The Portland daily press., 1891-12-12

slightly ewed. black name and tall, the lat
ter nicked and bobbed to an upright posi-
tion after the fashion so common In those
days Low forward and lofty behind she
had tremendous propelling powers. This
little wonder never weighed eight hundred
pounds in her life, and when a colt was
regarded as so comparatively worthless by
her breeder that he made one of his men
present of her. little dreaming that she was
destined TO become Queen of the American
turf and hold the position against all rivals
for many years, Flora Temple was never
beaten In race, except possibly once or
twice in the BEGINNING of her career, when
made In races and she kept cutting them
down until 2 171 or lower was scored to
her credit, When nearly eighteen years
OF age she was as good as ever for speed
AID endurance and was purchased By
wealthy Baltimore gentleman. She became
DAYS in clover.
Princess was also bay in color and
lnoked like thoroughbred running horse.
Her tr0tting speed was something phenom-
email, but she was thoroughly unreliable.
She would trot quarter at two minute
ans ipd t woud go be all to p,sSss
TO nearly stop her and start her over again,
and there was where she was no match for
Flora Temple, who, like Nelson, was never
known to break In race In the second
heat in the race at the Island track Prip-
cess broke on the first turn and before Ehoff
could get her settled McManus and Flora
were two hundred yards ahead up the back
stretch, but the California mare went after
them at such speed as to close up the gap
and yoke Flora before she reached the sec
0nd turn. But there Princess went to
pieces again aud the little beauty came
shooting down the home stretch under a
strong pull and went under the wire in
2,26. The crowd on the seats cheered, the
pert mare tossed her intelligent head to
wards them and seemed TO understood
that the plaudts were hers. McManus
gaily said that he could have dropped the
time a second or two IL necessary, and he
further remarked, "This is one of the best
tracks in the United States and Flora can
anywhere" OF course McManus won
easily in three straight heats.
This foe track afterwards fell into rather
bad odor through rowdyism. it not heing
within the city limits, and police officers
rarely present. A race without drunken
brawl was the exception. One of the clos
Ing scenes was bloody fight between two
butchers, maddened by run. In which the
clothing was almost completely torn from
both. Among the curious episodes in the
history of this track was the now famous
manager, John Stets0p, running a 10-mile
foot race on piping hot June day. and
beating tie provincial champion, "Deer-
foot" handsomely, Stetson was famous
pedestrian in his younger days, and, al
though the thermometer was In the nine.
ties, he made the ten miles in trifie over
an hour. The Provincial gave out At the
end of the ninth mile.
Another odd feature was a trottine
moose that. harnessed to a sulky, it tool
some of rhe fastest horses to beat him.
| In 1862. the government took these
| grounds for military rendezvous an(
named it Camp Berry, in honor of the gal
that the 5tb. 9Th. 7th, 18th, 2Otn. 23d, 18th
9th and other Maine regiments were, or
| ganized and mustered into the United
! States service.
The land finally became the property O.
| the Portland Rolling Mill Corporation.
| GEORGE o. GOSSIP.