Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-06
FLORA TEMPLES CAREER.
The Turf OF Thirty Five Years Ago

Tho TURF OF thirty Five Years Ago.
From the Philadelphia Netos.
Flora Temples career was romance
of the turf. was taught when young
ster TO believe that some discriminating
horseman found her hitched to a slop-cart
The facts concerning her rescue from OBJ
security are, however, somewhat different.
In June, 1850, Jonathan A. Vielee, while
standing at his stable door in the little viii
lage of Washington Hollow four miles west
OF Poughkeepsle, n. Y, noticed drover
with a heard Of cattle, followed by his
wagon, drawn by two stout mares.
Tied at the tail of the wagon
by rope-halter was little,
rough-coated mare, not over fourteen
hands two inches high--in more generally
ineligible jargon, four feet ten inches.
Vielee had quick eye for horse, and as
he noticed what George Wilkes has de-
scribed AS ''the little mares blood-like
head. traced her fine, well set neck, firm
shoulders, strong, straight back, long
barrel we'll ribbed up, powerful forearms,
fine pasterns, short cannon homes, and
general display of muscle" be made up
his mind to possess /her. She was then
years old. After much haggling the
drOver who had paid $50 for her
sold her for SI15. He could give no salts
factory account Of her origin, knowing
only that he had bought her from a young
man in Utica, who had found her Intract-
able. When the animal afterwards be-
came famous 1t was ascertained that she
was foaled in Oneida county, near Utica,
out Of mare the picture of herself, who
was mated with fine stallion named
One-eyed Hunter, by Kentucky Hunter.
well known among the thoroughbreds of
Western and Southern States. She was
locked with a jackknife before she was
an hour old. Her owner, Mr.. Tracy,
kept her until she was 4 years old,
when, finding her unservIceable, he
sold her to William H. Congdon, of
Smyrna, for $l3. just think of that! Her
last purchaser sold her to Kelly .5
Richardson for $6S, and then after passing
through other hands, she came into
Vielee's possession. He found he had a
promising piece of hOrsefiesh, but when
he was offered $3.50 for her in New York
city, he quickly sold her. Thus she went
from hand to HAND, slowly approaching
in money value. She first attracted the
attention of sportsmen while squirting on
the stretch of road between Burnham's
and Elm Park, near New York. Her
1885, when she trotted three
heats in $3.50, 1852 and 2:49, and
thus was her Introduction to the pages of
the "Racing Calender" made. She was
recorded under the name of Flora, and
after this trOt was sold to John G. Perrin
for 500. For nine years she led an active
and brilliant career on the turf, ever in
creasing in speed and value. On Oct. 10,
1859, she reached the zenith of her fame
at Kalamazoo, Mich, when, In the
presence OF $4,000 people, she trotted
against Princess and Honest Anse
and covered a mile in the then
unprecedented time of 2 minutes
and 1917 seconds. Flora Temple remained
QUEEN of the turf until Dexter, on Aug.
IA, 1857, reduced the record TO minutes
and IN seconds. She finally came into
the possession Of Aristides Welch, OF this
city, who retired her from the turf and
placed her on his famous stud farm, "Er-
denheim," on the WissahickOn. Then she
had foal, that IsAw running by her side.
| don't think it ever amounted to any
thing-and then she died; and there her
grave, beside that of the monarch, Learn
ington, is still honOred by lovers Of good
hOrsefesh.v