Wilmington daily gazette. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1872-1874, 1874-08-13
esomo Particulars of the Early' Life
of GoldsmIth Smith.

The MAID was a wayward child. From
the date OF her b;:th on the farm of John B.
Decker. in Vantage township, Sussex county,
N. Y, in the spring of 1857, to the, age OF six
years, she distinguished herself in many ways
but never rs a trotter. She was understood,
nervous and fretful, and utterly refused heavy
farm work. Mr.. Decker, her owner. says he
never got any work out Of her but twice one
half day in plowing corn and one half day in
craving stones. Once she was hitched to
harrow, but after short distance she reared
and lentangled both her hind legs in the cross
piece Of the harrow and SO injured those men,
walks, it is said, she still shows signs of stiff
ness beh.nd, caused by this fall in early life
From the time she was six months old until
Mr.. Decker sold her she was used as q race
horse. though without her owners knowledge.
The boys on the farm, of course, as boys do
were anxious to know which was the speediest
horse, and at an early day they found it was
the Maid" And so, ter the .told man" had
gone to bed they would take her out of the
pasture or stable whenever race could be
made upland run her ON the road after night
She beat everything that could be brought to
run with her, so that finally none but the unin-
formed from distance could be found to bet
against her. These races were made up at the
country stores and lounging places in the ev-
ening after farm wrok was over. and the race
run the same night after the "old man" had
gone to bsd. No training, no grooms no jock
eys, no weight for age-just aman or boy iii
hugging the mares belly like leech, was the
style; and the "maid' no doubt enjoyed 1t
more than she has some OF her late races in the
trotting ring.
One day in the summer Of 1863, two men were
out buving horses for the army, and stopped
all night at Mr.. Deckers, and the morning
bought the Maid" Of him for $500, and started
for home, leaving the mare behind them. On
their way they met Mr.. Tompkins, who knew
the little mare and bought her off them for
$500. The two men also knew her and believed
that she could be made trotter, ,;but were will
ing to make $l0O by their mornings bargain.
The next day Tompkins sold her to Alden
Goldsmith, an excellent judge of horsehesh, of
Blooming Grove, Orange County, N. Y, for
$780, From him she took the name of Goldsmith
Maid. He kept her in pretty steady training
under driver named William Bodine, to whom
more than any other living man, should be
awarded the Gre lit of first bringing the mare
out The renowned Budd Doble, who now
seen or heard Of her.
While in training for the trott'ng course she
was 80 fretful and irritable 80 determined to
run at every opportunity inst ead of trotting,
SO hard to bring to trot after breaking from
that gait, that Mr.. Goldsmith many times de-
termined to give up the training and sell her
at any price, but his patient driver maintain
ed his abiding faith in her. and assured his en-
ployer that she was the fastest animal on his
trotter, and finally persuaded him to keep her,
which he did until this driver 80 brought out
her points that Mr.. Goldsmith in November,
1868 sold her to b. Jackman and Budd Doble
for $4,000. These gentlemen sold her to Mr..
N. III. Smith for the sum of S37, 900. Mr. Doble
still drives her. She made her first appearance
in public in August, 1S65-Evansville Jcuqnal.