Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-08-19
Some Particulars Of the Early Life Df
Goldsmith Maid.

The Maid was a 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 un-
dersized, nervous, and fretfu!, and ut
terly refused heavy farm work. Dir
Decker. her owner, says be never got
any work out of her but twice, one
half ~ in blowing corn and one half
day = drawing stones. Once she was
| hircned 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 injured
those members, that when she goes out
for her morning walks, 1t is said, she
still shows signs of Stiffness behind,
caused by this fail in earlv lib From
the time she was six MONTHS old until
Mr.. Decker sold her, she was used as
a race horse, though without her own-
er's' knowledge. The boys on the farm
of course, as boys do, were anxious to
know which was the speediest horse,
and at an early day they found it was
the Maid And so, after the "old
man" had gone to bed they would take
her out of the pasture or stable when
ever 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. These
races were made up at the country
stores and loungiag places in the eve
ming after farm work was over, and the
race run the same night after the cold
man" had gone to bed. No training,
no grooms, no Jockeys, no weight for
age-just man or boy in his bare
feet, mounted bareback, with his toeu,
hugging the mares belly like 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 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, leaving the mare behind
them. On their way they met Mr..
Tompkins, who knew the little mare,
and bought her OF them for $3.50 Tbs
two men also knew her and believed
that she could be made a trotter, but
were willing to make 500 by their
mornings bargain. The next day
Tompkin's sold her to Alden Gold-
smith, an excellent judge Of horsehesh
of Blooming Grove, Orange County,
n Y, for $780, From him she took
the name of Goldsmith Maid. He
kept her in pretty steady training un-
der driver named William Bodine,
to whom more than any other living
man, should be awarded the credit Of
first bringing the mare out. The re-
nowned Budd Doble, who now drives
her SO handsomely, had not then either
seen or heard Of her While in train
ing for the trotting course she was SO
fretful and irritable, SO determined to
run at every opportunity instead Of
trotting, 50 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 MAIN
tanned his abiding faith in her, aud
assured his employer that she was the
fastest animal on his premises, and
would come out at last great trotter,
and finally persuaded him to keep her,
which he did until this driver SO
brought out her points that Mr. Gold
smith in Nov. 1868, sold her to r
Jackman and Budd Doble for $780,
600. These gentlemen sold hert to Mr.
Fl. n. Smith fdr the sum of S37 GOO
Mr.. Doble still drives her. She made
her first appearance in public in August,
1865, ,-EyanspMe (Ld.) Journal,