Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-06-04
PEDIGREE HUNTING.
RESEARCHES ON THE ORIGIN AND HiSTo
RY OF THE BLUE BULLS.

Assuming that the number or 1oals
by Rysdyk's Hambletonian is correct
" given as 1926 and by Wilson's Blue
Bull as about 900, it appears that
Blue Bull with at least ~ trotters al
ready in the = 80 list, got one such in
every 10 foals, while Hambletonian,
with at least 35 in the list, got but one in
every 3S making the odds in favor of
Blue Bull as a getter of trotting speed in
the ratio of two to one. If we add to
Blue Bulls list the three 80 PAGERS got
by him. it gives him one , 80 performer
in each Is of his get, making the ratio
still more striking. 1t is true that the
2 80 list of Hambletonian has been sur
passed by that of his son, George Wilkes,
now credited with a, bu- we have not
seen the whole number of foals got by
George Wilkes stated. 1t is possible,
however, that he got much smaller
number than his sire, and that his aver
age would approximate more closely to
that of Blue Bull.
We are aware that Hambletonian' ,: 30
list is usually stated at 80; but one of
these was a wagon record of : :33 l-2
which is not record of = 30 and cannot
be made so by any amount of resolving.
Three others are unproven. having never
been traced to their breeders. We also
know that many claim fifty trotters and
three PAGERS, and some even more, for Blue
Bull: but from the best information at
hand we believe that Il trotters are all
that are proven as yet. But the chances
of IIambetonian'S having further addi
tons to his list are small, while Blue
Bull. who had no less than seventy six
of his get on the turf last year. will nat
urally have many. Taken for all in all,
rs the record now stands. Blue Bull is
easily the greatest sire of trotters that
ever lived. and doubly greater than Ham
bletonian, considered by so many almost
the sole source of trottng speed.
On account of statements made by
James ID. English of Aurora, Ind, who
formerly owned 'Old SAM" sire of Will
sons Blue Bull, and contained in letters
published by us and by some Cincinnati
papers, the question as to whether any
thing was known of his origin was in
volved in doubt. These letters of Mr..
English stated that he purchased Old
Sam of Micheal Little in 1853 and that
the horse was four years old in the
spring of 1854. This was all that was
stated to us, but in other letters he
81, 7 ;1,l
After seeing Mr.. Skinner at Shawan,
Ky, on the Pilot history, we went to
Paris, KY; thence by first train to Au-
rora. Ind, especially to see Mr.. English.
We have already spoken of the magnit-
Gently fertile country about Lexington ;
this continued of the same nature as we
went toward Paris, but from Paris tow
ard Cincinnati the surface was MOI e
broken and rolling, the land apparently
less productive, and apparently more
given to the cultivation of tobacco than
the raising of blue grass. We were driv-
en- rapidly in the transfer coach through
Cincinnati. Aurora is but % miles dis
tant. 1t was after dark when we reached
there; were told by gentleman on the
cars that the hotel at Aurora had been
burned; that IA German kept hotel and
saloon near the depot that was perhaps
as good place as there was to stop at.
This German hotel, though small, proved
very good, and the German hostess was
a good cook and IA neat housewife. We
learned the next day that Mr.. English
had died within the last year.
We now determined to look up Michael
Little, see if he was alive at least. and as
he was said to have come from Harrison.
Ohio, we took the train for that point
Before leaving Aurora, Mr. Seymour 5.
Cole took us out to his fathers farm,
where we saw the horse, DIR. Mclaughlin
@ ;30), son of Morgan Messenger by Full
ton, said to be son of Black Hawk, and a
number of his get. This horse is fine
bay, of excellent size and quality, and in
his finish most decidedly Morgan. His
stock show much merit and are sold for
high prices. Mr. Coles farm is situated
on the highest land in the county, and
commands very fine and extensive view
The land itself is of clay and very good.
Aurora is village of prepossessing APP
pearance and of considerable business.
Harrison is of about the same size as
Aurora; should judge either might have
1900 people. The principal hotel at Har-
rison was closed. We first stopped at a
clearinghouse where nothing to eat was
served in very neat and tasty way I;
driven thence by hunger, we took refuge
in German saloon where plenty to eat