The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-20
JOHN R. GENTRY SOLD
King of the Turf Knocked Down
for $4,000.
PURCHASER WAS L. G.. TEWKsBURy
OF NEW YORK.
Bids Came In Rapidly at First, but
Finally the Battle Was Between
TeWksbury and Louis w. Warm
ser-Tewksbury Is Also the Own
er of Robert IA Fine Pair.

New York, Nov. 19.-Before the larg-
est crowd ever seen at horse sale in
this country, and after a most sensa-
tional auction, John R. Gentry, the
champion harness horse of the world,
passed into the hands of Lewis G..
Tewksbery of this city for $4,000 at
Madison Square Garden tonight
1t was $50 o'clock when the band,
which was stationed over the main
entrance of the garden, struck up
Hail to the Chief" and Gentry was
with difficulty brought through the
crowd to the front OF the auctioneer's
stand. The whole section of the west
side of the garden. boxes and reserved
seats were as full as they could hold,
while inside the ring and on the NINA
ture track the throng of people were
pushing and falling over each other in
their efforts TO get a glimpse of the
pacing king.
When the horse was fairly in front
of Auctioneer Balm of Lexington, KY,
who sold him here last February, when
William Simpson was the purchaser at
$500. the band ceased playing. 1t
was not, however, until the assistance
of the police was called that space was
made barely sufficient to allow the
horse to move around. A cheer went
up from the crowd, and in a few well
chosen words the auctioneer called for
bids for the champion harness horse
of the world who had paced the fast
est three heats ever accomplished
2:0324, 2:03A. 2:03A-had lowered the
harness record to 2:011s, and to crown
his glory and indelibly stamped him
self lord and king of the turf, had
covered a mile against time in 2:0OH-
a second faster than any horse had
ever done in harness.
Bids came rapidly. Four, six, eight,
ten and eleven thousand dollars were
offered from different parts of the
house, with scarcely breathing time
between. But the real battle of bids
came when the struggle narrowed
down to two-Lewis w. Wormser and
Louis G.. Tewksbery both New York
ers. Mr.. Wormser came into the bat
tie al $4,000, his bid being delivered
in a loud clear voice, and the crowd
applauded. Promptly Mr.. Tewksbery
went $500 better Thus the battle
waged between the two without q
moments hesitation up to SIG. 500
which was Tewksbery's bid Then
there was a pause. followed by a
round of handclapping from the au-
dlenc6, VINO were by TINS time worked
into a state of excited admiration. APP
plause greeted Wormser's jump to
$4,000. Scarcely had it died away.
when the other came back at him
with his favorite rise of $780, There
was another short pause, and Worm
ser shouted 1913, 500.' being a raise of
$1,000. No reply followed for moment
and the tension could be felt.
What is bid?" asked Mr. Tewks-
berry
Nineteen thousand five hundred dol
lars" was the reply.
'Then I raise it $780,
The auctioneer turned to Wormser
expectantly. There was no reply. and
on the three" the auctioneer's gaveI
fell. The gallant son of Ashland
Wilkes and Dame Wood. who stood like
the thoroughbred he is, the pressure of
the crowd and the strain of the band
became the property of the owner of
Robert ]. the only horse that had
shown himself a dangerous rival to the
king, who will, in the future, be his
comrade.
With Gentry. Robert J (2:O11k) and
Mascot GOD, Mr.. Tewkesbery has a
fine stable.