The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-08-24
MONDAY..............AUGUST "a, 1868
Tfsc California Turf-Caiifcrnia Mus
tangs Rum Two Hundred Miles in 8:
Little over Eight Hours.
OF Tie Chicago TrI6un".
san ERANCISCO. AnCuEt 3 lS6S.

and the Icommon California Mustangs, and
the different styles Of riding, when Edward
Whipple offered to bet 50 800 against 81 600
that mo- man could be found to ride 800
miles in fifteen consecutive hours. He was
at once taken up by Louis Burns and John
Cahill, who named n. II. Mowery as the
man TO ride. The match was all agreed upon
on the spot, and since then there has been
constant betting going on rs to the result.
You will see that he must average mile
every three minutes for fifteen consecutive
hours, allowing nothing for loss of time III
changing horses at every second, third O..
fourth mile, Iaccidents, or unaccountabl,
DELAYS. The general feeling was that he
could never succeed, and in the betting the
odds were decidedly against him. Ycster.
day Sunday, August ~ was fixed Oh for
this race against time.
The race took place at Bay View Park, 4
few miles north of the city, over mile
track. The animals, thirty in number, Sc
ected by Mr.. Mowery, were the common
California Mustangs and half-brecds, nonc
of them full-sized, bat all formed OF thc
ndomitable pluck and life which belong
to the descendants Of the gallant iieetr
which were ridden into Spain by the fiery
followers Of Musa and Taric, when at the
bidding Of the Commander of the Faithful
the conquerors of Africa poured into Eu-
rope, there to spread the knowledge Of the
true God and the law of the Koran. Mr..
Mowery is an old Californian, apparently
of about the middle age, weighs 100 pounds,
and rode with heavy Mexican Calilornia
saddle, Spanish bit, and free rein.
At 4:40 o'clock in the morning he sprang
into the saddle and rode the first horse four
times around the track-that is to say, fou
miles-at dead run. Attendants stood
ready nj the stand to saddle and bring out
the fresh horses as he bcckoned for them IL!
coming around and he changed animals
rapidly, riding none of them three miles
after the first, and few Of them more thar
two. The Mexican dodge Of "rushing
was constantly resorted TO. An attendant
would ride one-fourth or one-third Of the
way down the track to meet him rs he came
in, wheeling his horse, ride back just be-
hind him yelling, ram0S' ran1oS! rhoop-
ah, r0m0S, and swinging his hat rs il
frantic This would start the ilagging ami
NAL into rcdoubled excrtions, and he would
come in fairly flying. y single sharp pull
on the Spanish bit would stop the animal in
u second, and i'll two or three more the rider
would be on Il fresh animal and of again.
Sometimes the mile or two miles would be
ridden one way around the track, sometimes
the other, in order to relieve the rider by
changes US far as practicable. Early IN the
| morning the race-track was crowded with
people, and before 2 Z. NJ. the jam was i'm
mense. Up to y NJ. the rider refused all
assistance in mounting and remounting
but after that his attendants would occa-
.ionally give him lift, apparently not 50
much because he required it as for fear that
he might do so before the race was over.
At the end of two hundred miles rest was
taken, and a placard was displayed from
the Judges stand that the two hundred
miles had been accomplished in eight hours,
TWO minutes and forty eight seconds-thu=
beating by forty minutes the time made b.
Mr.. Ushaldiston, with race-horses, IN Eng
land. Then the start was made on the
third hundred miles. Mr.. Mowery having
had a bath and otherwise refreshed him
self, appeared good for the two hundred
more, if required. The bets now changed,
and large odds were offered on his winning,
with hat few takers, and those Of the obstl-
nate English bob-tail aud pig-skin school. he
now made a mile in 2.OS, and the average
speed was , 80 throughout. There was a very
heavy wind blowing across the track at this
time, and the average speed must have been
considerably unfavorably affected by this
fact, nevertheless he "kept up his lick y
amid the cheering Of the crowd, never flag
ring for an instant A halt was made for ii
second bath, and from time TO time an at
,endant would dash q little water over
| Nowery's head as he rode along. At one
time a friend, who was AT the stand, ran
forward and offered his own horse for ride
over the track. Mowery was on him in an
instant, and rode not only once, but three
| times around. As he came around the Sc
cond time the owner made a fruitless at
tempt to catch him, and only succeeded III
catching a fall, as the rider, sitting erect a.
4 bronze statue, dashed past. The crowd
yelled with delight at this, and, as MoWery
came around the third time, shouted to him
"co it again %; but that would have been
CARRYING the Joke too far, and he changed
horses, while the oticouS friend led his own
away amid the ieers and cheers Of the
spectators.
At 6:49 P. NJ, just fourteen hours and
nine minutes from the start, the three hun
| ureutn nile was aCCOIu plleHeu, anu u PSi
feet roar of applause broke from the mul-
titude as the underrated horseman started
once more "just for luck" The last mile
was made in two minutes and nine seconds,
making the unprecedented distance Of three
| hundred and one miles in fourteen hours,
eleven minutes and nine seconds, and beat
ing anything previously accomplished in
the world in this line. The judges declared
the money won, and announced the time.
The gates were flung open, and the vast con-
course, in carriages of every description,
on horseback, and on foot, poured out on
the road towards San Francisco, an indis-
criminate race on "thc-devil .take-the-hi
most" plan being inaugurated. As the
crowd streamed away towards the city, the
most conspicuous object in it was an Eng
lishman on tall, raw-boned bay, with
stump of tail sticking up like an abbre-
waited flagstaff behind, riding on O pig skin,
with short stirrups, top boots, plug hat, On
eye-glass, and cane. His appearance was
so indescribably ludicrous by contrast with
what had just been seen that yells and
roars of laughter greeted him at every
lump for miles. So ended the great Cali
fornia Mustang race against time.
One Nathaniel Appleton, Of Vermont,
found on riding up to the house of his be-
loved that his rivals horse was hitched at