Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1880-10-02

out and logged her once around. Then
he weht up, and, turning at the distance
stand came down about twenty feet
from the pole to give her the benefit of
an easier turn. He nodded for the word
and hundred timers were started as
she went under the wire but she broke
badly at the turn, and was brought back.
This time she came down steady and
strong, and. coming gradually nearer
and nearer to the pole, skinned close
to the rail at the turn, and sped on with
out a waver to the quarter in "a seconds,
2;l6 gait and those who had their eyes
on their watches concluded that she was
merely being sent "a strong mile" and
that no attempt was being made to beat
the record; but when they looked up
she was at the end of the third furlonC
and going as horse never went before.
AS her nose reached the half, the time
keepers marked 1:04a making the Sec
ond quarter in the astonishing time of 3Oa
seconds, or at the rate Of 2O3 to the
mile: the half at a 200! gait Right on
she went, without falter, hitch, or mis-
stride, steady and true, flying around the
lower turn to the three-quatter post in
1885, a 2:0s pace; the third quarter in
81 seconds IA 2:05 gait. She was ahead
of the time, and. if she could hold it to
the finish, would beat the record. But
she had reached the most difficult part
of her difficult task. From that point
home she must breast d sttong wind. 1t
was not as high as earlier in the after
noon but still it was strong enough to
hold all the flags on the ground straight
away from the polls and set them flut-
terlng in most lively manner. She
came right on and every eye was on her.
At the furlong one or two persons I'm
the grand stand manifesteda a disposition
to YELL but were promptly squelched.
Her gait was still steady an strong and
she came on grandly. At the distance
Bair called on her and encouraged her
with his voice. Forty yards from the
wire ne let the whip fall gently on her
silken coat and she came away from it
like a rocket, finishing strong and free,
and with every evidence of undiminish-
Ell vigor. As her nose touched the wire
the crowd could contain its delight no
longer, and set up yell. a big darkey
on the quarter stretch, watch in hand,
was the first to catch the time, and be.
Gan Jumping up and down, waiving his
time-piece in the air, and shouting and
laughing. In another second the timers
III the grand stand had made it Known,
and there was no waiting for the official
time. Everybody shook hands with
everybody in reach, without waiting for
an introduction hats and hands went
into the air, jigs and hornpipes were
danced, and there was general rush
upon the qnarter-stretc AS the mare
came back under blanket they gathered
around her in q perfect swarm, every
body anxious to look at and touch her.
The blanket was raised up by hundred
hands, and her sides and meek were
stroked and patted The mare was not
at all distressed by the heat, or discon-
certed by the crowd, but stood among
them as proudly and self-contained as if
she knew the title which she had won.
1t was some time before the official time
was announced, and the crowd waited
impatiently for it. Finally Mr. Dow
read the quarters, and, when, on the
mile he bad got AS far as 1.-TWO ten" he
was drowned in general yell. Nobody
cared about the fraction, and three
cheers and tiger" were given for the
victor. Those who saw her in her stall
twenty minutes later say she was in
condition to come out and repeat the
performance.
There were three timers in the stand.
A. w. Richmond and Issac Waixel made
the time 2:l0a each, and Mr. Bemis 2:1l.
In her trial on Thursday, though she
did not beat time for the mile, she sur
passed all other performances for various
fractions Of it. On yesterday she sur
passed herself, not only on the full mile,
but on the fractions. Her second quar-
ter, 800 seconds, is the fastest quarter
ever trotted or paced. Her first half,
l;O42, has never been beaten, except by
herself; she trotted it in 1:044 on
Thursday. Her third quarter, 3l4, has
never been eQualled by any horse exceI-
herself she trotted her second quarter
in precisely that time. Her middle half
is much the fatest half ever trotted or
paced. being in LOO, or at the rate Of 2;04
for mile. Her first three-quarters is
the fastest three-quarters ever trotted or
paced, being at the rate of 2:OS to the
mile
There are, doubtless, numerous other
"bests-on-record" concealed in it, which
the "horsey" reader can figure out at
4 =. IL