Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-12-13
EMPRESS.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT. !
Dec. 2, 1859.
j. BATTELL. ESQ,

j. BATTELL, ESQ,
Dear Sir Il received yours of the 18th
Nov. | bought bay FLY July IL, 1859.
manned her Empress" she was II hands.
all bay and very handsome. | trotted
her over POO races on turf and ice. | lost
some IL races with her, three by accident.
Empress was inclined to pace and wore
2O-ounce shoes for eight years. There
was not a puff or scratch on her: as
sound as Il dollar; she wore for her last
six years thin flannel bandages day and
night. | drove her her first race and
shut out the Holmes horse of Stanstead
in September, 1859, over the st. Johns
bury track in = 80. 1t was race open
to all horses in the United States and
Canada for purse of $500 and was the
first race trotted over st. Johnsbury
track. Empress also trotted and won
the first race over the Beacon park, then
called the Riverside park-a half mile
track-in race with lib Woodland,
owned by Saml Emerson in 2 81, 2 32,
2 :33. | trotted Empress in % twice,
but it was over tracks said to be short,
but we were then obliged to shun records
and time our horses nights. timed Geo.
Wilkes, owned by Simmonds and driven
by Horace Jones, over the Union track at
a. m. mile in 2 l6 and to harness and
within 20 minutes Jones drove him a
mile in rs to wagon. This was his last
trial few weeks before he beat Ethan
Allen. | remember we'll the wagon
Wilkes trotted in; it was made by Peter
Debois of New York and weighed 60 lbs
it was painted red. Empress won her
last races by leading her five to eight
miles day. She was obliged to do this
TO carry 2O-oz. shoe. Empress won one
of her best races at the first national fair,
free-to-all purse, Springfield, Mass, with
Goshen Maid, driven by James McMan,
owner of Flora Temple. Chas. Taylor
drove Empress in her last days; Taylor
also drove Snowflake nine years; she
trotted some 200 and odd races on turf
and ice. She was Il great Campaigner
and successful. She was sired by Grey
Eagle. My horse, Cassius NJ. Clay. | drove
ID races and never lost a heat. He is the
sire of tluechee Maid, > %, and May Dav,
tiveyears-old record of : 80 at Provi-
dence, in a field of II horses. May Day
| owned and bred, and is dam of Margaret
s., 10, now owned by Mr.. Salisbury of
California; three-year-old. Margaret 5.
left California Sept. rs. and Oct. rs, 80.
trotted at Cleveland, Ohio, and won the
the big colt stake of $4,000 in 2:22
Taylor has trotted Factory Boy, :24I,
IL races the past year and won l3 first
moneys; he has trotted A races and won
"a. Factory Boy is 1913 and has shown
us high rate of speed. He has trotted
half mile in :07 three times the past
year in his races. He is brother to 10.
Basset, the sire of Johnston, the PAGER,
2:O6i. now own alexander Wilkes, =
black stud colt bred in Kentucky, sired
by Idol Wilkes, half brother to Guy
Wilkes, 2:l5d, and William L. the sire of
Axtell, 2:l2. Alexander Wilkes dam
was by Alexander, 2:l9, the seventh
heat and the winner of the $4,000 purse
at Rochester, N. Y, July 4, 1881, in the
largest field of stations that ever came
together, against the field of Robert Nc
Gregor, 2:l74; Santa Claus, 2:l7a
Hannis, 2:l73; Wedgewood, 2:l9; Bone
setter, 2: 10; Monroe Chief, :lS4. Alex
ander Wilkes second dam is by Hamlet,
sired by Volunteer; his third dam is by
Pilot, sire of Pilot, Jr., sire of Maud S.,
2 :OS, and Jay-Eye-See, 2 80.
Respectfully yours,
CHAS. b. BALLARD.