Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-09-13
Hawk, than the fact that gray mare
hrouUh q hav colt hv a hlacL borea


brought two colts of the same color.
Is there any great cause to wonder then
that she should bring bay colt by a
black horseP have owned three colts
sired by Daniel Lambert, two out of a
brown or dark bay mare; one was
very light, bright bay, the other the
same in color as its dam. Why were
neither of these colts chestnut? If
Black Hawk should have always got
black colts, why was Paul Clifford bay?
Why was Onderdonk, kept at the same
stable as Black Hawk for some years,
sired by him, out of Post Boy mare, a
light strawberry roam? And why was
Gen. Stark, sired by Black Hawk, bay
with white feet and white strip in the
face: and why were the Douglas Horse
and the Benton Horse, both sired by
Black Hawk, chestnut in color? Again,
why did Ethan Allen, a bay stallion,
get the black stallion Superb, and why
did he get for one man, Mr.. w. w.
Moore breeder of Gillig), three black
colts? And why did Black Hawk get
for Mr.. Moore filly from bay mare
that was an almost exact counterpart in
color and markings of Sherman Morgan?
But we might go on almost indefinitely
citing these cases to show that stations
do not always beget their own color, but
we need not pursue this line of cases to
show the proposition laid down by Dun
tan's Spirit an absurdity.
There are other things than color by
which breeders of experience detect the
characteristics of sires in their stock,
with quite as much or more certainty
than by color. have passed my three
score of years, and am on the last half
of the ten more allotted to man; was
raised on a stock farm where sheep and
cattle, as well as horses, were extensive
ly bred, and in the breeding of which l
always took deep interest, good deal
of it being intrusted to me before was
twenty years old. The farm lies be-
tween where Flying Morgan and Ethan
Allen were foaled, and about eight miles
| from where Black Hawk stood and died
in Bridport, and less than twenty from
where Ethan was foaled. have known
these stations well, and have been a
close observer of their performances
their characteristics and their stock
have been present and observed their
style of going when they were trotting
on the track. have not cent of pee
uniary interest in the way this question
of the sires of these horses is decided,
but it would be very hard for me to
believe, from all the stock have seen
from these horses, that Black Hawk was
not sired by Sherman Morgan, or tina,
Flying Morgan sired Ethan Allen.
1 may be color blind, or | may be ig.
norant, but have seen nothing in all
the evidence brought forward to prove
these horses were sired differently suffici
ent to heal that color blindness, or dc
away with what those that have differ
ent theories may call my ignorance, OIL
that those who advanced these theories
are so much wiser than those who believe
as they do not. Perhaps some things
that heard in my time may have had a
good deal of influence in forming the
conclusions in my mind. Although they
may not be in themselves entirely con.
elusive, they have a decided bearing in
confirming the evidence presented from
time to time on the question of the sires
of these horses.
You have lately given evidence bear
ing upon the absence of Paddy from
the stable of Mr.. Bellows the year Black
Hawk was sired, and by the word of Mr.
George Bellows, and by books or diaries
kept by Messrs. Bellows proved that Pad
dy was not there that year. Mr.. Charles
Bellows, brother of George, married a
cousin of my mother, and that relation
ship resulted in number of visits be-
tween the families. have visited them
at their house in Northumberland, N.
H., and have met him at various times
elsewhere, once at Montpelier, at the
time of our State fair in 1853. | had a
number of conversations with him about
Sherman Morgan and Black Hawk; but
on only one occasion, and then introduce
ed the subject, did he speak of Paddy
When | met him at Montpelier, we look
ed over the horses together; among them
were many that were sired by Black
Hawk, and he pointed out to me many
characteristics among them of their
grandsire, Sherman Morgan, and selected
one that was coal black as almost an
exact reproduction of Sherman, except
color.
While we were thus engaged, l asked
him about the story they were circula-
ting that Black Hawk was sired by
Paddy. His answer was made at once
and decided. There is no truth in it, he
did not own Paddy the year Black Hawk
was sired. This you will notice exactly
corroborates what you learned from
George Bellows and proved by the
diaries kept there.