Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-10-19
TENNESSEE VALLEY FAIR.
Third and Last.Day---The Races.
lStaff Correspondence

RHEA SPRINGS, TENN, Oct. Is.
About one thousand or fifteen hun
dred people were estimated to be on
the grounds to-day. The morning
was devoted to the distributing of
premiums, and a few, unimportaht
matters not OF general interest. The
main feature of the day, and indeed of
the entire fair, was the races. AT two
o'clock every body gail cred around the
judges tt.nd, where the il erest and
expectation were very grea..
Oae of the most amusing performs
ances OF the fair was the fast mule
race to-day. There were two competi-
tors. The mules got fair start, and
went off at a terrible rate side by side.
There is no calculating, however, on
what a mule will d.. They have
i'd as of their own about racing and
they usually act upon them without
regard to the wishes of their riders.
In the race to-day, just as the two
mules were about half way around the
first time, one of them took q sudden
notion t make au excursion outside of
the race track. He made q complete
circle and then returned to the track
and cont nned the race. By this time
the other mule mad gained several hun
dred yards. but he also took some PEI
culiar notion into his head, not con-
ducial to speed, allowed the first one to
come in ahead, amid the shouts Of the
multitude. The next was q quarter
race, which was fairly won by Robert
Wilson'S Red Cloud. 1"
Next came the great race of all, for
purse of 500, offered by the fair asso~
citation. There were two entries,
"Gritts" and Orphan Girl" the
former owned by Col. French, of Nc
Minnviile. and the latter by E. G..
Sylvester, of Loudon. It was said that
this was likely to be the best race
ever run at Rhea Springs. The
animals entered were OF the best
racing stock, and both beautiful speci-
mems of their kind. 'Gri Is" is a
bright bay;of small, trim build and In
the best of training. Orphan Girl"
is: rather larger than her competitor
| and has more of the race horse ap-
pearance. She is long bodied and very
slender, with small head and large,
thin nastris, indicative Of great endur-
ance on the track. Her legs are small
and slender as gaz-lle's. She seems
t. paltake of the excitement of the
crowd, for as the time of starting
draws near. she can hardly be held
until the word is given. 1t requires
considerable skill and intelligence to
ride these fiery flyers. but the little
darkey who rides this one has plenty
of "horse sense" On casting lots for
the inside of the circular track. 'Gritts"
is assig ned the inside. It takes con-
siderable time to get the horses fairly
start ed. Twice they had to be
called back. Finally, they approach
the line, evenly; the word is
given and off they go like a whirl
wind. They almost fly. For the first
quarter Gritts keeps the lead, but with
a sudden spu1t, as they near the half
mile point, Orphan Grip darts one
length ahead and keeps IN the lead as
they dash like arrows past the Judges
st and at the end of the first half mile.
On the second round, however, Grtts
regains his lost ground and comes in
on the home stretch two lengths
ahead. By this time the excitement
had become very great as it was ap
parent that there was no ATTEMPT a
jockeyipg," but that both riders were
urging their horses to their best speed
A Il we're anxious for the next trial, al
the purse was for the best twoin tAree
rhe crowd, however, were doomed ts
be disappointed, for the owner Of
"Orphan Gnlp now came up to to,
judges stand and declared that hi
racer had been struck by th'
hoof of the other horse dursne
the running and was unable 10 cou-
tinue the race. The rider of Grit
contsnded that the accident happened
as "Orphan Girl" daI ID past him, Of
rather IN front of him, thus getting in
his way, and charged foul riding or
the part of the otIer. The judges 1
the race examined the wounded horse
and declared that che was unfit t
continue the race aud it was declared
won by "Gritte."
A walking race & ,ok place aftarward
but as RAIN was threatening nearly al
left and the fair was ended. Taken al
together the fair has not done Just G.
TO the people of Tennessee valley, no
the country. This is country o
great resources and unbounded possi
: bifities.
There are plenty of good farmer
here, and they have good stock, & ,ot
farming implements, in fact, goot
every thing. but they don't bring then
: to their fair. G. L.