The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-12-18

the dead Messenger call aback." 1t
would seem that he could not longer
honestly hold to the Messenger theory.
even though he should find that in
build, character and quality Engineer
was the exact counterpart of the old
horse. But it appears that the two
horses were as essentially unlike as
two light gray horses of similar size
could we'll be Probably before John II.
Wallace Messenger had no more ardent
worshipper than this same David w.
Jones of blessed memory; description
of the horse by Mr.. Jones might there
fore be expected to be complimentary,
and doubtless is so; but he never VEN
tures to give him any touch of elegance.
In description of him recorded on
page 70, vol. l., american Trotting
Register Mr.. Jones says he had large
bony head, rather short neck, with
windpipe and nostrils nearly twice as
large as ordinary, low withers, should
ers somewhat upright, hooks and
knees unusually large. We submit
that no great fineness, beauty or ele-
gance went with that description. If
we can Judge of his appearance by the
varying degrees of hideousness which
mark his descendants through Mann
brino at the present day, he surely
was not handsome horse.
On the other hand, Engineer is des-
cribed in the first volume of the RegtS-
ter as gray horse "sixteen hands and
All inch high, and of the most perfect
proportions" Again in vol. i. of the
Monthly, page 743, Mr.. Wallace says
he was every elegant in his form, style
and proportions" aud that "his fine
appearance was SO captivating that he
Was dangerous competitor" and the
same David w. Jones says his buyers
were Impressed with his fine appear
ance."
Considering Messengers own I'M
couthness, and the line of unparalleled
equine ugliness that he founded, it
surely could not have been argued
with grave face that he must from
similarity of form and characteristics
have been the sire of this other animal
so distinguished for fineness, elegance
and beauty. 1t was not then from any
such similarity that Mr.. Wallace select
ed Messenger as the sire of Engineer.
And now, the ordinary ways of prov
ing, or even guessing, out a pedigree
having all failed, or tended to prove
the contrary, probably no man in the
United States except John II. Wallace
would have shown such degree of in
fatlation, not to say of idiocy, as to
claim that such was the pedigree. Yet
he does so, and practically without
qualification, and shields himself be-
hind the veriest cock and bull story out
of the mouth of man whom he him
self first proves liar and wouid-be
taker of stolen goods, coming not di-
rect to him, but stored up for half a
century in the versatile and prolific
brain of this same Jones before it is
given to the public. The value of space
forbids our copying this precious piece
oflunacy i'll full. 1t may be found in
volume l., Walace's Monthly, page 43,
and consists of an extract from A letter
dated Feb'y 2S, 1870. 1t is to the eff
sect that Thomas Jackson and George
Happen, owners and keepers of stall.
lions in Long Island and in Orange and
Dutchess counties, purchased Engineer
OF stranger and represented him as
having been imported from England
into Canada and ridden in the army by
Gen. Brock, who in an engagement
with our troops was shot and killed.
The horse escaping into our lines, was
secured by our soldiers and brought to
the State of New York" Mr.. Jones
afterwards occasionally rendered Mr..
Happen a favor by preparing his horse
bills. On one of these occasions Mr..
Tappen made a statement to Mr.. Jones,
of which the latter says: "Some of
the details have escaped me, but the
essential facts are distinctly recollected.
The owner, with Engineer in his pos
session, was met at some public place,
and the purchase soon completed, and
this statement then made, that he had
become involved in debt, and that his
creditors had begun prosecution, with
a view to levy on the horse, the only
property he possessed, and he was de-
termined not to lose it ALL This was
certainly enough to arouse their suspi-
cion in regard TO his history. He de-
clared the horse was bred and raised in
Pennsylvania, and that he was got by
imported Messenger. Whether any
further pediqree lcdS gtcen is not rec