The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-06-26

uIcG ttuSS tue OluCeT leFeleu HIS
weapon and fired. Each time the
bullet entered the brain and the
blood gushed out. At the third shot
cWhirter hobbled across the track
and stood by the fence. 1t seemed
as if he would never fall. As he
painted the blood would squirt out
upon the fence and run from his
mouth and nose in great clots. Fl
nally the officer stepped directly in
front of the now falling horse, and
putting the muzzle Of the pistol al
most to the forehead, fired, the ball
entering right between the eyes.
The horse dropped then, but it was
not till long after he had been
dragged into the southeast corner
of the grounds, underneath the
shade Of a great oak, that life finally
went out.
Jockeys and trainers gathered
about him with the most marked
manifestation of sorrow. The name,
which had been braided and tied
with the Buford colors, red and
white, was sheared of and carried
awas as keepsakes.
1t was declared at first that
THE BONES A
of the fore legs had been broken.
To any one acquainted with the
anatomy of race horses this seemed
impossible, and is proved not to
have been the case. At the conclu-
sion of the races, and while the
grave was being dug, General Nit
chell and other well known horse
men made an examination. In one
sense, perhaps, both of McWhirter's
legs were broken; but it was not a
bone fracture. Tendons and mus
cles were torn apart and the bones
disjointed. The accident was what
is know among horsemen as
DREAMING DOWN." 49,.
1t happens occasionally on race
tracks, but probably there was never
seen so aggravated case as this.
The 'sbreaking down" of one leg oc-
currel just before completing the
secoad mile and the other gave way
when Joe Rhodes slipped past. AT
ter that McWhirter ran on the
stumps for furlong, crippliny him
self to death. ia" sg.is3ss's
/ Mcclure, one Of the standard
authorities, describes the &C, idcnt
as follows: 2
Breaking Down-'This accident
means or consists in rupture Of the
tendons and ligaments, and occurs
mt once when the horse is at fail
speed. The horse stops suddenly
or, perhaps, stumbles and falls; gets
up, but stands on his fetlocks, the
toe Of the foot turned up and the
sole Of the foot as it were looking
at you" &
Walsh, editor Of the Field, al
I English paper, in his book describes
breaking down. as follows:
"Fhe accident generally occurs il
a bred horse, when the flesh or mus
cles do not continue to support the
ligaments; from which circumstance
it so often happens in the last few
strides Of q race. The symptom'
are a partial or entire giving way o
the fetlock joint downwards, so tina
the back If it either touches tn,
ground or nearly so when the weigh
is thrown upon it." 4
Both authorities go on to prescrib
a treatment, but from the accoun
already given it will be seen that al
: ter breaking down McWbirter, Wit
8 the most wonderful endurance prob
: ably ever seen on a track, had gon
! on and completed his run.
: Talking to Times reporter short
: ly after the occurrence,
Y GENERAL BUFoRD SAID:
"The boy ought to have held hin
up. McWhirter hasn't complaine
. this training, and l only entered hit
r to come here. l engaged him her
G and nowhere else. He was riddle
d badly at Louisville, where / CAV
!, him a trial to see how he went MOI
It than any thing else, and anotas
J., horse struck him on his good lie,
d (McWhirter has had trouble wit
n one Of his fore legs for some tin
j. past). We have nursed him and
seemed to be all right. We use
cold water on his leg and it mu
i have made it tender. l refuse
k $4,000 for him. He ran the gran
# est race ever won, and his wi