The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-08-14
Goldsmith Maid.l

New York in the spring of 1857, to the
age of six years, she distinguished her-
self many ways, but never as trotter.
She was understood, nervous and fret
full, and utterly refused heavy farm
work. Mr.. Decker, her owner, says he
never got any work out OF her out
twice-one-half day in plowing corn,
and one-half day in drawing stones.
| Once she was hitched TO harrow, after
short distance she reared backward
and entangled both her hind legs IN the
cross-piece of the harrow, and so IN
iured those members that when she
goes out for her morning walks, 1t is
said, she still shows signs OF stiffness
behind, caused by this fall in her early
life.
From the time 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, like
all boys, were anxious to know
which was the speediest horse, and at
an early day they found 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 could he brought to run with her,
so that finally none but the uninformed
from distance could be found to bet
against her. These races were made up
at the country stores and lounging
places in the evening after farm work
was over, and the race run the same
| I'll ga oil ho1
gone to bed. No training, no grooms,
no jockeys, no weight for age-just a
man or boy in his bare feet mounted
bare-backed, with his toes hugging the
mares belly like leech, was the style /;
and the "Maid no doubt enjoyed it
more than she has some of her late
races in the ring.
One of the most singular freaks of
the crazy-headed little mare during her
farm life was habit she had of taking
a monthly trip through the country.
About once a month. no matter how
high the Enclosure, she would break
from her pasture and go sailing over the
neighboring farms, leaping and flying
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 of six miles, she would
finally land in the field from which she
started, behaving herself afterward 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 a little gossip with her neigh
bors, probably accounted for the time
being as long as forty minutes.
The story might be hard to believe if
it were not vouched for by those liv-
ing in the neighborhood who were
so often eye witnesses to this strange
habit.
One day, in the summer of 1868, two
men were out buying horses for the
army, and stopped all night at Mr..
Decker's, and in the morning bought
the Maid" OF him for $500, and started
for home, leading 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
men also knew her, and were aware that
the mare had great speed, and believed
that she could be made a trotter. but
were willing to make hundred dollars
by their mornings bargain. The next
day Tompkins sold her to Alden Gold
smith, an excellent Judge of horse-fesh,
of Blooming Grove, Orange county, n.
Y, for $500. 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 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
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 i'll
her, and assured his employer that she
was the fastest animal on the premises,
and would come ont 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
Il. Jackman and Budd Doble for
500, 1000.
These gentlemen sold her to H. n.
Smith for the sum of $4,000. Mr..
Doble still drives her.
She made her first appearance in pub
lie in August, 1866. When she trotted
in 2:17 at Milwaukee, Sept. 6, 1871,
there was great excitement everywhere
among horsemen. The majority doubted
the length of the track and the time.
But the track was measured afterward
by competent engineers, 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 at
tended all her races. Since her last
great achievement at Mystic Park in
2:16a this excitement is again revived.
-EUdnSUiUe Journal.