The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-01-26
Bonner, First Driving nor...

A reporter for the New York Mail
and Express recently interviewed DR..
Samuel Hall Of New York. the old
friend and physician of Robert Bon
ner, OF whom DR.. Hall said:
II well remember the first driving
horse that Robert Bonner purchased.
To be more accurate. 1t was l who
purchased the animal for Mr.. Bonner.
! was his family physician during the
ifties, and one hot summer day met
him on Broadway. He had been 10
busily engaged with the New York
Ledger, which he purchased In 1861,
that had not seen him for some time.
When ! met him was actually
startled BY the mans appearance. He
was well-nigh unacceptable. Dark
lines showed under his eyes and his
skin was pale and drawn like the skin
OF . consumptive.
Bonner cried. what have you
been doing to yourself! Here, come
into the shadow. You're In an excel
lent condition to suffer sunstrcke.'
oh, there's nothing much the mat
ter, he answered. I'm simply worked
out, trying to make this paper OF mine
a 60. That's all
That's ALI! said i. Well, that's
nearly enough to put you in your
grave. Here. jump into this omnibus
and get . breath Of air.
Can't do It. doctor!' he replied.
I have an important engagement
which must DO kept
Bonner, persisted, gripping him
By the arm and OBTAINING him, ''it's
my duty to tell you that your are kill
ing yourself. You must take rest
But In spite Of the most direful warn
ings and strongest pleas, the Scotch
Irish in him insisted on having its
own way, and he left me mot, how
ever, until had made him promise to
drive regularly in the country at least
once week.
To make sure that he would keep
his promise. I bought an excellent
roadster, which cost. remember, $500,
and sent the animal to Mr.. Bonner.
Shortly afterward met him out driv-
ing. His cheeks were aglow, and on
recognising me he pulled up along
side, and reaching his hand to me,
said In great entnusiasm: Doctor,
want to thank you. never would
have known the Joy of sitting behind
good horse had 1t not been for YOU
Two or three months later he
bought span Of iron-gray horses, for
which he paid $500.
From the time Of this purchase
until his death Mr.. Bonner was the
best-known strictly amateur horse.
man In this country. To crafty his
taste for fast horses he purchased
some of the most celebrated trotters
In the world but withdrew them from
the race course. Probably his greatest
horses were Peerless, Dexter and Maud
s.. marking as they did three distinct
epochs in the history OF trotting
horses in this country.
To my mind" continued the doc
tor, although Robert Bonner's pur-
chases were prompted for the most
part by an honest. real love for thor
oughbred trotters. there is no doubt
that he was the shrewdest advertiser
of his Jay. Whenever he bought
horse at a seemingly exorbitant figure.
the issue Of every prominent paper in
the country on the day following
would contain a description OF the New
York Ledger. The result was that
for every dollar Mr.. Bonner gave to
horseman he received the amount
dozen times over in return from the
public, which was attracted to man
who had the unselfish spirit and gem
erosity to practically pension the idols
of the turf by buying the best of them
for use in his own buggy.