Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-09-14

ing by the police, and presented to the
CITY court, but his case was set for ex'
animation next Monday. Several other
members of the party were arrested
yesterday, and committed to the sta
ton house.
Gault was removed TO the city hospl-
tai, but his wounds are SO serious that
ne is not expected to recover.
Race In a Thunder STERN After BARK.
We doubt if there is o record an
more perilOus race than one III which
the late Hiram Woodruff bore a con-
spicuous part, and now appears as the
narrator. We find the account In a
late number of Wilkes Spirit of the
Times:
In 1843 Dutchman was brought TO
New York and again placed In my
charge. Our first race that season,
and 10 was the last season the old horse
trotted on she turf, was against Ameri-
Gus and lady Suffolk, two mile heats in
harness, over the Beacon Course. Bry-
ant drove the lady, Spicer Americas,
and /. Dutchman. Dutchman won the
frat heat. Americas the second, and
Dutchman the third. Lady Suffolk
was third in I'll the heats. In week
or ten days thereafter, we went three
milo heats in harness, over the Beacon
Course, and it was q tremendous race
of four heats. The first was won
by Dutchman. The second was stoutly
contested, but Americas won 1t.
The third heat was more hOtly contest
ed than the latter two, and resulted IN
a dead heat between the old horse and
Americas. Lady Suffolk was now ruled
out for not winning a heat IN three,
and the betting was heavy, Dutchmqn
having the call. The long summer day
had drawn rapidly to a close. AT the
same time the heavens were overcast,
aud with fading CLEANS of dim, yellow
light, the sun sank into great banks OF
clouds. They mounted higher and
higher, and seemed to lie a load upon
the weary earth. The heat was intense,
and not a breath of air stirring to break
the ominous report With the last
flicker of day, the swift scud began to
fv overhead, and the seeming solid
clouds TO tower up and come ON Ike
moving mountains. 1t was dark when
we got into the sulkies, and, soon after
the start, the storm burst upon us with
a fury have never since seen equalled.
The wind blew a hurricane, and the
peiting rain fell In torrents as though
the sluices of the skies had opened all
at once.
Nothing could have Overpowered the
mighty rush OF the wind and the fuTi-
Gus splash of the rain, but the dread,
tremendous rattle of the thunder. 1t
seemed TO be discharged right over our
heads and only few yards above us.
Nothing could have penetrated the
thick profound gloom OF that darkness
but the painful blue blaze of the forked
lightning. L could not see, ia the
short intervals between the flashes, the
faiptest trace of the horse before me,
and then, In the twinkhng OF an eye,
as though the darkness Was torn away
like veil by the Almighty, tie whole
course, the surrounding country. to
the minutest and most distant thing,
would be revealed The spires of the
churches of Newark, eight miles off,
we could see more plainly than in broad
daylight, and we noticed that,
as the horses faced tine bowling ele-
ments, their ears lay flat upon their
necks. Between these flashes of
piercing, all pervading light and the
succeeding claps of thunder, the sus-
pense and strain upon the mind was
terrible. We knew that it was coming
so as to shake the cry pillars of the
earth; but We rode on, and until il had
ratified over our heads we were silent.
Then, III the blank darkness, as we
went on side by side, we would ex.
change cautions. Neither could see
the other, nor hear the wheels nor the
stride of the horses, by reason of the
wind and rain.
'LoOk ont, Hiram" Spicer would
say, ''Or we shall be into each other"
A few strides further on and 1 would
sing out, Take care, George; you must
be close to me-"
Now the noise of the wheels and the
tramp of the horses could not be heard
in the roar of thelwindand the patter of
the rain, and yet our voices could be,
and were. For mile and hall, in the
very crater, as it were, of the volcanic
war of the skyey elements, we
went side by side. Then Dutchman
lost ground. The track was clayey,
and he having on flat shoes, began TO
slip and slide at every stride. Ameri-
Gus gradually drew away from him, and
when reached the stand Mt the end of
the second mile stopped. Ihave seen
a great many summer storms in my life,
and have been out in not a few of them,
but of all that L remember none quite
equalled In terrific fury and awful
grandeur, that which burst over the
Beacon Course just as we began that
heat. Spicer says the same.