Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-01-18
SOME CORREC IONS NEEDED
IN PEDlcREss OF FAMOUS ANIMALS.


1t seems to me that no more important
duty deyolves upon the American Trot-
ting Register association than to inyesti-
gate, at the earliest possible opportunity,
the new versions of pedigrees of great
trotting progenitors that have recently
been put forward The reason for haste
in the matter is that the breeding of ami
mails long dead is concerned, and witness
es are now Lying whose age precludes
the hope that their testimony will be
available if the inquiry is postponed
Breeders and hOrsemen generally, |
think, are prepared to accept the verdict
of the board of censors of the Register
association upon such points, as it is no
longer a bigoted, unicephalous institu-
ton, and ought to be and probably is
capable of considering such questions
fairly. Representing all the breeders,
and having no axes to grind, it is to be
presumed that their verdict would meet
with almost universal respect, and be
adopted, substantially, as tinal In the
cases Of the disputed pedigrees of Sunol
and Arion, the action of this board was
reasonably prompt, and the investiga-
tions were quite thorough, They reach
ed the truth. have no doubt, and the
version they Endorsed will be accepted as
the truth for all time.
1t was important to clear up the pedi-
grees of these great performers, but far
more so that the blood lines of three
animals, concerning which old doubts
have been recently renewed, and about
whose true lineage opinions differ be-
tween students of such matters, should
be settled as definitely as possible, and
the official stamp of the highest existing
authority be given TO IA version which
bind myself, for one, to accept without
question. The three animals referred to
are Secly's American Star; Dolly Spank
err, dam Of George Wilkes, and Shanghai
Mary, dam of Green Mountain Maid.
1t will be admitted that the pedigrees of
such foundation stones of the trotting
edilice as these are of far more import
ance than those of ephemeral celebrities,
like sunol and Arion, in whose cases
such good and conscientious work was
done.
1t is concerning the breeding of Shang-
hal Mary that the most recent revela-
tons, or alleged revelations, have been
made. In the first volume of the Regis
ter, published 1871, Green Mountain
Maid is recorded as IA brown mare, foaled
in 1862, by Harry Clay, dam ii trOtting
mare said to be by Lexington. In the
second volume, published 1874, not
word is said about the dam, the Lexing-
ton notion beng dropped. In the third
volume, published 1879, the following
appears: Shanghai Mary, foaed 1913.
Nothing is known OF this mares blood.
Near Canton, o.. Horton Wilcox traded
"A blind mare he had from DR.. Bloomfield
for this mare that was ridden on the road
by young man who appeared to be
travelling. There was some representa-
ton that she came from Coldwater,
Mich. Wilcox sold her to Charles Shep
pard, of Avon, and in 1888 she was IN
the hands of George A. lIotchkin of
Angelica, who called her Flying Cloud.
She was trained by Darius Tallman, and
proved to be very fast, but unsteady.
She passed to Alpha Morse of Angelica.
and then to Samuel Conklin of Middle
town, n. y, and it is said she showed a
trial in rs. She produced Green Noun
tain Maid to Harry Clay, and Glenella to
woodward Star" The date of Horton
WilcoX's horse trade is not given in the
Register, but he is still living, and states |
that it was in the fall of 1850. MANY |
efforts were made to ascertain the breed |
ing of the mare who became especially |
famous with the success of her grandson. |
Electloneer, but nothing approaching in |
formation was ELECTED until short time
ago, when Mr.. IIershel |. Fisher of |
Lebanon, o., prompted by the fact that /
the resemblance of Shanghai Mary to the
PAGER Pocahontas had frequently been
commented upon, used the columns of |
his paper, the Western Star, to call the |
attention of the horsemen of the Sta1e to
the facts about the trade which resulted
In the mares becoming the dam of Green
Mountain Maid, to the Importance of es-
tablishing her identity, and to her resem-
blance to the Cadmus family. Mr.. Fish
er's story is published in the Christmas
number OF Clark's Horse Review. He
ascertained that in the summer or fall of
1850 lad named Thaddeus Coffeen ran
away from his father, Goldsmith Coffeen,
of lied Lion, o., and took with him a
sorrel filly, with white face and legs,