Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-05-07
Riding FIFTE mGlEsIH TWO
HOURS

Riding FIFTV m6EBsTH Two
MOuMss
The Evening News, Of Gold Hnl
NaVada, contains the subi0ined &C
count Of a great race againat time
on the Carson City Coufsa. b
Johnny Taylor, for q stake ofsi00
or $500 to 5000 that he could rid
fifty miles in two hours.
"At just II o'clock Taylor made
his appearance, mounted, and ready
for the fray. He is q light-bWlt,
dark-cOmplexiOned young man,
and weighs lis pounds. Alter q
few minutes, preliminary arrang-
ing OF details, away he dashed on
the first heat. We have never seen
a better rider. Perfectly erect and
steady, he rode firmly in his stir
rups, and seemed no impeding
weight for n horse to carry, hut on
the contrary, light, lively, and any
thing but dead weight, Johnny
knows Just how to ride q horse,
that's certain. We did not time all
the heats separately, as that would
be too lengthy matter for publish.
ment but the shortest was made in
two minutes aud two seconds ; the
average was about two minutes and
eight seconds. Some Of the horses
he rode twice round, at single heat,
and one three times most of them,
however, he rode ouly once round.
AT the farther side OF the track, in
the vicinity Ofthe halt. mile pole, he
had fresh horses also waiting, and
had to change at that point on two
or three occasions. When coming
In On the home stretch, ifthe horse
he rode was observed to be failing,
fresh horse was taken out TO
meet him, and exchanged this was
done also two or three times. One
very Interesting feature to notice
was the extreme rspidity and ia.
cilily with which he changed horses
at the stand. A fresh one ready
saddled and bridled was held there,
and when lie rode up two or three
men would seize his horse and
assist him to leap down aud into
the saddle OF the other horse, these
changes thus occupying far less
time than II takes for us to write
about them. Iudeed, the last dozen
or twenty heats he was not allowed
to touch the ground at all but was
simply picked of one saddle and
placed into the other, with a slap
bestowed upon his horses rump in
order TO start him OFF In hurry.
1t was little the liveliest horse
navigation most people ever saw.
About the twenty-third mile
round blood was observed COM
Ing from Faylor's mouth aud one
ear, beiBg subject TO bleeding at
the lungs on such occasions, under
the fcarfully severe exercise, but
rs he kepta n "stif upper lip" aud
about that time al.o shouted for
some one to get his watch and bet
that on the race, we felt assured
that he would live through 1t and
he did. About 2 o'cloce =. NJ. he
flushed the race; time, one hour,
tilty.eight minutes and lhirty-lhree
secOnds-within the two hours.
As he rode in from that concluding
heat, looking quite vigorous, aud
any thing but exhausted, he was
taken from the saddle amid loud
cheers of triumph, and hillriously
carried on the shoulders OF his
friends to the front ofihe Judge
stand, from which the result was
announced Immediately. Fdylor
being called upon for speech. re-
piled, thanking his friond- for their
en0rta in his behalf, and expressing
the hope that he would be as sue
cessml in the great race he is to run
of 20O miles IN ten hours at Jerome
Park, New York, in May next.
Faylor had procured fifteen horses
for his:race ofycsterday, but he had
to u.e three more, on account Of
some of them getting lame.