Tombstone epitaph., 1891-02-22
Els-nd.

more. On J. l.. DuTkee deHolYed the
 unpleasant task of eonsigniBg him to his grave. Everybody who has re sided in Tombstone has seen and ad-
 mired old Cap" whose early record as q running hOrse dates back to Santa
 Barbara ini the seventies, where his owner who raised him won many
 thousand dollars on his speed. Nick COrverubias, sheriff Of Santa Barbara county, was his first master, and only
 those who saw him run in seventy five could fully arI reciate him. lie
 was only & colt, and his long, lean, cadayerous look went against him A
 he came upon the track one afternoon in September to compete for the free
 for all purse against field Of rec"rd-
 breakers of maturer age. There were
 eighteen of them 10 start, and Nick, offering was considered in the light OI
 A joke, but A sorry joke il was for all
 but Caps" packer. Nick backed hini
 for all he was worth, even going SO Ia
 as to hypothecate his salary for a year
 ahead. So reckless did he hecume
 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
 ofT,r to bet Cap against the fsvorite,
 which so incensed the owner of the
 later that he Tas with difficulty re-
 strained from attacking the owner Of
 Cap" It was pretty start. It was
 "Cap's" first effort and he was a little
 behind on the start and on tine first
 quarter was not conFidt red in it. For
 the first half mile he did not seem to
 know what was expected 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 10 stand
 still snd began 10 run his nose in his
 pocket, while the other horses were
 going for d, ar life. IL seemed an hour
 10 Nick, so he said afterward, that the horse stood at his eide, but in reality it
 was not more than two seconds He
 patted him on the neck once, spoke two or three words ,o him in Spanish, and the expression that came over "CaP's" face seemed almost human.
 He looked ahead at she bunch Of racers-his ears went back on his lean neck, his nose stood on a 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 turl his nose could be seen close to the front, and when about 100 yards from the string his entire form ard what A sight, The sad de had slipped back on to his tail and the brdle reins hung loose upon his neck, while the jockey, with his arms arms around Caps" neck and his feet aEound the pommel of the pon derous Mexican saddle, kept the lat ter from slipping entirely of. Nick i stood in the middle Of the track, both hands in the air, and blue streak oi ! Spanish greeted the oncoming of his pet. Nick had the reputation Of being the handsomest man in southern Cali iOrnia, and it belonged to him that day, as with his black hsir streaming in the wind and his erect figure cla,' in immaculate white linen, he seemed 10 pray tO his idol to save him from a financial avalanche. As soon as the ,olt caught sight Of him the race was son. A quicker gait and a longsI ltTida brought him under the wire a ull length in advance of the favUrire such a scene WAS never before wit iossed on a race track. Nick fell upon he neck of ''Old Cap" and wept likes hiId. Over 5000 head of cattle wer. ,laced to Nick's credit the next day. or in those days cattle passed AS legal ender for slI debts.
 How "Old Cap" ever came to get | the writer does not krow. Tor a number of years he belonged fD 7. B. Gage. It may be that bis Ari ona owners may not have known that i; he graceful, large and almost human r nim&l vas once the hero of more nan one contest in southern Caiifor- ia. |