Wilmington journal., 1873-11-07


the Ladies lHiIlsbOrO' and Ra-
leigh Represented Question Dis
cusSed as to the Most Beautiful
Lady Present.
WELDON, n. c., Nov. 1, 1873.
DEAR JOURNAL 1t was my pur-
pose to follow my letter of the 2Sth
ult. with daily accounts of the Weldon
your co-editor on the ground, and sup
keep your readers duly advised of the
progress of events during the meeting.
Yet, as very few persons receive the
same impressions from matters and
things which they have an equal op-
portunity of observing, it may not be
amiss in me to trouble you with an
other epistle.
I have already given you the details
of the first day. The second brought
O crowd of about two Thousand people.
At II o'clock the exhibition of single
harness horses, for style, was good
at IL! O'Clock that of mares and colts
was but ordinary; at 3 o'clock the
display of thoroughbred horses
was very fine. On this occa-
sion Gen. NJ. w. Ransom's Red
Dick was brought out, but there
was no competition, as the other horses,
although good, ranked infinitely be-
low him. Red-Dick is a faultless horse
in form, and of the best pedigree, he
is, in fact, the finest horse [ have ever
seen, and 1 doubt if he has his equal
in the State, or in America. Col. Nc
Daniel, the owner of the celebrated
Harry Basset, once owned Red Dick,
but he ''let down" i'll one of his legs,
which destroyed his value as racer.
The blemish can hardly be observed.
1 understand that a..gentleman in this
county (Halifax) has Il letter from Col.
Mcdaniel in which he states that Red
Dick IS one of the best, if not the best,
horse he ever owned.
will not dwell on the racing of the
week, as, i'll my view, it is not worthy
of detailed mention. There were some
fine race horses on the ground, but
nearly all were under control of the
same person, and there was 10 compe-
tition. This is fully explained by the
fact, that the highest premium was
$75 and down as low as $40. Now
no man would put good
horse to the top of his speed,
for a mile and repeat, for twice
seventy-tive dollars. Through the ex-
ertions of DIR. G. Fl. Macon, q most
efficient officer, we had one or two fair
trotting races, and on the third day a
good running race-but, with these ex-
ceptlons, the racing was wretched
farce, and will always be so unless the
managers offer premiums sufficiently
high to induce competition and to pay
men for the trouble of bringing horses
| from a distance. Gentlemen who know
what good racing is turned their backs
on many of the trials of speed at the
| Weldon track. 1t is an actual fact,
that at the running race on the last
day, the winning horse beat his COM
petitor three hundred and t1renty
yards IN a mile heat.
Allow me to suggest to the managers
of the Cape Fear Fair not to repeat
the error of small premiums for trot-
ting and running races better have
two good races than dozen indiffer-
ent ones. Let them offe- such premi-
ums as will insure good sport-if they
do we will send them some Halifax
and Northampton thorough -breds to
Twin the stakes"
On the third day of the Fair (Thurs-
day the attendance was at least seven
thousand. [ made as careful an esti-
mate as [ possibly could, and I am
sure that have not gone beyond the
mark in the number stated.
At one O'Clock Major Jessee J. Yeates
introduced General Ransom, the
Orator of the day, in few exceedingly
happy remarks, which elected hearty
piaudits. 1 have noticed recent
attack on Major Yeates, especially i'm
pugning his fealty to the Democratic
party. I have known the Major
ever since his first appearance at the
bar, and a more consistent Southern
man, have not met with Ii he has
ever faltered i'll his fealty to the
Conservative party of Nol tn Carolina,
the fact has not come within my
knowledge. I know him to be a man
of genuine ability, kind and generous
to a farit, and 1 believe linn to be
politically, and otherwise, worthy OF
the highest confidence.
General Ransom had an audience
sufficient to inspire any man. Seated
on the platform from which he spoke,
Were number of graduates of Chapel
Hill, as well as many other gentlemen
of high intelligence. On the ground
were thousands Of our beet citizens,
covering an area over which the voice
of an O'Connell only might reach,
while Floral Hall in front of him was,
crowded with matrons and maidens
embracing the highest cultivation,
grace and beauty of the Roanoke and
Tar River country, with accessions
from Norfolk, Petersburg and other
parts of Virginia. Then too, Hills
boro and Raleigh had their represen-
tatiyes, charming young ladies, of the
most polished, yet most unaffected,
manners-of such come the highest
| type of Southern womanhocd:
General Rlnsoms speech fully sus-
tanned his reputation, and no higher
praise can lie awarded to it. 1t was a
finished and scholarly production,
stateslnan-hke and eloquent, and
although delivered without notes, ex-
pressed, throughout, in classic English.
With little time for preparation,
General Ransom can clothe his ideas
Ill as pure English as any public man
Of whom l have any knowledge, and,
| should he have fair opportunity, l,e
will attain the first rank among tie
| speakers i'll the Senate of the United
States. At the close of his address, he
was warmly congratulated by many of
the audience.
The attendance Oh the third day was
estimated at twenty-five hundred per-
| sons. When we consider the financial
distress which now SO generally pre-
walls, the success of the Fair must be
regarded as extraordinary, and bears
flattering testimony to the efficiency
of the distinguished President and
other officers of the Society.
The crowd dispersed at about 3
o'clock P. NJ, on Friday-the young
people fastened away to prepare for
the ball. During the course of the
evening, in a private room, the dispu-
tants of last year who there urged the
claims of their respective fair ones to
the prize OF beauty, resumed the dis
cussion, and in the ratio that the
champagne lessened in quantity, their
ardor increased in quality. The famed
bellies of the Roanoke and Emo rivers,
and the greatly admired blonde of
lower Halifax, whose absence from
the fair Of 10 waa so muob roorrotta1