Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-09-03
Goldsmith Maid.

tue unprecedented time OF 2. IA 3-4
The early life Of this wonderful an
imal was distinguished BY many strik
ing pseuliarities. Her great powers o
sPeed, the sagacity and pluck NANTES,
Cd IN her mature years, shown especi
ally in races, made horsemen anxiou:
TO know something of her colt life ano
TO crafty this curiosity the ever en-
terprising newspaper correspondent
has pushed bis way among the mead
ows where she first saw the light, ano
interviewed her owner, cleaning the
following incidents Of her early life:
1t seems that the "Maid" was O
wayward child. From the date of her
birth, on the farm of John B. Decker
in Vantage township, Sussex county,
N. j., in the spring Of 1857, to the age
ofsix years, she distinguished herself
in many ways, but never Is a trotter.
She was undersized, nervous and fret.
full, and utterly refused farm work.
Mr.. Decker, her owner, says he never
got any work out Of her but twice, one
half day In plowiug corn and one-half
dsy in drawing stones. Once she was
hitched 70 a harrow, but after short
distance she reared and entangled both
her hind legs in the cross-piece of the
harrow, and % injured those members
that when she goes cut for her morn.
ing walks, it is said, she still shows
signs Of stiffness behind, caused by this
fall.
From the time that she was two or
three years old until Mr.. Decker sold
her at six she was used as a race horse,
though without her owners knowledge.
The boys on the farm, of course, as all
boys are, were anxious to know which
was the speediest horse, and at an
early day they found that it was the
Maid And so after the ''old man"
had gone to bed they would take her
out OF the pasture or stable whenever
race could be made up, and run her
on the road after night. She beat ey-
erything that could be brought to run
with her, so that finally none but the
uniformed from a distance could be
found to bet against her. These races
were made up at the country stores
aud lounging places in the evening af-
ter farm work was over, and the race
run the same night after the old man
had gone to bed. No training. no
grooms, no jockeys, no weight for age
just as a man or boy in his bare
feet, mounted bare backed, with his
toes hugging the mares belly like q
ieech, was the style; and the Maid
no doubt enjoyed it more than she has
some Of her late races in the trotting
ring.
One of the most singular freaks of
the crazy. headed little mare during her
farm life was habit she had of taking
monthly trip through the country.
About once month, no matter how
high the enclosure, she would break
from her pasture and go sailing over
the neignboring farms, leaping and hy-
ing over fences, bitches, stone walls
and streams through fields of growing
crops. meadows, woods and pastures,
up steep hills and down, until making a
circuit generally about six miles, She
would finally land in the field from
which she started, behaving herself
afterwards in a steady manner, for her,
until the next run. The time that she
would be out during these trips was
generally about forty minutes. A few
stops by the way to have little gossip
with her neighbors probably accounted
for the time being SO long.
One day in the summer of 1868, two
men who were out buying horses II
the army stopped all night a. Mr..
Decker's and in the morning bought
the Maid Of him for s260, and started
for home, leading the mare behind
them. On their way they met Mr..
Tompkins, who knew the little mare,
and bought her Of them for $3.50. The
two men also knew her, and were
aware that the mare had great speed.
and believed that sire could be made a
trotter, but were willing to make 800
by their mornings bargain. The next
day Tompkins sold her to Alden Gold
smith, an excellent judge of horseaesh
Of Blooming Grove, Orange county,
N. T., for 5000. From MIN she took
the name Of Goldsmith Maid. He kept
her in pretty steady training under
driver named VIM. Bodine, to whom,
more than other men, should be award
ed the credit Of first bringing the mare
out. The renowned Budd Doble, who
now drives her so handsomely, had not
then seen or heard of her.
While in training for the :rotting
course she was so fretful and irritable.
so determined TO run at every opportu.
nifty instead of trotting, so hard to
bring to trot after breaking from
that gait, that Mr.. Goldsmith many
times determined to give up the train
ing and sell her at any price, but his
patient maintained his abiding faith in
her. and assured his employer that she
was the fastest animal on his premises
and would come out at last a great
trotter, and finally persuaded him to
keep her, which he did until this driver
80 brought out her points that Gol1,
smith in November, 1858, sold her 10
b. Jackman and Budd Doble for 500.
600. These gentlemen sold her to n !.
H. Smith for $1,000. Doble still drives
her.
She made her first appearance in
public in August 1865. When she
trOtted in 2:17 in Milwaukee, Septem-
Der 8, 1871, there was great excite
ment everywhere among horsemen
The majority doubted the length of the
track and the time. But the track was
measured Afterwards by competent en-.
gioeers, Who testified, under oath, to
its being full mile in length when
measured three feet from the inside
rail and The accuracy of the time was
established beyond dispute. Ever since
then vast crowds have attended her
RACES. Since her last great achieve
ment at Mystic Park in 2: 16 3.4 this