The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-01
ANACONDA NEWS.
INTENSE AND DRAMATIC
Starter Ferguson's Action in a
Race Openly Denounced.
AN IRATE MOB IN ACTION
Derision Hurled at the Man Who Yields
b Red Flag and Many Lines of
U~nprintable Words Are Ut
tered in Earnest.

Everything went along smoothly at
the track yesterday init the ftth race.
a hve-furlong dash. Then there arose
a how the like of which has not been
enjoyed on this circuit since Henry
Jurgens' mule beat Hugh K~irkendaITs
Y wheeler at the Helena rack "a years
/. 70. Yesterdays funk came bout in
e. most surprising manner 1t nearly
resulted in Starter Ferguson being
mobbed. IL put people in an angry
mood: 1t made them talk loud and
earnestly: it made hem tired-even
Billy Randalrs bob-tail black-and-tan
howled with derision. A field Of four
horses was sent to the post. They
were Bill Howard, Quicksilver. oman
Wood and | Don't Know. oman Wood
acted badly. and her small rider. Gray,
could hardly manage her. Quicksilver
r spoiled half a dozen starts. The horses
went through the rubber eight times.
II was a tedious proceeding and the
grandstand became worried. | Don't
Know was a $40 favorite. and at every
break ne was there to start. but
Quicksilver refused To go over the
scratch. Quicksilver sold for 81 in the
pools. Bill Howard s2S and oman Wood
SIG. That's "A fair sample OF the tick
cts anu a idIEt hNliiDtG was SOlt. fbt
30 minutes the horses scored. until Did.
sedate Bill Howard eve got giddy and
actually reared and paved the stiff
mud. When the flag finally dropped
Quicksilver was two lengths good,
Oman Wood and / Don't Know next.
a length apart. and Bill Howard a
length and a half behind all. Then
there was a groan from the crowd.
Quicksilver turning into the big bend
was three lengths in front, Omar Wood
3 rext, two ahead of | Don't Know. who
was a length before Bill Howard. The
Z positions were the same at the head
Of the stretch, but the field closed up.
being separated by one and two
lengths. Quicksilver finished a length
before oman, who was two in front of
i Don't Know.
As Mr.. Ferguson alighted from the
: hack which conveys the starter and his
: assistants from the stand to the post
and back again. a surging crowd sur
! rounded the judges stand, bent on
hearing the why Of it all. Frank Reed.
owner OF ! Don't Know, expressed him
self in language which could not posi-
bly, be misunderstood and Mr.. Fergu-
son heard every syllable uttered by the
irate owner of the favoTite. Others in
the crowd expressed themselves in
forcible terms. and Mr.. Ferguson be
gan the ascent to the judges stand.
Half way up the stairs he turned about
and. addressing Mr.. Reed, said.
"You'n not run any horses on a track
that l ave anything To do with. sir"
"Oh. ] don't 10 about that" re-
turned Mr.. Reed. You can't start
horses any place anyway. You can rule
me of here il you want TO, but | can
do business where you can't"
This colloquy was interrupted by a
trainer named Webb. who appeared on
the scene and introduced himself with
the remark:
Here. Ferguson. is my badge. a
trainers badge; take it and keen IL.
you thieving son of "A gun. Take the
badge and rule me on
Mr.. Webb's badge was ordered taken
up.
A couple of women approached MI.
voice trembling with emotion. her eyes
almost jumping out Of their sockets:
You, you, YOU oh. If | were a man
] would blow your head off. You,
YOU
She was taken away by friends.
Before Webb had concluded his de-
his name in general, Mr.. Ferguson
had entered the glass enclosure and
taken a seat by himself.
1t was the most open protest. the
bItterest denunCiation unChailenEed
ever heard on a race track in this state.
Spectators expected To near and see
more. They thought the starter would
make a defense. Mutterings % disap-
IroVal Of the starters action were
heard on all sides: nearly every man