The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-02-19
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Memoir of Lexington.
From the Kentucky Live Stock Record, Feb
airy l2Ih.l

| When Lexington was purchased by The
late Mr.. X. AtchiSon Alexander his great
! mowers rs "A racp-h horse had 10 be acknow-
! ledgcd from his grand performances, but
his deiIactOTs, having nothing in the way
| of hi~ breeding. form, and performances 10
complain Of, charged that he would get
blind colts. The charge has lately been re-
iieratcd that large percentage OF his get
went blind This is untrue, and the proper
way to Judge Of the matter Is to take
some OF the largest breeding farms where
! Lexington's sons aud daughters are to be
found. First, look al the WOodburn farm,
! the property Of MIR. A. j. Alexander who
/ has two sons Of Lexington. Asterold and
Pat Maloy, both OF whom have good eyes,
! and he has some twenty-five brood mares,
| five OF whom are blind.
! In the PreakneSS Sud, North Elkhorn
farm. propcrty Of Mr. ". II. Sanford, there
are three sons Of LeXingt ngtOn-Baywood
Monarchist and King Lear. All three have
good eyes. There are twenty-five mares,
! onlv two Of whom are blind.
! I'm the RancOcas stud. property OF Mr.. Il.
LoriIlard, Jobsiown, y. j.. there are two
sons-Duke of Magenta aud Uncas-bOth
with good eyes, aud eighteen brood mares,
only one Of whom, we believe, is blind
the Banshee. Here j. as small percentage
of Llindne>, aS can be shown by any sire.
and is infinitely smaller than either imported
Glencoe or Yorkshire 1t is easy enough
10 make charges, bot it i an entirely differ
ent thing to test them by actual facts.
A. a thrce.ycar.old, no colt had better
eyes than Lexington, and his subsequent
blindness was owing to accidental causes,
n will be seen by reference TO the following
letter from bis former trainer. MI. J. u.
Pryor:
"HoLMDEI., y. J February 2ClSSl.
..Mv Dear SIr,-Your letter of the 2SIh
ultimo was received. and | hasten to giye
all the information | can concerning Lex
inctOn'S blindness. When he came TO me
from Kentucky in the year 1858 no horse
had better ewes than he had. The late Cap
tain William J. Minor told me he would
mich like 10 see him work, and | invited
him to come the next morning. That night
Lexington got out of his b0X-stai and stood
the whole night at he feed-bOX. My stable
wa, large one, with passage in the middle
and double doors on each end, and the bars
must have been left down Of his door, so
! that he could get out in the passage TO the
| feed.boX, and | not knowing this when
| Captain MiuOr came, worked the horse two
miles. He moved 80 sluggishly that | knew
| there was something wrong, and did not
nive him any more work. As soon a. Cap
tain Minor went away went over 10 the
stable 20 see what wa the matter. found
the horse with high fever, both eyes
| closed, and biCd him freely. Al The same
time | told old Henry, my head man,
| he had 10 tell me how the horse came
in such a fix, and he frankly acknow-
ledgcd The horse getting out OF
the stable to the fecd-bOX, and ever
after this his eyes were affected. | have no
doubt that working the horse full brought
it about. He Shrunk to nothing, and it was
more than a week after he ate nothing but
! few green blades OF fodder.
IL am very much pleased, and tlko much
( pleasure IN reading the memoir Of LeXiDg.
ton that YOU are nov finishing. Every
word you say about him is true. He was
undoubtedly the best race-hOrse that ever
was foaled. Very truly youls,
Sd. +. PRYOR"
Lexington was the first horse that carried
time for four miles below 7:2O, and since
that two OF his daughters have produced
horses that have beaten bis performance.
He wrought wonderful change in the time
records, and for the past twenty years be
and hs get have occupied the highest
positions on the American turf. Ii we
examine the racing calendar we find
the fastest and best time on record at all
distances, from a bali mile 10 four miles,
have been made by Lexington and his sons,
or else by horses cut OF Lexington or his
sons mares. Besides al this you cannot
lay your finger upon sire OF any note, i'm
ported or native, whose reputation Is a
stallion does not rest upon LeXlng on blood.
The best Of these stations get are out OF
Lexington mares or daughters OF his sons.
Such is the case with Bonnie Scotland,
bennington Except i'm The case Of Long
1rllOW), Phaeton, King Alfonso, Glenelg,
Waverey, LongielOw, Vigil, Buckden,
Australian, Alarm, Billet, John Morgan,
Revolver, King Ernes', CateSby, Enquirer
(whose dam is by lexington, lIiawatha,
Melbourne, Jr. GleugaTry, Lelaps, Saxon,
| Dickens, Star Davis, Harry O'Falon. and a
number Of others, to say nothing OF what
his sous have sired. Ii is in the light Of
such fac.s as these that we must Judge OF
the worth aud merit Of this great horses
produce.
Lexington suffered from nasal catlrrh for
about three years. but the discharge was not
very cOpiouS or annoying 10 him until with
IN two or three months OF his death, when
il became very cOpiOus. His appetite con-
tinued good, and his general heal.h In every
particular was excellent with The exception
of the catarrh. The day before his death
he breathed with great difficulty and re-
fused his feed for the first time. The bones
OF the lace became diseased and the skull
wac pressed out between or a little below
bis eyes, by what afterward proved |
20 be Iaasticated food, quart in quantity. !
Which had been forced into the cavity OF |
Vae skuh through an aperture in the upper |
SaSg, caused by the loss OF tooth He died |
about IL O'Clock Thursday night Of July l. |
1879. and was game 10 the last. He hardly |
laid down, and seemed perfectly conscious.
his remaias were exhdmed |
aud forwarded 10 Professor ii. \. Ward, OF |
81 Y, who set up The skeleton /
Tor the Smithsonian Institution, and it is
now i5 the National Museum at Washington |
city.
Ohi0's Most Profitable staple.
H. l.. 4