Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-12-31
ELI CHITTENDEN,
JOIN BRADLEY.

and signed, too, by Burrcll Lane, G. j.
Baldwin, Alonzo Newell, Geo. b. Isham,
Harry Miller. Bostwicb Towsley.
Terms. 81. So and IS to warrant.
V. ADAMS.
Milton, April, 1919.
PEDIGREE OF PATCHEN 2:l8 "a.
We copy from the Spirit of the Times
the following very important commune
cation -" Up to the present writing |
believe there is no trotter with a record
tirely unknown, with one exception.
That distinguished individual is the chest
nut gelding Patchen, that Johnny Muir
ply campaigned through the circuit a
few years back. Murphy gave him his
mark at Hartford, Ct, Aug. %, 1880, al
most six years ago to-day. Partisans of
the several trotting families have at one
time and another claimed Patchen as
their own, in order to help swell the
number in the 2 80 list to the credit OF
their respective favOrite families None
and the truth is the horse does not be.
long to any recognized trotting family
/ have learned from Mr.. Walter Rice OF
Orwell, Ashtabula Co., o., whose father
| (now deceased), bred Patchen and owned
him until he was eight years old, that he
was foaled in the spring of 1863: that his
| : a 81 IA thpn
ing at Orwell, also called Patchen, and
his dam was IA mare called Old Jane. She
was by Il horse, also standing in the same
town, called Henry May Day II. Old
James dam was mare brought from the
East that had the sweeny, and she was
called Old Sweeny.' All that is known
of this mare is that she was represented
to be of Messenger blood. Mr.. Walter
Rice states: My father bred and raised
Orwell Boy, that was afterward called
Patchen. He trotted number of races
under the former name, obtaining a rec
ord of , Al IL. We sold him Oct. 10
1877, to Mr.. Murray, a railroad conduc-
tor on the Atlantic and Great Western
railroad, then living at Cleveland, o.,
and he sold him to John Murphy of New
York city Mr.. Rice is a responsible
business man in the town where he re-
sides, and his statement may be relied
upon. There can be no mistake about
the identity of the gelding Patchen. The
mystery about him has been that nobody
could tell anything of his history beyond
the date of his appearance on the turf
under the name of Orwell Boy. Since
that time his career as a trotter is wei
known. Patchen ST., his sire, wa:
brought to Orwell by Chauncey King
now living at Cherry Valley, Ashtabula
Co., O. Mr.. King writes me, in letter
of recent date: Il bought the stallion
Patchen of John Specs of Winthrop, Blu
chanan Co., Ia, in 1865, and took him tc
Ohio. He was chestnut, and was q
three-year-old when | purchased him.
don't know his pedigree, but by writ
ing to Specs | think you can get it..
In answer to letter of inquiry sddressed
to Mr.. Specs, referred to above, the fol
lowing reply was received: The chest
nut three-year-Old stallion, known while
| had him as the Specs colt, that | breC
and sold to Chauncey King of Ohio, il
1868, was sired by the Sullivan horse
owned by Aaron Sullivan, who is living
not far from Independence, la. The dan
of the Specs colt was fine mare, that
purchased of her breeder, Mr.. Howard
Sanders of Waupau, Wis, when she wai
three months old, for Sl25. She was by
a horse called King of Cymry, an import
ed thoroughbred, owned by VIM. Hob
kirk of Oshkosh, Wis. That is all | know
of her blood, and took her to Iowa
where she had number of foals, all o
them speedy, and one, a mare called Vel
veteen-sold to Michigan parties-trotteC
below 2 ;3O.' 1t is apparent, from tn,
above, where the gelding Patchen 2 IL
"a, got his name. His sire was known a
the Specs colt in Iowa, and after he wa
taken to Ohio the name Patchen was pin
ned to him. In Ohio he got the geldin,
Orwell Boy, afterward called Patchen
That is all the Patchen blood there wa
about him. The imported thoroughbred
part of the above story ! have not sub
stantiated. Doubtless Mr.. John Spec
has stated what he had been told by 9th
ers of King of Cymry, but when he come
to talk about the pedigree of the hors
that sired the mare he bought ~: .iowar,
Sanders, it must be remembered that h
is speaking about something that ha
been told him by others, of which he doe
not pretend to have personal knowledge
From Mr.. Aaron Sullivan, independence