Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-07-30
Euchred at n Horse-Raee.

| Nptthin Oh nOTst-rdcln, SAID Jallcr
Birdsall, of Virginia City, Nevada, to a
select coterie in the city Jail, the tricks of
the turf being under consideration, II had
my dose once, and I'm horse thief if
haven't kept it dark for eighteen years
was keepin' big stable on B. street in 80
and there was sight o racin' going on in
them times, and | wanted my fin in every
thing o that kind. | was younger and
fresher than | am now. Two horses were
brung up from Genoa to run for thousand
side at the track near Long Valley The
race was to come off on Saturday, and there
was some heavy bettin' on the thing.
was holdin' back for points before putin
up any coin.
"Blll Harness comes to me a Thursday
and put up the prettiest job | ever heard
tel of. You don't remember Bill, s'posel
Well, he was lynched over at Phoebe in II,
poor fellow. We took Hardy in. an it was
agreed that the swag was to be divided
equal. 1t was a pretty job, an the chief
beauty Of II was that it was 50 easy an sim
pie. Ii was just for Hardy an me to take
the horses the night afore the race an speed
EN- round the track till he found their pace
1t wouldn't be no trick, then, at all, for us
to haul in all the pools and clean up hand
some. The nags were in my stable. which
made the business just too easy. Friday
night me an Hardy set to work an got the
jockeys blind, stavin' drunk, an by mid
night they was as limp an senseless AS a
pair of lines. Hardy and me, when we'd
got 'em so they couldn't tell a stirrup from
IA distance pole, laid EN- out in the straw in
an empty stall an took the black and gray
out for practice. 1t was pretty moonlight
night, clear as day, and everything worked
slick. | rode the black, an il beat the gray
easy, although they were both powerful
good goers. Then took the gray an Har-
dy took the black, so there couldn't be no
suspicion Of roots agn one another, and
still the black a most distanced the grav.
''We jest laughed till the tears rolled
down our jaws, when we led them horses
back TO our stalls. 10 think of the soft thing
we had on the boys, an Hardy an ME was
quite willin' to put in about two hours rub
bin down them flyers, so AS to remove all
signs Of the work they'd been through.
The race was mile heats. best two in three,
an me an Hardy was on the track good
an early next day takin' everythin' that
was offered agin the black. We both had
scads in them times, an when the start was
made we'd about five thousand on the black
between us. We let up bettin' jest out of
pity for the poor devils that took us up so
innocent and eager. Every now an then
Harness an Hardy an me would meet an
go an take a drink an roar with laughin'
50 YOU could hear US a mile
''When the horses started Hardy an me
felt bigger old Grant 1t kind o. surprised !
us to see the way the gray lifted his feet !
through, an when he come in length /
ahead o the black it kind o made us feel
uneasy about the gills. OF course we
knowed it was the burned Jockeys fault, |
an | managed TO git To him an slip five /
twenties into his fin.
- let her out this time. | sez. If the !
black wins you'll get two hundred more
He gave a wink and nodded. Bows, !
YOU kin roast me if that burned gray didn't /
dista9ce the black in the second heat. In |
ten minutes | was blind drunk an knowed |
no more till mornin'. Then oiled up NV 4
shooter and started out to find Hardy. If /
had found him he wouldn't been water |
tight long. | was sure he'd put the job up |
on me on the track Friday night. We |
didn't hPppen to meet. Friends looked out I
for that | know now. Harness wasn't no |
where around, an | found he'd gone to the /
bay.
1T wasn't forty-eight hours afore the I
whole town was howlin' with delight at the /
way Hardy an med been eat up. 1t was +.
that cussed Harness an his gang THEY'D |
loaded the shoes o the gray with lead, an |
then put Hardy an me up to our little game. /
1t was, said Mr. Birdsall, with tears in his
eyes at the mere memory, 'the lowest down
that ever was played on two
honest Wen. Only think what would have
happened if Hardy and me had met. He
was huntin' for me just the same as | was
after him. The game was blowed before
we did come together, an then after five
minutes talk we started for the bay to see
Harness. He skipped before we got there,
an although we followed him for morc'n n a
month, he kept ahead of US. They gave
him his dose over at Pioche, though"
added Nlr. BirdSall, cheerfully, and then he
sighed and rclapsed into tobacco smoke and
silence.