Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-07-06


belonging to Col. Kipp, the great West
Side stage proprietor, with her. Van
Cott asked me at one time what !
thought of Flora's speed. | made up
my mind that she could trot as fast as
2 45 or better and told him so. He
then said, ~ am going to take her over
to Long Island tomorrow on the track,
and if she goes mile as fast as ? 40
can get 5000 for her and 500 for myself
out of it," | then said to him, 81 will
bet you nice driving cap of Mealio's
best make that she does it," He said,
ats bet, for | can afford to pay that,
as shall make the 500" He came to
my place the next evening and asked
me for pen, ink and paper, wrote me an
order for the cap, saying at the same
time that she made one break, cut her
quarters and went in ? :43, and was then
sold to John c. Perrin.
Her career after that is well known,
but | will make few remarks on race
or two in which she trotted, which may
be interesting to some who did not know
the inside of all things connected, why
McMann took her away from my brother
Hiram. and what was the cause, or said
to be, etc. 1t was said by McMann
that Hiram drove her so fast because he
thought she was going to be taken away
from him. One reason she went so fast
was that Hiram, in that race, had her
shoes made lighter, she had been worked
steadily, had come to the time of her
health and strength, and her speed came
to her all at once. | had seen Flora
trot a good many races. but never saw
her trot the pure trotting gait she did
that day in that race against Tacony, he
to saddle and she to harness, she dis
tancing him in 2:244 the first heat.
The long. low, strlding gait so low to
the ground and nothing but as pure "A
gait as man ever saw a trottlng horse
take. shall never forget it.
If she had remained in IIram's hands
| from that time out, think she would
have gone on with that gait and always
stuck to it, as she was forgetting that
rather high knee work and pit-a-pat
action she had when hurried before.
| But on this day she struck such dead
/ level gait that had never seen her with
before, so much so that | called the at
tention of two particular friends to not
ice it, which they did with surprise.
Peter Dubois and Joseph Burr, who
knew what "A trotter was, were both as
much surprised as myself, and now
will state here that those two friends,
McMann and myself, stood together on
the straight side of the track when Flora
was coming up the stretch nearing us.
TacOny had broke and just caught when
McMann put up his hand and Hiram
took pull on the mare to take her back
when TacOny broke again, when Me-
Mann told Hiram to go on again, which
he did. What Flora could have done on
that day if she had been sent along it is
hard to tell, and will never be known.
She was going away from Tacony with
Hiram Juggling away at the bit all the
while, and she went the first half mile
at , ;2G gait only, and was pulled off
her stride when McMann put up his
hand to Hiram, which he did, until Ia
cony broke again, when he bid him to go
along again. Hiram drove her no faster
than could be seen to the score, which did
not look as if he had any such object in
view as to drive her as fast as she could
have trotted that day.
1t appears that the mare at one time
was owned or controlled by George No-
gel, as / am informed, by Van Colt, who
sold her for Nogel to Joseph Jewett and
Barney Boerum for the price of $1,000,
after showing them the time they wished
to see to pay that amount for her. She
was taken to the Centerville course on
Long Island and was timed by gentle
man picked by the parties to time her
for them, and | am informed by one OF
the party that she was to go a mile in
2 80 to harness, to a light sulky which
was usually kept there for accommoda-
ton. They had the mare driven over to
a heavy sullly and not exactly the right
style, and there being quite Il light skel-
eton wagon on the grounds they prefer
red it to the sulky, and she trotted the
mile IN 2:29. Being one second faster
than the time agreed upon. she became
the property of Jewett and Boerum, and
it is needless to say that she was very
cheap article at the price paid for her,
as she made good many dollars for them,
but never had chance to realize for
them the amount she did after she be-
came the property of VIM. Mcdonald
and James d. McMann. In her cam
paign of one year her winnings amount
ed to Sll 900 for McMann and the same
amount for Mcdonald of Baltimore, who
was half owner at the time, making SD,
600 in all. Quite sum at that time to
realize with a trotter.