The news and herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1876-1881, 1879-07-02
HYRDsILL'S SOFT THING.
How IIe EuchcrSd the Boys alta Horse
Race Years Ago.

''JNtptaNitl VI llol oS A"S'' S'>''"N'
Dir(lspll last evening to q select cotcrio
in the city iail, the tricks Of the turf
being under discussion, "I had my
dose once an rma horscthicf if
haven't kept it dutk for eighteen years.
| was kccpin' u big stable on B street
in 60, and there was II sight o racin.'
goin' on in them times, and | Msatsd
my fin in everything o that kind. l.
was Younger and freshcr than am
now. Two horses, Il black and gray,
were brung up from Genoa to run for
q thousand side at the track near
Long Valley. Tao race was to come
of on Saturday, and there was some
heavy bcttin' OH the thing. / was
holdin back for points before putin
ND any coin. Bill Harness comes up
to ne a-Thursduy am put up the prct-
ticst job ever hear tell Of. You don't
remember Bill, | s'posc? Well, hc
was lynchcd over to Phoebe in III,
poor fellow. We took Rough in an it
was agreed that the swag was to bo
divided equal 1t was Il pactty job,
am the chief beauty oft was that it
was almighty easy an simple. 1t was
lust for Hardy an me to take the horses
out the night atoro the race an speed
'cm round the track till we found their
pace. 1t wouldn't be no trick then,
at all, for us 10 haul in all the pools
and clean up handsome. The nags
was in my stable, which made tho
business Just too easy. Friday night
me and Hardy set to work an got tho
iockics blind, stavin' drunk, and by
midnight they was as limp am scnsclcss
Il pair o lines. Hardy am me, when
We got en- 50 they couldn't tell STIR
rup from Il distance pole, laid 'cm out
in the straw in an empty stall, am took
tho black an gray out for practice
1t was Il pretty moonlight night, clear
as day, am everything worked slick.
rode the black an it beat the gray
easy, although they was both power
1ul good gocrs. Then took the gray
am Hardy took the black, so there
couldn't be no suspicion OF roots again
ono another, and still the black u most
distanectf the gray. We Jest laughed
till the tears rolled down our jaws,
when we led them horses back to their
stalls, to think Of the soft thing we had
on the boys, an, Hardy am me was
quite willin' to put in about two hours
rubbin' down them flyers, So rs to rc-
move all signs o tho work they'd been
through. The race was mile heats,
best two in three, an INC am Hardy
day takin' everything that was offered
agin' the black. We both had sc,ds
! iii them times, and when the start was
made we'd about five thousand on tho
bl ,ci between lis. We let up bcttin'
jest out ofpity for the poor devils that
took us up so innocent and eager.
Every now am then Harness an Har-
dy am nc would meet am 90 am take
drink an roar out laughin' so you
could hear us II mile. When the
horses started Hardy am mc felt big
germ old Grant. II kind % surprised
us to sec thc way the gray lifted his
feet though, an when he come in Il
length ahead o the black it kind o.
made us feel uneasy about the gills.
Or course we llnowcd it was the jock
cy's fault an managed to git to hinl
an slip five twcntics in his fin. Lot
her Gus this time l scZ. If tho black
wins you'li get two hundred more.
lie gave IL wink am nodded. Boys
YOU Kin roast me If lha: damned gray
Cidu't distance tiir black i'll the second
heat. In ten minutes [ was blind
drunk an knowrd 10 more till mornin.
Then | oiled up my shooter an started
out TO find Hardy. Ifrd found him
he wouldn't q been Wutcrtight long.
| was sure he'd put the job up on mo
on the track Friday night. We didn't
happen to meet. Friends looked out
for that, know now. Harness wasn't
no where around, an l found he'd
gone to the bay. 1t wasn't TOrty-cight
hours afOrc the whole town was hOu-
lin with delight at the way Hardy am
med been cat up. 1t was that cussed
Harness an his gang. They'd loaded
the shoes O the gray with lead an then
put Hardy an Inc up to our little
game. "It was" said Mr.. Birdsall,
with tears in his eyes at tho nero
-: memory, "thc lowest down shcnnani-
gan that ever was played on two hon
est men. Only think what would
have happened fIIardy am me had
met. He was huntin' for nc Just tho
! same as was after him. The game
! was blowcd before we did como togeth-
or, an then after five minutes talk we
started for the bay to sec Harness.
He skipped before we got there, an
although VIC followed him for moron
q month, he kept ahead Of us. They
gave him his dose over to Piochc,
though" added Mr.. Birdsall cheerful
~ and then he sighed, and rclapsed
into tobacco smoke and silence.
-aee-.-
a BALLOON BURsTs.-Onc of tIe,
most extraordinary escapes from death
ever recorded occurred on Easter
Monday to All acronaut named LIES
TRANCE. III the presence Of thousands
OF spectators he made an ascent from
the Agricultural Grounds, on tho St.
Kid" road, in the balloon Aurora, the
same, it is said, which was used to
convey dispatches during tho Franco
Prussian war. When the balloon had
attained the great altitude Of o milo
ana thrcc-quartcrs it suddenly col
lapscd, the gas bursting through it's
side; but the parachute came into
play, and, instead Of the wreck falling
like a stone, it came down in zig.
gag course, and finally struck a tree IN
thc government domain, thus break
ing the fall, and L'Estrangc reached
the ground half stunned, but alive.
The excitement when the balloon camo
down was intense. Women screamed
ana tainted, some fell Oh their knees,
H.