Arizona republican., 1891-02-25
ONLY A HORSE,
BUT THE HERO or MANY a
 GRAND CONTEST.
Death in Tombstone of old "Cap," an Animal of Which There Are stirrins Memories of Frontier Racing Days.
From the Tombstone prospector.

From the Tombstone Prospeetor
 Gap" the pride of more than one lover of an intelligent horse, is no more. On J. E. Durkee devolved the unpleas- ant task of consigning him to his grave.
 Everybody who has resided in Tomb stone has seen and admired old Cap" whose early record as running horse dates back to Santa Barbara in the sev- enties, where his owner who raised him won many thousand dollars on his speed. Nick Covarrubias. Sheriff of Santa Barbara county, was his first mas ter, and only those who saw him run in '75 could fully appreciate him.
 He was only colt, and his long, lean, cadaverous look went against him as he came upon the track one afternoon in September to compete for the free for all purse against field of record breakers of maturer age. There were eighteen of them to start, and Nick's offering was considered in the light of a joke, but sorry joke it was for all but "Cap's" packer. Nick backed him for all he was worth, even going 80 far as to hypothecate his salary for year ahead. So reckless did he become that his friends sought to pull him away from the track. Ten to one against his horse was offered and taken as long as he could get any thing to put up. His last bet was to offer to bet "Cap" against the favorite, which so incensed the owner of the lat ter that he was with difficulty restrained from attacking the owner of Cap"
 It was pretty start. It was 'Cap's'' first effort and he was little behind on the start and on the first quarter was not considered in it. For the first half mile pected of him, and when he came to the string on the finish of the first half Nick ran out on the track and the colt came to standstiI and begand to run his nose in his pocket, while the other horses were going for dear life.
 It seemed an hour to Nick, so he said afterward, that the horse stood at his side, but in reality it was not more than two seconds. He patted him on the neck once, spoke two or three words to hiR in Spanish, and the expression that came over "Cap's" face seemed almost human. He looked ahead at the bunch of racers, his ears went back on his lean neck, his nose stood on straight line with his body, and with an appearance more like jack rabbit than a horse, flew around after his rivals. He did not seem as though he touched the ground. One after the other of rear racers was passed and "Cap" and his rider were soon lost in the bunch.
 On the last turn his nose could be seen close to the front, and when about 100 yards from the string his entire form appeared, and what sight The saddle had slipped back on to his tail and the bridle reins hung loose upon his neck, while the jockey, with his arms around "Cap's" neck and his feet around the pommel of the ponderous Mexican sad dle, kept the latter from slipping en, tirely off.
 Nick stood in the middle of the track both hands in the air, ard blue streak of Spanish greeted the oncoming of his pet. Nick had the reputation of being the handsomest man in Southern Cali fornia, and it belonged to him that day as with his black hair streaming in the wind and his erect figure clad in i'm, maculate white linen, he seemed to pray to his idol to save him from financial avalanche. As soon as the colt caught sight of him the race was won. A quicker gait and longer stride brought him under the wire full length in advance of the favorite. Such scene was never before witnessed on race track. Nick fell upon the neck of Gap" and wept like 8 child. Over 5000 head of cattle were placed to Nick's credit the next day, for in those days cattle passed as legal ten der for all debts.
 How "0ld Cap" ever came to get to Tombstone the writer does not know For a number of years he belonged te E. B. Gage. It may be that his Arizona owners may not have known that the graceful, large and almost human animal was once the hero of more than one con test in Southern California.