The Washington critic., 1888-01-05
THE DRAG HUNT.
\ Good Run over the Country North
of the city.

of the city
Brightwood and that neighborhood
has not seen as much life in many n
day as it did yesterday. Long before
noon, the time set for the meet Of
those invited to the hunt given by Mr..
j. ID. Brown of the Riding Academy,
the Seventh and Fourteenth-street
roads were sprinkled with carriages
and horsemen on their way to the
rendezvous. The horsemen were to
follow the hounds, if possible, and the
occupants of the carriages were to
watch the run from the top of the high
hill ION Senator Cameron's place.
Slowly the crowd increased until !
o'clock, when there were present at
least sixty or seventy riders and 100
persons in carriages. Then Dr.
Darling was seen coming back from
the point where the drag had been
dropped, and almost at the same
moment Master of Hounds Haskins,
on his old gray horse with fifty
hounds following him, came up the
road from the opposite direction.
Ladies and gentlemen joined in u
great cheer for one of the gamest hunt
ers in this part of the country, and all
moved up the road about half a mile
where the hounds were put in near
the old Lay House. Here ten hounds
Of the Duff Opera Company were put
in with those of the Columbia Club.
After bit of hunting the scent was
found and the hounds, followed by
the horsemen, started over the hill at
q rather slow pace. The scent was u
trife cold and the ground was in fear
ful condition The horses would
splash i'm mud and sink up to their
fetlock joints one moment and the
next strike piece of ice and fall, but
fortunately without injury to them
selves or riders. After going little
over mile the pace became hotter,
and as the hounds made for the fence
which divides the Cameron and Shep-
herd estates, the riders all braced
themselves, and any one watching
could tell that they were at the first
fence. All were anxious to make the
jump and didn't know Just how their
mounts would behave.
DR.. Darling showed the way and
was followed by Mr.. Rider. Then
the party came with q rush and all
hands got over without accident. Sew
eral circuits of the Shepherd property
were made in safety although few
OF the horses slipped on the ice.
| Nearly all the ladies, much to the sur
| prise of every one, rode well to the
| front, and only one fell during the en-
tire run. Leaving the Shepherd prop.
erty for the Seventh street road, the
riders seemed to think they were neal
the finish and every one began to push
for good position, butt hounds re-
crossed the road and over another
fence and ran into the Shepherd
place again. The pace grew hotter
and hotter every moment until out Of
sixty starters there were probably moi
more than half that number following
During the run of three quarters OF
q mile that followed to the finish, sew.
eral others dropped out. The first
hound that reached the tree where
the fox skin had been hung was 6
large black-and-tan colored fellow
called Victor, belonging to the Duff
Opera Company. The finish was sc
close and exciting between Miss
Maury- and Mrs. Middleton that i
was hard to tell which was in first
Several gentlemen finished in a nice
bunch, and they were so close to-
gether that it would have taken Q
good judge to say who was first.
Among those who followed the pack
were Miss Maury, Mrs. Middleton
DR.. Goldsborough, Mr.. Goldsborough
Mr. George Eustis, Miss Cameron
Miss Mccullough, Messrs. Wallach
Legare, Hillen, Todd, Nouguieras
Peters, DIR. SDowden, Messrs. Wind
sor, Draney, MclIlhone, Lieutenant
Lindholm, Messrs. c. w. Ryder
Page, n. Jones, G.. p. Macias and 6
great many others, both ladies ant
gentlemen, whose names it was i'm
possible to learn. The hunt was {
great success in every way. The
management was tip-top; the riding
better than ever before seen here, and
quite as good as is seen on any of the
drags run about Newport or New York
the riding of Mrs. Middleton and Mis-
Maury, Mr.. Eustis, Lieutenant Lind
holm and Mr. Ryder being particular,
good. On hill, under some cedars
Mr.. Brown had spread for his guest
an elegant lunch, and sharp as tn,
ride had made everyone's appetite
there was an abundance for all