New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-22
DEATH OLA FAMOUS TROTTER
DEXTER FINISHES HIS THIRTY YEARS.
ROBERT BONNER, MS OWNER, WILL BURY Him Al

ROBERT BONNER, MS OWNER, WILL BURY Him Al
rARRYrowS-HIs PEDIGREE AND RECORD.
Robert Bonner's world renowned brown trotting
geding Dexter died in his stable In West Fifty
hfth-st at o'clock yesterday morning Nothing
was the matter with him but sheer old age, and
he went to the happy trottng grounds full Of
years and honors. Mr. Bonner who is naturally
sorry to lose his old favorite, talked to
TRIBUNE reporter last night about the horses
memorable career
Dexter he said, was foaled in April, s5s.
and was the son Of Rysdyk's Hambletonian, tho
great progenitor of trotters, and the grandfather
Of Maud S. l bought him in August, 1867, from
Mr.. Fawcett, of Chicago for $685. and he en-
tered my stable in September Of that year. Dex-
ter had then made his reputation, and was
accounted the best trotting horse in tho
world. His record was 2 minutes, IL IA
seconds Turf, Field and Farm thus
commented on my purchase: The gallant little
son Of Hambletonian ends his public career
in blaze of glory and retires into private life
the hero of the fastest race Of the kind in tho
world, and the peerless star and marvel Of tho
times Dexter is now in proper hands.
His great power and wonderful speed are sppro-
priately matched with the energy and enterprise
Of the indefatigable Bonner. Both man and horse
move in the front ranks and they correctly repre-
sent the spirit of the age
While in my possession Dexter beat his own
record, reducing IL to minutes 6 seconds.
also drove him the fastest mile that any horse
ever made with a road wagon. He did it In
minutes 81 1-2 seconds In his time there was
nothing in the world at all to be compared with
him. He had q greater reputation in his day
than Maud S. You see, tracks have been i'm
proved q great deal To mention one cause of
this, we have now the Griffin scraper that will
plane the track off and leave it like billiard ta-
BILE, so that the wheels will glide over it with
little or no friction. This will reduce the time
at least two seconds Again, we have lighter
sulzies and we have Improvements in shoeing
now Dexter stood about / 5 hands l-2 inches
high. He was horse of great nerve and energy,
and when 1 bought him it was supposed that
he had so much grit that could not drive him
on the road His trainer, Doble, said, I'll have
him back again in three weeks because Mr.. Bon
ner can't control him. Within ak weeks after
that, Mr. Doble came to me. not to get Dexter
back, but to borrow bride that / think will
control any horse. 1t was invented by physician
of Lancaster County. Penn, could with this
bride, control Dexter with perfect ease.
Dexter was useful up to his twenty-eighth
year. For the last two years he has bad only
walking exercise and we have taken the best
care of him that we could because of the good
work that he has done. Maud S. is now fourteen
years of age. Her record, as you know, is min
utes "a seconds. But trotting horses, when they
remain sound make their best time at the age OF
16 or z. Trotting is an acquired gait, and the
more practice they have the better they become.
At o'clock this morning employed truck
to take Dexters body TO my Iarrytown farm
and bury him there 1t would not do to send
horse like Dexter to the boneyard."
Will you erect monument Tor him, MI.
Bonner?'
No, don't believe in monuments for horses
A monument is one extreme and boneyard the
other. No, shall have him nicely buried in a
little plot up ct the farm"