Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-22

spirit has been released. He must not,
however, attempt further evasion OF his
task by dalliance with runners; green
trotter to the fore through the Grand Gil
cult in 1888, marking down to about 2:1O,
would doubtless wind up the penance to
tke satisfaction of that angry ancient as
we'll as of M. L. U.
Beni. WOoo,nGnsee, S,tpt. of Mi@scGy Park.
The first page of Dunton's Spirit of the
Turf, of Jan. Is, is taken up with an ex-
cellent likeness of Mr.. BENZ. Woodmansee,
the gentlemanly and efficient superintend-
ent Of Midway park, together with a brief
sketch of his life; which we take pleasure
in reproducing as follows:
The truth of the time-worn saying 1.-THE
how is father to the man." or the older and
more familiar one, "Just as the twig is bent
The trees inclined" was never better illus
trated than in the lives Of the Woodman-
sees, one OF whom we now come to notice.
II is known 10 a few that the father OF
Ben and DAM was one of the early day
horsemen of Batter county, Ohio. Indeed,
so interviewer is the name Of the Wood
mansees with that Of Old Pocahontas, the
PAGER. that they have become inseparable.
Bat of this we viii speak further on.
D. BENJAMIN Woodmansee, the sub
iect of this sketch, was born IN
Butler county, Ohio, on the 9Th of
February, 1910. Seven years later, the
mare was foaled that sounded the names Of
Wooamansee and Pocahontas across con-
tinent The father of Benjamin, Mr. l.. ID.
Woodmansee, being a horseman to the
manor born, early apprenticed his sons,
Dan and Benz to the same pursuit In
short. Ben and Pocahontas grew up to-
gether; Ben being but fifteen years old
when the old mare made her famous mile
to heavy wagon, of pity; a perform
ance that has never been equaled to this
day. and the recollection of it casts gla-
mour over the lives of the Woodmansees. In
1856 Benjamin was married to most
estimable lady, by whom he now reJolces
in beautiful and dutiful children, and an en-
ioyable home circle. The same year ne was
EN- ployed by the Cincinnati and Miami val
ley Driving Park association to super1ntend
the laying out of their track and construct
ion of the necessary buildings. In 1872,
he was called upon to do similar work at
st. Cloud, Mimi, where he remained IN
charge until 1874. And, we may add,
that BENJAMIN Woodmansee has been en-
ployed but little outside of his turf pro-
fession since he first saw the white face of
old Pocahontas the PAGER, believing
with many others that life is too short to
learn we'll more than one profession by
which means he became known IN all the
upper regions as Honest Ben. He was
never suspected of pulling race or col
luding with others to defraud the unwary.
We may add, that IN 1874 Mr.. Woodman
see was waited upon by Saltwater del
egation to construct race course for that
city; and the following year laid an ex-
cellent track on his own farm
in Hennepin county, MIMI, where
he trained and educated many
young trotters and gentlemen's road
horses. So skillful had Mr.. Woodmansee
become with the ribbons by this time, that
his stable was always filed with the best
horses in Minnesota, and owned by the
best men in the state. Among the horses
to which Mr.. Woodmansee has given rec
ords are Washtenau Chief, Dayton Bell,
Dan Sutton, Ruby, Pat, Orient, Selkirk,
Frank Fisk, and many others now out OF
mind. Having made an arrangement IN
1873 with the st. Paul Driving Park Asso-
citation to take charge of their grounds and
manage their turf matters, Mr.. Woodman-
see leased his own beautiful farm IN Hen
nepin county and moved to st. Paul where
he managed the associations affairs to per-
lection. In 1881 these grounds were dis
posed of to Commodore Kittson, and are
now known as Midway Park, where he has
built the finest stables in the world,
and which now contain the most
noted horses of the present period.
Before a single move had been made to
transfer the ownership of these beautiful
grounds to Commodore Kittson, Mr.Wood-
nansee was installed as the Midway su-
perintendent the commodore having been
personally acquainted with the man Of his
choice sufficiently long to warrant the
selection. And thousands OF visitors 10
Midway have borne testimony that the
commodore has the right man IL the right
place. Thoroughly honest and model of
industry, order and neatness, the Midway
stables are always in 'appie pie order"
and the horses in perfect health. To Mr..
WoodInansee is due what success has thus
far attended the Midway stables, having
had them we'll prepared for Knapsack to
go through Cno ClrCu1O. Lew tId1ASIS nave
ever been able to order their horses with
better judgment. than Benjamin Wood
mansee. We shall, therefore, look
forward to the season of
1888 with much hope seeing that Splan has
been selected as the artist to take the hors-
es, after Mr.. Woodmansee has put on the
finishing touches. The feet-footed turf
ties under his charge are: Little Brown
Jug, 2:114; Gem, 2:16; So So, PIT 4 Fan
ny Witherspoon, 2:1S4; Minnie R, 2:19;
Won Armin, 2:1915; Silverton, 2:201 Lady
Rolf, 2:221 {; Blackwood Jr., 2:2215; Lady
Groesbeck, 2:251a; Sannie G., 2:27; Lady
Logan, 2:3O15; Fleming Girl, 2:33; Reve-
nue. THAT can trot in 2:20); Astoria, trial
2:23Al and other fast ones. Such is the
brief description OF the man in charge at
Commodore Kittson:s Midway stables, and
such are few of the noted animals under
his care. But this sketch would be in
complete without adding the fact that Mr..
Woodmansee has now in charge several of
tue descendants of his boon stable COM
panion, Old Pocahontas, who has never
lost cast with Mr.. Woodmansee, even in
the face of the fact that the records have
clipped several seconds from her 2:1715.
But it must be remembered that the old
mare drew great weight faster than any
other horse, and paced half a mile in fifty
nine and half seconds. Afterwards, no
hns,, III -