Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-12-20

Judges who think That Ethan Allen ana
his stock resembled Black Hawk more
than they did Flying Morgan, to one
who thinks otherwise. do not under
stand how those living out of this region
who have seen very little or none of
the stock can be deemed competent
judges. All these considerations might
be urged, say, if they were not made
immaterial by the record.
When | say that Holcomb always
claimed he was by Black Hawk do not
forget his letter to Adams, in which he
wrote that he believed Ethan Allen to
be by Flying Morgan, "that is, if half
is true that is told" No such apparent
joke can be seriously considered to be
evidence by any sane person. and yet
for nearly forty years it was the sole
foundation of the Flying Morgan claim.
On the other hand, Mr.. Riley NJ.
Adams, with no other testimony, as
far as appears, than this jocose letter of
Holcomb, started out as early as 1852,
three years after Ethan Allen was foal-
ed, when all the facts were fresh in
peoples minds, and put out his utmost
efforts to prove that Flying Morgan
was the sire; and lie got absolutely no
evidence of the fact-Do evidence that
should have led any one to believe it,
even if there had been no other sire sug-
gested. The nearest he got to it was
the statement in the letter of DR.. w. p.
Russell, if Adams has given it ungar-
bIed IN the part which he says lie
copied for the public benefit, that ely
ing Morgan was in position to have
sired Ethan Allen" Doubtless he was,
as they were both for a time in Addison
county, the mare at David Hills in
Bridport and the horse at John Daniels
in Bristol, sixteen miles away. But, a
event, two alleged affidavits are pro-
duced by the advocates of the Flying
Morgan theory, purporting to be by
one Wetherbee and one Smith, stating
in substance that, at some time which
they do not give, they saw Flying Nor
gan serve the dam of Ethan Alen-and
claiming to have been there at work for
IIolcomb. Now Mr.. Thomson says sit
is little singular how much can be in
ferred by some peoples silence on GER
tain points" Will he please draw the
proper inference from the silence of
Mr.. Adams on this point, if these two
tn wi ha
making his investigations: Would not
lIolcomb's men be the very first to
whom he would apply for information
that they must have and no one else
would? True, the afiidavits mean only
little. dates not being given. and more
over they bear the certain marks of
having both been gotten up by the
same party. Moreover, Whetherbee s
residence is given in the affidavit as
Walpole, n. H., the home of F. A
Weir. the originator of the bogus Paddy
: theory as to the paternity of Black
Hawk and always an earnest advocate
of this Flying Morgan fraud. In fact
J Mr.. Wier is more than anyone else at
the bottom of the whole business. He
has always had Morgans of the Wood,
bury line; in the time of Black Hawk
he had Clifford, and afterwards had
Flying Morgan, both of which he kept
till their deaths, and dealt largely in
their stock. OF course it was nice for
him to be able to say to customers for
| Morgan horses that he had the only
genuine Morgans, and that the Black
Hawks over the mountain sprung from
the little Canadian, Paddy; and later
when Ethan Allen became the most
popular horse in America, it was pleas
ant for Mr.. Wier to recommend his
young Flying Morgans as half brothers
and sisters of the famous Ethan. Mr.
Wier is particular friend of Mr.. Thorn
son. Well, Mr.. Wetherbee's affidavit
sprung from the home of Mr.. Wier, anC
the little squib from Mr.. Smith that
J appeared at the same time showed thai
Smith was of Castleton, VT, the home
of Geo. ID. Spencer, who furnished botf
| for publication. This Mr.. Spencer has
, been hot advocate of both the Paddy
| and the Flying Morgan theories evcl
2 since he first heard of them, which ht
1 says was about four years ago.
1 As has been intimated, the affidavit o.
Smith is very short and indefinite, bein.
= merely supplementary to Wetherbee's
and is to the effect that he held thu
} mare at the time of service. Mr.. Thorn
l son has never derived the comfort from
I these statements that he had a right t.
= expect, for this reason: Mr.. Thomson
4 knows that to support his theory tn,
t mare must be got back to Ticonderog;
( as soon after the service by Black Hawl
3 on July o, 1913, as may be, for he knows
t the books show but one service, and tn,
f colt foaled June Is, 1919, would no
D naturally have sprung from mucl
5 later service; so he has always contend
r ed, and does i'm his article in the Miro