The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-11
TROTTERS AND RUNNERS.
Defied the Mud, but PAGERS Would
Not Start.

Is the average human being of
cfan2eable disposition, or are the mu-
tatiOns of time brought about by an
eHening-up process of adjusting things
to, mean OF many minds? The latter
would seem really to be the fact else
would there be fewer, #, indeed, any,
whose minds recur preferentially to the
good times of the past. On the track,
however, at least in Minnesota with
her anti-betting law, the racing seems
to he better contested and the finishes
closer. The pool box and betting ring
having no inducements to offer for fix
irgs and jobs, the horse owner must
depend on the actual purses for that
money which is needful to keep the
mare and the horse too, going. With
the pool box open dangerous rival
could be bought off at profit to both
parties, and to the detriment of actual
sport, and certainties. upon which the
public had put their stray dollars and
dimes, would fall by the wayside ull-
der the insidious influence of the
money" Such things are done every
day where the pool box reigns supreme
and the Vanderbilt idea of the public's
rights are universally held among the
cognoscenti who know how strings are
to be pulled in stable star chamber
sessions. Such being actually the case,
the fond regard of the old timers for
the good old times.' is strong evil
deEce of the innate conservatism of the
human mind, which is only moved To
change by the Wis inertia of accumulat-
ing circumstances They are willing to
forfeit the many brilliant finishes that.
now result for a ''bit of the money"
for the sake of preserving ''the tradi-
tiOnS of the elders"
But the absence of the pool-box some
times works other changes. If the pool
box had controlled there would have
been no racing yesterday, and it really
seemed that common sense would have
dictated postponement, but there was
good money in the grand stand, which
could not be discrectly thrown away,
so the management decided to call out
the 2:2S trotters, and the runners,
though the track was actually danger
Gus after the sharp shower that came
down between and p. m. Here and
there there had been good streaks: but
the last shower rendered these perhaps.
more really dangerous than the mud
holes, for they were greasy.
The gong sounded at $40 for the trOt-
ters and only seven started, the starter
announcing that these horses had been
rough-shod for the Cccasion-the track
was abundant evidence that that was
needed.
The judges were: H. M. French, of
Minneapolis; N. S. Erb, F,aribault; n.
C. Kachell, Mason City, To-; starter,
d. Stacey.
1t was 3:35 before they were dis
patched in a thin drizzle at the fifth
score to a struggling start. Aragon
stepped to the front and quickly
opened up a great gap from his field
which he maintained easily to the end.
Duke Sprague showed in front CT the
bunch into the stretch, but st. Cloud
went up to and passed him, being sec
ond at the half, but began to tire in
the mud. Agion and Minnie Birch
wood both passed him on the upper
turn, and Little Edgar also came
strongly, and, passing the others. went
with a strong gait after Aragon, but
without avail, being beaten four
lengths. Time, 2:29
At Ais the trotters were called for
the second heat and got off at the
third attempt to a good start, Little
Edgar breaking just after the go and
being last around the turn. AragOn
took the lead and kept it, winning cas-
lily Agion went into the back stretch
second, with st. Cloud third, but the
latter couldn't hold the gait. Little
Edgar began to travel up the stretch
and closed with Agion on the top turn,
Brentwood also coming up, these three
made a brief race Of it, but Little
Edgar shook off the other pair and
made an Intellectual effort to catch
the leader, being beaten two lengths
only, on sufferance, as Aragon was
held to save the flag from the tail end
ers. Time, 2:26.
At 4:55 the horses came out for the
third heat and were dispatched at the
fifth score to a bad start Aragon got
away with the lead and held it, Little
Edgar was three lengths behind him
into the back stretch, with ST. Cloud
third and Agion fourth. These posi-
tions were maintained, except that
Minnie Brentwood passed up to third
place on the top turn. Little Edgar