. - - Primal Horse, The, 18, 195-197. - - Prince, 437. - - Prince Edward Island, 153. - - Prince of Wales’ Arabian Horses, 60. - - Princeps, 319. - - Princess, 235, 243, 266, 306, 307. - - Pritchard, Dr., 472. - - “Privateer,” 555. - - Prophet’s Mares, The, 54, 55, 56. - - Pruden, James, 353. - - Purchas, Samuel, 166. - - Puett, Mr., 435. - - Purposes of Kentucky Standard, 524, 525, 526. - - - Q - - Quagga Story, 465. - - Quaker Lass, 253. - - Quarter Racing, Colonial, 115. - - Queen Ann, 243. - - Queen Mary, 528, 552. - - Queen of Sheba, Visit to Solomon, 40, 42. - - Queen (dam of Blue Bull), 353. - - Quimby, David, 364. - - - R - - Race Horse. The American, 90-107. - - Race Horse, The English, 67-89. - - Race Horses, Native American, 96. - - Races, Early Colonial Pacing, 177, 178. - - Racing in America, Antiquity of, 90, 91. - - Racing in England, Early, 83. - - Racing, First, in America, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 134. - - Racing, First Established American, 12. - - Racing, First in Virginia, 109, 110, 113. - - Racing Prohibited in Maryland, 138, 139. - - Racing Prohibited in New Jersey, 138. - - Racing Prohibited in Pennsylvania, 136. - - Racing Register, Bailey’s English, 83. - - Rack, The, 192. - - Ralph Wilkes, 288. - - Randolph, John, 450. - - Ranger (Lindsay’s Arabian), 94. - - Rattler, 157, 420, 422, 473. - - Raudenbush, George W., 310. - - Ray, John P., 454, 455, 557. - - Raynor Colt, 259, 344. - - Raynor, George, 259, 344. - - Red Bird, 345. - - Red Wilkes, 288. - - Reeder, Dr. George, 475. - - Regan, Joseph, 335. - - Register Association, The American Trotting, 536-545. - - Regulus, 70. - - Regulus Mare and Produce, 206. - - Relf, C. P., 319. - - Remington Horse, 235, 262, 264. - - Reynolds, Edward, 244. - - Reynolds, G. U., 326. - - Rhode Island. Colonial Horse History. 133, 134. - - Rhode Island Pacers, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, - 181, 182, 286, 309, 313. - - Rhode Island and Virginia Pacing Races, 177, 178. - - Ribot, Th., 466. - - Rice’s Hiatoga. (See Hiatoga.) - - Rice, Edward, 364, 365. - - Richards, A. Keene, 6, 7, 64, 65, 66, 93. - - Richard, John, Publisher, 99. - - Richards, Richard, 350. - - Ridgeway, Benjamin C., 248. - - Rip Van Dam’s Pacer, 127, 147, 174, 179. - - Rising Sun, 357. - - Rittenhouse, David, 365. - - Robert Fillingham (George Wilkes), 285. - - Robert J., 306, 309. - - Robin Gray, 419. - - Robinson, Governor of Rhode Island, 174. - - Rockhill & Brother, 310. - - Rockingham (Imported), 322. - - Rockplanter, 346. - - Roderick, King of Visigoths, 46. - - Rodes, Levi T., 318. - - Roe, Seely C., 271, 383. - - Roebuck, 493. - - “Roland,” 557. - - Romaine, Cyrus, 434, 435, 436. - - Romans in Britain, 79, 80. - - Rosalind, 502. - - Rosalind Wilkes, 313. - - Roulin, Mons., 472, 473. - - Rous, Admiral, 4, 67, 71. - - Roxana, 70, 84, 163, 213. - - Royal George, 150. - - Royal Mares, 58, 68, 82, 84, 410. - - Ruins, Prehistoric American, 199. - - Running Blood in the Trotter, 481-496, 511. - - Running Gait, The, 154-156. - - Russell, Capt. John W., 420-431. - - Russell, Col. H. S., 357. - - Russell, Mr., 350. - - Russian Pacers, 392, 393, 394. - - Rylander, Mr., 238. - - Rynders, Capt. Isaiah, 311, 414. - - Rysdyk, Wm. M., 272, 278, 281, 302, 309, 398, 399. - - - S - - Sabæans, 42. - - Saddle Gaits, 192, 193, 194. - - Saddle Horse, American and English, 119. - - Saddle Horse, Ancestry of the, 191. - - Saddle Horse, English, 192, 193. - - Saddle Horse Register, 194. - - Saddle Horse, The American, 190-195. - - Saddle Stock, Foundation, 194, 195. - - Sager Horse (Young Sportsman), 149. - - St. Bel, 293. - - St. Hillaire, Geoffrey, 472. - - St. Julien, 302. - - St. Lawrence (Old), 151. - - St. Marks, Venice, Bronze Horses of, 158. - - St. Victor’s Barb, 410. - - Saladin, 321. - - Sale of Wallace Publications, 536-545. - - Salisbury, Monroe, 501. - - Sally Anderson, 297. - - Sally Miller, 325, 327, 328. - - Sally Russell, Pedigree of, 420-431, 458. - - Sally Slouch, 338. - - Saltram, 451. - - Sam Hazzard, 152. - - Sam Purdy, 335, 337. - - Sampson, 19, 209, 211, 212. - - Sanders, James H., 529, 530, 531. - - Sanders’ Trotting Stud Book. (See Breeders’ Trotting Stud Book.) - - Santa Claus, 310. - - Saracenic Horse. (See Arabs, Turks, Barbs, etc.) - - Saracens, 50. - - Saracens Overthrow Visigoths, 46. - - Saracens in Spain, 473. - - Saratoga, 250. - - Sarpedon, 437. - - Satterwhite, Mr., 441. - - Saunders, H. C., 359. - - Scandinavian Horse, 473. - - Scanlon, James, 333. - - Scape Goat, 147, 149. - - Scobey, Backus & Burlew, 345. - - Scobey, C., 345. - - Scobey’s Black Prince, 346. - - Scobey’s Champion. (See Champion.) - - Scotland, 482. - - Scott, Samuel, 365. - - Scott’s Hiatoga. (See Hiatoga.) - - Scott’s Shales. (See Shales.) - - Screwdriver, 243. - - Seagull, 422, 426. - - Sears, Richard, 307. - - Sedan, Mr., 353. - - Sedley Arabian, 70. - - Seely Abdallah, 283. - - Seely, Daniel, 241. - - Seely, David R., 271. - - Seely, Jonas, Jr., 267, 279, 282, 283. - - Seely, Jonas, Sr., 278, 279, 280. - - Seely, Ebenezer, 280, 283. - - Seely, Edmund, 279, 338, 340. - - Seely, Peter, 279, 399. - - Seely’s American Star. (See American Star.) - - Selaby (or Marshall Turk), 69. - - Seneca Patchen, 336. - - Sentinel, 275, 301. - - Serls, Wilson, 147, 148. - - Services of American Star, 340. - - Services of Hambletonian, 272. - - Services of Messenger, 229-230. - - Seward, W. H., 64. - - Shaftsbury, 253. - - Shales, 401, 402. - - Shanghai Mary, 289, 355, 356, 413. - - Shark, 303. - - Shawhan, John, 358. - - Shawhan’s Tom Hal, 358. - - Shawmut, 301. - - Sheldon V., 146-248. - - Shepherd, Colonel, 422. - - Shepherd, John, 355, 357. - - Shepherd Kings, 36, 37, 39. - - Sherman, B. B., 265. - - Sherman Morgan, 175, 376. - - Sherrill, Louis, 360. - - Shipman, George, 413, 414. - - “Ships of Tarshish.” (See Tarshish.) - - Shiruo, William, 364. - - Shropshire, Benjamin N., 358. - - Shropshire, Mr., Jr., 359. - - Sickles, H. T., 333, 334. - - Sidon, 35. - - Silvertail, 21, 235, 267, 279, 281. - - Simmons, 288. - - Simmons, William L., 286, 287, 453. - - Simmons, Z. E., 285. - - Simpson, Joseph Cairn, 218, 219, 221, 444, 486, 487, 511. - - Singerly, Benjamin, 554. - - Sir Archy, 253, 326, 451, 488. - - Sir Charles, 343, 417. - - Sir Henry, 339, 363. - - Sir Peter, 397. - - Sir Solomon, 246, 251. - - Sir Wallace, 272. - - Sir Walter (by Hickory), 312, 313. - - Sir William, 318. - - Size of Horses, 11, 12, 13, 14, 111, 113, 114, 115, 129, 130, - 131, 136, 137, 140, 168, 172, 173, 179, 182. - - Skenandoah, 362. - - Skinner, John S., 73, 97, 98, 447. - - Skinner’s Turf Register, etc., 73, 76, 97, 101, 224, 548. - - Slasher, 253. - - Slocum, John N., 350. - - Smetanka, 391, 392, 395, 396. - - Smith, Capt. John W., Pioneer, 142. - - Smith, F. G., 557. - - Smith, H. N., 308, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505. - - Smith, J. F. D., Colonial Writer, 114. - - Smith, Thomas T., 345. - - Smith, William B., 433. - - Smuggler, 308, 357, 358. - - Snap Dragon, 447. - - Snediker, Isaac, 256. - - Sniffin, John, 344. - - Solomon, King, 35, 40, 41, 55. - - Somers, George, Early Pioneer, 109. - - Sons of Alexander’s Abdallah (table), 297. - - Sons of Almont (table), 299. - - Sons of Belmont (table), 300. - - Sons of Electioneer (table), 293. - - Sons of George Wilkes (table), 288. - - Sons of Hambletonian (table), 275. - - Sons and Grandsons of Hambletonian, 284-314. - - Sons of Messenger, 232. - - Sophonisba, 259. - - Sorrel Dapper, 346. - - Sorrel Tom (Shawhan’s Tom Hal), 358. - - South Carolina, Colonial Horse History, 140, 141. - - Sovereign (Imported), 433. - - Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History, 42. - - Spain, Early Horses, 45, 46. 47. - - Spanish Horses, 81, 173, 174, 175, 202, 203, 204, 376, 472, 473. - - Spanish Jennets, 160, 161, 174, 175. - - Spaulding, Dr., 333. - - Speed of Hambletonian, 271. - - Speed, John, 379. - - Speed of Narragansett Pacers, 176. - - Sphinx, 293. - - Spirit, 344. - - Spirit of the Times, 548, 551, 557. - - Spirit of the Times (Old), 98, 101. - - Spirit of the Times (Porter’s), 98. - - Spirit of the Times (Wilkes’), 98, 99, 530. - - Sprague & Akers, 313. - - Sprague, Hon. Amasa, 313. - - Sprague (Rounds’), 313. - - Squire Talmage, 275. - - Stamboul, 297. 332. - - Stamboul Arabian, 418. - - Stamina, Trotter and Runner, 482, 489, 490. - - Standard, First Suggestion of the, 519. - - Standard, Origin and History, 518-524. - - Standard, The, 542, 544, 545, 552, 553, 554. - - Standard, The Kentucky. (See Kentucky Standard.) - - Standard, The “Pinafore.” (See Kentucky Standard.) - - Stanford, Leland, 291, 463, 464, 492, 493, 501. - - Stanford University, 293. - - Stanley, Colonel, 238. - - Star of Catskill, 341. - - State of Maine, 151. - - Statue of Washington, Union Square, 331. - - Staying Qualities in Trotter and Runner, 482, 489, 490. - - Stearns, Mr., 346. - - Steele, Andrew, 351. - - Steele, Solomon, 368, 373. - - Steiner, J. H., 542. - - Steel, Robert, 307. - - Steinway, 310. - - Stephanides, William (Fitz Stephen), 158. - - Stevens, Robert L., 334. - - Stevens, John Austin, 123. - - Stewart, Robert, 348. - - “S. T. H.,” 555. - - Stockholder Mare, 422. - - Stone, Elijah, 352, 353. - - Stoner, Col. R. G., 309, 501, 505. - - Stoner, Martin, 349. - - Stonyford Stud, 413. - - Stout, Mrs. S. L., 501. - - Strabo. Greek Historian, 2, 27, 31, 33, 39, 41, 42, 43, 95. - - Strader, R. S., 333. - - Strathmore, History of, 275, 309, 313. - - Strype, John, 158. - - Strideaway, 355, 356. - - Stringfield, John K., 428. - - “Structural Incongruity,” 495. - - Strumpet, 125. - - Stubbs, English Artist, 73, 77, 78. - - Stud Book, Breeders’ Trotting. (See Breeders’ Trotting Stud - Book.) - - Stud Book, Edgar’s, 99, 100, 101, 102, 104. - - Stud Book, English. (See English Stud Book.) - - Stud Book, Sanders’. (See Breeders’ Trotting Stud Book.) - - Stud Book, Wallace’s, 101-104. - - Stump (Adams’), 359. - - Subscription Purses, Early, 90. - - Sultan, 297, 332. - - Sutton, Lewis J., 294. - - Sun, The, 557. - - Sunol, Pedigree of, 290, 292, 294, 438-446, 499. - - Surrey, 327, 328. - - Swedish Horses, 165, 172, 473. - - Swedish Horses of Pennsylvania, 137. - - Sweepstakes, 275, 312. - - Swigert, 350. - - Swigert, Daniel, 351. - - Swigert, Philip, 440, 442, 444, 446. - - Swiss Boy, 422. - - Sykes, Mr., 362. - - - T - - Tables—Founders of Great Trotting Families, 274. - - Tables—Sons of Alexander’s Abdallah, 297. - - Tables—Sons of Almont, 299. - - Tables—Sons of Belmont, 300. - - Tables—Sons of Electioneer. 293. - - Tables—Sons of Hambletonian, 275. - - Tacony, 145, 149. - - Tappan, George, 261. - - Tarshish, Ships of, 4, 33, 44, 49. - - Tattersall, Mr., 447. - - Tattler, 493, 502. - - Taylor, G., on Early New England Horses, 132. - - Taylor, Mr., 422. - - Taylor, Samuel, 345. - - Tefft, Mr., 349. - - Ten Broeck, R., 437. - - Terry, Samuel Hough, 557. - - Texas, 195. - - “The American Roadster,” 449. - - “The Blessing,” Voyage of, 109. - - The Conqueror, 305. - - The King, 288. - - The Moor, 297. 332. - - “The Perfect Horse,” 449. - - Theopholis, 42. - - Thomas, Colonel, 369. - - Thomas Jefferson, 151, 433, 482. - - Thomson, Allen W., 378, 380, 433, 557. - - Thorne, Edwin, 260, 302. - - Thorndale, 297. - - Thoroughbred Blood in the Trotter, 481-496, 511. - - Thoroughbreds, First in America. 95. 96. - - Thoroughbreds, First in New York, 125. - - Thoroughbred Foundations, 511, 513. - - Thoroughbred, The Term, 483, 484, 485, 486, 487, 488 - - Thoroughbred, What Constitutes a, 483, 484, 485. - - Thoulouse Barb, 69. - - Thurston, Benjamin, 377. - - Thutmosis I., 29, 36. - - Timoleon. 450, 451, 488. - - “Tin-cup” Records, 506. - - Tippoo (by Messenger), 399. - - Tippo, Canadian Progenitor, 145, 146, 147. - - Tippo Saib, 246, 276, 327. - - Tippo Sultan, 233, 234, 246. - - Titcomb & Waldron, 350. - - “Titmouse Stud Book.” (See Breeders’ Trotting Stud Book.) - - Togarmah, 28, 29, 32, 33. - - Togarmah, Land of, 49. - - Tom Bowling, 451, 452. - - Tom Hal, 152, 195, 433. - - Tom Hal Family, 358-360. - - Tom Hal (Gray’s), 359. - - Tom Hal Jr. (Gibson’s), 359, 360. - - Tom Hal (Kittrell’s), 359. - - Tom Hal (Lail’s), 358. 359. - - Tom Hal (Shawhan’s), 358. - - Tom Hal (Shropshire’s), 359. - - Tom Patchen, 336. - - Tom Rolfe, 355, 356, 357. - - Tom Teemer, 419. - - Tom Thumb, 281. - - “Tom Titmouse Stud Book.” (See Breeders’ Trotting Stud Book.) - - Tom Titmouse, Pacer, 531, 533. - - Tone, Richard, 333. - - Tone, Thomas, 333. - - Topgallant, 237, 451. - - Torgom, 28. - - Toronto Chief, 151, 433. - - Tracy, Gen. B. F., 553, 557. - - Training of Hambletonian, 271. - - Trajan, Emperor, 43. - - Transfer of Wallace Publications, 536-545. - - “Travels Through the States,” 118. - - Traveler (Imported), 95. - - Traveler (Lloyd’s), 371. - - Traveler (Morton’s), 371. - - Traveler. (See Beautiful Bay.) - - Tredwell, Alfred M., 302. - - Tredwell, John, 255, 256. - - Tredwell Mare, 250, 251. - - Trot and Pace, Varieties of One Gait, 155, 156, 184, 185, 186. - - Trotter in Relation to Pacer, 172-189, 498, 499. - - Trotters in England, 89. - - Trotters in 2:15 List, Breeders of, 501. - - Trotting Gait, Mechanism of, 154-156, 184, 185, 186 - - Trotting Horse, How He is Bred, 456. - - Trotting Instinct, 23. - - Trotting Races, Early, 138. - - Trotting Races, First in America, 456, 457. - - Trotting Register, 508, 518, 520, 522, 529, 531. - - Trotting Register Association, The American, 536-545. - - Trotting Register, Enemies Made by, 511, 512, 534, 535, 543, - 544, 545, 559. - - Trotting Register, Transfer of, 536-545. - - Trouble, 264. - - Troye, Animal Painter, 65. - - True Briton. (See Beautiful Bay.) - - True John, 264. - - Truffle (Imported), 419. - - Trustee (Imported), 334, 452, 481. - - Tucker, Joseph, 262, 263. - - Tulip Hill (Estate), 74. - - Turf Mare. (See Messenger.) - - Turf Papers, Timidity of, 510. - - Turf Papers Too Numerous, 510. - - Turf Register, Pick’s, 83, 84. - - Turk, 411. - - Turk (Bartlett’s), 346. - - Turk (Weddle’s), 346. - - Turks, 81, 82, 85, 168, 391. - - Turks (English Foundation Stock), 68-72. - - Tuscarawas Chief. (See Scott’s Hiatoga.) - - Tuthill, A. T., 347. - - Tweed, James Davis, 365. - - Tweedie, General, 43. - - Twenty-Mile Trotters, 482. - - Twombly, Shade, 377. - - Twombly, Wingate, 380. - - Tyre, 4, 35. - - - U - - Udell, Colonel, 250. - - Underhill, Judge, 265. - - Underhill, R. C., 302. - - Updike, Mr., Writer, 177. - - Upton, Major, 26, 54. - - Useful Cub, 401, 402. - - Utica, Algeria, 44. - - Utter Horse, 311. - - Uz, Land of, 40. - - - V - - Vail, Thomas J., 433, 434. - - Valentine, Native English Runner, 80. - - Van Buren, President, 64. - - Van Cortland, A., 332. - - Van Cott, W. H., 345. - - Vanderbilt, Commodore, 279. - - Van der Donck’s Description of New Netherlands, 121. - - Van Kirk, John S., 347. - - Van Ranst, C. W., 224, 229, 246. - - Vanvliet, Daniel, 437. - - Van Wyck, Z. B., 330. - - Vatican, 300. - - Veech, R. S., 303, 310, 318, 419, 420, 424, 501, 526, 527. - - Velocity, 397. - - Vergennes Black Hawk, 313. - - Vermont, 264. - - Vermont Black Hawk. (See Black Hawk.) - - Vernon Arabian, 70. - - Viatka Horses (Russian), 393, 394. - - Victor Bismarck, 275. - - Virginia, 8, 9, 10, 11. - - Virginia, Beverley’s History of, 111. - - Virginia, Colonial Horse History, 108-119. - - Virginia, First Importations to, 109, 110, 116, 117. - - Virginia, First Racing in, 91. - - Virginia, First Settlement of, 108. - - Virginia and Rhode Island Pacing Races, 177, 178. - - Virgo, 311. - - Visigoths and Saracens, 46. - - “Vision,” 557. - - Vixen, 68. - - Volcan. (See Polkan.) - - Voltaire, 493. - - Volunteer, History of, 275, 301, 313. - - Von Mittendorf, Professor, 393. - - - W - - Wadsworth, General, 328, 453. - - Wagner, 432. - - Walk, Mechanism of the, 154-156. - - Walker Horse, 437. - - Walker, J. H., 310. - - Wallace, Gen. Lew., 66. - - Wallace, John H., 528, 547-559. - - Wallace Publications, History of, 547-559. - - Wallace Publications, Transfer of, 536-545. - - Wallace’s American Stud Book, History of, 548, 549. - - Wallace’s American Trotting Register, History of, 550-554. - - Wallace’s Monthly, 74, 111, 132, 169, 218, 233, 256, 275, 294. - 295, 356, 415, 423, 428, 453, 483, 519-525, 527-531. - - Wallace’s Monthly, History of, 554-557. - - Wallace’s Year-Book, History of, 557-559. - - Walpole, Sir Robert, 76. - - Wapsie, 252. - - Ward, Mr., 368, 371, 375. - - Warlock, 300. - - Warrior (Black Warrior), 149, 150. - - Washington, 322. - - Washington Statue, Union Square, 331. - - Waterloo, 300. - - Waterwitch, 514. - - Watkins, Julius, 361. - - Watson, John F., 126, 179, 180. - - Watt, Joseph, 365. - - Waxana, Pedigree of, 438-446. - - Waxy (grandam of Sunol), 438-446. - - Weatherby, Mr.. Compiler of English Stud Book, 71, 83, 84, 87, - 88, 106, 210, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217. - - Weaver, John, 324. - - Webster (by Medoc), 319. - - Wedgewood, 300. - - Weights, First Use of, 157, 473. - - Weisiger, Mr., 436. - - Weismann, Professor, 471. - - Welch, Aristides, 309. - - Welch, John P., 438, 439, 440, 442, 444, 445, 446. - - Welch, Samuel, 361. - - Wesley Grey, 70. - - West, Col. R., 297, 304, 310, 311, 358, 526, 527. - - Western Asia, 30, 32. - - Western Girl, 502. - - Whelan, William, 320, 437, 481. - - Whip (Cannon’s), 419. - - Whip (Cumming’s), 359. - - Whisky Jane, 336, 337. - - Whitehall, 309, 313. - - Whitney, Frank, Artist, 556. - - Whynot, 323, 410. - - Whynot Messenger, 249. - - Whyte, Mr., English Author, 159. - - Wickham, Mr., 450, 451. - - Widow Machree, 311, 414. - - Wilcox, Isaiah, 266. - - Wilcox Mare, 266, 306. - - Wilcox, Mr., 149. - - Wildair, 451. - - Wildair Mare, 450. - - Wild Deer, 149. - - Wild Horses of America, 196-204. - - Wild Horses of Arabia, 26. - - Wild Wagoner, 336. - - Wiley, John, 365. - - Wilkes Boy, 288. - - Wilkie Collins, 288. - - Wilkes (Mr.), George, 99. - - Wilkes’ Spirit of the Times, 99. - - Wilkins, Richard, 249. - - William (Imported), 432. - - William Hunter Mare, 357. - - Williams, C. W., 501. - - Williams, G. T., 315. - - Williams, John, 434, 435, 436. - - Williams, John, Jr., 348. - - Williams, Mr. (Owner of Godolphin Arabian), 73. - - Williams, Roger, 13, 133. - - Williams’ Turk, Sir J., 69. - - Williams, Warren, 315. - - Wilson, James, 352. - - Wilson, Sir R., 31. - - Wilson, William H., 491, 501, 505. - - Wilson’s Blue Bull. (See Blue Bull.) - - Wilton, 288. - - Winthrop, 364. - - Winthrop Messenger, 20, 363, 481. - - Winthrop Messenger, History of, 237-241. - - Wiser, Hon. J. P., 147. - - Withers, Gen. William T., 297, 304, 307, 312, 333. - - Woodburn Farm, 300, 350, 415, 416, 420-431, 516-532. - - Wood, W. H., 271. - - Woodford, 319. - - Woodford Mambrino, 318, 319. - - Woodford Wilkes, 288. - - Woodmansee, L. D., 355, 357. - - Woodnut, H. C., 304. - - Woodpecker, 437. - - Woodruff, George, 334, 325. - - Woodruff, Hiram, 326, 346, 481. - - Woodward, S. B., 382, 383. - - Woodward, William, 443. 444. - - Wootton, English Artist, 76, 77. - - Worden, Mr., 437. - - Wyllis, Colonel, 94. - - - Y - - “Yah Amerikanski,” 555. - - Yates, L. E., 364. - - Year-Book, Transfer of, 536-545. - - Yemen, 2, 28, 55. - - Yemen (see also Arabia), 40, 42, 43. - - Youatt on the Pace, 170, 171. - - Young Andrew Jackson, 327. - - Young Bashaw, 321, 322, 327, 336. - - Young Bay Kentucky Hunter, 368. - - Young Bulrock, 375. - - Young Commander, 243, 357. - - Young Conqueror, 360. - - Young, Daniel, 245. - - Young Eclipse (Sherman’s), 347. - - Young Engineer, 357. - - Young, George A., 283. - - Young Jim, 288. - - Young Morrill, 357. - - Young One Eye, 278, 279. - - Young Patriot, 301. - - Young Pocahontas (2:26¾), 355, 356. - - Young Portia, 493. - - Young Rolfe, 357. - - Young Selim, 353. - - Young Sportsman (Sager Horse), 149. - - Young Wilkes, 288. - - - Z - - Zachary Taylor, 241. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Horse of America in his -Derivation, History, and De, by John H. 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