The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-01-23

when Mr.. Morgan took the horse TO
Randolph. The year may have been
wri ten 1892 and the printer made the
mis- axe and called it 1895. Such mis-
takes do happen. No fact or Circnm-
stance has been given to show that the
year was 1875. Mistakes are often
made in fixing the year from mem
DRY alone, and people no not real
ize the trouble it. Sometimes makes.
John Morgan did no. state the years
that he and Justin kept the horses. The
advertisements of the horses confirm
what John Morgan said, and they show
that Justin kept Dinond the season of
1888, True Bril- the season of 1885
and that John Morgan kept True Brit.
on the seasons OF l7SS-S9.
The claim is now made that the two
, year.old colt that Justin Morgan took
to Randolph was not the one John
Morgan meant, aud the one he meant
was sired in 1888 or 80, and "the Jus
tin Morgan" according to the state
ments that lad been given was not
sired till 1892, SO the pedigree that
had been given of him was not
true. They would not admit that
the mistake was in the year. In look
ing the facts over more carefully, and
from new ones learned, it was appar-
ent to evert impartial person that a
mistake had been made in the year.
The grand lists showed Mr.. Morgan
was taxed for stallion at Randolph
before 1893, had no tax here after 1894.
Ii seemed TO be lost sight of that Mr..
Morgan broke up keeping house in
1893, yet it was understood he took the
horses as colts to Randolph before he
broke up keeping house.
Judge Griswold was Mr.. Morgan's
nearest neighbor. The judge state
ment is, "That early the morning after
Mr.. Morgan got home, Mr.. Morgan
came to his house and wanted he should
go over and see a colt he had taken
home from where he used to live. The
Judge went over and was showed the
colt in the pasture" These facts seem to
establish firmly the statement of John
Morgan, and now when everything
seemed again settled, the advertise
ments of The Figure Horse are found.
They show Justin Morgan advertised
"the Figure iIorse'' the seasons of 1893
and '94, at Randolph, Lebanon and
Royaton.
Nothing is said as to the age, color,
sizs or blood Of the horse, nothing to
identify what horse the Figure
. Horse" was. 1t saws "the famous
Figure Horse, from Hartford, Ct" AS
no claim had been made that Mr.. Nor
, gan ever kept but one stallion at Ver-
mont, it seemed safe to say the Figure
Horse was "the Justin Morgan" GER
Z tainly, until it was showed to the coun-
: trary.
From facts recently learnt it can be
showed what horse the Figure Horse
: was. When Justin Morgan moved
to Randolph, his sister came
with him; she was widow; her
, name was Eunice Williams, she had a
son and a daughter. They lived about
J a mile from the Center toward the East
5 Branch. There were two brothers of
5 Mr.. Morgan's that lived at Randolph ;
; Calf and stephen. Justin Morgan
= when on his way home with the colts
: stopped all night with his sister, The
next morning he went over TO Mr..
| MDulton, the next neighbor, and had
+ his SOB Jude come over and see the
2 colts. Mr.. MOulton was shown a four
! year-Old bay stallion; he did not at
2 first notice the small one; after while
2 Mr.. Morgan called his attention to the
5 little one, and asked, "What do yon
= think of him?' Mr.. MDult)n said he
e saw little runt of u colt that did not
+ look to be worth ten dollars, aud said
= so. Mr.. Morgan tapped the
, horse on the shoulder and said
, "A good leal there, sir; good dea
f there, sir" Mr.. Moulton and hi,
! son removed on to the West Branch in
: 1898, his son Jude married Mrs. vii.
= Iisms' daughter. Their son, who re-
: Gently died at Chelsea, said his father
n told hun these facts time after time
. and his era dsons remember heari 9
D their grandfather tell the same; one Of
y them thinks his grandfather said the 4
= year-old horse was gray, but the hers
u said not, that he said bay. JUICE Moul
# ton said too, that Justin Morgan, Dr.,
e was four Years older than the two-year
e old colt that was "the Justin Morgan
= VIM. Rice lived at Randolph when Mr.
t Morgan did he removed to WoodstocB
S about 1896; he was dishonest man
n and it is believed he cheated Mr. Nj n
y gan out OF what he had. Some say he
:. had the four year.o horse and took
d him to Woodstock, and some say the
l. horse was sold and taken to Williston
d The following statement in reg nd t.
Il a horse that was owned at Montpelier
v is from ID. p. Thompson's history o
e the town OF Montpelier:
!, jonathan Shepard of Montpelier
: built the first blacksmith shopin Mont
h pelier village. Some years after. ht
ii sold out his shop and custom to james
e Hawkins, taking his (tIawkins) farm
r and letting Hawkins haye, too, the frs
n Morgan horse ever known in Vernon
J. or elsewhere" In a note at the bot
Il tom of the page is the following: "Mr
lie Shepard is still living This was in 1860
g and Mr.. Shepard's statement in regart
r to the horse is that he purchased hin
|. of man in Woodstock for about 5000