The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1894-10-20
RODE A TRAGIC RACE.

kOUE A IkAGlC KACE.
A Horseman's Story Of the North
west Border.
White Victory and Half-Breed Disgust---A
Turf Event That Had Not . Little t.
Do with the Bael Rebellion.
A. R. Empe, who is now in San Fran
isco, was rider in the most expensly,
horse race ever run. No turf event in his
tory has ever had such tragic conse
quences as this memorable one which
more or less indirectly, cost the Dominion
of Canada $23, 10000 in money and
some 5000 lives, to make no account o
the destruction of three military poets
This race was run October 10, 1884, a
Qu'Appelle, Canada, between scruL
horse known from Winnipeg to Victoria
as Reynard Rouge and On old thorough.
bred, Black Diamond, who had owing tc
his age, been turned out on grass to dit
some years before.
Reynard Rouge was the property of a
syndicate of half. breeds and had wor
every race in the Northwest territory for
several years. The white settlers had
matched the best horses they could find
against the invincible flyer, but when be
passed under the wire he was invariably
far enough ahead to gather IN the stakes
and side bets, together with all the small
change and wages of the soldiers and
mounted police. Whenever Raynard't
defeat seemed sure thing and every
white man in the section had scraped up
his last dollar to bet against the red ras
cal he always picked up has heels on the
homestretch and ratified by the judges q
winner. Several years of success with
Reynard Rouge made the half breeds
boastful people, and the challenge wen,
out that they could beat the whites al
any thing on the sporting calendar, from
throwing dice for "chalk, cheese or mar
bles or fun for the boys" These boasts
and taunts so distressed the white men
on the frontier that several personal en-
counters grew out of them.
Finally Reynard and Black Diamond
were matched. Black Diamond belonged
to Morris Clifford, who has been Colonial
Secretary to Gibraltar since 1887, and to
A. r. Empe. He was II years old and
had in his younger days made several re.
markable records, but, owing to cracked
hoofs, had been taken off the turf and
was purchased for $50 by Clifford and
Empe, who were engaged in farming near
Qu'Appelle.
A strange but not unusual thing hap
pened to tho old thoroughbred. His
cracked boots gradually came off while
he was grazing in damp black mud
marsh and new and perfect hoofs made
their appearance.
The half breeds had got an inkliDg OF
tue rejuvenation of the old skate, and on
October, 16, 1884, some sixty or seventy
of them came into GU Appelle with Rey-
nard. They loafed around until night
fall, daring the mounted police and other
white people to get out some fast horse
flesh and back it with capital. Empe
was present at the time, and in common
with others of his race aud color felt more
or less chagrined at the absence Of re.
liable horse. He went back tn the farm
and told his partner, Clifford, about the
half breeds and Rey6ard. Empe tells
the story of what followed With consider
able dramatic fobce. His own words best
describe the incident:
II found my partner, who had Just re-
turned from a drive," said Mr.. Empe,
land told him how the matter stood.
He said very little, but after saprer
drove down to Hearty ChrisCs saloon, thH.
headquarters Of the half brecds. HesNas
gone some timo and when he returned I
was asleep, but he woke me with whoop
and told me that he had matched our
Black Diamond against Reynard Rouge
for $500-ali the money we had on earth
and that the race was to be run in three
days. No one but myself had mounted
Black Diamond since his new hoofs had
grown, as hesshad a peculiarly cranky
dstreak 10 his31isposition so it was decide,
that l should ride him in the race, al
though l weighed about 152 pounds.
Diamond had = very large grass stomach
on and l fit that We were throwing
money at the birds in putting him in the
race with thf half breeds crack.
"For goo miles around runners were
sent out with the newst apd in the morn
ing and early afternoon of the third day a
string Of people, white aud half breed,
poured into Qu'Appelie, accompanied by
a crowd of mounted police, with three
mouths pay to put up on Black Diamond.
They would have played him to win if be
had been wooden rocking horse.
''Scttless came in BY the wagon load
and there were numbers Of squaws from
the woods.
'Fully 5000 people were present and
by 1880 the town was jsmmed with new
faces. The half breeds thought il was =
y thing, and gave ~ tho selection of
thu course. We chose straight mile on
the Edmonton trail, with the tinish up
slight slope, as we figured tl,st il Diamond
could hold Reynard level to this point
his sprung knees would come ia to advau-
tage on the hill. ~
sFeeling ran high an several gun
plays were made but without fatality.
The betting was 8 to ! in favQr OF ReY
nard, but the majority ife psoples
held off knowing that tk0 sfta,f. breeds
would get excited and offer better sodds.
AT o'clock Rsynard caatered. out on
the trail. He was the prettisst thing o1
horsefesh that ever wore shoe. Thes
odds promptly went up to 10 to I. HeJ q
nard was mounted by boy weighing
eighty p0unds. The excitemeot among
the half breeds jumped to fever pitch.
Loud calls for Black Diamond went ~
and I mounted him in our corral. NJ
spurs had been filed to needle points and
~