Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-07-27
THE ORIGIN OF BLUE BULL
concluded from last week.

1t appears that Little did also have of
Bedinger the horse bred by Mexican, but
this was some years later than when he
had the colt. He was called Tom, or
Tom Blue Bull, and may also sometimes
have been called Sam. This horse is re-
ferred to as Tom, or Tom Blue Bull, by
Mr.. Kittredge, and O.. S. Milford of Dills-
borough, Ind, says that Old San was
got by "Old Tom Blue Bull 1t APP
pears by the statement of Mr.. S. B.
Marsh that his father-in-law, Solomon
Bedinger, did sell this horse, Tom, to
Michael Little; and Mr.. Heyl, for whom
Little worked about 1850, after he
worked for Bedinger, says that Little
sold this horse for forty acres of
land near Sparta. Indiana, and that
the horse won several races n drop
ped dead on the track. (See REGIS
TER, No. %, 1866. A letter from j. II.
Pritchard, recorder of deeds, of Dear
bon county, Ind, to us, Nov. %, 1887,
states that the records show that Michael
Little on Aug. 3, 1850, bought a lot of
land in Sparta for $500. Thus endeth the
history of Old Tom Blue Bull.
Respecting the dam of Old Sam, the
account above given of her by Mrs. Bed
niger is the only description of her ever
published. Geo. Pruden, Harrison, o.,
(son of James K.) said that Bedinger
had a Blacknose mare that he (Pruden)
thought was the dam of Old Sam. There
has also been a claim made that she was
by Cadmus. Dorrell said that in the ped
igree he got with the horse, she was said
TO have been by Ohio Blue Bull. The
upshot of the matter is that the blood OF
the dam of Old Sam is utterly unknown,
but will probably be learned by further
diligent search.
The only existing statement of the
breeding of the dam of Little Sam (Wil-
sons Blue Bull is that of Mr.. Stone,
above given. There seems little reason
to doubt that her sire, Young Selim, "a
TruXton horse of great power" was 8
descendant of Gen. Jackson's noted
TruXton, thoroughbred son of imported
Diomed.
To return to Old Sam we find him il
the hands of Michael Little, the hired
man of Solomon Bedinger, Harrison, o
The date is not exactly fixed. Mr.. Nc
kean thinks Old Tom, the colt he solo
Bedinger, was foaled ''some time between
1S IN an1 1SSn - II n,1et haxrn hnap M
early as the former year, for it appears
from the statement of Mrs. Bedinger
above given, that Little had the colt go
by Old Tom and bred by Dedinger befor,
her son was married, in 1916, and that tn,
colt was then pretty good size" ant
had been pastured there at least II sea
son.. The testimony of John and of ia
cob Bedinger is TO the same effect. So i
appears that Tom was foaled about lS4C
and was bought by Bedinger about 1s4-
and that Sam was foaled about ISL
or As, and that Little took him ava,
from Bedinger's at one or two years old
Michael Little was an Irishman. Fur
ther to identify the already sufficient,
Remarked Sam, Michael knocked out on
eye. John c. Taylor, Aurora, Ind, says
'The horse was with the Irishman, tn
cholera year, which | think was 1917.
(REGIsTER, No. 2S, 1861 Mr.. Heyl
for whom Little went to work in 1S40 o
1850, thought Little had owned a stallion
before working for him, but not after
All the testimony tends to show that Lit
tie got him about 1916 and sold him t.
James ID. English about 1s49. Their
cannot be much error in these dates. Blu
here comes in the statement of Englisl
that he had Sam of Little in May, 1854
at four years old. 1t will appear tina
English bought Sam twice. He frs
bought him of Little, then sold him t
Hon. Chas. X. Faulkner, then of Holton