The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-07-19
ORIGIN OF FAsr-srEPPERs.
What . Great Surprise Were Maud 8. and
the Famous AxtelL

Buffalo Commercial
A great many horses. as we'll az men, have
become prominent by q combination OF
strange circumstances. In fact many have
been the boys who were informed by their
good mothers in youthful days that If they
would be good and 60 to school. and study
their catechism faithfully. they might be a
President. are struggling against fate to
exc out livelihood to-day, while Door lit
tle Johnny Smith. whom everybody
When Maud 5. was sold as wee sma' filly
for song" that eminent gentleman. A.
j. Alexander, of Kentucky, did not
have the faintest idea that the
daughter of Harold and Miss Russell
queen. Axtell. the three-year-old stallion
king, was considered of no special account
when yearling. yet one day he accidentally
struck clip that made c. w. Williams
home with chance proofs Little did Mr..
Z. y. Hamltn imagine when his old black
horse Hamlin's Patchen STOOD in o little
barn at East Aurora. way back in the
sixties. that his female progeny would be
the dams OF the fastest team In the world
Bells Hamlin and Justlna. 2:l3. What
horseman imagined that old Kit Jones, by
kesters Royal George. would ever be the
mother or Sarah b.. and Star Monarch, and
placed In the list of great brood maresf
Indeed horses, like men. frequently come
by chance. as it were. Or-out of the woods.
instead of from the citadels of expectation.
In 1874, or theresbouts, Mr.. Gordon. of
81. Catherlnes, Ont, happened into Garry
Marshalps horse headquarters. at Cold
Spring. and inquired for Ed Burton. pio-
neer knight OF the sulky. He stated that
he had g horse that could 60 some, and
wanted him trained. Arrangements were
soon completed, and the horse was shipped
ton worked" at the nag. but 500 was the
best he could do. Naturally he became
discouraged. and, contrary to the usual
rules, hitched the Canadian plug to wagon
one day and drove down town. He tied
him In front of harness store.
and while inside buying goods.
the horse kicked the wagon
into Smithereens Ed was disguised. Re-
turning to the track he hitched the horse
to a sulky, but the moment he got up be-
hind him the animal commenced kicking
again. He seemed to have q kicking mt,
and the way his heels would go up was
enough to make the man in the moon look
down and wink.
Nothing daunted, Ed ran him out upon
the track and thrashed him with raw
hide whip for tw o miles. He was madden n
blazes. and proposed to kill or cure. All of
a sudden the horse struck trot. and fairly
flew over the ground. From that time on
he improved wonderfully, and won plenty
of fame and money. trotting full mile in
2:1914, last half In los, 2:10 clip upon one
occasion.
One day when John Splan was jogging
Rarus t2:1Sla) over the Buffalo track he
asked Burton to trOt along with him to the
three-guarter post and then he would .'cut
loose" with the big. gaunt son of Conklin's
Abdallah and see how fast he could go the
last quarter. "Oh, I'll be with you at the
finish. john" sarcastlcally replied Burton.
You be with me! / guess not with that
Canuck horse. Burton. sou could win
$4,000 ii you even thought you could ont
loot Rarus quarter" replied Splan. Upon
entering the stretch both of the knights
began driving for all they were worth.
Whew! but BurtOh's horse fairly flew
over the smooth surface and beat Rarns
down the home stretch nearly q length. GO
ing the quarter in thirty-two seconds, a POS
clip. Splan's eyes peeled out like Bermuda
onions, as he turned around and logged
back to the judges stand.
What was the name of this horse that
came by chance! 1t was the chestnut geld
ing Johnny Gordon. 2:25 Il, sired Dy Toronto
Chief. jrs. dam by ST. Lawrence. Had this
horse been given proper opportunity after
leaving Mr.. BurtOn's hands. he might have
been one of the phenOmenons of the tr0t.
ting world. But great as be as in his day.
fate was against him, and the lucky equine
star that filckered SO brightly for an in
slant was put out like the snuffinR of q can
dia