St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-23
TChicago Tribune, 21st.]
MILLIONAIRE HORSEMEN.
Commodore Kittson, WHO owns
the Two Fastest PAGERS
in the World.
His Vast Establishments for Breeding
and of Rearing Trotters and
Runners.
How Johnston and Little Brown jug Rose
from 0bscurity to Fame Their
History

who, like most of the descendants Of the Am
sterdam Dutch, the first white settlers IN
New York, inherits love for fast horses.
The trotter with the second fastest record
Jay-Eye-See-is the property of Mr.. j. L.
Case The two fastest PAGERS the turf has
ever known are the property of Commodore
N. W. Kittson, of st. Paul, Mimi, man
who will shortly have completed the allotted
age of three score years and ten, and he takes
to-day as great an interest in matters per
tanning to turf sports as do the men who are
more than generation behind him in years
as well as experience. The horses referred
to, johnson and Little Brown jug, have re-
cords respectively of 2; 10 and 2:11M, these
figures representing the fastest miles ever
paced. They are now at Cincinnati, where
part of Mr.. Kittson's horses have been kept
during the winter in order that they might
enjoy the benefits of a milder climate than is
20 be found at the home Sof their owner
They will be on the turf during the coming
season, and should no accident befall them
there is little doubt that the pacing record OF
2:10 made at Chicago last fall by Johnson
will be materially reduced, as either Of the
horses mentioned is capable under favorable
conditions of mile in considerably faster
time.
Commodore Kittson is a man whose wealth
runs well up into the millions, and he has
accumulated it by more than half century
of earnest application to business. Over
fifty years ago, when the west was practically
an unknown wilderness, John Jacob Astor,
the founder of the family which bears his
name sent Commodore Kittson, then boy,
into the Hudson Bay region as his agent in
the purchase of furs, and since that time he
has been prominently identified with the in
terests and development of the Northwest.
His fancy for fast horses, however, came.
only when his income mounted into the
hundreds of thousands per year, and he has
gratifed it in the most complete and lavish
manner. Four years ago his name was
wholly unknown in the turf circles--now he
has more money invested in trotters, PAGERS,
and thoroughbreds than any man in the
world, his total eXdenditures in the purchase
of horses and farms whereon to breed and
raise them having been in the vicinity OF
$4,000, 900. At Midway, near st. Paul, he
has one Of the most complete and best-ar-
ranged stock-farms in the world, and on it
are 10 be found high-priced representatives
of every prominent trotting family. At Err
denheim, near Philadelphia, is al immense
farm which he purchased two years ago from
Mr.. Arstides Wech, whose name has been
identified with the rearing of thoroughDreds
for a quarter of a century. 1t was here thai
Parole, the horse that went to England four
years ago and astounded the natives of that
island by winning all the great handicaps in
the easiest possible manner, was born, and
4I,,r Jl1nl l,Tnl,t tla Of
frolics as colt witnessed also the antics Of
his numerous brothers and sisters, none OF
whom, by the way, attained a 1.-THE of the
celebrity which fell to the lot of the brown
gelding. On this farm, which was purchased
two years ago by Mr.. Kittson for the round
sum of $500, 900, may be found a hundred or
so of the best thOroughbreds in the land.
There are stations and mares representing
the most fashionable strains of American
blood, as well as animals imported from Eng
land at a great expense in order that the eff
iects of their breeding may be tested in this
country.
THE TWO FASTEST PAGERS.
But with all these vast expenditures of
money the horses by reason of whose perfor-
mances Commodore Kittson is best known
are the two PAGERS alluded to in the begin
ming u ILLS tIllClc IL Is Oily WlILlu a. Lew
years that PAGERS have received more than
passing recognition at the hands of horse
men, and even now the prices offered for
them by trotting associations are not large in
amount. The first PAGER that attracted no.
tice was Pocahontas, a famous old chestnut
mare who drew wagon in 2:1719 something
like quarter of a century ago. She was SO
fast and stout that the owners of other horses
lacked courage to make race against her,
and in consequences her turf performances
were somewhat limited One of her descend
ants, also named Pocahontas, was purchased
at low price by Mr. Robert Bonner about
fifteen years ago, and for many years was
the pride Of his stable. The original Poca-
hontas was handled during the early years or
her life by Mr.. Woodmansee, who was at
that time resident of Ohio. He is still alive,
and last summer, at the age of IL drove one
of Commodore Kittson's horses mile in
2;24N. His sons, Dan and Ben, are Mr..
Kittson's trusted ieutenants in the manage
ment of his trotting stock, the former having
charge of the farm at Midway, while the lat
ter is the manager of the stable of trotters
and PAGERS that travels through the country
from spring until fall.
JoHNsToN's HISTORY.
The histories Of Johnston and Little Brown
jug are not generally known. The former
was bred near Berlin, Wis, his sire being
horse of the Bashaw family, and his dam
mare whose blood lines have never been sat
isfactorily established. The man who raised
him, like the breeders of good many noted
horses, was in moderate circumstances.
From the day of his birth Johnston was a
natural PAGER, and when years old could
easily distance anything in the shape of
horsefesh around Berlin, There lives at
that place a man named Mather, who came
to Wisconsin quarter of century ago and
has grown rich in the banking business.
Three years ago Mather owned a team of
gray horses that could trot mile close to
three minutes. He was driving them along
a country road one day when John Basset,
who raised John stOn, came up TO him with
neatly turned gelding that was PAGER. The
talk turned on horses, and Bassett said that
his year-old PAGER was very fast one. He
could beat anything around there, Bassett
said Wanting to attest the truth of this as
sertion Mather told him to drive ahead and
he would follow him with the gray team.
Basset started up the PAGER, and in q mo-
ment or so was lost in a cloud of dust,
leaving Mather far behind, and wondering
whether his team had suddenly lost all their
speed. Although nothing Of horseman
Mather was an excellent financier, and ar
gued that if this horse could go so fast at
years of age he would with proper train
ing attain a rate of speed that would make
him worth great deal of money. Basset
was poor and willing to sell one-half of
the horse; Mather YVES rich and bought
half interest for $3.50. At that time the
horse was known as Barney. The following
year he was brought to Chicago by Bassett,
and kept here about two months, doing
mile at the west side track one day in 2:1515.
Before this performance he had been Of