The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-10-19
MAUD :.
mastery er the FASTEST 1rester ON Earth.

mastery er the FASTEST Troster ON Earth.
Chicago Letter to Louisville Courier-Journal.
Horsemen generally understand how Maud
s was brought to the surface, but as thous-
ands are ~unacquainted with the general
facts, and several minor details have come to
me from an authoritive source, they are suffi-
emily interesting to bear repetition.
In July, 1876, William Blair, Maud's driver,
whose handling of the animal annot but
greatly distinguish him, came from Pennsyl-
vania to Cincinnati. In the fortune of things
he came here without employment, and,
which Is no discredit to him, without means.
The simple truth is, he was in hard luck,
though he had good letters of r~ecolnu,enda-
ton. He applied to Capt. Stone as president
Of the Chester Park Association, requesting
that he should assist him to secure from some
member OF the association the handling of his
horses over the track. Capt. Stone spoke to
several, but could get nothing for him to do.
He noticed that Bair neither swore, drank,
chewed or smoked. 1t occurred to him that
whatever such a mans abilities might be, his
reliability could be depended on. Not be-
cause he had anything for Bair to do. but
more from a generous impulse than otherwise
he gave Bair his Lady Chester and told him
to go ahead and see what he could do with
her. She was not thought speedy, and had
only shown about $50. Bair went TO work
with her, brought her down to 2:30, and
made several matches with her, VIII Oh
he won. Capt. Stone, Judging that the limit
OF her speed had been reached, withdrew her
from the track and placed her in his private
stables. He then told Barr to look around
and get hold of something be could 60 to
work upon again. Bair attended the Bugh-
err sale and bought the two-year-oll flly
Maud S which had been purchased by the
older Bugher of the AleXanders, ofkentucky,
who bred her. The price paid for her by
Capt. Stone was $3.50. She could not be
bought for one thousand times that amount
to-day, and is worth five hundred times $3.50
with ordinary chance as an investment.
She was wintered carefully. was broken by
Blair, and in her three-year-old form she
next spring showed on the Chester Park
track a half mile in 1:13. The next season,
in her four-year-old form, she was thorough
ly handled by Bair, and first astonished the
world when she showed a mile over the Lex
ington track in 2:17a. Vanderbilt immedi-
ately purchased her of Capt. Stone, the pur-
chase price being y 1000 and straightwav O
money" etc. Maud s, on being shipped to
New York, was at once turned over by Mr..
Vanderbilt to MIR. Carl Burr, a handler of
great reputation, but whatever the reasons
may have been, she did not do very we'll I'M
der his care. Burr had charge of her one
year. MIR. Vanderbilt then wrote Capt.
Stone, asking him if he would not again take
charge of her and fully develop her. He
had been stung and hurt by charges OF smart
dealing with Vanderbilt, and while it was
precisely the opportunity he desired, he
would not accede to the proposition until he
had thoroughly satisfied himself of her con-
dition. He slipped down to New York and
did this. He at once satisfied himself that
Maud was all right that the failure in her
development was the fault of nobody. She
was simply delicately sensitive, high strung,
was not en- rapport with her surroundings and
driver, and, sentimental as it may see. n,
needed ssympathetic development" under
the kindest influence.
He brought her back to Cincinnati to her
old surroundings !; Bair went to work upon
her again, and her old groom, the colored boy
Charley Grant, was her constant companion.
The result Is well known. In connection
with this, | believe it but proper to mention
certain influences which l am sure have con-
tributed to the magnificent success of Maud
5. Captain Stone, William Bair, Charlie |
Grant and Maud S. are all the best of friends.
Without desiring to reflect upon other horse
men, it is but fair to state that, were not VIM.
Bair an honest man, he could hardly be 9th
err than absolutely trustworthy in his hand
ling of the Kentucky trotting miracle. Capt.
Stone pays over to Bair just one-half of all
the money received for performances. Char
lie Grant gets the best wages paid to such
help in this country. Just consider the mat-
ter a moment. Her owner is the richest man
III America. Capt. Stone is not getting poor
er by her gr at performances, while his high
est pride is gratited by the vindication she
has been to his personal integrity. Her drl-
yer is being made a itch man and is achieving
a worldwide reputation. Her very colored
is being elevated to distinguished
and, what is more to the point,
is getting first class pay: Maud S. has the
speed and the power, and no such favorable
combination of circumstances and influences
for developing an animals speed, and care.
fully developing it, were ever before known.
She is just six years old. She has never
been crowded. She has never gone to
her stable when she could not have done an
other mile faster than the last one was made,
as easily. The one individual who
knows her power (f it is within human judy
ment to know i) positively asserts that she
has just begun astonishing the people, and
that the possibilities of 200 time are within
her matchless frame. No one Is compelled
TO bet money on this statement, but that she
has not yet done her browning work is true;
if Capt. Stone succeeds in gaining Van
permission for a match with st.
Julien, if the latter is trotted to win or die,
he will never start again.
A HOUSE OF GOLD BRICKS.