Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-03-29
From the Rural Sun.
"REMINISCENCES OF THE TURF.
BY BALIE pEYroN.-No. VII.

BY BALE PEYToN.-No. VII.
Uncle Berry = Walk-in.the-Water =
of the Turf in Old Times -Thrillin.
Account Of the Love Of the Mastel
for his Horse.
Much has been said and written o
the tenderness and care bestowed b,
the Arabs on their favorite horses
but | doubt whether any Arabian
since the time of the Prophet, evel
showed such devotion to his favorits
steed, as Uncle Berry to the thorugh-
breds under his care. In fact, his
kindly nature embraced all domestic,
animals. For many years he resided
on rich, productive farm near Gala.
tin, where be trained Betsey Malone,
Sarah Bladen, and many other dis
tinguished race horses; raised fine
stock and fine crops, and proved him.
self to be one of the best farmers in
the neighborhood. He had pets of
all kinds-huge hogs that would
come and sprawl themselves to be
rubbed, and game chickens that
would feed from his hand, and follow
ed him if he left home on foot-often
obliging him to return and shut them
up.
He raised many celebrated racers
for himself and others, and SO judic-
ious was his sytem that, at the age of
two, they had almost the maturity
of three year olds. His last thorough
bred was chestnut fllly, foalded in
1893, by Lexington, dam, Sally Ro-
per, (the dam of Berry, which was
entered in a stake for three year
olds, $500 entrance, two mile heats,
to come off over the Albion course,
near Gallatin, in the fall of 1862.
This filly was of course a great favo-
rite with Uncle Berry. She never
associated with any quadruped after
she was weaned, her master being her
only companion. At two years old
she was large and muscular, and very
promising, and in the summer of 1861
L urged Uncle Berry to send her to
the race course (where i had Fannie
McAlister, dam of Muggins, and sew
eral other animals in training), that
she might be gentled and broken to
ride. His reply was: al have been
thinking of your kind offer-I know
she ought to be broke, but, poor
thingl she don't know anything;
she has never been anywhere, and
has never even been mounted. am
afraid she will tear herself all to
pieces" But he finally consented
for my eolored trainer, Jack Rich
lieu, to take her to the track. On
meeting Mrs. Williams few days
afterwards, L enquired for Uncle Ber-
ry. Her reply was, he is well
enough as to health, but he is mighty
lonesome since the filly went away"
But of all the horses he ever own
ed, Walk-in-the-water was his es-
pecial favorite. In the language of
Burns, he "lo'ed him like a vera
brither." He was a large chestnut
gelding, foalded in 1913, by Sir Ar
chic, dam by GOndOla, a thorough
bred son of Mark Anthony, and these
two were the only pure crosses in his
pedigree, yet he was distinguished on
the turf until fifteen years old, more
in races of three and four
mile heats.
/ was present when Walk, at nine
teen years of age, ran his last race, of
four mile heats, over the Nashville
course, against Polly Powell.
Uncle Berry, several years before,
had presented him to Thomas Foxall,
with positive agreement that he
would neither train or run him again;
having two year old in training,
Mr.. Foxall took up the old horse
merely to gallop in company with
him, a few weeks before the Nash
vile meeting.
1t became well known that the
mare would start for the four mile
purse, and she was so great a favorite
that no one would enter against her.
The proprietor, to preventa "walk
over" induced Fexall to allow him
to announce Walk-in-the-water,
whose name would be sure to draw a
crowd. There was a large attend
ance, and the game old horse made a
race, considering his age,
heat, and evidently losing |
in consequence of his want of condi- |
lion. When the horses were brought |
put / missed Uncle Berry, and /
went in search of him. found |
him in the grove alone, sit |
ting on log, and looking very sad.
. are you not going up to see old |
Walk run?" l enquired. "No, L
would as soon see a fight between |
my grandfather and boy of twen-
ty," he replied.
In the year 1927, when Walk was
I3 years old, Uncle Berry took him
and several colts that were entered in |
stakes, to Natchez, Miss, travelling |
Dy land through the terrible swamps |
1f the Chickasaw and Chootaw ma
lions. The colts had made very sat- !
trial runs in Tennessee, but |
suffered so severely from the journey, |
hat they either paid fortiets or lost |
heir stakes; so that Walk-in-the-
water was the only hope for winning |
expenses. He was entered in the |
our mile race OF the Jockey Club,
md his only competitors was the b.
Archie, gelding, Blucher, l5 years
I'D, horse of great fame as a four
nileru in Mississippi.
On the evening before the race, the
Jockey Club met and changed the |
,ule, reducing the weight on all |
horses of fifteen years or upward to
)ne hundred pounds, leaving all |
others their full weight, or one hun
lred and twenty-four pounds, three |
pounds less for mares and geldings.
This extraordinary proceeding /
would not have been tolerated by the |
gentlemen who, at later day, COM /
posed that Club, but Uncle Berry |
in vain against the injustice |
lone him. He, however, concluded /
10 run Walk, giving his half brother |
Il pounds advantage in weight. |
Walk had the speed of Blucher, and /
when the drum tapped, took the
track, with Blucher at his side, and |
these two game Arches ran locked |
through the heat, Walk winning by |
half a length. The second heat was |
a repetition of the first, and never |
was a more tremendous struggle wit
messed on q race course-a blanket |
would have covered the horses from
the tap of the drum to the close of
the race.
Any man who has watched a IA
vOrite horse winning a race, out OF
the fire and blue blazes at that, can
Uncle Berry's feelings dur
ing the terrible struggle. The horses
swung into the quarter stretch the
eighth and last mile, and Uncle Ber-
ry, seeing the sorrel face of his old
favorite ahead, cried out at the top of
his voice, "Come home, Walk, come
home! Your master wants money,
and that badly!" After the race ne
his opinion of the Club in
no measured terms. Though habitu-
ally polite and respectful, particular
ly toward the authorities of a Jockey
Club, he was man of undaunted
and ready to resist oppres-
uiOn irrosnaotiva of ooucounnoaS