The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-05

Bonner to b. cured he had the shoes taken
off and the hoofs made absolutely even
Then the shoes were put on. What did
you do to my horse?'' the gentleman
would ask a few days later. He is all
right now
"Oh, nothing" Mr. Bonner would re-
ply. But when you get your horse Shod
again go to a good blacksmith, not TO a
butcher"
In Robert Bonner's leisure moments he
writes horseology. He has great volumes
of manuscript that are to be printed when
he is gone. why don't you print them
now?" the writer asked.
Because / am little bit selfish.
don't want anybody to know as much
about the horse as I do while I'm living"
replied the Old gentleman Besides" he
added apologetically, II keep revising
them and 1 want to make them as COM
plete as l can"
Maud s.. the other half of the lifelong
partnership, was foaled in 1874 and is now
in her twenty fourth year. She is as pref
ty as ever. She is a beautiful chestnut
with feet that are small and elegantly
shaped. She stands sixteen hands high,
almost to the eyes of her owner, and
weighs about 1000 pounds. She is the
child of Harold and Miss Russell, and got
her name in a way that no one has ever
traced with perfect accuracy. She began
to do her record-breaking as Maud s., and
as such she had to remain.
To Maud S. belongs the credit of car
rying trotters into the high money mar
ket values. In former days a good trotter
was one that brought $1,000, and when
Maud 5. paced the price up to $4,000 she
was the marvel of the horse world. Now
Arion brings $4,000 and Axtel is cheap at
$105 600, but in the early Maud S. days
those prices were unknown. Just what
Maud s. would bring now is not calculable.
Her present owner would cheerfully part
with his entire fortune-yes, even his life
| and family-before he would let her pass
into the racing field again, out of his
| hands.
Though Maud S. is no longer a colt, she
| is said to be in excellent racing trim. She
was put in training two years ago, and
| did some work as fine as any on the turf.
| Then, for some reason, her owner became
| very choice of her and would not allow
! her 20 be trained any more.
OF late years Robert Bonner has been
| criticised for his own criticisms of Nancy
| Hanks Directum and Alix. Mr.. Bonner
| claims that Alix, when she made her rec
| ord in 1894 at Galesburg, ILL.,, did her mile
! in 2:O334 did no more than Maud S. has
| done. Maud S. raced to an old-fashioned,
heavy sulky upon an old-fashioned soil,
| with an d-time track. Alix had pneu-
! matte skeleton, and raced upon the springy
soil of Illinois that fairly bounded her
| along
On that occasion the driver of Alix
| claimed the purse that Mr.. Bonner has
| kept open for years as a reward to the
horse that should beat Maud S.
Mr. Bonner refused to pay the money
| until Alix should race under the same
| conditions as Maud S. had done, with a
| heavy sulky upon an old track. This her
| owners refused. and the criticisms of Mr..
| Bonner were that he refused to pay the
har, hsA nj m -
| knowledge that Maud S. had been equal
| led He still wanted to own the best
| horse on the American turf. That dis
| pute is still an open one.
Robert Bonner is now in his seventy
fourth year. though he does not look
| over fifty He was born fifty years be-
| fore Maud s., and when that horse was
foaled Robert Bonner was in the editorial
| rooms. ignorant of the strange path fate
| had marked out for him, when he should
| leave his life work and follow the desti-
MES of the colt. He now devotes him
self entirely to his great horse. Each
| morning by o'clock he has shaken the
noise of the city from his ears and is in
| Westchester overlooking the stables
| speeding his horse and taking notes. He
has other animals. but none that he loves
| as he loves Maud S
| when l make a study of anything, /
make study of it, he said to the writer.
| men L l6dIIltN 10 Xix llle TOllcI L ledII-
| ed all about it. and / found out that ]
must warm the ink If l wanted a good
] looking newspaper. 1t is the same with
| Maud S. l have made a study of that
| horse and l know all about her and about
! other horses. 1 don't do things half way.
What is the reason other men don't
| succeed with horses and with their pro-
! fessions? l told you in that last sen
tence. 1t is because they don't do it
thoroughly. They want to eat their
cake and have it. / wanted to get rich
and 1 did get rich. l patronized the saw
ings banks. l began by putting in $62 a
years savings, and 1 kept on until !
saved $1,000 a week. Then I got inter
ested in this, and now l have made sue
cess of this.
| With his hand upon the neck of his be-
loved old horse. Robert Bonner makes a
| picture no one will ever forget. A brainy
old man and brainy old horse.
Westchester better think twice and so
| over those tax rolls pretty carefully be-
fore it turns these two citizens out OF
| house and home! Augusta Prescott
| TRAFFIC ON THE RHINE.