The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-05-13
THE FAIR GROUNDS.
THE FIRST REGIMENTAL PICNIC-IN-
sPECTION AND PONY RACING.
Detailed Report Of the sports anslerry
H.. Wins the Mule Race

the first day. Several of the companies arrived
Son the ground early in the afternoon. and went
Through the form of guard mounting, station
ing sentinels on the inside of the fence along
the entire front of the grounds. and especially
near large holes in the fence. to keep the boys
from hooking in as 1t were.
The first part of the days programme was the
capture by the guard and police of some eight
or nine Of
THESE LITTLE HooKERS.
who had slid in through the holes in the fence
and some excitement was occasioned among
their cbums when the little lads were marched
between the soldery to the guard house. where,
with the Maria staring them in the face and
a general court martial staring them in the
back, they gazed with silent wonder and few
briny tears upon the uncertain future.
One little chap. as black as Erebus took his
capture terribly to heart and wept most bitterly,
his sobs being however } subdu9d until m the long,
charge, spoke of the terrors of a general court
martial. and how 1t not only separated families.
but sometimes sepa ated militia organizations
aud at that the little hooker" sobbed out as
though
HIS HEART WOULD BREAK,
and nothing would comfort him but section of
gingerbread kindly furnished by one Of his cap
The next order of the day was the inspection
Company A, that company showing remarkable
precision In their drilling aud marching.
Next came q mile dash for horses, there being
selling for 50 to the latter's 81 In the pools. In
the send off Hinton got, the pole and the lead,
but did not keep either long. the Cannon horse
:, Next came the pony race with four entres-
Frank, ~, Billy. Princess. and Buck, the first
named being the choice in the pools and the
last to get away but the first to come under the
string Time, 2:061s.
Next was trot. mile heats with two entries.
sHAwHAN AND BARNUM,
and Sbawhan the favorite at IS to 81 So In the
first heat Shawhan got tue lead and kept 1t to
the three quarter pole, when Barnum went up.
Tapped him.. and both came down the home
stretch together Barnum winning by neck.
.shawhan, got the go first in the second heat
also. the other horse sheering before the quar-
ter was reached. That made gap of five
lengths distance, but it was closed before the
home stretch was reached and tho Barnum
mare won the heat and race. Time 2:t9.
Next came a foot race Of 100 yards for purse
of s15, th3re
BEING TWENTY ENTRIES.
and the victor being Geo. KrummeI, of hmeri-
can Fire Company No. 2, he making the distance
In fifteen secon ls
The most exciting event of the day came next
that being a full blown mule race If the very
first water. It had been announced that for this
chunk of amusement there would be thirteen
entries but when the gong was rung to bring
the critters to the scratch all but three were
found to be sick and unaceOnnted for. The
three animals that appeared ready for duty
were IMMENSE beasts aud had immense riders,
they belonging, Of course, to the Melish," and and
nandez and Goodman. When
THE ToCsIN WAS SOUNDED
for the critters TO come up to the judges stand
and get a sandwich Of their native fodder and
race instructions. Stansberry's knock kneed
dun kicked O regular opera boutfs back kick
and jumped the paddock fence into the track,
It's riders der feet breaking of p9ngs be
mans didn't manifest the least desire to come
np or out of the lot, and before he would bulge
two or three kindly disposed persons had to
catch hold Of his narrative and twist it Ia
eow,-that, with the spurs and an OK goad bring
Fernandezs entry started out In docile way.
and when he got near the Stansberry entry the
small boys and peanut vendors gave the latter
areception by yelling
TWO TO ONE ON sTANsl'
They all came to the judges stand after q fash
ion and went up the stretch for a end-off and
would haye bad a good start. but, some one in
When on epry being
thing of a barn yard raised brute started full
tilt after white rooster that some boys were
chasing up the home stretch.
. Four men succeeded in bringing the animal
back Thy the earsl, when proposition was
made have the h hr riders hetS eaaEe mue but this
dez. who declared they had not been long
enough in this world to ride with Stansberrys
sstirrups. so that idea was given up by major
When the drum was tapped
FOR THE 90,
the Goodman entry took the lead in a dog trot
Stansberry second insa blind canter, and Fer
nandez betting his beast with II clapboard, to
get him out Of walk into trot
These positions were maintained until the
half mile pole was reached. Wien the Stans-
berry mule went up peg or two and collared
the Goodman entry, getting so close to him that
9. wet blanket would have covered both. Just
and started back to hunt up the Fernandez
entry. which had got about 100 yards from the
starting point. and was becke9d up against the
fence receiving shower both of dirt -cods and
brickbats
FROM THE NEWS BOYS,
who had gone up to help the third entry out of
At the three-uuarter pole the Stansberry en-
try was ahead. the animal having gone at such
speed that the rider lost his fatigne Gao and one
borrowed spur, and just there Goodman's colt
bolted and tried to jump the ience into Il pota' o
patch. The bolt gave Stansberry TIL advantage
have kept to to the string but for the fact that his
'mewef' stopped suddenly to quench his thirst
from a mud-puddle, and stopped 50 suddenly
that his rider went
GALL1vANTING OVER HIS HEAD,
losing the other spur ana an eye-tooth In the
fall his friends (being posted around the |
track picked him up. stood him on his feet
dropping himself an inch or two found him
self seated in the saddle. and down the home |
stretch he came. winning the first half Of the
dashes only. started for the barnyard gate and |
came near going over half dozen small chill
dren, but was gotten under way again on the |
second mile of the dash. closely pushed by |
Goodman, who picked up a blacksnake whip |
as persuader and made better speed.
When the half-mile pole wa. reached the |
Stansberry entry lost his grip as it were and
Jagged somewhat permit ling the Goodman |
entry to run around him. This position was
kept to the three-uuarter pole when the Fer
nandez entry was passed on its f1rsttrip around
and the three animals punched and came down /
the home stretch
AT A NULEIsH RATE.
lhe race being nip and tuck between the Stans-
berry and Goodman nags. the tuck animal
being. II anything. a nose in the lead
Stansberry saw his disadvantage. and know
ing he would lose the race unless he resorted to
strategy he raised himsDl in his stirrups, gave
one whoop and the mule was about 10 stop
when It's rider hired a small boy with lot q
ash-pole to help him along. and help him he
i'd. as the first prod" Of the pole sent the mule
Lhead OF Goodman. and the rider adding a
iusting from ? pearl handled rawhide to the
saladS hc tho