National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-01
TOURNAMENT.

TlLTlNG iEN1R A PRIZE-CROWNING THE
QUEEN ALL ENDING WITH A BALL.
fester E-s, in accordance with extended publ
cation, Eas designated as the day on which
grand tournament and ball was to take place on
the Air grounds Of the District Of Columbia and
Sorfhern Maryland Agricultural Society, which
arc located near Wilson Station, in Prince
f.4eOrFe's county, Maryland, and abeut seven
miles from this city. II was expected that
4 knights from Virginia, Maryland and the Dis
trict would enter the list ana contest for the
DriEes as we'll the honor Of selecting and crown
Ing the queen, and, If less sSocesstui the pleas
| The prizes 10 be contested for Esx o fine saddle
and bride valued at t35 which YVES to be accorded
yer cup FOR TAe one second best. Fhe nearRess Of
the grounds to the city, their easy access By the
BaltimereInd Potomac railroad, and the induce
anticipated would have the effect OF bringing
out an immense conco1Cse Of people to witness
the riding and attend the ball.
days had the effect Of dampentng the ardor Of
many who had been disposed TO attend, and deter
rinEotbers who feared muddy grounds. STILL at u
O'Clock yesterday, train from the Stxth-street
| depot carried out fully two hundred persons in
| Guiding many females, who decided to brave the
| elements and enjoy the pFOffered pleRsures The
day was no. at all inviting for the sport pene-
tratiRg wind blowing stitdy from the west, while
the'black clouds rolling up from the south indi-
Gated that rain was likely to descend at any mo-
ment. Yet, despite these torbodfngs on they
vert, and within twenty minutes "Wflson 's'' was
yelled out by a slim brakeman with powerful
lungs, and the disembaTking took place. Here
Was the first dilemma. A large crowd set down
at country station, one half mile from the fair
grounds, and few vehicles to transport them to
their destination; and such vehicles! Wagons
with tops and without, springs and no springs,
buckets, boxes and boards for seats, and not q
cushion in sight. These for ladies, too. Some
| puckered up their lips, made wry faces,
4 and were reluctant to accept the ride under
such apparent discomfort and disadvantage,
and with their gallants, if unfortunate in being
alone, started of, pledding up the road through
the mud tOr the tair grounds. There were others
willing to make the best OF q bad conveyance,
and these got into the wagons and away they
| went, bent for the same place as the pedes-
| trians After passing a short distance on the
road and then through a cOTn-field, the grounds
| of the Agricultural Society were reached, but
there was little presented to the eye Of the OBJ
server to indicate that a fair grounds laid any
where in that section OF the country. The cOun-
try was somewhat billy and the surface presented
| the appearance.of atield that had lain idle for
| several years, while the lOWland resembled
| mixture of brush and meadow. The society owns
| here about two hundred acres, and on the west
| side Of the grounds had been made an excavation
| extending quarter Of mile, which bore resem-
blRnce to cut Tor some new railroad penetrating
| that section, and the work had been stopped ere
| it was completed. The soil was q mixture Of red
and yellow clay, and the rains of the past two
| days moistened It to such extent that when
many feet came to treading it there was soon
composition Mt for a brick-kiln-
On one side was erected a temporary stand for
the judges, while opposite had been built, in
rough manner, some seats for ladies, but these
were poorly constructed that they fell to pieces
after few persons got on them, and became
worthless either for sightseeing or the use fer
which they had been erected. Most any man
with half a brain would have displayed better
Judgment than to put a halEinch board edgeWays
on the ground and laying other boards upon it
expect It to bear the weight Of two hundred or
more people. On one Of the hills had been
erected one-story frame building with a shed
along the west side. The former was used for
the coronation exercises and the ball, and the
structure, as was to be expected, was barren OF
cOnVeniences, but the committee had endeavored
to give their patrons all the comforts that lay in
their power and having only limited means at
their command had to use them where they
would rebound to the good of the many.
1t will be recollected that the society is young,
and has received little encouragement to urge
them on in the work they have undertaken, by
those protesting to be lovers of agricultural dis
plays and turf sports; but with all these draw
backs they have perseyered; secured site for
fair grounds, and propose putting them in a con-
GItiOn that will make them equal, if not superior
TO any others in the country. Where the ground
has been broken is the opening work for the nile
track, which, when finished, will possess more
advantages for racing horses than many now in
use. There will be two sides Of a quarter of a
mile each, a straight stretch and two corners Of
quarter Of mile each, thus giving to the animals
racing benefit and relief from short turns while
moving at full speed. When this work and the
erection Of a suitable house, stables and stand
will be completed 1t is impossible to tell but the
stockholders intend to push forward as rapidly as
their treasury will allow. They, however, antic
ipate that the day is not far remote when they
can open their grounds for agricultural fairs and
this District and the adjoining States
But to the tournament. ltWas anticipated that
there would be at least thirty knights enter and
tilt for the prizes, but many doubtless thought
the recent rains would render a postpOnement
requisite, and consequently failed to put in an
appearance. There was sufficient, however, to
make the sport interesting and toward the close
exciting, and the result was for a long time in
doubt as to who would be the winner, which
finally fell to citizen Of this city, although he
rode under the title of " knight OF Virginia"
At o'clock the following were selected Judges,
and proceeded to occupy the stand: Messrs.
Joshua 7. CLARK, X. B. Chew, F. NJ. Hall, E. II.
WyYill, A. Q. Stevens ]. W. Bell and Pemrose
Jones The officers were: Marshal, B. W. Guy;
aids, J. W. Belt and +. o. Roberts; heralds @. E
West, g. W. Book, John BilIup and VIM. Stan
ley.
Everything being in readiness for the tourna-
ment TO begin the knights were drawn up before
the Judges stand, and the orator Of the day fail
ing to put in an appearance, they were instructed
in the rules governing the fitting and retired to
the lower end of the course to await their turn to
ride. The names Of the knights participating
and the score they made is follows, the CIPHER
signifying miss and ! a successful tilt: