Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-10-27
AN UNEXPECTED RACE.

AN UNEXPECTED RACE.
In one IF the larger towns of Worcester
| County, Massachusetts, used 10 live "a cler.
eyman, whom we will call RIGewel, He
was of the Baptist persuasion, and very
rigid in his ideas of moral propriety. He
had in hishemuloy an old negro. named
PnmupY, and if this latter individual was
not 80 etTict 10 his morals as his master. be
was at least very coming deg, and ras
sed in the reverend household for pattern
of 2ropriety. Pompey was a useful SER
want, and the old clergyman never hesita-
ted to trust him with the most important
| business.
Now it so happened that there were,
dwelling in and about the town, sundry in
dividuals who had not the fear of the
| dreadful PENALTIES which MIR. Rdewell
! preached about before their eyes, for it
was the wont Of these people TO copgregate
on Sabbath evenings upon level piece of
! land in the outskirts of the town and there
race horses. This spot was hidden from
view by dense piece of woods nd for u
| long while the Sunday evening races were
carried on there without detection by the
officers, or others who might have stopped
them.
1t also happened that the good III cler,
gyman owned one Of the hest hUrses in the
county. This horse was of the Nor gan
stock, with a mixture of the Arabian blood
in his veins, and it was generally Known
that few beasts could pass him Of the read
Mr. Ridewell. with dignity bee ming b Is
calling struly declared that the feetness
at his horse never afforded him pny gratif-
cation. and that. for his own part, hs would
| as lief have any other. Yet money could
not buy his Morgan, nor could any
amount of argument persuade him to
swap.
The church was SO near to the good
ciergyman's dwelling that he always walk
ed to meeting, and his horse was cOnse-
qnently allowed to remain in the pas
turs.
P0mpey discovered that these races were
on the tapis, and he resolved to enter his
masters horse on his own account, for be
felt sure I'D Morgan could beat anything
in the shape Of horsefe!h that could be
produced in that quarter. s. on the very
next Sunday evening. he hid the bride
under his jacket, went out into the pasture
and caught the horse. aud then rode If
towards the spot where the wicked ones
we're exaggerated. Here be found some
dozen horses assembled, and the racir G
was about to commence. Pnmpey mount
ed bic beast, AVID at the signal he started.
Old Morgan entered into the spirit Of the
thing, and came out two rods ahead +
everything. So POmpey won quite pile.
and before dark he was well initiated in
| hOrseracing
POmpey succeeded in getting home with
out exciting any suspicious, and he now
longed for the Sabbath afternoon to come,
for he was determined to try it again He
| did 20 again, and again he won; and this
! course of wickedness he kept ~ for two
months. making his appearance on the
racing-gr uud every Sunday afternoon, as
soon a. he could after meeting was out.
And during this time POmpey was not the
| only one who had learned to love the racing
! No, for old Morgan himself had come to
! love the excitement of the thing too, and
his every motion when upon the track
showed how zealously be entered into the
spirit Of the game.
But these things were not always to re-
main a secret. One Sunday pIous dea-
con beheld this racing from distance, and
| straightway went to the parsOn with the
alarming intelligence The Rev Mr. Ride.
we'll was utterly checked His moral fee
ings were outraged, and he resolved at
once to put stop to the wickedness Du-
ring the week he made many inquiries, and
he learned that this thing had been prac-
tised all summer on every Sabbath after
noon. He bnde his parishioner keep qui-
ct. and he told them that on the next Sum
day he would make his appearance on the
very spot and catch them in their deeds of
| iniquity. -.aese-
On the following Sabbath, after dinner,
Mr.. Ridewell ordered Pompey to bring Up
| old Morgan and put him in the stable
The order was obeyed. though not without
many misgiviDgs on the part of the faithful
negro. As soon as the afternoon services
were closed, the two deacOns and some
others of the members of the church &C.
companied the minister home, with their
horses
at is the most vsgrent piece of abopni.
nation that ever came under nv observa-
ton said the indignant Clergyman, as thew
rode on.
1t is, most assuredly,' answered one o.
the deacons.
Horse racing on the Sabbath !! ute eC
the minister.
Dreadful echoed the second dea-
con.
And so the conversation went on unit
they reached the top of gentle eminenc'
which overlooked the plain where the rae.
ing was carried on and where seine dpz Il
hOrsemen, with a score of locker wer
assembled The sight was one which chil
led the good parson to his soul. He re-
NAMED mOtonless until he had made on
the whole alarming truth.
Now my brothers. said he, 'let US rid
down and confront the wicked wretches
and if they will down upon their knees ant
inplore Gods mercy, and promise to do 81
no more, we will not take legal actor
,o--iust them. Oh, that my own l9nC
.SonId he desecrated thus! for indeed i
'~
was section of his own uu,u.,
As the good clergyman thus spoke, hs
started on towards the scene. The horses