Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-08-16
HOwSON'S EARLY RIDE.
How the WeIl-Known Jockey aad Nell
Flaherty Fell.

ROW the Well-hnoWn Jockey a3d Nell
Flaherty Fell.
The accident which befell George How
son at the Los Angeles meeting recalls the
terrible ride he once took in this city.
Howson was then and is now a favorite
jockey, and spent most of his time in Sac
ramento. Somewhere about 1870 he was
engaged to ride the celebrated and then
queen of runners, Nell Flaherty, in her en-
gagements at the State Fair. On Thursday
an important race was to take place (mile
heats, three in five, not a dash as is now
the custom), in which she was to run with
Howson up.
The preceding Tuesday it was deemed
necessary to give her some fast work, and
1t was concluded to make it trial. as
the betting was heavy on the race, and her
owners wanted to see if she was dead
right"
As is well known, trials" are supposed
to be secret, and known only to those inter-
ested in the animal, the rider frequently
not being informed of how fast he rode his
mount. Secrecy in "trialn at Sacramento
during the fair was almost an impossible
ity, so the trainer decided upon a piece of
strategy.
Just before daylight. when all were sup
posed to be asleep, Howson being ready
and the mare having been prepared, she
was saddled and the stable-door opened
noiselessly and George thrown into the
Digskin with instructions to go to the
head of the stretch in a good gallop, turn
and come past the wire on go' for
trial
This, in horse phraseology, is what is
termed starting horse off cold, but this
was the strategy and was necessary for
any attempt to warm her up, the noise of
her feet would have caused a hundred
watches to be held on her" from every
conceivable point on the track, as it is well
known that horsemen, handy with the
watch, do not require to catch the horse
from the wire or posts, but have different
marks all around the track.
Well, down the track she came at a ter
rife gait, the noise of her feet being clearly
heard, and causing stall-doors to fly open
and half-dressed trainers and Jockeys to
jump up, wa Oh in hand, knowing that
some one was stealing march on them.
But it was so dark that one could not see
over fifty yards, and before they were
aware Nell Flaherty was dispatched on her
trial, which proved SO disastrous to her
rider. Around the turn she fairly flew.
and across the track to the stand could be
plainly heard the sound of her hoofs as
they struck the ground in rapid succession.
But suddenly groau and a below were
heard and the hoof sounds ceased imme-
diately Hurrying straight across the
track to about where the noise came from
the owners were Mortified to find Flaherty
riderless and Howson lying apparently
dead on the track
George was quickly picked up and con-
veyed to the grand stand, where room
was prepared, the doctors summoned and
II Il I
of saving his life.
After being placed there he could not be
moved, and, as the races were to continue
for ten days, precautions were taken TO pre-
vent any noises reaching the sufferer Tan
bark was put all around and overhead and
his room muffled, and few of the people
who attended the fair in 10000 a day
realized the suffering poor George was I'M
dergoing below, with a dozen broken
bones.
One of the prize bulls that were on ex-
hibition at the fair grounds and inclosed
during the night in the central Enclosure,
had got over the fence and laid down on
the track, and as George could only see
above fifty yards ahead, he did not observe
the obstruction in time to prevent the COL
lision
On his regainiDg consciousness George
said be could not explain his thoughts dur
ing his experience of that ffty-yard ride
from the time he first saw the bull. This
immense animal had been lying down and
was just getting up at his approach, and
was directly in his track. The mare was
going too fast to stop her, and he was too
close to pull to the outside, and his only
hope was that Flaherty might jump over
him.
This and thousand other thoughts
rushed through his mind in a second, and
the next instant the mare struck the bull,
who was then fairly on his feet square in
the side, knocking them both down and
sending Howson flying over the bull to
where he was picked up injured for life
That he is still alive and still one of Cali
fornias premier jockeys attests his tenacity
of life and the careful and skillful attention
which he must have received. Nell Flaherty
was not injured by the collision, and, with
another jockey up, went on and won the
race on the following Thursday
George afterward so fully recovered that
he went East with and rode MolIe Nc
Carly in her great ur-mile-and-repeat race
for $4,000 side on July 4, 1876 against
the great Ten Brock, in which she was de-
feated on account of her being overcome by
the extreme heat.
He then returned to California, and has
been identified with race horses on this
coast ever since.