The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-09-04

mare on sled She was seldom hitched
to wheeled vehicle, but on sled
when returning from the village in the
winter, our informants say, she would
strike very good road trot and was a
very fast walker. She was not much
beyond middle age when she foaIed
Morrill,, as she lived many years there
after. She was probably foaled not far
from 1880.
The Harrington horse was a fine
looking, medium sized chestnut horse
of pure trotting action, bred by Nath-
aniel Harrington of Walden and by him
owned for many years. Mr.. Earring
ton was the wealthiest man in Walden
in those days and owned the finest
stock and wanted no other. This chest.
nut horse of his was then the best stock
horse in that vicinity, but his blood is
entirely unknown. He was got by a
horse called the Vance horse, concern
ing which there is tradition that he
was a fine horse that was ridden into
Walden by a gentleman, and being
sick or out of condition, was exchanged
with a man named Vance of Walden
for mare of little value, with the un-
derstanding that the traveller on his re-
turn should pay for the use of the mare
and have his horse again. But when
he did come back Vance had forgotten
that part of the contract, insisted that
the horse was traded for the mare, and
kept the horse. We give this tradition
for what it may be worth. The Vance
horse seems to have been in Walden
prior to 1920. So far as we can learn
nothing whatever is known of his
blood.
John II. Wallace, in Vol. l, American
Trotting Register, gives: "Morrill, bl.
h. foaled about 1910, got by Jennison
horse, son of Young Bulrush Morgan
by Bulrush; dam by Harrington horse,
son of Vance horse by Imp. Messen-
ger"
And in Vol. 4, Standard Dept, he
gives the same except "dam by Far
rington horse and running into pacing
families"
Both of these statements seem to be
incorrect, as there is no evidence indi-
eating that the harrington horse had
either Messenger or pacing blood. 1t
seems painful, however, to deprive
Mr.. Wallace of the crumb of comfort
he may get from "running into pacing
families" as he has been obliged to
back out of the Messenger theory after
using it as text to illustrate the won
derful power of that blood in "length-
ening the stride'' of the Morgans.
The Morrill, horse was sold as q
weanling by James Heath to Urbin
Perkins of South Walden tor twenty.
five dollars. Perkins kept him till he
was four or five years old, when be was
traded for by French Morrill, Danville
VT, who gave in exchange for him {
horse valued at one hundred twenty
five dollars. Morrill, sold him cOndi
tlonally at seven years old to man il
Massachusetts, who took him there anC
trained him little, but not being able
to pay for him, the horse was takel
back by Morrill,, who kept him at Dan
vile till his death, which occurred il
1862, when he was eighteen years old
1t was a fine horse of very stylish APP
pearaDce and for horse of his size
a remarkably easy-gaited trotter. III,
had very little training, but was capa
BILE of speeding at better than 2:3C
gait. lie is said to have record 0
2:37.
"Old Morrill," is the progenitor of
great family of trotters and roadsters
some of which will be noticed mex
week. His get, although there wa
here and there one that was inclined Il
be coarse, were for the most part eX
cellent, clean, rangy stock, the best o
roadsters and with good turn o
speed; by far the best horses ever bre'
in that region. The old horse an,
most of his get we're of perfectly do
cile dispositions, with kind, intelligent
hazel eyes, fine, glossy coats, stron
limbs and perfect feet. The class O
mares bred to him were very ordinary
lie very rarely got PAGER, nearly al
his colts being perfectly pure, like him
self, in trotting action.