The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-08-27
'Ouae Particulars Of the Early Lite
OF Goldsmith Maid.

The Maid was . hayward 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 o trotter. She was under
sized, nervous and fretful, and utterly
refused heavy farm work. Mr.. Decker,
her owner, says he never got any work
out Of her but twice, one halliday in
plowing corn, and one halliday in
drawing stones. Once she was hitche1
to harrow, but after short distance
she reared backward and entangled her
legs ID the cross-piece of the harrow,
and SO injured 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 Us a
race horse, though without her owners
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 stable or pasture, whenever
a race could be made up, and run her
on the road after night. She beat
everything that could be brought to run
with her, 50 that finally none but the
uniformed 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 night after the ''old 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 toes hug,
ging the mares belly like leech, was
the style; and the Maid no doubt en-
joyed it more than she has some Of her
late races in the trotting ring. One
day in the summer Of 1853 two men
were out buying horses fer the army,
and stopped all night 1t Mr.. Deckers,
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 q Mr.. Tompkine.
who knew the little mare, and bought
her Of them for $500. The two men
also knew her and believed that she
could be made trotter, but were willing
to make 500 by their mornings bar
gain. The next day Tompkins sold
her to Alden Goldsmith, al excellent
judge of horseAesh, 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 to any
other living man should be awarded the
credit of first bringing the mare ont.
The renowned Budd Doble, who now
drives her SO handsomely, had not then,
either seen or heard Of her. While in
training fer the trotting course she
was so fretful and irritable, 30 deter
mined to run At every opportunity
instead of trotting, SO hard to bring to.
trot after breaking from that gait,
that Ef. Goldsmith many times de-,
termed 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
fast animal on his premises, and would
come out at least q great trotter, and
finally persuaded him to keep her,
which he did until this driver 80 brought
out her points that Mr.. Goldsmith, in
November, 1858, sold her to B. Jack
man and Budd Doble for 92o, 600.
These gentlemen sold her to Mr.. 81 N.
Smith for the sum Of 437, 900. Mr.
|,Doble still drives her. Che made her
8rsk appearance in publio In Aug, R66.