The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-01-31
Professional jockeys.
From the New York Hour,

From various training stables and rae
ing establishments come complaints of
the difficulty of obtaining and keeping
good lightweight or middle-weight boys
to ride. No sooner has a lad acquired
the rudiments Of his art than he begins
to swagger, becomes intimate with the
turf sharpers, and in fact uses his best
endeavcrs to get to the ''demnition bow.
vows" with as little loss of time as pos
sible. At the end of the racing season
George L. Lorillard's trainer reengaged
Brennan, who rode very successfully
last year, and also secured Mike Dono-
hue, the brother s Of Billy" Much to
his surprise I both lads to spend
that, if they went to the city, they
might consider themselves discharged,
and they submitted with very poor
grace. Brennan maintained that he
wished to attend night-school, but, as
Mr.. Lorillard has a model school IT
Westbrook, the excuse failed to hold
water. -,
Mr.. Cassatt, Mr.. Kittson and few
other owners have obviated the diff
Guilty to a great extent by importing lads
from English racing stables. The Eng
land of the National line, which on Tues
day brought Pierre Lorillard's "Pina-
fore," ''Touch-me-Not" and "Siddar-
tha," also landed three lads who were
unler engagement to him. One ofthem,
McEwen, is very promising middle
weight, and has ridden some very fair
finishes in England. 1t is only rich own
ers, however, who can 60 to the ex-
pense attendant upon this course.
Other owners depend upon what lads
change brings into their way. White
lads are preferred, as the negroes,
though handy about horses, are as a rule
too ignorant to learn anything but the
merest handiwork. The moment boy
him. He is brought in contact with
owners stable secrets are made use of
improperly, and races which should
be won are frequently lost
through a deliberate violation Of orders
how to ride. Once in the hands "of
crooked men," a boy is lost. The case
of John Mclaughlin, the brother of the
noted Jimmy is one in point. Two
years ago he pulled race for certain
people; that placed them ulder his coz
troll, as they threatened to expose him
if he refused to remain under their Or
ders. The system of terrorism which
they exercised over the boy was so
complete that Governor Bowie, WHO
had engaged him last spring once re-
marked that he supposed that Frank
would have "pulled" every horse of his
in races for which it might have been
a favorite had he had u chance.
An honorable career in the pigskip,
however, is very remunerative. Of
course such earnings as those of little
Martin, in England, which foot up $25,
600 for this season alone, are uncommon
but nearly all our FIRST cIass jockeys are
in more than OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.
Jimmy" Mclaughlin is worth between
$40, 900 and $4,000, and occupies beau
tiful home in Brooklyn with his wife
and two children. "Billy" Dopohue lives
in bachelor apartments and has upward
Il small lad, was taken out Of the house
of refuge by Wyndham Walden, who at
the time trained for George L. Lorillard.
The boy was sent to Westbrook, where
he behaved admirably both in the
school and in the stable. With na1ur-
al aptitude for the saddle, he was soon
allowed to ride in public, and did SO
well that in few years he supplanted
Hughes as chief jockey for the, stable:
His father some years ago drove Third
avenue car, The old man has now
been made comfortable by Tommy"
Costello still lives at Westbrook, where.
as be is too heavy to ride, he assists in
training. He is worth very nearly $780,
900. Isaac Murphy, the colored Archer,
is reputed to be the richest Of the, pro-
fession, as his fortune exceeds $4,000.
He has fine farm in Kentucky. Feakes
owned a charming place on the New
Jersey coast, but when his wife died his
home was broken up. Hughes also has
comfortable home, an interesting fam
lily, and a snug little fortune in the bank.
Pat Meany, the famous >steeplechase
rider, is one of the richest men in Sara
toga county, and has beautiful estate
at the springs, where he spends the
winter. Barbee is in comfortable Cir
:umstances. Evans was once in well-to-
do circumstances, but some unfortunate
speculations cleaned him out.