Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-12-24
RISE And FALL.
THE WONDERFUL CAREER OF AN IOWA
HORSEMAN.
how O.. ". Williams, Of independence, Rose to
Fame-Breedsr, Trainer and Track Manager
in Five Years, Only to Make an Assignment
at Last

Private advices from Independence,
Ia, says the New York Sun, confirm
the rumor current in horse circles for
some days past respecting the financial
collapse OF c. w. Williams, the we'll
known horse breeder, trainer and track
Of that town. Williams has
assigned his entire possessions, except
his horses, to satisfy a mortgage oil
500, 600 held by one Of the local banks.
Everything goes; kite track, breeding
farm, hotel, opera house, street rail-
way, newspaper, residence and all
property representing an outlay Of more
than $780, 600.
1t is now little more than five years
since a green-looklng young country
man turned up at one Of the small fairs
in Iowa with two 2-year-old colts that
he had raised from a pair Of cast-of
mares bought for $3.50 from II. l.. Stout,
of Dubuque. The man was Williams
and the colts were Axtell and Allerton.
After q hard five-heat contest for a
purse OF 500 Allerton won his maiden
race at the Keokuk fair, trotting in
1852, $50 and $40. AXtell created a
genuine sensation by d%istancing a field
of 3-year-olds and taking a record OF
2:314 in his maiden race. Before the
close of this campaign Of 1855
he had attracted the atten-
ton OF all horsemen by t%rotting his
mile In 1928, then the best time on rec
ord for a 2-year-old bred outside the
Stat, Of California. Allerton's record
| stood at 5:404 when he went into win
ter quarters. Williams, who was with
out either experience or reputation as a
relnsman, used Axtell unsparingly, and
his radical methods Of training which
were at variance with all precedent,
called forth nothing but ridlcule from
horsemen. He bo5bed up again the
following summer, however, and ST.
fenced criticism by making Axtell the
sensation Of the season. Early in July
the colt trotted In 2:15H, beating the
hest record ever made by q 3-year-old,
and as he trained On some fab
ulous offers were made for him. Will
llams, however, declined them all, and
it was not until one night in August,
when both Axtell and Allerton barely
missed being injured or killed in a rail-
road accident, that the young man con-
cludeo 10 part with his wonderful colt
when another favorable opportunity
should offer. 1t came on the evening Of
the September day that Axtell lowered
the long standing stallion record of
Maxey Cobb. 2:134, by trotting in 2:l2
at Terre Haute. Ia the wild enthusi-
asm Of the hour a party of wealthy
horsemen offered SOS, 600 for 'the
horse of the century" and within five
minutes the champion 3-year-old had
been sold for the highest price ever paid
for a horse up to that time.
STUCK TO THE HAwKEYE STATE.
Williams took his money and the colt
that he had left and went home to In
dependence the hero Of the hour. His
success gave him wonderful prestige
and popularity, and half a dozen or
more cities sought by tempting offers
to attract him. He remained steadfast-
" loyal TO the sl%ow-going, out-of-the-
way Iowa village, however, and there
invested his suddenly acquired fortune.
This was his first great mistake. He
organized a new bank, in which he in
vested $50, 900; started a weekly paper
devoted TO trotting horse interests;
bought a large tract of land, on which
he equipped in elaborate style
an extensive horse breeding establish
ment. and constructed the first kite
shaped race course in existence. His
inaugural trotting meeting, held In
Augutt, 1890, rivaled the grand events
in Importance and gave him new honors
as a successful track manager. The
next year saw the stupendous boom 10
trotting horses at its height and 1t mark
ed the turning pointin Williams career.
At his August meeting the purses con-
tested for aggregated upwards OF $4,000
"a greater sum than had ever been
offered at any meeting In the history
OF harness racing. One OF the events
brought together the great mare Nancy
Hanks and Williams now famous Aller-
ton, who had trained on with each sue
ceeiing season until his record stood at
2:12L and be was regarded as q match
for the best mare in training. This
race served to attract nearly every
prominent turfman In the country to
the little prairie town. More than 90
600 persons witnessed the victory Of the
future queen Of the turf in the fastest
race on record and the meeting turned
out a brilliant success from every point
OF view.
Allerton improved rapidly after his
August defeat by Nancy Hanks, and
when he had beaten the rival stallion,
Nelson, 2:1O, in a $40, 600 free purse race
at Grand Rapids, he was again matched
against Nancy for a race at Lexington.
As the time approached for this contest
the astute trainer of the mare declined
the combat, saying that his charge was
~indisposed. Many turfmen were Of
the opinion. however, that fear OF
defeat was the true reason for
Doble's d~eelination. and Allerton
gained almost as much credit as il
be had defeated the great mare. The