The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-10-30
More About Black Maria.

In connection with Mr.. Smiths testi-
mony about Black Maria, printed in the
foregoing interview, we give the follow
ing, copied III full from that repository Of
errors and frauds, Wallace. 1t is from the
November number of his magazine for
1879, page 80, headed BLACK Maria
the dam of Young Columbus.
"A few weeks ago we were 81 ad to receive
a call from Mr. Leonard Williams of Mystic,
Conn, an old time horseman of Vermont.
The special object of his visit was to bring
| us information about the famous old mare
Black Maria, the dam of Young Columbus.
| This Is one of the animals that for years,
like the daughters of the horse leech, we
have been crying give, give but to all our
entreaties there was no satisfactory re-
Spouse. Some years ago it was accepted
almost without question, that she was "A
daughter of Harris Hambletonian, but
Mr.. Walter Smith, one of the owners of
| Old and Dung Columbus, expressed some
| doubts on that point and since then We have
| been all at sea.
She was Il black mare about Is hands
| three inches, of most unconquerable will.
| She was foaled rs early as 1S37-S, aud the
| first Williams knew of her, she was in
the hands of Mr.. q. A. Austin, then of Or
we'll, Vt. Austin sold her to Horace Will
hams, and he to Leonard Williams who
took her to Boston, and sold her to Wnslow
Bright of Cambridge, Mass From Bright
she passed to Mr.. Brownell and then to Mr.,
Cotton OF Natick, Mass. In 1910 she trotted
several races of l and mile heats. under
the saddle. Her best record at two miles
was 5:l2 1-2 and at one mile 2:3l -, These
| races are recorded. In 1851 she had twins
to old Columbus, and lost them, and the
next year she was sold to the Smith Broth
ers of Orwell, VT, carrying Il colt by Column
bus and that colt became the famous
Young Columbus" the sire of SO many
| trotters.
While she was in the hands of Mr.. Cotton
he employed Leonard Williams TO trace her
back and find her pedigree. This was in
the winter time, probably lS5l He went
| from his home at Mhddletown to Orwell,
and there learned from Mr.. Austin that he
got her from man named Simmons or
Smons. Mr. Williams does not remem-
Der the name definitely, but thinks it was
one or the otner of these. He went to Mr.,
Simons' house in the southern part of the
| town of New Haven, and had dinner there,
Mr.. Simous told him the mare was by Hair
ris' Hambletonian and her dam was by
Mars, son of Cock of the Rock. From Mr..
| Slmons' Mr.. Williams drove to Mr.. Harris
the owner of Hambletonian, in the adjoin-
ing town of Bristol, and the statement of
| Mr.. Simons was confirmed by the books of
Mr.. Harris, showing that he had paid three
| dollars for the use of the horse.
1t is hardly possibly for Mr.. Williams to
| be mistaken in thls. as he gives crcum-
stances, names and locations, and approx
mate dates AS nearly as his memory will
serve. With certainly two, and probably
| three strains of Messenger blood concern
trated in Black Maria, we can understand
the great prominence and merit of the Col
umbus family She inherited the right to
trot and she proved it by her deeds"
We now submit the whole business to
Mr.. Wallace, Mr.. Williams and Mr.,
Smith Can it be that Mr.. Williams
story is entirely made up? Didn't he
have that dinner at Mr. Simons or Sim
mons house. Nobody ever heard of
Simons or Simmons in the southe II
part of New Haven or any part of New
Haven; but then,as Mr.. Williams didn't
remember the name definitely, it might
have been Jones. Mr.. Harris, the owner
of the Harris horse, lived in New Haven
not Bristol, but if Mr.. Williams couldn t
remember Mr.. Simons' name definitely,
he could hardly he expected to remem-
Der the name OF New Haven definitely
We shall be pleased to hear more about
Black Maria, although we presume Mr.,
Smith has given the name of her breed
er and the hands she passed through to
Gustave Austin correctly.