The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-04-16
4 LITTLE RORSE TAX.
THE WAY BUrTERwIcK EXPLAINED ABOUT
THE RACE.
PHILADELPHIA BnIlstin.l


the course one day last fall and Butter
wick attended to witness it. On his way
home in the Reading cars, in the after
noon, he encountered Rev. DR.. Potts, a
clergyman who knew no more about horse
racing than Hindoo knows about seven
up. Butterwick, however, took it for
granted in his usual way that the doctor
was familiar with the subject, and taking a
seat beside him, he remarked:
81 was out at the course to day to see
Longfellow."
"fndeedl Was he therei Where did
you say he vast"
"Why, over yer at the course. I saw
'em. He ran agin Gen. Harvey, and it
created big excitement, too; but he beat
the General badly, and the way the crowd
cheered him was wonderful. They say
that good deal of money changed hands.
That fact is. had a small bet on the Gen
eral myself"
"You don't mean to say that Longfellow
actually beat Gen. Harneyf"
eyes, do! Beat him the worst kind.
You'd hardly've thought it now, would
you7 I was never more surprised in my
life. What's queer about it is that he
seemed just as fresh afterwards as before
he commenced. Didn't faze bit. Why,
instead of wanting to rest, be was jumping
about just as lively, and when the crowd
began to push around him he kicked
boy in the stomach and doubled him
up-nearly killed him. Oh he's wicked
wouldn't trust him as far as I could see
"This is simply astonishing" said the
doctor. 81 wouldn't have believed it pos
sible. Are you sure it was Longfellow, Mr..
Butterwick7"
:" Why certainly, of course; I've seen
him often before. And after breathing
awhile, he and Maggie Mitchell came out,
and as soon as they stepped off he put on
an extra squirt or two and led her by the
neck all around the place, and she came
in putting and blowing and nearly exhaust
ed. never took much stock in her any
way"
Lied her by the neck! Why, this is
the most scandalous conduct I ever heard
of. Mr.. Butterwick, you must certainly be
joking"
pledge you my word it's the most
solemn truth. saw it yself. Aud after that
Judge Fullerton and General Harvey they
took turn together, and that was the
prettiest contest of the day. First the
Judged beat the General, and then the
to the Judge, and the twod be about
even for while, and all of sudden the
General would give kinder jerk or two,
and leave the judge just nowheres, and
by the time the General passed the third
quarter the Judge keeled over against the
fence and gave in. They say he broke
his leg; but I don't know if that is SO or
not. Anyway he was used up. If he'd
passed that quarter he might have been all
right"
"What was the matter with that quarter
Wasn't it good 7"
:"Oh, yes. Buty you see the Judge must
have lost his wind or something; and
reckon when he tumbled it was something
like faint, you know"
"Served him right for engaging in such
brutal contest"
"Well, dunno Depends on how you
look at such things. And when that was
over Longfellow entered with Matte Eve
Ign. He kept shooting past her, all the
time, and this worried her so thai she ran
little to one side and somehow, dunno
how it happened, but his leg kinder
tripped her, and she rolled over on the
ground, hurt pretty bad think, while
Lonfellow had his leg cut pretty near to
the bone"
Did any of the shots strike her 7"
81 don't understand you"
You said be kept shooting close to her,
and thought maybe some of the bullets
might have struck her."
"Why l meant that he ran past her, OF
couse. How in thunder could lie shoot
bullets at herr"
81 thought may be he had a gun. But
don't understand any of it. 1t is the most
astounding thing 1 ever heard of at any
rate"
"Now, my dear sir, want to ask you
how LopgfellOw could manage gun 7"
Why, as any other man doee, OF
course ~
Man man! Why, merciful Moses
you didn't think l was talking about hui
man beings all this time, did you7 Why,
LoDgfellow is horse They were racing
running races over at the course this at
telnoon, and l was trying to tell you about
it,"
"You don't say So" remarked the doc
tor, with sigh of relief. "Well, declare
1 thought you were speaking of the poet
and hardly knew whether to believe yoI
or not; it seemed so strange that he SHOULD
behave in that manner"
Then Mr.. Butterwick went into tn
smoking car to tell the joke to his friends
and the doctor sat rejecting upon the out
rageous impotence of the men who nam
their horses after respectable people.
JEFFERSON md ELLSLER.