The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-05-11
THE DAILY EMPIRE.
H. n. ROBINSON,
The Kaces. RaclIy ConsIdered.
PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR.

| Mr.. A. NJ. GRrswoLD sends us his last STAT
Contributor" elfuslon, which recently APP
peared In the Cincinnati Times. We print
II as below:
The two leading races are, the race of
man, called the human race, and the horse
race, which some consider inhuman The
Indian race Is nearly run. A mill race or a
race TO a 'mill' occurs when prize fight
Is announced. OF all the races that have
been upon the tapis recently. the black
race attracts the most of public attention.
congressman make speeches upon IL, clergy
men preach about IL, and Wendell Phillips
is ready TO bet his money on it.
flatter myself that know something
about the horse race. had a passion for
horse racing when lad, and used TO run
horses with neighbours boy in Tompkin's
lane. How vividly do l recall my last race.
rode the governors grass fed mare, a
sorrel roam, If L remember correctly, with
two white feet in the forehead. She
was little foundered in one eye, but, with
the exception Of something like water
melon on each knee, her intellect was un-.
impaired. She was sired by Canal Horse,
and id by every one who drove her
Neighbor's boy rode cream-colored chest
nut, with spring halt to harness. On the
home stretch ] was neck and halfa
shoulder blade behind, gently encouraging
the old mare to do her level best by the
application of a corn cutter TO her aged ribs
The limp which she had in her eye pre-
vented her taking q clear view of a
heap of cobble stones In the lane, and when
she struck them there was a stumble,
clatter of stones, horse-shoes and old bones,
and the old mare was wrecked and no in
surance.
was picked up bleeding and insensible,
and | made the remainder of the home
gtrpfnh a raj phar In
blanket. The race was decided in my ia
vor. The judges allowed, although was
neck behind when the old mare stumbled
yet. as | escaped without my neck being
broken, came out neck ahead.
Although exceedingly fond of the races,
don't attend them very often now-a-days.
My corpulency is too annoying. can ONLY
get in through the horse gate. Then the
boys yell. "Here comes the prize OK ~ and
insist on my being trotted over the course
TO show my points.
The first thing that struck me at a race
course-no, not the first thing, for that was
the shaft TO sulky, but the next thing
was the open disregard of the rules of the
course. Although "public stand" was paint
ed upon shed in letters so large that the
horse that runs may read, there were the
public sitting down. But the public have
to stand q great deal at the race course. |
saw another shed labelled ''reporter's
stand" i asked reporter what IL meant,
and he whispered, stand treat" stood it,
Bidding off pools for the horses, was
the reply ! received, when inquired the
meaning of an auction scene on the course
innocently inquired if those pools were
horse ponds, but he only gave me look of
silent contempt. | finally dropped u fifty-
dollar note in one of these pools. No more
pool" for me. -s4s
Foot races are not as popular as they
once were. People are too lazy to run now.
unless they run for office. ! ran for prize
once in foot race. | was not quite so fat
as | am now. l only weighed four hun
dred and forty pounds. 1t happened
thus: / was attending the Oneida County
Fair, at Utica. They got up a prize for the
fastest runner. In those days (this was be-
fore onerous tax on whisky,) used to in
dulge occasionally in that cup which makes
us cheer and be an inebriate, MS Cowper has
it. In playful moment l asked the bows
to get me tight and have fun with me, and
they took me mt my word. The bar-keeper
assisted them by putting liquor in my gin
cocktail while my back was turned. adding
alchoholic stimulant to my whisky. and
pouring decoetions of malt into my beer.
have since suspected that tobacco was
mingled with my cigars, but on that point
am not quite clear.
Although 1t exhausted the contents of
nearly every bar on the ground to do il, yet
l got full" and the fumes of the LIQUOR
arose from my stomach to my BRAIN as
from an immense cauldron, causing me to
behave In the most ridiculous and insane
manner. | felt as ETHEREAL US a sylph, and
actually went through with fip-fap,
landing on my back. attempted to throw
a back summersault through balloon, re-
sulting in the total annihilation of a con-
fectionary stand, into which / dove head
first. / ruthlessly seized the "Fat Woman
in her tent .zuaIe>je<She around in a waltz
until she stf{eketf. l offered 10 permit the
"Liying Skeleton" to hold me out at arms
lensel, sitting on his palm. My absurdi-
ties drew crowd of delighted spectators.
and when IL was suggested TO me that
should compete for the prize at the foot
race, fool that was, l eagerly jumped at
the offer.
No Athenian athlete ever entered tlA
area amid such tumultuous applause as
greeted my appearance on the course,
pealed for the race. Talk about the Gre
clan games; they afforded no such game as
| did that day.. There stood among the
other contestaAsee pants secured around
the waist with sefyfse {Eirs of borroYed
(my oosH VIA insufficient 60
go round) shirt collaf "a 1I,,<nzCd andSbald
head shining In the .f<*fl.&
or ten % *.
The crowd jeered and y,~.s<--...=1'
Nlseu mt W lit uoNu anu
course. Another said If l codilI b f,In
around / had better black my face and try
n ''walk around" | think he was a min
strel.
"You run foot race p said butcher,
derlsively, taking in my size and fatness
with professional eye, 'there Is only one
thing you are fit TO rum
''What Is that z" said |.
''Run cdRdieS!"
Frenzied by the insult and the veil of
which went up from the crowd, /
rushed ut my tormentor, who turned and
fed. As l pursued him, devastation fol-
lowed upon my track. overturned thresh-
ing machines got entangled among cultiya-
tors, upset bee hives, crumbled patent fences
like glass, In getting over them, dashed
through the floral department. amid the
shrleks Of the women. as flower pots were
topling 10 the ground, and finally, In my
blind frenzy, stumbled headlong into a vat
of crude petroleum. huge dredging
machine, for use In our harbors, being on
the grounds, was brought into requisition,
and was scooped up aud left In the aar 70
''drean.n IL had had any itching TO be
''in OIL before, that experience satisfied
me. Thus ended my first and last foot
race. Yours raeily,
= -.