Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-20
A JOCKEYS TUMBLES.
BILLY DONOHlE, THE RACE RIDER,
TELLS OF HIS NARROW ESCAPES.

the nero or many close and exciting finishes
and has probably received more severe falls.
broken ribs and hips and sustained other in
Juries than any living jockey. And yet in
conversation and manner he Is as gentle and
refined as one of the celebrated AGO. never
abiding to his narrow escape and brilliant
record as horseu an unless drawn out by
some personal friend
Which of your many falls was the worsta ~
The most severe was at New Orleans on
April "A, 1882 on the grounds OF the Louisi-
ana Jockey club. 1t was in the CottriII
stakes for S-year-ol1s at one milo and half
had the mount on John Grayer's chestnut
gelding Warrington, son of War Dance and
Mamie +. Anglia was the favorite, with
babcock second choice, and the other starters
being Ellie ii. AMI Mamie w. Before an
eighth of mile lad been covered Efiie a.
fell ahead of me and Warrington stumbled
over her. Anglia, who was behind, came on
top OF me, crushing his hoof into my right
groin and breaking two ribs Tho reports of
the accident III the papers and Guide vary
out mine Is the correct one. AS | fell
could sec clouds Of dust aud horses all In a
heap, but after that l knew nothing until
awoke three days later in the Hotel Dieu
where the good Sisters Of Charity were nurs.
ing ME. In that race Apollo finished first
with Babcock second, and Mamie W. third.
The accident took place just after the start
as we were making the first turn ! suffered
no pain at the time, but when became con-
scious 1t was impossible to move in bed, and
had to 10 helped by the good sisters, who
handled me just like child
FOURTEEN DAYS IN BED.
Il was in bed fourteen DAYS, but suffered
no after effects whatever. In fact, | have
been particularly fortunate in all my falls, as
l have never been annoyed by any of them
after have once got we'll Had it not been
Tor the accident Anglia would have probably
won and Apollo been second, but there was
little hope for Warrington anyway He
would have finished near the tail end. Still
his people had great confidence in him. I'm
like me, he has never been any good since the
fall. Anglia got up after the accident and
Jumped half way over the fence, where she
hung until lifted off Neither Given, who
rode her, nor Edwards, who had the mount
on Ellie H., was hurt. | said Anglia would
probably have won, because on the first day
OF the meeting she had beaten both Babcock
and Apollo in the Pickwick stakes, in which
race also rode WsrrinGton"
Didn't you have severe tumble at Mon
mouth few years agoi"
You mean that fall with Wandering.
Yes, it was big snake up, but / was not Sc
verely hurt. 1 believe it was in a purse race
at mile in July Of 'S5 There were eight
starters and | hal the mount on the late
John Spellman's chestnut gelding Wander
ing. His stable thought they had veritable
'cinch, and as Yves well within the weight,
los pounds they put me up with instructions
TO come away in the stretch. 1t was to
on my mount and my friends were on to a
man. At the post Wandering commenced
his old tricks, and With buck jumping stood
straight as a stesple' in the air. | hung on
with tooth and nail and enjoyed the laughter
from the grand stand and lawn The old
horse delayed the start some minutes, but
when the flag fell he was full of running. |
had him well In hard, turning for home, and
was preparing to make my effort, when
Greenland, with Meaton up, fell, and Com.
pensation followed with Willie Martin |
was on top of the before | knew it, and
then all was blanl; Willing hands carried
me under the tree close by, and it was not
long before | was able to ascertain my in
juries- was laid up for several days, and
when next | appeared on the track it was
with black eye, Commissions on forehead and
a disabled arm. Of course you want to know
who won the racer Well, it was Executor
a 20 to shot"
BOTH LEGS BROKEN
do you remember any other fallsr
"Oh, yes, lots of them. recall my first
tumble Mt Saratoga, away back in the seven
ties. The two-year old Warlock threw me,
and though unconscious for nearly half an
hour was ready to ride in the next race
Rlf q :.
my left leg was broken through the careless
ness of a brother jockey. There were eight
'f US in sweepstakes at mile and furlong,
and Ada ID. was a hot favorite My mount,
Santa Claus, was thought to have a good
chance and was freely backed by his people at
The respectable odds of eight and ten to one
Tornado, however, took the lead and was
never headed. would have been second, if
lot first, had not one Of the boys crowded
Did Santa into the rails ON the first turn.
Ny horse stumbled and fell, turning a com
olete somersault with me. My mind was too
confused to think until after l struck the
ground. This time | did not lose conscious.
less, but suffered great pain, as my leg was
broken. was laid up for nine months and
he Brooklyn Jockey club kindly donated
800 toward defraying expenses while dis
.
nucleus to fund for the benefit of sick and
disabled jockeys. 10, never feel the effect
rom that fall, and think my leg is stronger
han it was before. Ny other leg was broken
when a boy by par ty of friends skylarking"
(which do you regard the best horse
you ever rodeP
THAT is a difficult question to answer, as
nave ridden many good ones and lots of bad
heSf
San Savior and Eole. In my opinion Mon
archist was the greatest race horse this coun
ny ever saw. He won twelve straight races
from one mile to three miles and was up to
my weight.
''The riding is much improved in the past
ZEN years, and 50 5 the racing There are
more starters now than in the old days, when
three or four made up the field. Now ten or
Twelve frequently go to the post, and some
times even more. have seen thirty odd at
Brighton, and as you know twenty odd have
started in big bar dIcaps at Sheepshead and
Brooklyn.
THE horses of ten and even twenty years
,go were equally as good over short courses
and much better over long ones than are the
horses of the present day. Few thorough
Dreds of today can go over a distance of
ground like the old times Trainers and
owners are more honest and enthusiastic and
more interest is evhlced by the public in the
sport.
YES, you may s for me that the turf is
every year, and that we already
cad the world IL the most enthralling of
sports Now Yorl Herald.
At hugging bee for the benefit of the
church along the upper Hudson, a man while
Rugged his wife for several min
ltes without know ng who he was hugging.
u ,n he did find out he wanted his ID cents