Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-06-29
JOSEPH BATTELL,
MiddleburY, Vt.
RIPTON BACON'S ECLIPSE
DOLLY HALE.


JOSEPH BATTELL, ESQ.,
Dear Su:-Nour favor of the 18th
inst. at hand. | know nothing definite
of the pedigree of the trotting horse
Ripon. but have often heard the name
of his reputed breeder. Burr Meeker,
whose place must be within less than
ten miles from here. will make in
uures IN regard to the matter and adj
wise you later. II. b. Munson Cor Judge
Munson, as he was generally called,
now deceased, was my brother. lie bred
the horse called Morgan Fusion" His
stock became noted as rOadsters and
some of them fast trotters. This stock
was known as the "Munson stock and
for rapid and long distance road horses
had no equals. Dolly Hale was bred by
Anthony Strong of Woodbury., Conn.
She was by Hales Green Mountain Nor
gan out of mare owned by Mr.. Strong
by horse owned by Mr.. Bacon of
Woodbury. and which | have heard called
"Bacon's Eclipse and was said to he a
son of American Eclipse. His name may
have been Young American Eclipse"
He was kept IN Woodbury. just before
my recollection, though | remember
two of his colts bred by my father that
were fast trotters and runners and after
ward sold for high prices. This was
about 1896. | knew several mares by
him that lived to be old and were noted
roadsters and brood mares. | do not
think Ripton was by Hale's horse, as !
am sure Dolly Hale was the first colt
bred from him by Mr.. Strong, though
he bred two later. think it more
probable that Ripton was a son of
Bacon's Eclipse and half brother to the
dam of Dolly Hale. Mr.. Linsley may
have made the error in copying from the
manuscript. Bacon's Eclipse flourished
about the time RiptOh was sired, and,
his stock being fast, and the stations
being then travelled through the
country, he might easily have reached
Westport and sired colts there. My
brother, who was an indefatigable
horseman and several years my senior,
probably traced the matter fully and
sent the pedigree to Linsley, he mistak-
ing Dolly Hale for the half sister of
Ripton, Instead of her dam. | have
heard that the colts by Bacon's Eclipse
We're mostly too high strung for the
farmers in that vicinity to use, so they
ceased their patronage and the horse
was sold. do not know where he went.
The sons Of Anthony Strong still live in
Woodbury. and are old enough to re-
member all about the horse, Dolly Hale,
and her dam and all the colts their
father raised since 1890, and would
probably give the information desired.
have often driven Dolly Hale. She
was the handsUmest, fastest and most
gamesome roadster then in that vicinity ;
in fact, have never since seen her
equal. She did not exceed u hands, and
was all nerve and muscle and prodigy
for strength and endurance. The slight
est cluck would seem to let on a hundred
pounds of steam pressure, and she
Ivould go away like locomotive; if one
did not leave their hat on the road they
were lucky. The Judge never tired of
talking of this mare, and took more
pride in her than in all of the hundred
other horses he ever owned, excepting
perhaps her son, Morgan Fusion. He
was prachcing lawyer at the New
Haven bar and resided at Seymour, |
miles distant. His time with this mare
to and from these places was from IS
minutes to one hour according to the
condition of the roads. lie used to re-
late how he astonished the court at New
Haven one morning. He asked the
court to delay the trial of case few
moments until his witnesses arrived who
were on the train from Seymour. "IIow
do you know they are on the train ?''
asked the court. 81 saw them get on.
said the Judge. "But how did you get
here?" queried the court. "Your honor,
] rode in behind Old Dolly After a
moments pause and with an astonished
and quizzical look at the members of the
bar, who were smiling broadly, the court
good-naturedly replied, "We will watt"
At about ten years old this mare was
bred to Raven by Vermont Black Hawk
and produced Morgan Fusion. She was
taken to Iowa in the fall of 1856 and