Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-11-09
beyond dispute that the dam of Ethan,


when Warner Cook had her, was sound
and in the prime and vigor of life,
gamey and tireless roadster, and able to
trot with Warner Cooks two hundred
odd pounds on her back very close to a
three-minute gait; while Balcom's mare
was old, badly hipped, and, as he thought,
not worth wintering, when he gave her
away.
These things were "airy nothings" to
Mr.. Thomson. He had not manufac-
tured a sire for both Black Hawk and
Ethan Allen, and evolved out of his inner
consciousness Hambletonian dam for
Flying Morgan, to be daunted by trifles
like these. So he proceeded to write let
teIs.
1t so happened that among Mr.. Thom-
sons disciples was former Hagueite,
the said Joseph G. Balloon of Gardner
Letter-writing proving for once too te-
dious, Mr.. j. G. Balloon goes to Ticon-
deroga loaded to the muzzle with Mr..
Thomson's precious Conformation, (Which
he proceeds to impart to Justus B. Ris-
ing. That gentleman remembered that
W. H. Balloon, back in those early times,
had gray mare something like the dam
of Ethan. Having long suffered from
the thumbscrew of Mr.. Thomson's cor
respondence, and being now stretched
upon the rack by Mr.. Balloon personally,
Mr.. Rising did at last reluctantly con-
fess, in the Mirror letters, that he thought
he did remember the dam of Ethan in
the hands of his uncle Rufus as early as
1882 or 1888; that johnson sold her to
Balloon, and that she was hpped. Parad-
ing these letters in the Mirror, and total
ly suppressing all the other testimony
given by Mr.. Rising, the honest and in
genuous Mr.. Thomson rubs his hands
and considers that 'half of his heavy task
is done.''
These statements of Mr.. Rising, il
fairly obtained and really springing from
refreshed recollection, would sharply
raise the following questions:
First, Whether the dam of Ethan did
or did not pass from George johnson
direct to Warren Cook. If she did, Bal
com never could have had her.
Second, Whether she was hipped. II
not, she was not the Balloon mare.
There was plenty of evidence already
published that Rufus Rising sold the
mare to George Johnson, and George
johnson to Warner Cook. Ira Potter
wrote that George johnson sold her to
Warner Cook and that he drove her wher
both owned her. Not knowing that thi;
point would be disputed, we did not in
quire for actual witnesses of the trans
fer; and we did not inquire as fully as
we might whether the mare was hipped
To get further information on these
points, and to learn, if possible, the
source and reliability of Mr.. Rising's
new light in the matter, visited Ticon
deroga and Hague last week. l com
menced work Tuesday morning, assisted
by that thorough horseman and reliable
gentleman, Mr.. Stephen c. Bailey of III
conderoga, who has always taken grea
interest in the solution of this problem.
We first saw our old friend, John A
Pinchin, hale and active at II, engaged
in his favorite pastime of shoeing 8
horse. His statement, which was care
fully read over to and signed by him, il
as follows:
TICONDEROGA, Oct. 80, 1888.
: John A. Pinchin, aged II years Dec. 6
/,
at the Diehl farm house on the lake
Joel w. Holcomb told me to take the ole
white mare, and did, and drove her dow
there. had known the mare ever sine
| George Johnson had her. Am positive
have seen him drive her in a pair will
. another gray. / saw her hundred
times when the Cooks had her on tn
. farm. They used her to draw lumbe
| from Brant Lake, and she was sharp t.
, draw, and they got SPAWN on boil
hind legs. have shod her great man,
times. Her hips were as straight as an,
horses in the world. Know? OF cours
2 l know. | always knew the mare we'll
, used to see her very often while Holcom
owned her; used to shoe her then.
shod her after Ethan was foaled. Joe
, showed me Ethan when he was nine day
old; asked me to see the best colt eve
SAW. "A mdu Ildtueu JuStlu NdTdlnel wa
lacking some old shoes ON the mare the
to take her back to Black Hawk. Hol
? comb called Ethan Black Hawk colt
\ he never said different till he got ma
with Hill; he always claimed to me tina
: Ethan was by Black Hawk. When tn
: colt was nine days old l think Fran
: Robinson, who worked for Holcomt
? took the mare back to Black Hawk, O
started with her. Justin Naramel is sti
. living in Dresden, Washington county
: n. Y. | am not sure, but think it wa
e Frank Robinson.
e None of the Balloons ever had thi
= mare. The hands she passed through
: after Rising had her, were George Jobr
son, Warner Cook, w. H. Cook, Georg
s Weed and j. w. Holcomb. l knew til
= mare all the time after johnson got her
knew her in the hands of all these owl
> ers of her. | think I saw Rufus Risin
have her before that, but am not positiv,
n l know l knew her well from the tim
f johnson had her. No Balloon evor owl
al IA., I1l1 l.