The San Francisco call., 1898-12-18

amount paid by ex-secretary William C. Whit
 ney for the imported stallion Meddler at MOTIFS
 Park recently, pales into insignifcance W!iei1
 one considers that no less than fifteen other animals have brought prices far in excess ot tne' paid for Meddler fact further accentuated py ln previous of $150OO which this small dil . brought when he was first imported to this country
 Ormonde. under the hammer fetched Sl0oOoo' while St Baise and Galtee More brought $OoVVo eacH Match Box the sensational English runner, was soia for no less $90000 Medder rates next at S'ooo
 That the big prices paid for horses are not the true of their value is shown by the fact that bought for S500O0, was resold later Tor SV'Ul . dropped from $3000 the price paid by the late w. h. Forbes $49O O00 when he passed into the possession of Mir. Whitney.
 Francis Trevelyan, one of the best-posted turf writers in the country, tells the story of MedoIeT sale as follows:
 "A great crowd was hand in the little sale pavilion at Morris Park to see this battle oI & tie Croesuses Such gathering has not been seen @ al & ee sale ring side in years. The contending bidders Wee the richest crowd but the horsemen and preeo of the land well represented
 fish racehorse Kcoc had commission of $27 55O II! the market William Allison, special commlSsloner n the biggest limited to $S5O00 as events proved pre- sumabiy for Marcus Daly Mr. Easton had had com missions intrusted to him, and there were probably several about, but few were heard from
 Meddler's High Price.
 When Meddler, rich beautifully finished pay {he 9f the o eqTag 6a6 a led into the ring the crowd ready for him. MT Eastons eNoFaIuLl was brief. He knew that he had his customers The bid was S23, ,O00 seemed to come from MT Easton himself, and probably represented his com of $24,oO0 came from across the ring where @ MeSsrs
 eadley and Norton were sitting; Inen $o2OTo t IT5 tPa Mir Powers Mr. Whitney shied his castor in(o t@ @ Iae ring and spoke up; .$2600o' And Mr. Powers 3olneu bds ran up Sl609 at time to s85 666 This was 1Ir Whitney's bid. and Mr. Powers dropped out It looked
 "On the right-hand side of the ring was thin, White-bearded old gentleman. nursng his knee knee lie spoke aloud the time $S6,000 The $lOOO vol leys recommenced, but MT Sanford though he would Whitney Mr Eastons eloquence could not make hIn oIIer the
 That was how Meddler changed hands once more He was bred and owned by that i-fated spendtnrift Orleans in the spring of 1890 disqualified the horse Tor the Derby of 1898, which 1t thought he might win from the mighty Isingass, for he won all three races in which he started as a two-year-old the British The death of his breeder brought Meddler under hammer, and the late w. H. Forbes of Boston got him spite the uncongenial New England climate, Meddler got some go9d winners 1ncqding & Prev5ous Nsy ee eraI Maceo, Meddlesome, Lady Meddlesome, 4Iiscnet Maker, Gadfy and others in the two and three year equaIed ab9qt as much as " w9s paid for their sire: to be seen He will scarcely try breed racehorses revived that he will buy the Thompsons Brookdale farm, near Red Bank N J. It is also intimated that Belmont whose recent bereavement would prevent him at present from figuring in such transaction Mr. time will probably prove that he means to establish a great stud with Meddler at the head.
 MT Easton also tried to sell St Gatien, Medder's sire who ran dead heat for the Derby of 1884 with Harvester. St. Gatien is three thousand miles away the Gotham stud, but he offered at Mor.1s Park. The Austrian Government paid $0000 for him, but now wish to sell him, having enough of his blood But nobody would offer the reserve of $7500 and the novel sale did not come off"
 American horsemen appreciate bargain when they see it. but they naturally held aloof when Auctioneer Easton stated that the reserve price on the Tyear old horse, 5000 miles away, 1500 guineas
 Hamburg's Mysterious Sale.
 In December the turf world startled by the announcement that Hamburg, the great twOy old, deal hung fire for days but December Il Billy Lakeland, representing unknown purchaser secured the animal at the above figures. The of the buyer was kept secret and the gossips were Daly? W. L. Powers gave a check for S6O.O0O the Garfield National Bank of New York, but the account raised to this figure with such secrecy that the actual owner was unknown for some time. Finally Marcus Daly, the copper king, admitted the of the horse, and thus at rest the wagging tongues of the turf world.
 Hamburg foaled in Kentucky in 1885 by Han out of Lady Reel He began his career when he entered John k. MaGden's stable a yearlng. yeariing colt he played second fiddle to a bigger stronger colt, HOWland and Rowland was still con sidered the better horse when Maddens string began campaigning in 1896. Hamburg got his first chance two-year-Old in June, 1897, at Brooklyn, where he no-account race over poor field in cantcr He first began to be considered by the handicapper after his at Brooklyn, in which at five fur longs he beat field in which Previous and General MaceO favorites him.
 His first stake the first part of Double Event Sheepshead, in which he called on too by Wilhite, who up, and third to Bowl ing Brook and Laudeman. These two bang-tails were stake the Great Trial Stake The second part of the Double Event also landed over practically the same field.
 The scene shifted to Saratoga, where Hamburg won