Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-03-21

ture, and so handy to get recorded in the
American Trotting Register, that grasp
ed at anything at that time, asking no
questions, provided the pedigree came
from this region and claimed no Morgan
blood She was recorded as by old
Columbus, and her dam, of course, by
Harris Hambletonian, and so she has
ever since been given. But within few
days, Joseph Battell publishes the fact
that the dam of Royal Fearnaught was
bred here in Royalton and got by Draco
himself. One who has seen the evidence
tells me that there is no possible mistake
about this tracing and so we see in this
famous young sire, an inbred Merrill,
having for his sire the very best son of
Young Morrill,, and for his dam daugh-
ter of the next best son of the same horse
and not one particle of trotting blood
known to course in the veins of either
branch of this pedigree save what is
drawn through score of channels from
justin Morgan.
This is fairly good illustration of
how horse literature has been used to rob
the Morgan family. | have before men,
toned the "dam by Freeman Messenger
that was kindly invented and tackled on
to Ethan Allen as soon as he was found
to be able to trot the gamest and hand
soonest race that the world had then ever
been treated to. | might refer also to
the case of Gen. Knox, who no sooner
began to be distinguished than he APP
peared in the Trotting Register with his
own dam and that of his sire both by
the inevitable Harris Hambletonian, who
being about the only Messenger then up
this way was called in to ofliciate as sire
or grandsire or both of about all horses
that showed capacity to trot: it is need
less TO say that this pedigree was bogus,
the dam of Gen. Knox being by Search
er, son of Barney Henry, and his second
dam not traced Yet the compiler of the
Register, the same man who holds the
position now, tabuated the pedigree and
used 1t in an elaborate preface to one of
the volumes of that work to show that
the 'little short, spluttering-gaited Nor
gans" could never produce trotter I'M
less the blood of Messenger came in i'm
sufficient abundance 'tO lengthen the
stride and give the staying power"
These steals have now been mostly
traced up, and there are scores of them
they will not be apt to be corrected in
the American Trotting Register, as
they are not there for the purpose of cor
recting mistakes purposely made, but we
are about to have Morgan Register,
gotten up on the plan of asking no one
to take anything on trust; the breeders
name and address of every animal given
as ascertaned in every pedigree will be
given, and every reader can investigate
and verify for himself. 1t is the sup
preston, or what is the same thing, the
ignorance of breeders addresses that has
enabled the Trotting Register to fost
upon the country such a cargo of bogus
pedgrees, and enabled its manipulators
to build up one family at the expense of
all others. Well | was going to cite the
case of the Morrills. The work was be-
gun by giving old Morrill, a Messenger
dam, thus-"dam by the harrington
horse by the Vance horse, by imported
Messenger" This was not enough. and
they made determined effort to dis
nf r1I
Jennison colt, and undertook to make
him out by another horse to which they
had fastened Il bogus Messenger pedi-
gree. This so stirred up our then towns
man, l.. L. Tucker, owner of Draco, that
he went up to Danville. where old Nor
rill was owned and bred, and in dav or
two had all the evidence necessary to
show the breeding as originally given,
and to show that no one at that time
knew what the blood of the Vance horse
was; it has since been ascertaned. but
not yet published; it is sufficient to saw
that he was in no way related to Messen-
ger. This evidence, Mr.. Tucker publish
ed at the time, and it was sufficient TO
settle the matter for many years, when,
supposing it had been forgotten, some
three years ago the old lies were revived.
and got into so honest and usually right
minded paper as the American Cultiva-
tor, which, however, as soon as Mr.. Tuck
ers evidence was forwarded to it. pub
lished the latter and explained the fraud
in full. do not know as they attacked
the pedigree of Young Morrill,; but no
sooner had Fearnaught, in the hands of
that wizard of the sulky, Dan Mace,
achieved his tremendous success at Buff
falo, and been bought by Col. ii. 5. Rus
sell of Milton, Mass, and put into the
stud, than the gang began on his ped-
gree. 1t was gravely stated that he was
not got by Young Morrill, at all, but was
son of horse presumably of Messen-
ger bloOd) called Wild Irishman. 1t so
happened that the breeder of Fearnaught
was living, and an affidavit from him
with copy of the receipt for the service