The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-08-27
The Story of Goldsmith Maid,

The Maid" was wayward child.
From the date of her birth on the farm
of John B. Decker, in Vantage town.
ship, Sussex county, N. Y, in the
spring of 1857, to the age of six years,
she distinguished herself in many
ways, but never as 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, one
day in drawing stones. Once she was
hitched to harrow, but, after short
distance, she reared backward and en-
tangled both her hind legs in the
cross piece of the harrow, and so in
jured those members, that when she
goes out for her morning walks, it is
said, she still shows signs of stiffness
behind, caused by this fall in early
life. From the time she was 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
anxious to know which was the speed
lest horse, and at an early day they
found out that it was the Maid" And
so, after the cold 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 everything
that could be brought to run with her,
so that, finally, none but the uninformed
from a distance could be found to bet
against her. The races were made up
at the country stores and lounging
places in the evening after farm work
was over, and the race ran the same
night after the "old man" had gone to
bed. No training, no grooms, no
Jockeys, no weight for age-iust man
or boy in his barefeet, mounted bare
back, with his toes hugging the mares
the "Maid no doubt enjoyed it more
than she has some of her late races in
the trotting ring. One day, in the sum-
mer of 1868, two men were buying
horses for the army, and stopped all
night at Mr.. Decker's, and in the morn
ing bought the "Maid" of him for
$3.50. and started for home, leaving the
mare behind them. On their way they
met a Mr.. Tompkins, 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 a
trotter, but were willing to make $100
by their mornings bargain. The next
day Tompkins sold her to Attn Gold
smith, an excellent judge of horsehesh,
of Blooming Grove, Orange county, n.
Y, for $600 From him she took the
name of Goldsmith Maid. He kept her
in pretty steady training under a driver
named William Bodlne, to whom, more
than any other living man, should be
awarded the credit of first bringing the
mare out. The renowned Budd Doble,
who now drives her so handsomely,
had not then either seen or heard of
her. While in training for the trotting
course she was so fretful and irritable,
so determined to run at every oppor-
tunity, instead of trotting, so hard to
bring to 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 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 great trot-
ter, and finally persuaded him to keep
her, which he did until this driver SO
brought out her points, that Mr.. Gold
smith, in November, 1868, sold her to
B. Jackman and Budd Doble for $40,
600. These gentlemen sold her to Mr..
H. N. Smith, for the sum of $37, 900.
Mr.. Doble still drives her. She made
her first appearance in public in August,
1865.