The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-11-06

trained, docile and easy one? he admits,
that Mrs, RoBIssoH did est her horse grace
fully" and that sbe ssunderstood well how
to manage him;'' but in his opinion she gave
too much attention to her horse. This last
feature did not notice. When she passed
our side Of the ring, she recognized, smiled
and bowed to acquaintance. But what
about her horse? The facts, rs learn them
from good authority, are these: The horse
she rode had not been under saddle for q
year and half, or two years-he had never
before been rode BY woman, and Mrs.
ROBINSON never sat upon bis back till the
day of the tournament. When she FIRST
mounted him, he showed unmistakable signs
OF uneasiness and displeasure at his new
rider and her long riding skirt, which fell
about his legs. And yet she rode this horse
upon the ground to compete for the prize,
and not only sat him gracefully, but man
aged him admirably, and rode him half
round the circle, at least, at a speed excelled
by but one OF two horses on the ground.
1t should be remembered too, that while
the other riders had been practicing on the
course for weeks, preparatory to the tourna-
ment, Mrs. ROBINSON had kept aloof till the
hour for riding came, and then entered the
ring on strange, untamed, and spirited
horse. There was trembling and fear lest
accident should befal her, and when she
passed through the trial unframed, and
with so much credit to herself, already, in
the minds of many, the second premium was
awarded her, long before the decision of the
judges was made known. That Miss WHITE
was entitled to the first premium, have
never heard questioned; and how any one
of common fairness could dissent from the
decision of the judges so far as to place
three or four others above Mrs. ROBINSON,
cannot understand, except on the ground Of
personal ill-feehng towards that lady,
That there were several other excellent
riders, all must admit, and it would hard
matter to decide between them. Had Mrs.
ROBINSON rode either of their horses, she
might not have been any more entitled to
premium than they and had either of them
rode her horse. the one so riding might have
taken the prize instead Of Mrs. ROBINSON
But think there is something in good
Craftsmanship worthy of consideration-an and
so thought the judges, no doubt-and sup
pose the successful competitors gained the
premiums not altogether for careless and
graceful riding, but for their bold daring,
and skillful management of the most trough,
head-strong, unmanngeable' horse, in the
one case, and the most gay, high-spirited
unframed one in the other, combined with
grace and ease in riding.
If lack of attention to horse was the
great requisite to obtain prize, Miss JACK
son surely should have had one, for her horse
needed no attention whatever. She could
give her whole attention to herself, to the
bystanders, or ''like Joan of Arc, WELD the
sword" and her horse would carry her
round all the same. In this she had the adj
vantage over all the others. But unfortun-
ately for her-or rather for her champion of
the Bugle-others did not think that ease
and grace, on a horse like hers, was every
thing; and while all admitted her merits,
they saw superior ones in others. That she
claimed and expected premium, or that
her friends did for her, was we'll known at
the time Of, and previous to, the riding but
when the trial came off, there was a general
feeling among the uninterested, that If Miss
JACKSON expected and really deserved a
preference-sh must ride one Of the horses
of the successful competitors, or at any rate,
one different from her own, before the peo-
pie would accord her all the praise her
friends claimed for her. 1t may be that in
such case she would have exceled all the
others. Who would have been the second
choice, had not Mrs. Robinson so unexpect-
edly appeared upon the ground, it is hard
to say. Some think Miss JACKSON, and
some say this one, and some say that
Probably it would have fallen to Miss JACK
soN-unless the "upright- riding" preiudiced
the judges, as it did many of the bystanders,
against her. That "nineteen twentieths Of
the persons who witnessed the riding" or
that half that number, thought her entitled
to either of the premiums awarded, do
not believe. 1t is one of those extravagant
expressions for which the Bug!e is so ia
nous, and will be regarded in the same light
as his other explosions Of ill-humor.
The article winds up with the triumphant
statement that" ga purse of one hundred and
fifty dollars has been made up" by our citi-
zens. to purchase a saddle and bride for
Miss JACKSON, "a pretty round sum to give
to one lady these hard times.)
If our citizens see fit to present Miss
Jackson, or any other lady, with hundred
and fifty dollars as manifestation of their
appreciation of her riding, they have per-
feet right to do it-though it is certainly
setting her up pretty steep, cannot with
hold the opinion that it would be better to
spend it all in saddles, and present one to
each of the unsuccessful comprehension at
least to the three or four most deserving
ones. 1t is certainly undertaking the
others greatly, to choose out one for such
high fayors.
If our citizens who have raised this purse,
intend it to show their dissatisfaction with
the decision of the judges, and to cast reaec-
tons upon them-and such is the look of it
then it is gross insult to those gentlemen
who undertook so difficult and thankless a
task, and should be rebuked both by the
press and the more honorable portion of our
people.
But have already drawn out this COM
munication to an unwarrantable length and
must bring it to close. I will only add,