The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-29
Pritchard Liapsd in Recently
Badly Bunged Up
THE OLD PEE DEE RACER
Guthrie Has Staying Qualities
But May Jump.
JUDGE CLARK RARELY LOSES
A Few Bronchos Bring Up Rear, and
Then the Mexican Mission Purse
is Up With Jim BOYD and
Price Favorites.

Salisbury. n. c., Nov. 2S.--(Stan cor
respondent. There is deep and intense
interest, some amusement, great ueai
OF quiet book making and large volumes
of serious thought anent the great poh-
teal pie-scrambling contest that Is TO DC
inauguratcd in North Carolina beginning
with the assembling Of the Legislature In
january. the FIRST real genuine race on the
programme is a great free fer aii, known
rs the Senatorial race. The purse is
for $4,000 $4,000 a year for six years.
and there are besides the fav0rite field
fun OF more or less formidable contest
ants. BY d sort Of pooling arrange
ment by which several of the starters
were drawn before the race began two
years ago Pritchard won in canter. but
in several practice heats during the past
summer he went all to pieces, ana
limped in at the close of the campaign
rather badly bunged up.
Some of his hackers claim that the
trial track was very bumpy, that 1t
was full Of (gold) bug holes that it was
difficult to clear, but that he has got
kinder use to these and besides consider
able work will be done on the track be-
fore the final race and these holes will
be smoothed over. Dockery, the old
Pee Dee racer, has been in training ever
since the Populist convention entered hmm
last summer, and his hackers declare that
he can skip over these gold bug holes
and slippery places just the same as II
they were not there. DIR. Mott has paced
this track before and while he got the
flag IN his face the first heat, his back
ers claim, that if he gets anything like
an even start this time, he will win in
walk.
Guthrie has staying qualities" de-
clare his friends and as long as the decl-
siye heat is in the box he has got achanee
TO win. His enemies, some of them de-
clare that while he has the speed to win
he is likely at the critical moment to
jump the fence and non-plus his hackers.
But with all of that he is one of the favor
ties right now.
Wilson seems to have no hackers, at
least none that are willing to risk much
on him in this contest lie has put the
dust in the eyes Of his competitors in
slower races but in free for all like this.
it seems to be the general opinion that
he would be outclassed.
Peele, Of Raleigh, his friends say would
stand no show in scramble, there
is sort of a feeling that he would be-
come irritated in a scramble and all the
show for him is to so against time after
the others have failed to make it.
Whitaker and Kitchin and Schulchen,
of Columbus, have been entered by their
friends, but are yet awhile designated
as a part Of the field.
Judge Clark has seldom lost a sweep
stake, in which he was entered and there
are hundreds ready to back him in this
contest.
Editor Ramsey, of the Progressive
Farmer has been entered by a few Of
his friends.
His metal has never yet been tested.
There is one thing that could be relied
upon, say his friends, land that is that
he would stay in the middle of the
track." And il the contest was long
enough he might outwind the other fell
lows. / have heard two men declare
that they were willing to put their skids
on Henry; not Henry of Navarro, but
Henry Of Mecklenbug.
Caldwell, Of Statesyille," his friends
say, lis a possible winner, although big
odds could be had against him right now.
There will be still another sweepstake
on the winters programme, this will be
a sort Of Mckinley stake and will
involyet he choice piece Of the Mckinley
pie.
Even the judges don't know yet what
this viii be, but there is a sort of a feel
ing that it will be the Mexican Mission
purse of $4,000 (S17,500 year for four
years. This is really going to be a
kind of a Gentry-Patchen class, and
it would be a little risky to bet ON very
many starters for this purse. would not
be afraid to wager a small amount that
Col. Boyd, Of Greensboro would be the
favorite with Col. Chas. Price, of Sab
isbury, a close second. Goyernor-efect
Russell might be received in this class,
but it is thought that he will be content
to rest on the laurels already won.
Chairman Holton might have been
eligible, had he not gone off his feet so
bad when Mark Hanna was backing
him with a promise that he would
put North Carolina in the Republican
column. That fact puts him in three
minute race, say the book-makers.
Mott, of Wilkes, and Winston, has
friends who declare that there is not
race on the programme too fast for him
but the critics say that he cut up some sill
yer didos at st. Louis, that was calculated
10 ulSptedSe the track managers, anu
while they might back him for smaller
purse he would not be favorite.
Pritchard viii be q strong fielder in
this race if by any mishap he fails to
win in the Senatorial contest unless he
goes lame from wearing too heavy silver
weights. 1t looks now, however, that
the starters in this Derby are going to
be few, with Boyd and Price, the rec
ognized favorites. Tt is generally con-
coded that it will take a flyer to win the
belt that Ransom wears and the average
North Carolina McIIinleyite would be
woefully outclassed in race for it.
The other races on the programme are
uncomfortably full. The district attor-
neys purse, the collectors purse, and the
marshalPs purse for the Western cir
cult win all have starters galore. Gudger
is all sorts Of a roadster, but he Is liable
to kick clear out of harness if he don't get
first or second money. Moody is some
what out Of training but made some
heats in the late campaign that showed