Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-20
GOLDSMITH MAID.
A CHAT WITH UNCLE JOHN DECKER. WHO RAISED
THE FAMOUS TRoTTING MARE-How SHE USED
TO KICK-HER PRoPENsITIEs IN HER YOUNG
DAIS-A VERY HANDSOME SISTER


DAIS-A VERY HANDSOME SISTER
Deckertown, N. J.. Cor Philalelphis Times.
ABOUT four miles from this place, on one OF the
hhest farms In this wonderfully fine section,
iVes John b. Decker. the founder of the village
Vi Deckertown, and known Familiarity as ''Uncle
Johnny b. MI. Decker is the man who raised
the famous trotting mare Goldsmith Maid"
VINO was at one time the fastest trottirs horse
IN the world and who not long ago gave birth
to fine colt at the Fashion Stud farm. near
Trenton. this state. Mr. Decker is very
pleasant old man, seventy Eight years old, and
told many stories Of the Maids performances
when young colt.
"That mare" said he. twas one of the widest
and wickedest pieces of horsefesh that ever
saw. Just for a little exercise she'd often Jump
six-rail fence. gallop up and down the biz
meadow and make a clean circuit of the whole
farm. jumping every fence as she went without
bit of trouble and finally get back with the
rest OF the horses. She was terribly wild in har-
ness, and never drove her. single or double 20
light wagon in the four years l owned her.
though one of my workmen ploughed corr with
her once for half day" 1.-The da.n Of the
Maid,' continued the old farmer. twas an
'Abdallah' mare and an awfpi good one
at that. She was a half siste; to old Ham
betOnian, and could trot her $40 to an old
fashioned road wagon without any apparent eff
fort bought her of ar. old hat peddler named
good horses and was forever trading. The sire
of Goldsmith Mali was Hambletonian stall
lion owned by Seeley Edsall. of Goshen, Orange
county, n. Y. He was afterwards sold to a
man named Alexander, in Kentucky, where he
was kept solely for stock purposes. The Maid
was fOaled during the last week of June, 1857,
ana was always as wild as hawk. never con-
sidered her fast until one day went out in the
Held with measure full Of salt to feed the
horses. The Maid would not come near me to
a oyydI rr,t 10 l,<~
her. The way she trotted around that field then
convinced me there was speed in her. l enjoyed
seeing her trot so much that frequently re-
peated the experiment. She was an awfully
iast running mare, too. On moonlight nights
the workmen used to steal out and catch the
horses and race across the meadow flats. 1
never knew of this till long afterwards. but the
men said that the Maid invariably distanced
the fifteen or twenty fine blOoded horses then
mad on the farm: That was running, under
stand, and not trOtting.
John H Decker, a butcher, from Newburg, and
Tom Bingham, of the same city, came to take
dinner with me, and wanted to see some of my
horses We started for the field with some salt
very first thing. She went off like the wind,
and they were SO struck with her gait they of
fered me $500 cash for her. refused but they
said they were bound to have the horse, and
told Inc to name my price. Finally l said I'd
take $3.50. and they handed me the money. l
hated to sell the mare, and yet concluded to let
her go because she was SO ugly. They
caught her and tied her behind the wagon and
started home. When they arrived at Denton.
VIM. Denton. known then as Jersey Bill"
they would not sell her. short time
afterWard they found she was so ugly that
they sold her to Jersey Bil' for 5000. The next
spring "Bilr' sold her to Alden Goldsmith for
$500 and a wagon. Goldsmith named her
Goldsmith Maid" and hired Bill Bodne. the
great hOrcpnan of MiddlafoxUn 70
handle her. Then she was awful wild, and
came near killing BOdine several times. It used
to take four men to hitch her up and she'd bite
and kick quicker than lightning. This made
Goldsmith verv sick of his bargain, and, for a
month or two, she could have been bought very
cheap. Finally Bodlne conquered her and she
soon became very popular. 1t was not long, as
you know, before she was known all over the
country. Goldsmith told me he sold her to a
man named Jackman. of Philadelphia, and
Budd Doble for $4,000 cash. After she had
made her best time DOble and Jackman sold her
to Henry Smith, New York broker, who still
owns her, for an even $4,000, which was al
most one hundred times the figure l sold her for.
She is now. l believe. on the Fashion Stud
Farm. near Trenton. which is owned by Smith,
Yes" said the old man, mournfully, 81 did
let fortune slip through my fingers when sold
the Maid. but think let bigger one go when
sent her half sister, one Of the finest and swift
est mares ever came across, to General Kilpat-
rick while he was in Chill. She was handsome
black. fully as fast as the Maid and Just the re-
verse of the latter in disposition and temper. In
those days there were no railroads in this sec
tlOn, and when we used to carry our produce and
do our trading at Newburg forty miles away.we
used to do some tall driving. I've frequently
driven eighteen miles to Newton in an hour and a
quarter: took tea, fed the horse and then drove
on to Middletown, forty-nine miles further, the
same evening. l always had fifteen to twenty
blOOded horses and never allowed man to pass
n the road lav my father ua fol-
sick, and at four p. m. I left home, drove to
Newburg and back, eighty miles. in six hours
and half actual driving time. They may do it,
but somehow never hear of such drives now
a-days, and yet they claim bloOded horses now
have greater endurance than they used to have.
But for all that must confess they've got mile
heats down fine of late. Well, gentlemen, I'm
obliged to you for your patience. and if you'll
step inside I'll give you drop of applejack made
forty years ago" and with this remark ended
the "reminiscences Of Goldsmith Maid.