Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-08-27
The HERALD.
rno Earlv Life of Goldsmith Maid

The Early Life of Goldsmith Maid'
The Maid was a way ward child
From the date of her birth on the
farm of John B. Decker, in Vantage
Township, Sussex county, n. T., IN
the spring of 1857, to the age of SIX
wears, she distinguished herself In
MANY ways, but rever as a trotter.
She was understood, nervous and
fretfuI, and utterly refused heavy
farm work. Mr.. Decker, her owner,
SAYS he never get any work out OF
her but twice, one-half day IN plow-
inc corn and one-half day 10 drawing
st0pes. Once she was hitcned to
barrow, but after a short distance
ebo reared backward and entangled
both her hind legs in the cross piece
of the harrow and so injured those
members, thai when she goes out for
her morning walks, it is said, she still
shows signs of Stiffness behind, eaus-
ed by this fall in early lite. From
the time she was six months old un-
Ill Mr., Decker sold her, she was nsed
a. race horse, though without her
owners knowledge. The boys Oh
The farm of course, as boys do, were
anrious to know which was the
eneediest horse, and at an early day
they found it was the Maid. And SO,
after the "old man" had gone to bed
they would take her out of the pas
ture or stable whenever race could
be made up and run in her the road at
ter night. She beat everything that
could be brought to run with her, SO
that finally none but the uniformed
from a distance could be found to bet
AGAINST hcr. These races were made
up at the country stores and loung-
ing places in the evening after farm
work was over, and the race run the
same nigh: after the sold man" had
gone to bed. No training, no
grooms, no jockeys, no weight for
age-iust a man or boy 10 his bare
feet, mounted bareback, with his toes
hugging the mares belly like leach,
was the style and the Maid no
doubt enjoyed 1t more than she has
,ome of her late races ia the trotting
ring. One day in the summer of 49,
63 two men were out buying horses
Tor the army, and stopped all night
at Mr. Decker's, and IN the morning.
bou ght 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
il-ue mare, and bought her of them
Tor $500. The men also knew her
and believed that she could be made
trotter, but were willing to make
800 by their mornings bargain.
The next day Tompkin's sold her to
Alden Goldsmith, IA excellent judge
Of horse-hesh, OF Bloomington Grove,
Orange county, N. Y, for 5000.
From him che took the name OF
Goldsmith ii I'D He kept her IN,
pretty steady training under driv-
or named William Bodine, to whom
more than any other living man,
should be awarded the credit OF first
bringing the mare out. The renow-
ned Budd Doblo who now drives her
50 handsomely, bad not then either
seen or heard of her. While i'll train
ing for the trotting course she was so
fretfuI and irritable, 50 determined to
run at ovory opportunity instead of
tr0tting, so hard to bring to trot
after breaking from that gait, that
Mr.. Goldsmith many times deter
mined to give up the training and
sell her at any price, but his patient
driver maintained his abidirg faith
IN her, and assured his employer that
sho was the fastest animal on the
premises, and would come out at
last great trotter, and finally pur-
suaded him to keep her, which he
did until this driver SO brought out
her points that Mr.. Goldsmith in
Nov, 1868. sold her to b. Jackman
aud Budd Double for $4,000. These
gentleman sold her to Mr.. I'll. N.
Smith for the sum of $4,000. Mr..
DobbIe still drives her. She made her
first appearance in public in August,
1865. Evansville (Ind j urnaL.