Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-08-03
BIG SELL AT AKRON,
The Centennial Races and How
They Turned Out---Departure
of the Managers.

A good many people interested in horse
matters went to Akron, o., last week from
this vicinity to see the Centennial Races.
Some of the alleged managers have been in
terested in certain races here and some of the
horses entered, including Sleepy George,
are well known in Pittsburgh. 1t turns ou
that the races were mammoth fraud The
Beacon of that place says: 'Their premi
ums were great and the professions of theil
ability to pay them were still greater. Having
kept up appearances shout as long as possible
one of the crowd concluded he would take {
change of climate and so fastened to make
his departure on the four o'clock train east OF
the Atlantic & Great Western yesterday
The name of that individual was j. c. Beres
ford, of Steubenville, who had been acting a.
secretary of the show. This mans move
ments were observed by couple of gentle
men, who followed him to the depot, where
upon being questioned, he told few unpleas
ant truths in regard to the affair The gen
tlemen who had tracked the Secretary to the
depot returned to the Empire, where they
found several gentlemen from Detroit and To.
ledo, who had brought horses to take part in
the races, and informed them of how matters
stood. These gentlemen fastened to the de-
pot, where they found Beresford, the train not
having left. After much persuasion, and not
d ICW HC dCCOiupdultu tlltu Uack 10
the Empire. There they informed him if he
would only pay them the expenses they had
incurred in bringing their horses here they
would let him off. AS he did not have money
enough with him 10 meet the demand, he sent
for George II. Smith, of Steubenville, the
owner of ''Sleepy George" the celebrated
PAGER. Smith was the originator of these
races, and Beresford was merely acting as his
agent, having been nearly as badly taken in as
have been the hOrsemen. Smith furnished
the money demanded and Beresford was re-
leased and Immediately ''stood not on the or.
der of his going," but made tracks for Hud-
son. From Beresfords confession it seemed
that Smith, thinking that he could take all
the premiums offered in the races with his nu-
merous fast horses, got up this show with
that intention. Finding that faster horses than
he had anticipated had been allured here by
his seductive purses, and that his little plans
would fall through, he left the affair without
any management whatever. The consequence
was that many fine horses came here, but their
owners, finding how matters stood immediate
ly took them away. Some, however, who
had fast horses, concluded that after they had
been to the trouble and expense of getting
here they would remain and make the best of
the thing. Owing to the presence of this fast
stock there were one or two quite fine trots,
upon which the attendance was very slim in
deed, owing TO the lack of advertising in
proper manner. Yesterday, we believe, there
were thirteen spectators at the afternoon trot
Some time during last night several more of
the managers of the institution slipped out of
town. There are still number of horses at
the Hall Grounds, from Hartford, Conn.,, To-
peka, Kas., Cuba, N. Y, Detroit, Toledo,
Louisville, KY, and other points. According
to the programme, Minerva is the next place
to be swindled, Piqua will then come, Zanes-
vile after Piqua, then Quaker City, then
Wheeling. II Pittsburgh Dispatch, 31st ult.