Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-08-13
A PEERLESS RIDER.
How He Demonstrated the Superiority
American Horsemanship.

How He Demonstrated the Superiority of
American Horsemanship.
James Robinson was probably the
king of the trade. Joseph Wheelock,
the actor. who was the boon COM
panion of the rider, once told me the
incidents in the career of his friend
during visit he paid to England about
fifteen years ago. Robinson had been
engaged at salary of $1,000 week
to ride in Astley's Royal Amphitheater
in London. For weeks before he ar
rived he was heralded as the greatest
bareback equestrian of the age. To
amuse himself he took over with him a
team of American trotting horses and
light buggy. but neglected to bring
such horses as he would need to ride.
This oversight rather astonished the
English managers, who thought their
contract of course included the furnish
ing of horses. Robinson made light of
the matter, and said he would break
the an mails to his l king in the fort
night intervening between his arrival
and the date of his debut. There was
nothing left for the managers to do
but to swallow their disappointment
and provide him with horses. These he
rehearsed day after day at the circus
with skill and assiduity, but to find at
last that they were beasts far inferior
in intelligence to the Kentucky thor
oughbreds with which he was ac-
customed to deal. The night of the
first appearance of the American cham
pion arrived. The great building bear
ing the historical name of Ashley was
packed to sutfocation to see the per-
Torrance of thereckless rider from over
the sea. Robinson had. however, in
the short time allowed been utterly
unable to train the English horses to
his acts, and as consequence was at
a sad disadvantage in what he at
tempted. The best features~of his
acts, including the vault ng. he failed
i'll. The audience hurried his exit from
the ring with Kisses. A more dismal
fiasco could not have awaited an ar
tist The EngEshmen naturally took
keen delight in the failure OF the
American, whom it was announced
would eclipse the best exploits in
horsemanshlp as illustrated by English
and French riders. The disgrace hu-
inflated Robinson to the dust That |
very night he went to the manager OF
the circus to release him from his con-
tract. "All ask he said. ''is that l |
may be retained in the establishment |
on the salary of the tumblers with |
whom will appear at each perform
ance unannounced. Then l want the
privilege of pract,cingi in the morning"
The manager, glad enough to be re-
Geved from the. heavy cost of the bar
gain, accepted the conditions. The
next day Robinson had disposed of his
trotting horses and vehicle, as well as
other traps and iewelry. until he had
enough to purchase six horses OF the
best blood attainable, none of which
had ever been ridden in a ring. The
selection of the animals occupied
some time When at last the troupe
was completed he began breaking
them to his business. a task which re-
CURED great patience and an abso-
lutte insight into the nature of the
beast Weeks passed, James Rob-
inson, who had in the meantime been
the butt of ridicule;; was forgotten.
Nightly he was turning tiip-flops in
sawdust with pack of mountebanks,
some of whom did not know that
among their number was the best rider
i'm the world. About the time that the
menials about the circus began to whis-
per that they guessed that ''blarsted
Yankee" could ride little bit after |