The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-08-16
. OHIO. FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST is. 1872.
A YANKEE RACER.

Ing, AUGUST I6, 1872.
he A YANKEE RACER.
tn -
A The following story, extract
ut from "a Yankee Among the Null
er fiers," ,"purports to be told to the aut
u or by South Carolinian:
The Yankees, as l said before, a
apt to be too cute for US in ever
r. thing except horse flesh, and eve
IN sometimes in that. 1t was this ds
g three years ago, on this very spo
D. that entered my horse Southron II
,r purse of two thousand dollars. h
had won a like sum the year befol
10 with all case. In short, he was Il
n best horse at that time in Carolin,
d There were, to be sure, two othe
3 horses, and very fine ones, too, en-
d tered against him; but they we're n
le touch to Southron, and was as sur
OF winning as l am OF sitting her
d this moment when who should com
along but o Yankee with a tin car
!" He had the shabbiest, worst-lookin,
horse you ever set your eyes on. H
{ was lean, slab-sided, crooked-legged
. rough-halred, molssses- colored So
!. tof gun as ever went on four legs
He stood all the time as il he wa
. asleep-in fact his owner called hin
/, Sleepy David. In short, sir, he wa
! such . horse as would not have
brought twenty dollars.
II Il was near the hour Of starting
when the peddler whose exterior cor
responded marvelously with the horse,
and who said his name was Zadock
Baker, to the astonishment Of all, in
timated o wish 10 enter his horse
along with the rest.
"Your horse,' exclaimed 1;
"what ! that sleepy looking chap
thero? You'd better enter him Tor
the ey-buzzsrds.'
''Not's you knows on, mister" re.
turned the Yankee, with some show
OF spirit. ITO be sure the critter
looks rather sleepy as he stands and
On that account / call him Sleepy
David; but he's an all jo-fired smart
horse after all that. He's like a sing
ed cat, q darned sight better than he
looks. / should like tarnation well
to Try him against some OF your
Carolina horses. To be sure didn't
come all the way from home on pur-
pose, but 90 ! was coming out this
way with load Of tin and other no
tions, thought I might fix it SO as
to kill two birds with one stone for
thinks TO myself, il l can win the
purse, and peddle off my notions at
the same time, / shall make a pla-
guy good speck. But l had to hur-
~ on like the nation to get here in
season, and that's one reason my
horse looks go kind OF shabby and
out Of kilter this morning. But for
all that he'll perform like days work,
I tell you"
Supposing that he had no idea of
running his horse. and that all he
said Was merely to gratify his pro-
pensities for talking, / bade him be-
gone and not trouble me with his
Yankee palaver.
"Why, mister" SAID he, "this is
free country, and Q man has a right
to talk or let it alone, just as he can
afford. Now I've taken q great deal
of pains to get here this morning in
order to run Sleepy David against
some Of your Southern horses. l amt
joking sir: I'm in dead airnest.
understand there is q purse Of two
thousand dollars and ! should like
to pick it up"
, "You talk Of picking up purse
with that bit Of carrion OF yours
Away with you. and don't trouble US
any further"
"Well, II l cent run then I s'spose
can't but it's darned hard, anyhow,
for q man to take as much pains as
have to come to the race, and then
can't be allowed to run arter ALL"
"Ivs too late now ; by the rules OF
The course the horse should have
been entered yesterday however. if
you'll plank the entrance money per-
hsps you may get In YETI L
/ said this by way Of getting rid
Of the fellow, who began drawing out
} purse containing few shillings in
Iiiver and q few pencein copper.
"If IL amt more'n quarter OF q
dollar or 90 I'll plank it on the nail"
"Ips two hundred dollars" L
1.-TWO hundred dollars p exclaim-
ID the Yankee. "By gauly, what a |
price Why, they axed me only a
quarter OF q dollar to see the elephant
md the whole caravan in New York.
Two hundred dollars! Why you {
must hs joking now -Rless ynn nv
Whole load OF tinware, hoss, wagon
md all, wouldn't fetch that. But,
mister, don't you think / could 60 in
'or ten dollars ?''
"Nothing shcrt OF two hundred; }
md that must be paid in the short
,pace OF five Minutes
We now thought we had fairly got
i'd Of the fellow but he returned to I
he charge, and asked IL fifty dollars 6
vouldn't do, then seventyfive, then q I
,undred and finding he could not
make q bargain for less than the 9
regular sum, he engaged to give it Q
provided he could find any one to
'oan him the money, for which he
offered 70 pawn his wagon load Of
notions and Sleepy David to boot.
He asked one, then another, to &C
him with the lOan-de- |
,laring that ss soon as ever he took
he purse the money, should be re-
turned, and he will give him o dozen
in whistles in the bargain. He how
aver, got more curses than coppers,
until some wag who had plenty OF
cash, and liked to see the sport 60
On, lent him the two hundred dollars
out OF sheer malice. Though, as it
afterward turned out, the Yankee
had money enough about him, and
vas merely playing the 'possuE all
The while.
His next object was to borrow
saddle. Here, also, he was accom-
modated and taking Sleepy David
from the cart, he scrambled upon his
back and took his station on the
course. You never saw q fellow sit
on horse 30 awkwardly in all your
life. Everybody said he would fall
before he had gone hundred yards;
snd some out Of compassion urged
him to withdraw.
"Not by q darned sight (; why, do
you think I'd be such q darned fool
q to pay two hundred dollars, and
not run after all ,"
Others, who wanted to see the
sport, though it should cost some
broken bones, encouraged him to
proceed-ssying, a. they laughed
Sloud, that they had 40 doubt that he
would carry of the purse. i
lssThst's what I mean to do" said
he. 81 hain't come here for nothing,
I csa tell you. Wake up here, Sleepy
David. and look about you; you
nnst have your eyes open to day
A.