Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-01-29
MAZEPPA.
W. G.. BROwN
MIDDLEBURY, Vt, Feb. %,

MIDDLEBURY, Vt, Feb. ., 1855.
jos. BATTELL, Esq.
Dear Sir II respond to your request thus;
Maeeppd
Chestnut stallion, light name and tail, IL
hands, weight 1000 lbs, bred by +. A. Weir,
Walpolc y. H., owner of his sire.
Sire, Clifford Morgan, by Woodbury. Morgan.
&. sire, Woodbury. Morgan by Justin Morgan.
&. G. sire, Justin Morgan, by True Briton.
LIST dam, the Cole mare, by Woodbury. Morgan.
2d dam, snip, by Woodbury. Morgan.
3D. dam, IA black mare, said to have been
French.
Mr.. Wier sold the colt afterwards Mazeppa)
when three years old to IL man going West.
He led him behind his sleigh as far as Pal.
myra, Wayne Co., y. Y. where he sold him
to Geo. W. Gates, II noted horseman of that
place by whom he was christencd Mazcppa.
Mr. Weir does not remember date of his
birth, but doubtless between ls35 and 1910. Mr..
Cafes kept MaZeppa until 1877, when he sold
him to David Vaughn and Ambrose Hill ut
CanastOta, y. Y, where he remained until
1919, when David Vaughn sold his interest to
his brother, George Vaughn, who brought
him to Vermont and kept him at Cornwall and
Shoreham the seasons of lS49, 80 and 81, get
ting few colts and those mostly from an inferi
or class of mares and at IL low price for ser.
vice. This was ut the time when Hills
Black Hawk in his glory While Mr.
Gates owned Mazeppa one eye was injured
while running in his paddock bv II stick
thrown by II boy, which ultimated soon in
blindness of that eye and subsequently, from
sympathy, probably, he became blind in the
other eye. Geo. Vaughn sold his interest in
Mazcppa to his father, Ambrose Hill, in 1872
who took him to Canastota y. Y, and mt some
time thereafter sold him to n Mr.. Tobey, Il no
tel keeper at that place, who used him in liv-
cry and on stage coach for some time. Let
me here say Mr.. Gates used MaZeppa as a
driving and saddle horse, paying little atten-
ton to coupling mares, and he never staid in
any one place long enough to have his stock
mature.
Mr.. Gates told me in after years Mazeppa
was the most perfect animal in harness and
under saddle he ever owned, or ever expect
ed to own; could ut any time trot TO wagon
with two men in 80 ana never educated. Mr..
Weir told me his dam, the Cole marc, could
trot to road wagon in three minutes and bet
ter and often had been driven to IL chaise Il
miles in one hour on July 4, 1855, purchased
of c. NJ. James, Cornwall, Vt, II four.year-old
colt by Mazeppa, out of II Morgan mare bred
i'm Randolph, VT. This colt named Rob Roy
and kept him until January, 1857, when sold
him to Bowling & Benncr of Philadelphia for
$500. The morning sold him he trotted half Il
mile on Al ,Merrills track in 10 subsequent
ly Mr.. Bowling told me he drove him II full
mile on Point Breeze track in 30 to road
wagon. lie was always used for road purpos
es had four weeks education at 4. j. Merril's
prior to my selling him. Rob Roy deem by
far the most perfect horse | ever owned; l5A
hands high; weight, 100 lbs; fast walker, fast
trotter, good in any place; gentle, kind, no
vices, no fear, excelling all have ever had in
point of safety for women and children to
drive. Between 1855 and 81 purchased nine
ton hereafter.
In fall of 1857 | sent n man to Canastota to
find and purchase Mazeppa, but he failed. /
then went, and failed also, but learned from
his former owner, Mr.. Tobey, he had sold him
to young Mr.. Thurber. | traced him TO Os.
wego, y. Y, and lost the track, but was i'm.
pressed he might have gone to Canada. In
winter of 1898 learned from c. NJ. Goodro,
Ogdensburgh, N. Y, there was blind chest
nut stallion at Castleton, Canada West, owned
by Mr.. Blakesly, called Mazeppa. At Cas-
Teton found and purchased him; brought
him to Sudbury, VT. Although aged, he was
Except his eyes, perfectly sound. During
season of 1883 Mazeppa coupled l07 mares and
"a living colts were yeaned spring of 1859. In
autumn OF 1850 ut Hydes Hotel, Sudbury, Vt,
invited a gathering of Mazeppa colts, giving
a free dinner and prize. The resulti72 mares and
colts were present. In July, 1859, Mazeppa
was exhibited at fair in Castleton, Vt, and