Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-09-07
THE STORY OF GOLDSMTTHS
MAID.

ne A110 Was way H1AT0 cllkG.
From the date Of her birth on the farn
Of John B Decker. in Vantage tova-
ship. Sussex county. n. Y, in the spring
Of 1857. TO the age Of six years she dis
tinguished herself il many ways. but
never as q trotter. She was understood.
nervous and fretful, and utterly refused
to do hard farm work. Mr.. Decker. her
owner, says he never got any work out
Of her but twice. ene-half DAP IN plow-
ing corn and oae-balf day in drawing
stones. Once she was hitehe1 to = har-
row. but. after 3 short distance. she rear
ed backward and entangled both her
hind legs in the eross-pieee Of the har-
row, and 50 injured those members, that
when she goes out for her morning walks
it IS said, she still shows signs Of stiff
ness behind. caused by this fall in early
life From the time she vas SIX months
old until Mr.. Decker sold her, she was
used as . race horse though without her
owners knowledge The boys on the
farm, Of course, as boys do. were anx-
ious to know which was the speediest
horse. and at an early day they found
out that it was the Maid" And 50.
after the odd nan" had gone to bed.
they would take her cut Of the pasture
OF stable whenever race could be made
up, and run her on the rad after night.
She heat everything that could be
brought TO run With her. 50 that, finally.
none but the uninformed from q dis
lance could be found to bet against her.
The races we're made up at the country
stores and lounging places in the even
ing after farm work was over. and the
race ran the same night after the odd
man" had gone to bed No training,
no groons. no jockeys, No weight for
just man or boy in his bare
/ feet, mounted bareback. with his toes
huggiug the mares belly like a Ieeeh.
was the style; and the Maid no doubt
enjoyed it more than she has some of her
late races in the trotting ring. One
day, IN the summer of 1868, two men
were buying horses for the army, and
stopped all night at Mr. Decker's, and
in the morning bought the Maid" Of
him for $3.50, and started for home leav-
ing the mare behind them. On their
way they met Dir. Toupkins, who knew
the little mare, and bought her of them
for $3.50 The two men also knew her
and believed that she could be made =
trotter, but were willing 70 make 500
By their mornings bargain The next
day Tompkins sold her to Attn Gold
smith, an excellent judge of horse-fesh,
Of Blooming Grove, Orange county, \.
I. for 5000. 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 credit Of first bringing the
mare out The renowned Budd DobIe.
who now drives her 50 handsomely. had
not then either seen OF heard Of her.
While in training for the trotting course
she was 50 fretful and irritable, 50 de-
ternIned to run at every opportunity.
instead Of tTOttIng, 50 hard to bring TO q
trot after breaking from that gait, that
Mr. Goldsmith many times determined
to give up the training and sell her at
any price, but his patient driver main
tanned his abiding faith in her, and as
surtd his employer that she vas the fast
est animal on his premises, and would
cone cut At last great trotser. and 6n-
ally persuaded him 70 keep her, which
he did until the driver 80 brought out
her points. that Mr. Goldsmith. In Nor.
1865, sold her 10 3 Jackman and Budd
Doble for $4,000. These gentlemen
said her 70 Mr.. H Y. Smith, for the
sum Of $4,000 Mr.. Doble still drives
her She made her first appearance in
public in Aug. 1865.
Buffalo papers give interesting details
Of Goldsmith Maids successful eFsrt IN
beat her own record Of 2.I6. In race
against tine AZ the Driving Park in that
city > few days ago In the first heat
the first quarter vas reached in 0 81.
the half in Log. the third quarter IN
la 81, and the mile vas rnade m
Els ID; the announcement Of which
very naturally ELECTED . murInur Of dis
appointment from the spectators. In
the second heat the mare came mn n
ths scare IN fine style and took the word
go = when about two lengths ahes4
Of the running horse She vent ike an
arrow around the turn. keeping her feet
BEAUTIFULLY. and going Ike machine
She made the quarter IN 81 seconds
the same a. On her first heat: but !.
vas clearly apparent that her speed from
the quarter 10 the half IN this heat was
greater tbaa before. and an expression
81 exaltation escaped the handful Of men
On The JUICES stand when the Maid