Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-08

the general, and had refused to ride
him in the race. l kin remember
how blue he looked when he sees
his old favorite get cut up so bad.
Sam, says Bill, won't you ride
Eclipse for us2' Sam shook his
head, walked over where Eclipse
was, and patted him on the neck
and spoke to him. Well, sir, that
horse must have known Sam, for he
whinnied. Sam stood moment
with tears in his eyes. He looked
at Bill Shaw, then at the horse, and
says, by -, / can't stand by and
see this horse beat; where's my
yaller capY He always rode in a
yaller cap and black velvet riding
jacket, and he rode that horse a
winner Of the next two heats, land
ing him under the wire in I min
uteS and 49 seconds, and the last in
s minutes and "a seconds. When
the race was finished there was the
liyeliest time around them diggins
you ever saw. Everybody was wild.
The niggers bucked their heads,
and you couldn't hear yerself speak
for the cheering. Some of the lads
carried Sam off on their shoulders,
and all our boys were wild. I'll
never forget it, my boy"
Z" Do you know anything of
Purdy's history ?"
I" Yes / knew Sam when | was a
shaver, and | became more ac-
quainted with him when l grew
older. He was a carpenter by
trade, and l reckon he was about
twenty-five when he rode that race.
He was small in size, sparsely built,
but a mighty nice boy. l believe
he came from Purdy's Station, up
in Westchester county, but there
are so many Purdys up there l do
not know which family he sprung
from. John Purdy, one Of the
stewards Of the American Jockey
Club, is a son of his. He had an
other son, a rattlin' good boy, Love
Purdy. You didn't know him, |
guess. Sam never rode another
race after that. The boys Staked
him pretty well, and he got to be
alderman OF the Tenth ward, but
he always hankered after horses
till he died."
"Relate come other old time
events that transpired on this track,
Uncle Jake"
"Lord bless you, my boy, my
heads SO full of them that | can't
think of them now. There was
that race betwix Screwdriyer and
Rawlor in 1928. 1t were a trotting
race, five miles and repeat. Screw
driver beat Rawlor. Harry Jones
drove old Screw and he belonged
to an iron-railing man named Jack
son. Rawlor belonged to Add Rus
sler and Bill Berrian, Center Mar
ket butchers. Then there were the
running race betwix Fashion and
Patonah, four mile heats. Fashion
were a small sorrel mare owned by
a Jerseyman named Gibbons. Sam
my Allaire trained her, and his
young son Sam, now president of
a bank somewhere over in Jersey,
rode her. | don't exactly know
what the purse were, but it we're a
big pile. Patonah, she were big
sorrel mare, over sixteen hands
high, brought from Kentucky by
Colonel johnson. The race were
on May l3, 1S45. Patonah won in
two straight heats. The fastest
time was I'm, 35s. Three years af-
ter that our boys got square when
Colonel johnson brought Boston
here from the South to run against
Fashion. The race took place on
May 10, 1S48.' 'Gip Fitzpatrick
rode Boston, but 'old FASH just
got up and knocked the duff out Of
her. Boston were the stallion that
sired Lexington. Well, sir, the
time made in that race, 1921,
wasn't beat till Lexington beat it,
seven years afterward.
"About this time l kin remem-
Der the twenty-mile race-that is,
liye-mile heats OF four miles each
which Black Maria won. Black
Maria we're big black mare owned
by Charlie Hall it were an awful
race, and l distinctly remember it
were dark when it were finished.
On October 6, 1S47, Fashion and
Passenger had run on this track.
Fashion won in two straight heats.
The time were 7:45a and 7:40."
Can you remember any trotting
events that took place there?"
Well, | guess l do-some.
There's were old Lady Suffolk
you've heard tell of her?-did
some Of her pretty work. l saw
her waltz around Mac, Kate Horn
and a Philadelphia trotter, Tacony,
in 1851. Then there's that big trot
of three-mile heats, that took place
in May, 1853, when Kemble Jack
son beat 0blenis, Pet, Honest John,
lola and Boston Girl. 1t were
honey-cooler of a race. Only think,
three-mile heats, wagon and driver
to weigh three hundred pounds!