Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-09-02
WASHTENAW CHIEF,

WASHTENAW CHIEF.
Living in Oneida county, where Wash
tenaw Chief was sand to have got re-
cord better than 2:30, am called upon
very often to give the pedigree of that
horse, so l will give short sketch of the
two horses that were named Washtenaw
Chief. The information about the first
horse of that name | got from people
who knew him well. / never saw him,
but the pedigree got from an old poster
put out by VIM. Robinson of Clinton,
n. Y, dated 1865. The first thing |
find is, that in 1853 S. Il. Turner kept
a stallion called Black Hawk for service
in Oneida and IIerkimer counties. The
horse is described as small black horse,
sired by Hills Vermont Black Hawk,
dam descendant of Imported Messenger,
out of a Hghflyer mare. OF course, at
the present day, this pedigree on the
dams side amounts to nothing, but back
in the fortes, when the horse was raised
it was no doubt thought good enough
This horse was keptin this vicinity but one
or two years, and never heard that he
ever trotted any races in New York
State. He was taken from here to
Ipsilanti, Washtenaw county, Michigan,
where he was named Washtenaw Chief.
He trotted many races in the Western
States and California, getting a record.
| am unable to tell when or where
this horse died. and the only place find
that he stood in Oneida county was at
South Trenton, where lived Mr.. Isaac
Hughes, who bred to him large gray
mare. The produce was a brown colt,
no white but star. This colt was sold
to VIM. Williams of the same place, who
showed him at the Oneida county fair
in 1857, taking a premium under the
name of Black Hawk The gray mare,
dam of this colt, was sired by Splendor
of Oneida, who was sired by Black
River Messenger, a son of Imported
Messenger, dam Patriot mare. VIM.
Williams moved to more southern
part of the county, near Watervile,
where the horse was put in training.
noted trotter Quaker, in three straight
heats, time 2 Al, 2:39, :3S. He made
so good a race that Mr.. Robinson, of
Clinton, n. Y, bought him, paying
Sl,1OO for him. He was trotted this
race under the name of Washtenaw
Chief, as his sire was making for him
self at this time quite a name IN the
West as trotter. Mr.. Robinson trot-
ted him in many races, but never more
than two or three outside of Oneida
county, and those were in adjoining
counties. In this old poster. dated
1865, Mr.. Robinson claims that his
horses record was 2:33, got at the
Oneida county fair at Utica in 1866, in
a stallion race; he got his record the
last heat He trotted the same season
at Trenton, beating Toronto Chief in
straight heats, time 2:34, 2:35, 2:3l.
AS this was where the horse was raised.
Mr.. Robinson allowed him to give an
exhibition the first half mile in first
heat, which was trotted in l3. He
could have trotted, no doubt at that
time in . "a or ;25 on a mile track.
Soon after he became little wrong in
his wind so that he was unable to trot a
full mile at his best speed. Chester,
think, gives his record as ? 30, but this
is a mistake. | saw the race he refers
to and know it is wrong. Mr.. Robin
son told me a short time before his
death that 2 :33 was his best record,
''but," he added, IL could have given
him record of 225." | cannot give
date of his death, but it was about 1865
or 1870. He was shown in the afternoon
at a fair and died before morning.
This horse was full l6 hands high;
weighed, in stud condition, 1850 pounds,
and when fitted down finest never weigh
ed less than 100 pounds. lie had any
amount of speed-could score with any
20 horse with a driver (his owner)
weighing 200 pounds, and sulky 20
pounds. He sired some colts that could
trot fast, but none ever got into the
2 80 list, think. l.. NJ. JONES.
Lairdsville, n. Y.