Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-14
Ctin0stone.

The sensational trotter of last year and the
present season is the bay gelding Clingstone,
an inbred HambletOnian, being by Rysdyk,
son Of Hambletonian, out of Gretchen by
Chosroes, son OF Hambletoniap. His first
public appearance was at Rochester, N. Y,
last year, and in all he trotted four races dur
ing the season, winning all in three
straight 81 a.,d heats and and making record
trotted through the grand circuit, COM
mencing with Chicago, winning all his races
with ease, and reducing his record to 2:l4,
made at Cleveland over slow track. This
race, one of the most exciting Of the manv
notable contests OF record, was witnessed by
M. I. Grattan, Esq, of Preston, Fillmore
county, this state, who, as reporter for the
Breeders Gazette, Chicago, gives a most
graphic description of the race, as follows:
First Heat-At the distance Thorne moved
up little. and the shout went up, "Thorne
has it," but Saunders shook CingstOne, and
he responding, recovered his lead of throat
latch; then Turner drew his whip, and its
sharp hiss through the air proved the earnest
manner in which it was welded Thorne, the
gamest race horse that ever lived, responded
to every stroke, but the machine beside him
could not be beaten, and won in 2:l4. ThOrne
is great race horse, with the ardent i'm
pulses, sympathies. and passions that make
him akin TO man with the true instincts of
sportsman. All that a mighty purpose,
grand passion, can accomplish he can do; but
he is flesh and blood, limited and bound down
to the possibilities of physical attainment. lie
cannot beat an automator, a piece of mechan-
ical perfection that goes on aud on forever,
who is moved by neither passion nor impulse.
Cool. imperturbable, impassive, the
smooth, even, piston. like stroke of this Fly
ing Dutchman among horses breaks the heart
of all opposition. / doubt whether he is q
al Hou h and
ghost, satanic invention. Men are consumed
with insane passion to own the fastest trottcr
In the world. Some one, careless OF the future,
has placed his own soul in pawn, and the
result is what we call Clingstone. The great
enemy of mankind must be circumvented be-
fore he can be beaten. Mand s., st. Julien,
Trinket, have no show to beat him until cope
and stole, and book and ring, have exercised
the demon that possesses him.
Second Heat-A long skirmish for an adyau-
tage, which resulted in slight lead on the
send-off for Thorne; now began the bitterest
struggle l have ever seen on a race track.
Thorne's partisans shouted that he had him,
init ClingstO ne still kept his nose in the gap
between Thorne's wheel and the pole. Gradu.
ally he went to his grth, then to his throat
latch, at the quarter exactly even in 323l sec
onds, at the half in Los Think of it over a
slow track, and this demon trotter Clingstone
at his ease. Thorne's great heart broke. He
had made the supreme effort, and it was un-
availiug. No horse he had yet tried with such a
desperate brush had failed 10 succumb. Now
he had met something above ordinances-a
horse apparently subject to no law that gov.
ems flesh and blood; a 210 clip seems an idle
pastime. So evident was this that Thorne and
Turner, great horse and great driver, yielded
in despair to fate and the demon trotter. De-
jected and sOrrowful they finished the Journey.
My sympathy went out to Thorne as to a
human being in distress. The proud and
sensitive equine face betrayed the most
poignant sorrow. His high ambition to be
king, inherited from a proud ancestry, had
been relentlessly crushed; defeat had come to
check his hot blood in its victorious
flood. Woe is Thorne. Woe is the house of
Turner. Woe is me, for ] tingled in every
fibre with hope for his victory, the victory of
kingly horse. The sight of other trotters
became hateful, the Misunderstanding of
their positions burdsome task. Ifeel that 1
never. want to see another race. Iabandon the
journey, and return to the wilds of Minnesota.
Third Heat.-Turner said to the judges,
eff nod for the word, give it to me-" This
was confession that he yielde to the ina
chine" ThOrne is a race-horse, but Cling
stone is machine which it seems hopeless to
contend with. Turner had proved him, TO his
entire satisfaction, perfect in all his points
every joint and lever in unison with q con-
trolling intelligence, quiet, calm, cold; not a
horse to excite sympathy or enthusiasm, but
fate relentless, unylelding. Thorne had
fought like giant, like the grand race horse
that he is, TO conquer this satanic piece of
mechanism. The task was q hopeless and i'm
possible one. Thorne, stamped with the seal
of sorrow, listlessly logged around. He is
Turner's pride and pet. better liked than any
horse he has ever driven, the crowning achieve
nent of his gray hairs. At Chicago, when
said to him, 81 think Thorne can down him."
Turner drew long breath, and said, 81 hope
So" His heart was in it. All the subtle
skill and tact of "The General were used to
their utmost, but without avail; Thorne was
beaten. The following is the hateful record
of his defeat, which would some other hand
than mine might WRITE"