Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-08-16
JOHN HARPER.
LOngfellOW and his Half Brother
LittletOR.


Long Branch Correspondence New York Her
aid
The great race-hOrse, which has this
season createdimOre sensation than anv
racer in America ever created before,
viii soon leave the racing grounds for
ever, and adopt life of pampered ease
at his home in the bluegrass region of
Kentucky. To-day young Frank Har-
per left the park on the evening train
for New York, eH route for Saratoga, to
bring LOngfellow to "Uncle JOhn's1
stables, preparatory 70 the Journey home
on Friday or Saturday. Frank says that
the famous horse is irretrievablv broken
down, and will never again make his
appearance in public. He viii be brought
here so that be may be put in the same
carwith the other horses belonging toold
John Harper, and be carried direct with
out subsequent transhipment, TO his
home. He will be used probably next
year for stock purposes
had talk yesterday with John Har-
per about LOngfellOw, and it does seem
at times as though the old man still
cherishes hope that his horse may re-
cover. He does not like TO admit that
he is gone. He sat on a trestle under an
apple tree, at the back of the farm
house, and as
HE TUNIBLED THE FALLEN FRUIT ABOUT
with the ferule of his walking-stick, he
said that when he last "got word over
from the other course (SaratOga) Long
fellow was mendin' slowly. He was
able to put his foot to the ground some
times, but it still seemed to pain him a
leetle."
u,b-.o ~ F,srr r.ar--o I,,,-o I,,ef-, a II
barefooted, were leading Extract, Fx-
press and Littlet0n LOngfellOw's half
brother around for their walks In a cir
Gle, Of which the old man formed the
center.
As LittletOn passed the old man point
ed toward him with his stick, and said,
with feeble drawl, partly due to his
rural Kentucky accent:
That's a brave little hOss, thar, an
although he is a leetle light for the
weights they put on him, don't think
thar's anything here kin beat him
leavin' out Bassett. He's a good hoss,
and think he'll do some good runnin'
on Friday"
When asked how long he had been in
the business of training and rearing
horses, John said it was nigh forty
wears since he first began to train horses,
but his father had been a hOrse-raiser all
his life"
A QUEER LIFE
is that which poor old John leads. A
felt hat, brown speckled hOmespun suit,
q wrinkled shirt bosom, partly concealed
by black necktie and pair of shoes
that looked precisely like army brOgans,
comprise all his visible attire. He walks
with halt in his right leg, and shuffies
along with the other, and while he leans
on his stick with his right hand his left
arm is thrown behind his fast bending
back. His shoes slOsh about on his
weary feet, and light cough seems to
stick now and then in his throat. he
lives az his stables eats from q rough
board table set temporarily under the
caves, his diet being little else than
bread, meat and potatoes, cooked
in an iron pot By one Of his
stable hands. He travels in the cars
with dis horses, and can make good
comfortable night Of it on a shock of
straw in the corner. And vet the old
man seems tOlerably well pleased with
his existence, rises early and goes to bed
early; never drinks; is pleased always
to have little quiet talk with strangers,
but not too much Of it. He appeared
for q while on the lawn to-day, and as
his identity became known, half the
ladies on the grand stand rsse to their
feet TO look at the feeble old man. Such
is fame! He had come over from the
stables to see Extract and Express win,
and added another disappointment to
the list which has checkered his life.