The morning news., 1894-11-25
TALES OF THE TURF.
An Old VirEinian's Recollection.
RyRoue Raciog na1r,

An Old Virginian's Recollsctions of
Rygone Racing Dayp.
Page McCarty in the Philadelphia Times.
Ihe American race horse is of the best
blood Of England, beginning with Diomed.
the first winner of the Derby, who was
imported to America, and through his
llIustrious son, Sir Archie, out Of import
ed Catianira, the progenitor Of the mag
nlncent family Of -four mile nags" that
made the Metatrie course of New Orleans
the Washington course of Charleston
Broad Rock and Fairfield of Richmond
and the Long Island course so famous bv
their achievements. Priam, also win
her OF the Derby, was another of the i'm
ported horses, and Glencoe, equally noted
Wnlle bennington was inferior to either of
the Others. Through Timollan, Boston
ana Lexington we come down to the period
Just before the civil war, when Virginia
ana South Carolina boasted three horses
that We're unmatched and peerless on
the American turf, Planet, Fanny Wash
hSton and Albine, the last being the
South Carolinian.
In olden times no horse was anytbing
who could not run four-mile heats with
chdnce of having three to run he fore he
that day, patronized and fostered by the
Jolly and genial planter gentry of the south
there Is an interest which needs nothing Of
ldeal tradition to impart charm and ro-
nance. The Metairie and Washing,on
courses were especially noted for the bril-
nancy Of the meetings and the arrav of
beauty that crowded the grand stand:
while in Virginia, Fairfield and BROAD
Rock courses We're scarcely less famous.
ana with the advantage of being the CEN
Ter OF that region of Virginia and North
Carolina between the Roanoke and Ran
pahannock rivers, which all old racers Iu-
hesltatlngly pronounce the greatest race
horse country in the world. The cock
hghting gentry of the olden time may
have been questioned on their boast of an
cestry, but no one can deny them the
glory of the -four milers."
Al Broad Rock the planters often bet
farms and negroes, and the excitement
was so great that preachers sometimes
caught the mania, and most pious bjsh-
op was highly eXtoled for letting off
young divine who had been caught on the
quarter stretch. One of the famous races
OF the olden time was a sweepstakes for
the carriage of Lafayette a Tree Hill the
Richmond course, which antedated the
other two. Jack Randolph, Nat Macon.
Gen. jackson, Henry Clay, and every
other distinguished gentleman snort Of the
by Capt. Beicher. riding his own horse.
whose name the writer cannot just now
recall.
The greatest race in America. as old
turtmen view II, was the match between
Red Eye and Nina, half brother and sis
ter Doth sired by Boston. Red Eye had
about a one-hundredth part of Potomac
blood in him, but even these few drops
OF the famous scrub racers blood gave the
noble steed d welter- weight to carry that
handicapped him in the prejudices of the
Nirginians in spite of his great achieve-
ments He was a very devil for temper.
and showed ii in an eye like Apollion' s
He won the first heat, and his owner told
the boy, little pet negro named Ander-
son, 10 hold him back and let the mare
win the second, SO as to make Red Ewes
bottom tell, but the horses look was per
fectly dlabolcal, and he reared and
charged as if he would whip the entire
crowd, and the people ran from his very
look, while the little boys got off the fences
and climbed the trees to get out of his
way. The boy managed to keep the re-
serve power in him four times around, and
he was taken off looking mad and fresh
enough for another heat right then The
next heat he won easily, making the great
est achievement then or since known on
the turf, taking time and distance into
consideration.
If the district of country from Richmond
to Raleigh was peculiar in the quality Of
its horses, IT was not less noted for a
set of men gallant. amiable and generous
in the extreme; and the chief, by common
acclaim, was Col. William r. johnson, a
handsome man of low stature, but whose
massive head and full. lustrious eyes in
dicated the unmistakabe genius that
gave him the surname of the Napoleon
of the Turf" He knew the points of g
horse instinctively, and the fact that he
was born in North Carolina and raised in
Virginia contributed to heighten natures
rich bounty of shrewdness and wit His
boyhood gave promise of great things
for before he was twelve years old he
played cards with his school teacher and
won the note for 500 which his father
had paid that good and careful perceptor
for teaching the young idea how to shoot
and tell the truth. He had already traded
the pony he rode TO school about ten
times. and when In his thirteenth year
he left school because there was no teach
er smart enough to teach him anything.
his father was naturally irritated at sucn
Youthful impudencc. This caused the in
cipjent Napoleon to try his hand at mcr-
camille life. in the capacity Of clerk iu
Il country store, and such was his success
that he effected a romantic reconciliation
with his father In the following year un-
der these interesting circumstances: Some
how or other the old man had gotten into
necuniarv distress. and what with that
and the alarm of finding himself the IA
ther of such smart boy, he went to
banker 10 borrow some money, which, if
tradition may be- trusted any better than
debtors, must have been "a popular con-
ISOLATION In those days
"psbayy." SAYS the banker. there amt
robod,, can lend you S5oD these times,
unless a is little Billy Johnson"
"psahw, yourself says The old man
fobpeon. "you don't mean my little Bily?'
"Dopt ~" snys the banker you Just
try VIII you'
40 dld be went to MS pfoioiAp' proal
...'i AMI .ays h. iu u forglyiug tone. Billy
IN, .r. rather "a good boy ! forgive you
sv.rvthina Lend mc N"mr
at'i.p thousanly snid billr Mh, pa,
iu t.,d vou tau." and 900. bat ni Whist
rst. 1f dlal interest is noi recorded
Dn, af Dul fuhufon.a H'Il'f'u''ht "'