The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-10-29
THE ONLY LEE JONES
Has Not the Only Horse in Town
There's an Ice Wagon Horss-


A crowd of well known people assem-
bled at the fair grounds al four o'clock
last evening in response to the following
invitation:
You are requested to be present at
Topeka fair grounds at p m. Friday,
October %, 1885, 10 witness q horse race
between the horses Of VIII MOeser, the
fceman. and Lee Jones, the hot
ments later. JOHN MARSHALL,
Director
Everybody was excited The track
was in good condition The two men
appeared promptly on time and can
tered their horses slowly around the
track Jones wore q loose fitting jockey
suit Of conventional black and q
smile DIOeser appeared at ease He
was plainly dressed and his gray horse
looked as if he might in reality be Joe
Patchen, smuggled into Topeka to
Wrest glory from The Only Lee
The race was preCtp1tated IN the fol-
lowing manner Two weeks ago Jones
bought a pacing horse which was able
TO move with such rapidity that Jones
who had ridden on fast freight trains
concluded that there was no morse IN
Topeka that could pass him on a street,
track or a dirt road He told everyone
he saw He met Mr.. MOeser and told
him his story. oh, 1 don't know,
said MOeSer. Your horse may be fast
and I don't know anything about race
horses but I have an old horse down
at the ice plant that viii match
against yours
Jones fairly chuckled and the articles
were forthwith signed, the only sLipula-
ton being that each was TO be his own
driver John Marshall was named as
official starter and the preliminaries
We're all arranged
All ready shouted Marshall as the
hands Of his tiuepiece indicated .. m.
Down the stretch came the horses They
did not move exactly like a Kansas
wind but they passed the starter in
good shape He was not satisfied and
they were sent back to try it over The
coming down the stretch process was
repeated Starter Marshall intended to
call the men back but there was such
an indignant protest from the specta-
tors that before he could recover his
eQu1l brluTn G. A kinb shouted Go"
and the great race was on The horses
paced the first quarter neck and neck
but when MOeser's gray reached the
gate leading from the track he started
out and 1t was necessary to turn him
around This gave Jones at least so
feet start He held the pole until the
last turn when il was evident that the
gray was getting down to work and he
moved up several nOtches- Into the
home stretch came the horses, the gray
with uOStriIS dilated and head up. Jones
horse blowing and breaking badly Ev-
eryone held his breath except in isolated
cases where the breath was too strong.
Put the horses came down and the off,
CHI timer leaned forward and glued his
eye to the wire. 1t was with difficulty
that he dis3odgad the orb after the race
but it served the purpose intended and
enabled him to accurately time the race
As the horses ueared the wire it was
plainly evident that The Only Lee
was beaten In fact Moeser's horse
finished AT least 50 feet in advance. The
great race was over Jones refused to
face the crowd but turned his horse
and drove out at side gate He mas
not been seen since and is believed r.
be in Kansas City Moeser received
the congratulations Of the Spectators
and then said quietly: 'sDon'C tell Lee
that this horse is the middle one in the
three horse team on my big ice wagon