Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-02-20


Horatio Eaton, was living near Fair
banks Mill in Pennington, Me. We
wrote to him asking If Eliab Eaton's
stud book of the Old Eaton Horse was
in existence, and stated that if so we
wished to find it, to settle the question
i'm regard to the breeding of Flying
Eaton. Mr.. lIoratio Eaton replied at
once, informing us that the book was
lost or destroyed, but he added "that
the loss of the book was not material,
as he had talked with his brother about
the matter, and his brother had given
him to understand plainly that Flying
Eaton was not by the old Eaton Horse"
At last we called upon the late John
Toothaller, who then lived short dis
lance below Phillips Village, just across
the Avon town line. Mr.. Toothaker was
always interested in good horses, and
was perfectly trustworthy. He repre-
scented Phillips and adjoining towns in
the Legislature the year that Hogarth
beat Sleepy David in a running race on
the ice between Augusta and Hallowell,
and bred a mare to the winner the next
year, the result being Young Hogarth,
sire of the dams of Anodyne @ :25) and
Ben Lambert (2:27D.
Mr.. Toothaker stated positively that
Flying Eaton, which he remembered well
from the time he was dropped, was not
bred by Joseph Whttemore, and was not
by the Old Eaton. Mr.. r. remembered
distinctly that the mare which brought
Flying Eaton was with foal when Hy
Church let Mr.. Whittcmore have her.
"The sire of Flying Eaton" said Mr..
Toothaker, was a little bay Morgan
stallion, owned at that time by the late
Almon Brown of Wilton. Me. "Mr.
Brown came to Phillips with this stallion
in 1850, when Flying Eaton was but a
few days old, and then told Mr. Tooth
Morgan horse the year before, and the
colt was by him.
This is the story of Flying Eaton's
origin, as told by intelligent, disinterest-
L
that is really at variance with the affidavit
which Mr. Collins got from Mr.. White
more. That affidavit states that "the
mare was stinted to the old big Eaton,
which was fact, but it neglects to state
that she was not stinted to that horse
until after Flying Eaton was foaled
which was the case. This affidavit while
correct, had no bearing whatever upon
Flying Eaton's paternity.
This horse, Flying Eaton, was a typical
Morgan of the Sherman family type
While he had strong, broad loin and
excellent coupling, there was graceful
downward curvature of the spine in from,
of the coupling which gave him some.
thing the appearance of being slightly
sway-backed, conformation often found
among the descendants of Sherman Nor.
gan. We have seen number of the
sons of Ethan Allen 2:254) that had
evidently inherited this peculiar forma
ton from Ethan's grandsire, Sherman
Morgan, only it was much more pro
nounced in them than in Flying Eaton.
The latter was one of the most elegant
graceful horses to look upon we have ey
er seen, both in and out of harness. His
action was as easy and elastic as the hes
of Vermont Black Hawks descendants
The first horse we ever owned was by
him, and he was one of the best roadsters
hn1 COLI hi tl,;
years ago this month, to man in Scar
boro, Me-, for the magnificent sum of
S6S. He was then four years old. AT
that time were teaching and had no use
for him. We heard that the Scarboro
man sold him for 5000 and know that the
colt was worth it.
We have known great many of Fly
ing Eaton's get, and though many OF
them were rather small, we never saw
one that was not naturally free, spirit
ed roadster. We had some experie nee
with the get of Old Eaton, and with the
exception of some of the descendants OF
Waikiki Chief, we never pulled rein over
meaner, dead-mettled roadsters than they
were. Most of them were large and long
striding animals. After driving them q
few miles when trotting they seemed to
come to dead stop every time their
fore feet struck the earth. Some of them
however, were fast.
The best of Old Eaton's get was Shep,
herd F. Knapp, whose dam was by
Whalebone, son of Sherman Morgan
Shepherd f. Knapp was taken to France
where he won match race for $1,000
trotting D miles in 6:l4, fraction bet,
ter than , 80 to the mile. Shepherd F
Knapp got Shepherd Knapp Jr. q :273)
The dam of the latter was by Quimby
Messenger, out of a mare of Morgan DIES.
cent
So far rs the value of Flying Eaton,
descendants are concerned, it does not
make the least difference at this late day
how he was bred. We have not the
SIiUhtaSt donht hut that Mr. rootbolyo,