Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-11-01
INTERESTING MORGAN HISTORY
JOSEPH BATrELL
BY JUDGE UPTON OF ILLINOIS.
WAUkEGAN, ILL. June ~, lS94.

MIR. JOSEPH BATrELL.
Deor Sir Yours of the nth inst. Is
before me- was born in lS23 in wash
inytop county. Vt. At nine years of age
went to reside with Hon. Lucius b. Peck.
then prominent attorney of that county
afterwards NJ c. from that State).
Some wears thereafter a man by the name
of Center Lamb of Montpelier, VT,
brought there two horses, said by him to
have been purchased Of one {. Z. van
Ness at IA public sale, as ! now remember
it, one of which was a black mare, after
wards purchased and owned by Mr.. Peck.
She was IA remarkable roadster. high
spirited, though kind if gently treated
She stood about l5-l in height, long in
neck aud body, weight about 1000 pounds
in good flesh. limbs rather fine, head ana
neck delicate and fine, action snowy and
rangv, gait open and free with great
length of stride and seemingly tireless.
She was driven with pulleys in her bits,
and no matter how far or nara she had
bern difrcR. Il stranger would have ousl-
ness to hold her the last mile. She was
said bv Lamb and Peck to have been bred
on Long Island, aud was called by them
an English mare. As II boy and young
man took care OF her for several years
and knew her we'll never heard any
one assert that she came from the Prov
inces of Canada indeed she bore no resem-
blauce to the Canadian horses of that day.
/ recollect when she was sent 10 Bridport
to be bred to Vermont Black Hawk. and
knew she had Il foal the following year.
which was afterwards known is the
"Peck Colt" but am not positive as TO
the date of Ter breeding. think the
dam of Black Hawk was bred and raised
in New Brunswick. and was said to be
half bred English mare. Black Hawks
conformation parlook in some degree of
both his dam above described and sire.
Sherman Morgan. which latter was the
best roadster in his day (of his sire, old
Justin Morgan. | can readily accept the
assertion that she was what was then
called an "English mare in view of the
many similar elements which we have in
this country derived from old Messengers
Bellfounder. Hooton. Trustee and others,
many of whose descendants display the
same traits In varying degrees of that
most valuable and positive trolting as
we'll as roadster element the world has
vet furnished. The Peck mare was quite
we'll broken to harness when he purchased
her: was then about six or seven years
old. and must have been considerably
used to harness prior to that purchase.
Horses were not worked for track pur-
poses then rs now. but her gait and ac-
ton in harness indicated considerable
handling prior to that time. have cared
for, owned and bred many horses, and,
with one exception. the Peck mare was
the best ana most gamey one ever
knew think had she been trained for
the track could have kept pace with the
best of them She was driven almost en-
tirely after her purchase 10y Mr.. Peck,
and few persons knew of her ability. save
now and then when an attempt was made
to follow her on the road, as pass her
few could.
| was born with "A love for the equine
race, and living at the capital Of the
State, knew nearly all the celebrated
stations in the State of that day from
1898 to lS5O--old Burush Morgan. Sher-
man Morgan. Woodbury. Morgan and
many of their descendants. The three
last named horses and Revenge were ac-
counted the four best stations sired by
Justin Morgan. Since $40 | think pub
lie sentiment has changed somewhat as
to the Bulrush Morgans, which prior to
that time had been least regarded as road
sters. Since that date Burbank stock has
attracted attention through the Morrill,
branch of that family. the ancestor of
which, old Morrill,, traces through his
dam to imported Messenger.
One can but observe In tracing the ped
gree known and asserted) of the Morgan
horse much to confirm the theory of GER
tain breeders that the trotting horse of
America has obtained its present high
condition from continued reinforcement
of the running-horse blood which we de-
slgnate thoroughbred, and Will be fur
Their advanced by continued reinforce
ment thereof. This is certain, that what
is known as the Morgan blood at the
present day enters largely into many OF
the most famous trotting and pacing per
formers now on the turf.
In extreme speed lines little was ex.
pected from the Morgan horse In my ear.
ly days, and Ethan Allen, whose dam was
Messenger mare. was regarded as phe
nOmenal. 1t was frequently asserted
with emphasis, that he was in no sense q
Morgan horse. But the blood of Black
Hawk through his sons Ethan Allen anC
Daniel Lambert and that of Burusf
through his sons, the Morrils, the Wood
burys through Hale's Green Mountain
AToruan with fraUUart's A hdallah Inv Gif