Milford chronicle., 1878-10-04
GOLDSMITH'S FAMOUS MARE.
THE MAN WHO DISCOVERED HER TELLING
HOW HE FOUND HER AND WHAT SHE COST

John H. Decker who died lately in
Orange county, N. Y, used to tell the
following story of the first introduction
in racing circles of the famous Gold
smith Maid =" In 1864 Tom Brigham
and myself" Mr.. DECKER said, event
into a little speculation in buying up
turkeys and cattle throught his section,
We both lived in Newburg at that time.
In November of that year we drove over
into Sussex county, and stopped at John
B. Decker's, near Deckertown. Johnny
B. as he was called, was my uncle. He
had mare that every one in the whole
country knew about, for she was the
widest and wickedest piece of horse
flesh that ever lived. This mare was in
the pasture lot with the other horses
the day we went there, and as knew
the stock she came from, wanted to
have look at her. Her sire was the
Edsall Hambletonian. We stayed all
night at Uncle Johns. Somehow or
other I took great fancy to that wild
mare and offered $3.50 for her but the
old gentleman didn't want to sell her.
"Oh, what's the use of keeping that
mare 2 said his wife. Let him have her.
Offer him $40 more, says she to me Fa1id
he'll take it.
$50 1 counted out $16O,and gave'i it to
my aunt Uncle John hesitated, but
soon said
"'All right. You may have her. But
you must catch her first = and the old
man laughed, as if he had me in tight
fix.
8" called two or three of his men to-
gether, and we went out and drove the
horses all in the barnyard. The mare
went INTO the barn and we shut her in.
Then we got her in a stall, and after a
long while we MAJ aged to get q halteT
on her. She hadn't looked through D. |
collar in four years. She was seven !
years old at the time. Wien Uncle John |
saw that we had her he was sick of his
bargain, and wanted to back out. But |
we tied her behind our wagon and drove
away. Uncle John had q mare, sister
Of this one, thathe valued at $780, He
said be would give me that mare instead;
but I didn't want her. Gen. Fitzpatrick
bought that ONE afterward and took her
to Chill with him but 1 never heard
that she amounted to anything On oHr
way in from Uncle Johns to my fathers
house, i'll the place where 1 live now,
we boNght over a ton @f turkeys. tried
the speed of the, mare now and then by
running my horses as fast as they could
go, but she could trot faster than they
ran, every time. L never saw such
for a green horse, and knew
she would make good one.
"Well, we got to fathers and put up
for the night. Next morning Tom Brig
ham cL;iiiJed ont $I30 and offered it 70
ne, and said he wanted to go into paft-
lership with me in the mare. But I
old him wanted the mare for my broth
'r-in-law, Judge Fullerton. While we
we're getting ready to start, after break
asst, who should drive up but Bill Tomp-
Tins, or Jersey Bill, as he was known,
md is yet. He kept hotel at Hampton,
wo or three miles away He'd heard
hat l had bought Johnny B. s mare, and
le came over to look at her. The hired
nan had the mare out of the barn. and
vas showing her gait up and down the
lne. Father and mother were both
boxing at her. Mother was very much
,ut out because had bought horse S't
hat was trotter, and father didn't like {
!, either. Jersey Bill fell in love witt |
ne mare right OH. {
John, says he, I'll give $500 for
er.' :
g I said no. Father and mother were i
9th very anxious that should take the '
honey, but wanted the mare. r
"'Three hundred and fifty, said Bill /
But didn't want the money, and /
5arted to drive away. +
I'll give you three hundred and e
xty dollars for the mare said Jersey.
i" Father wanted me to take the money v
nd mother said she was sure would go Z
, the bad if kept trotting horse, and "
, by and by got ont Of patience, and r
Id Bill to hand me over his money and V
Ike the mare. He drew check on the o
Tallkill Bank at Middletown for the n
Mount. didn't want to take the check. -
Let me see it, my father said. Il
81 handed him the check. He wrote s,
s name across the back. of it. Il
"' There" he says, 81 guesr that'll o.
now.' ~
" Of course that put the matter out of
Iestion. 1 took the check, and Jersey
II drove off to Hampton with the
are. Bingham and I went on to
)shen, and sicker man you never saw Ia
an l was over the sale of the mare. S.
seemed to tell me that she In
d stuff in her that was more than good. OF
ter got to Goshen was so thorough. OF
disguised with myself for parting with va
+ that L made up my mind to get her W
elk if possible. I put my team in the IN
IN at Goshen. William M. Graham, tn
erward State Senator, was President tW
the Waikiki Bank. l went straight II
the telegraph office and asked him ba
wire IA
It" Is Jersey Bills check good in your tel
nk for $36O?' fe
i' The answer came back: da
6 1t is good for $780, We
e So I went back to the hotel, and m;
d Bingham what 1 had done, and that La
vas going straight to Hampton, and VIC
.e that mare out of Jerseys barn. tn
lgham was q lawyer, and he told me on
ght get my fingers burnt by such th'
,ceeding. While We were discussing $3
matter, along came another dispatch de-
m Graham eal
&C Jersey Bill has made his check S!
ID of
{ That settled the whole business, hal
that is how 1 lost Goldsmith Maid. to
The next spring met Alden Gold sar
th, the Blooningrove horse breeder, the
~, T1yso xvoi