Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-12
QUEEN OF THE TURF.
The Early Career of the Fastest
American Trotter.
A Turfman Who Owned Goldsmith Maid for
Week and Was Glad to Get Rid
of her-PIoughing Corn
in Jersey.

with strange bed-fellows," and to this
axiom might be added that railway
travel makes man acquainted with
strange seat-fellows." Yesterday q
representative of the Philadelphia
Press, making a flying trip over the
Erie Railroad, fell in with pleasant
looking man who seemed to take
good deal of interest in hore-nesh. This
gentleman was w. s. Hubert, of Gin
cinnati, who is worth round million,
and what he don't know about horses is
hardly worth knowing. Speaking OF
the recent mile dash William H. VAN
derbilt made with Maud S. and Aldine,
Mr.. Hubert said: ~ was once the
owner of Maud S. She was my proper
ty for a week. Captain Bugher, an
old river man who care up from the
MonOngahela, was great friend of
mine. He was fine Judge of horses
too, and one day We took run down
from Cincinnati to WOODBURY., Ken
lucky, where there was a sale of blood
ed stock in progress. Bugher had
plenty of money and, liking the looks
Of the stock, he bought eleven of the
colts. Then it began to rain. We put
up our umbrella and were just walking
away when the last lot on the catalogue
was brought out. She was so bright
and looked like such good animal that
/ advised Bugher to buy her. "No,"
said he, "I've bought enough" After
q while concluded would buy her
myself and got her for Sl45. / told
Bugher to take my filly to his farm
along with his and he did so. \ week
or ten days afterwards | went down to
his place and looked at the colts, and
Bugher pointed out a nervous looking
little sOrrel as mine. This sOrrel FLY
had piece of string tied around her
neck. Bugher said that the string had
been tied around the animals neck To
distinguish my property from the rest.
/ said it did not look to ME like the
animal had bought, but the Captain
was so positive that finally l said no
more about the matter. After | got
home looked at my memorandum
book and found that the tilly | had
bought was a bay with .
When i saw Captain Bugher next
was satisfied there had been an error
made. 1 picked my FLY out from
among the rest and not long after had
her sent to my own stables. That is
where / made my mistake, in insisting
upon the trade. That nervous scrawny-
looking little sorrel that was so anx-
ious to get rid of was Maud S., aud my
little bay mare was her sister. Maud 5.
has trotted in EOS, and"
Maud SIS Quickest TrOtting.
"Pardon me, the best time she made
is 2:lOI," interrupted an elderly gentle
man, who was listening to Mr.. HUI
bert's interesting recital.
"She has trotted in POS, sir" coutin-
ued the Cincinnati turfmsn, "and what
is more, she has done it twice, having
been timed by experts with stop watch
es-but this was in private. But, as
was saying, while Maud S. can trot in
pos, her sister cannot make 1t in less
than three minutes. Captain Bugher
put his sorrel in the hands of an excel
lent trainer when she was only three
old, and she soon showed what kindO
mettle was in her. Old Captain Bugh-
er died before the colt had done any eX-
traordinary work, and his son offered
her to me for $3.50. l did not take
much stock in her appearance, so did
not invest. After awhile she passed into
the hands of the well-known horseman
Stone, and he kept her at work, under
competent trainers, until finally Will
liam Fl. Vanderbilt heard Of her and
wanted to by her. She then could trot,
and did trot on the Lexington track in
2:l73."
(which was just Dexter's time?"
cried the intensely interested elderly
gentleman before mentioned.
Exactly So" Mr.. Hubert went on,
land then Vanderbilt got the mare for
$4,000 or $4,000. He put her in the
hands of a man who had ne control
over her and who could do nothing
with her. 1t was said that Vanderbilt
wrote an indignant letter to Stone, say
ing the mare could not trot in 2:35,
whereas she had been represented to
beat 2:aO. Stone replied that if Will
liam H. would send him the mare he
would make her beat anything on four
legs in this country Well, he did it.
Since that time Mr.. Vanderbilt has
been offered the mares weight in gold
for her, to my certain knowledge. But
YOU seem to be pretty thoroughly post
ed, my friend" said Mr.. Hubert, turn
ing to the old gentleman who had man
Tested so much interest.
The Racer at the Pillow.
"Well, I'd ought t. be, 1 s'pose," re-
piled the o.. colly, II was the orlgl-
- ~ ATaiR -
1.-THE diekensm we both exclaimed.
"Your name is"
mJohn b. Decker, Of Montague, Sus-
sex county, New Jersey. Speaking OF
horses, the Maid was one o. tn worst
pieces o. horse-fesh I've ever seen,
when she was FLY. Just for exercise
she used to jump every fence on the
trIrm and make dash across the mead
ows at s'prising speed. i tried T. take
some o. TIL spirit out o. her by blowing
corn with her, but / couldn't make 1t
work"
az never knew she wasa trotter un-
til one day one o. my dogs took after
her, am she went round one o. TIL
fields like the wind. After that l used
to set the dogs on her once in while,
lust to see her trot. One day Tom Bing-
ham an John III. Decker, of New.
burgh, y. ", came t. my house and
after seeing the Maid trot they bought
her of me for $3.50 cash-iust tn
price YOU say Maud 81 brought when
she was q youngster. William Dem
ton, known in those days as Jersey
Bill, bought her next, Of Bingham and
Decker, for $500. Jersey Bill sold her
next spring T. Alden Goldsmith for $500
and a wagon. Goldsmith hired Bill
Brodine, Of Middletown, to handle her,
and she was so wild she nearly killed