Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-04-23
PEDIGREE HUNTING:
THE WRATH OF THE OLD GRAY
MARE


MARE
BEING ATRuE HISTORY OF THE DAM OF
ETHAN ALLEN.
1t will be borne in mind that in 1916
Ira Potter (born in Hague in 1918, and
resident there till 1850 wrote A. W.
Thomson to the effect that John Glazier
sold gray mare to Dea. Hayford and he
to Rufus Rising, who raised from! her the
dam of Ethan got by gray colt owned
by him; also that in the fall of 1873 Mr..
Potter wrote to the same effect to Justin
Bugbee. Having ascertained that the
present address of Ira Potter is Creston,
Neb.. further letters were recently writ
ten him. to which he wrote the following
replies:
CREsToS, NEB Jan. Il, lss6.
Mr.. JUSTIN BUGBEE,
Dear Sir:-Iou inquire if She was halt-hip-
ped. No; she was spawned. l am sure that
Rufus Rising raised her. She had no colts
while he owned her. He traded her to Cook.
w. Bcvins did not own the dam OF Ethan.
do not know whether she was catch colt
or not.
ed; She was no relation to Ethan Allen. Ris-
ing did not own II gray mare at that time
was acquainted with the stations kept at
that time there was but one and that was
owned by joel Norton; ne WAS Il bay, white
faced horse, no name.
In regard to the gray colt that got the dam
of Ethan, he was Il scrub.
The dam of Ethan raised three sir Charles
colts while Cook owned her He sold her to
George Weed, and he sold her To j. W. IIo-
comb While he owned her she raised two
Black Hawk colts ana Ethan.
Yours truly,
IRA POTTER.
CREsTON, NEB, Jan. ,lss6.
Mr.. JOsEPH BATrLLL,
Dcdr Sir:-The gray mare did drive most
of the time for two or three years; drove her
about 1S3s to ls42 W. Cook got her, about
1e3s, OF Abel Rising. Rufus Rising raised her.
Reuben Potter is dead. He never owned
the mare. He sold Il gray gcding to
Rufus Rising in 1884 80. Cook raised
three sir Charles colts from her, and sold her
and colt to George weed for fifty dollars, and
Weed sold her TO j. W. Holcomb. He raised
two Black Hawk colts from her and then
Ethan Allen.
Yours respectfully,
IRA POTTER.
Perhaps no other person now living
who claims to know about these matters
had better opportunities for knowing
than Ira Potter. He was born and
brought up in the neighborhood. He
went to work for Warner Cook soon af
ter he Cook got the gray mare, drove
the mare two or three years, and should
have known what mare she was anC
where she came from. He says he die
know these things. He is commended by
all as man of integrity. Unlike vii
liam Bevins. he states matters. otherwis'
proven, with absolute correctness; 70
instance it is beyond question from 9th
er evidence than his. that the Cooks Iii,
raise three Sir Charles colts from thi
mare, and did sell her and colt to Georg
Weed, and the price was fifty dollars
and Weed did sell her to j. W. Holcoml
who did raise two Black Hawk colts frol
her besides Ethan. Upon no point es
tablished by other testimony is Ira Pot
ter contradicted; and when Il person Ia
given testimony with such unswervin
accuracy upon 50 many points that ca
be fixed, he is to be greatly credited upo
all other points in the same transactio
that he states with equal positveness an
has equal means of knowing.
The viii BevinS story has ii that tn
dam of Ethan was bred by Ambrose Po
ter and sold to Reuben Potter, who sol
her at four or five years old to Ruff
Rising. Now this Reuben Potter wa
own brother to Ira; and Ira states pos
lively that Reuben never owned the dan
of Ethan, and that the animal he sold I
Rufus Rising was gray gelding.
1t was ascertained that Ansel POtte
son of Ambrose Potter, was living
Bolton Landing, y. y, and letter wa
addressed to him asking whether his fl
ther had mare of William Bevins as f;
back as 1924, and whether he ever kne
of his fathers selling a colt to Reube
Potter; to which letter came this reply
BOLTON LANDING, y. Y, Jan. !, lssG.
JOSEPH BATTELL,
Dear Sir was born in the year 1871. | {
no know whether my father had a mare
Bevins or not, as was quite young, Dor
know of his ever owning colt.
Yours with respect,
ANsEL POTTER.
1t is hard to believe that poor ma
like Ambrose Potter ever bred a. colt al
sold it, and that his boy, then twelve I
thirteen years old, should not know h
father ever owned colt.