Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-08-19
A Little History of "The Maid"

was distinguished by many striking pecu-
-liarities. Her great power Of speed, the
sagacity aud pluck manifested in her ma
ture years, shown especially in races,
made horsemen anxious to know some
thing of her colt life and to crafty this
curiosity, the enterprising newspaper cor
respondent has pushed his way among the
meadows where she first saw the light,
interviewed her owner, cleaning the fol.
lowing incidents of early life: 1t seems
that the "Maid" was a hayward child.
From the date of her birth, on The farm
of John B. Decker, in Vantage town
ship, Sussex county. N. Y. 10 the spring
of 1857, to the age Of six years. she dis
tinguished herself In many ways, but nev-
er as a trotter. She was understood, ner-
vous and fretful, and utterly refused farm
work. Mr.. Decker, her owner, says he
never got any work out of her but twice,
one-half day in ploughing corn and one.
half day in drawing stones. Once she
was hitched to harrow, but after q short
distance she reared ard entangled both
her hind legs in the cross-piece Of the
harrow, and SO injured those members
that when she goes out for her morning
walks, it said, she still shows signs of
stiffness behind, caused by this fall,
From the time she was two or three
years old until Mr., Decker sold her at
six, she was used as 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 pret-
lest horse, and at early day they found
that it was the "Maid." And so after
the sold 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 conld be brought to run
with her, so that finally none but the un-
informed from distance could Dc found
to bet against her. These races were
made up at the country stores aud loung-
ing places in the evening after 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 man or a boy in
his bare feet, mounted bare. backed, with
his toes hugging the mares belly like a
leech, 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
azy.headed little mare during her farm
life was habit she had oftakipg month
ly trip through the country. About once
month, no matter how high the onclos-
ure, she would break from her pasture
and 60 sailing over the neighbering farms,
leaping and flying over fences, bitches,
stone-walls and streams-through fields of
growing crops, meadows, woods and pas
lures, up steep hills and down, until max.
ing circuit, generally about six miles,
she would finally land in the field from
which she started, behaving herself after
ward in steady manner, for her, until
the next run. The time that she would
be out during these trips was generally
about 40 minutes. A few stops by the
way to have little gossip with her neigh.
bors probably accounted for the time be.
ing SO long.
One day, in the summer of 1868, two
men, who were out buying horses for the
army, stopped oil night at MIR. Decker's,
and, in the morning, bought the Maid )"
of him for $3.50, and started for home,
leading the mare behind them. On their
way they met Mr.. Tompkiua, who knew
the little mare, and bought her Of them
for $500. The two men also knew her,
and were aware that the mare had great
speed, and believed that she could be
made trotter, but were willing to make
500 by their mornings bargain. The
next day, lompkins sold her to Alden
Goldsmith, an excellent Judge Of horse
flesh of Blooming Grove, Orange county,
N. Y, for 5000. From him she took the
name of Goldsmith Maid. lie kept her
in pretty steady training under a driver
named William Bodine, to whom, more
than other men, should be awarded the
credit of first bringing tho 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
trottiDg course she was SO fretiul and ir.
ritable, so determined to run at every
instead Of trotting, SO lard to
bring to a trot after breaking from that
gait, that Mr.. Goldsmith many times de-
to give up the training and sell
her at any price, but his patient driver
maintained his abiding faith in her, as