Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-04

ease IN 2.llA, the first half mile having
been done in LOS instead Of 1.02. At Pitts
burg the following week the horse was
taken sick, and did not pace again until
fall, when he was driven a mile over the
Chicago track in 2.10, as officially an
nounced, although a number of outside
watches made the time 2.09M.
1t was after this performance that Com
mOdore kittson purchased Johnston, pay
ing for HIM $4,000. He had bought Little
Brown jug two years before for a like
sum, but trouble with that horses feet
had prevented his making any showing in
races.
BROWN JUG.
Like Johnston, Little Brown jug was
of humble origin. He was bred in Ken
lucky, his sire being the horse called Glib
sons Tom Hal-an animal with not even
local reputation as a sire. Little Brown
jug was used ia his cOlthood as a saddler,
and the fact that he possessed great speed
at a pacing gait was discovered by acct
| dent. When four years old he was put in
race, and while pacing a heat at Jack
| son, Mich, attracted the attention of Mr..
I'll. Y. Bemis, of this city, who at once
purchased him for $4,000. This was in
1881, and that season Little Brown jug
paced the three fastest heats on record at
! 2.121I.
AT the dispersal of Mr.. Bemis' stable
the following spring he was sold to Com
mOdOre KittsOn, but fOOt-lameness pre-
vented his showing anything like his real
speed. Last fall Mr.. Robert Bonner, who
perhaps knows more about horses feet
and the ailments to which they are sub
ject than any other man, took the PAGER in
charge, and few weeks ago returned
him to Mr.. kittsOn's trainer in Cincin-
natl in perfect health.
MR.. KITTSON'S TROTTERS
Besides these two PAGERS, Commodore
hIttson has large stable of trOtters in
training, among them being Fanny With
erspOOn, 2.17; So So, 2.17Z; Minnie r.,
2.l9; Won Arnim, 2.19l5, and Pilgrim.
This last-named horse, now six years old.
is son of Smuggler, whose record of
2.15A is the fastest ever made by a stall
lion. Pilgrim was driven last season in
| order to develop his speed, but not trotted
in races. During the Cleveland meeting
he showed half mile in 1.07L, and it is
| believed that this year he will be able to
! equal or surpass the record of his sire.
THEIR DRIVER.
The Kttson trOtters travel about the
country in a handsome car made specially
for their use, and each one has an attend
ant to look after its wants. Their driver
is John Splan, who became famous a few
years ago by driving Rarus a mile in
213A, it being the first time that Gold
smith Maids record of pa was beaten.
Splan is a gOod-lOoking bright-eyed man,
little over thirty years of age, and has
worked his way to the tOpmOst round of
| his profession, 1t being generally conceded
that IN point of ability as a driver and
trainer he is second to no man in the
country, although there are three or four
that are his equals. AS a matter of fact
Commodore KittsOn's driver is full as in
teresting as his hOls es.
As an entertaining cOnversatiOnalist
Splan has no superior. He can reel off
interesting stories by the yard, and keep
an interested circle of auditors around
| him for hours at time. He never smokes,
| never took drink of wine or liquor in his
life, and says that good nights sleep is
the best preparation for driving a race.
lie is a perfectly fearless reinsman, and
In the excitement of a hOtly-cOntested
heat will endanger his life without a
thought as to the consequences. No mat
ter what the circumstances may be, he is
never at loss for an answer to any Ques-
ton that may be put him. His story of
| how he graduated from the position Of
rubber to that of driver is worth re-
peatlng. Il was rubbing horses for Dan
Mace" said Splan. "And one day an old
gentleman who had taken a great deal of
interest in me came along. why don't
you get horse, Johnny he said, 'and be
driver yourself?''
Il explained to him that it was almost
impossible for boy who had no infiuen-
! tlal friends, to obtain possession of a trOt-
ter. Il have got two,' he said, my favor
lite team, Twang and Sting, and if you
IKE, VIII let you train Them OF course
l accepted his proposition eagerly, and
lay awake half that night thinking over
my good luck. The next morning the
horses We're sent to the track, and. boy
Ike, wanted to begin operations on them
at once. So l harnessed Sting up to a
sulky that | borrowed for the occasion
from one of the trainers, and while this
was being done took Twang out in the field
lnslGe the track and turned him out to
grass, tying him by long rope to a strong
stake, which | drove into the ground
Then l went back and began driving
Sting. / warmed the old horse up pretty
well, and then started to drive him a full
mile. We got along very nicely until we
came to the place where Twang was nib
| bling grass. The old horse saw his mare
coming at very unusual rate of speed,
and as we neared him he gave a loud
whinny and started in hot pursuit. When
he had gallOped the length of the rope that
held him there was a sudden stop. The
stake to which the rope was tied held its
own, and the result was that Twang
turned double sOmersault and broke his
neck. Unconscious of the destruction
that was going on behind me l drove Sting
down the hOmestretch at his best rate of
speed. After completing the mile and
stopping the horse l found that the un-
usual exercise had made him dead lame.
and from the way in which he limped it
seemed highly probable to me that he
would never recover. While bemOaning
this fact a small boy who had witnessed
the catastrophe to Twang came up and
informed me of it. The next morning the
old gentleman who took so much interest
in me and who regarded me as a bright
and promising boy came out to the track
He buried Twang, led Sting limping home
behind his buggy and my career as driver
began and ended in one day."
HOW RARUs WAS NAMED.
Rarus, the horse that gave Splan his
reputation, belonged to an old farmer
named COnklin, who lives on Long Island:
who raised Rarus himself, and as a colt
the animal was about as notwithstanding
as could be imagined. Mr.. Conklin's son
returned from college when the colt was
four years old, and, having acquired
enough of college education to render him
useless on farm, occupied his leisure
moments bestowlng on the livestock
names which he selected at random from
Latin dictionary. 1t was by reason of
this fancy on the part of the young man
that the big bay colt was thereafter known
as Rarus, that word being Latin adjec-.
tive, which in this case proved to have
been rightly bestowed.
Commodore KittsOn's annual eXpendi-
lures incurred in maintaining his vast es-
adjustments for the breeding of trotters
and runners and the training and travel
ing of his stables Of horses that are ac-
lively engaged in turf contests are some
thing enormous. Men who race or trot
horses on a large scale do not expect to
make money thereby. 1t is pastime for
which they are willing to pay liberal
sum. Thus far Mr.. KittsOn has not been
very successful either with his runners or
trOtters. Several of the horses for which !
he paid large prices have failed to fulfill |
the expectations formed regarding them. |
He now has the two fastest PAGERS in the |
world, and that they will hold the place of |
honor during the coming season is scarce |
ly to be doubted. Unless something I'M |
fOreseen should occur the best running |
horse during 1884 EOle) will be owned by !
Mr.. Freddy Gerhard, of New York. the |
best trotter (Jay-Eye-See) by Mr.. j. I. |
Case, of Racine, Wis, and the best PAGER
(JohnstOn) by Mr.. n. w. KittsOn, of st, |
Paul, Mimi.
Criticism of American HumOr.
Whitehall Regieao.
There seems some danger that a change |
will come over the tone and character of |
American humOr, and that, instead of the |
half-uncOnscious cOmicality of the early |
school of American humOrists, we shall |