The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-11
JOCKEY CLUES NOBLE END.
FAMOUS SOUIH CLROLTN4 SOCIETY
PASSES INTO HISTORY.
All It's Property Given to the Charleston
Library-Its " ond.riul Cnreer-Ftrs Ran
by an Imported Hoisr-Th. Great Race
DAY Week Biood-d stock In Wars.

The SOutn ldIDllilh ~ MY 'hb' NV h'o
institution Of is kind IN the nllcd States came
10 A quiet but illust'ious end n few weeks ago.
Ito las, nc, after a century and a half Of existence.
insureS TOT 1t Immortality In American history.
i,raye To- the Charleston Library, n stll more ven-
era bio institution. It's entire property, valued
Mt 500, 900, which places upon u sure foundation
that valuable collection Of books.
The library Was Nell worth the sacrifice, for
It's Americana Is OF great value, It's most impor-
tant treasure perhaps being the complete file OF
the Charleston Gdisti. and other newspapers
from 1872 u the present day. AS Charleston
has always played an important part in the ma
tional drama. from the battle Of Fort Moulrie,
the first great victory Of the evolution, TO the
war with Spain, when Ceryera had orders TO de-
stroy II, there is a wonderful amour, Of interest
Ing historical knowledge to le CLEANED from thee"
old papers. The library contains also, many
rare books and pamphlets Of early American
history, besides old prints and first editions whose
value has greatly increased in the last few years,
beca use Of the great demand for them by modern
collectors. They will all be well cared for by the
present librarian, Miss Ellen F,zsimons, who
received her training in the Aston Library Of
New York. She may have bel instrumental
Ia obtaining this royal gift, as she Is the niece
Of Major Theodore s. Barker. the las, President
Of the South Carolina Jockey Club, and the idea
was frs, proposed by him TO the other members
within the last two months.
The Charleston Library Society was founded
in l7i3, and has been kept up continuously ever
since on the same site. The original building
was destroyed by FIRE during the Revolution
and nearly all Of the six or seven thousand vol
umes 1, then contained were burned. Thisis
not the library. however, that Edward MCCrady,
the historian Of South Carolina, proves TO have
been the first public library in America, though
there were several other college libraries before
this. The public library that may Justly claim
the honor was founded in lG9S, and was the only
one of several that the philnnthropist. Dir Bray,
succeeded in establishing in the colonies. Its
success was due to the fact that the Assembly
Of South Carolina appropriated dressed skins
10 the value Of seventy pounds current money
for purchasing books for 1t, besides supporting
It until As late as l7l2, the last mention Of the
library in the records Of the Assembly.
II thcre we're public Libraries in Charleston
before there was horse racing, horse racing, at
least, followed very soon after. IS early as
1884, tlrre was \ race N The Bowling Green, (r
Charleston, like New York, had its Bowling
Green and Bowling Green public house In
the next year, 1895, a regular course was laid
out called the York Course, about six miles above
Charleston. Here a racing season was held
every February, or the early part Of March, The
prizes were usually handsome pieces Of plate,
imported from England, II one race, though,
in l7ii. the prize was a vciy finely euhr. Idcred
Jacket valued at ninety pounds In fact, HER"
was no money made by racing, except by indi
..l,.t l,,t,rr ,,ptl V,orlV "a Ittrllral Xoor.
after. when the race, in South Carolina, which
had hitherto been a gentleman's sport, began
to degenerate into professionalism
As horse racing became more fashionable md
the rich planters began to import hne hloodcd
horses there was y demand for a better track
nearer the city. This one WAS subscribed for in
1854, but 1t WAS not completed until 1850, when
the frs, races wcfs held on it, This track was
called the New MARKET Course, and was about
a mile above the town. on the eastern part " the
neck Of the peninsula on which Charleston is
situated. On this raeecourse was run memorable
races, and many Of the horses became 50 famous
that their names 10 this day IN South Carolina
ore in some families freshly remembered and
as familiar as household words
Horse racing at the New Market Course soon
became 81 popular, that the fashion spread ali
over South Carolina. and races were held at beau
tort in 1852, and 1t 'everal other places soon after
ward The races IN the country we're generally
held near the homes Of the rich planters who were
large stock breeders rs well, notably the Haf-
~lestons, the Middletone, the Ilugers. in the lower
part Of the State, and in the upper part Of the,
State, the iIamptons, tie Richard'onq the Single
tons. the Cant-ys and the Mannlngs \ few II
these kept up private racetrackI and fine racers
unit the tlv War
Some Of the hugo private stables SIN remain.
although their owners have long since died and
their stately mansions have fallen into decay
Nothing could I've dfcdrlcr than to wander over
one Of these grass covered tracks, ~ climb into
the lettering Judge, stand, or 10 GO through one
of the great stables, empty and bare, save per
hap for a pair 81 farm mules, where once there
had been a hundred horses 81 noble breed, II
Is sadder still to 60 into II dwelling house, hnli
falling into decay, fum whose walls the pint
haslong since disappeared under s,ross II weather
ard poverty, and To tee uu he long old fashioned
mahogany sideboard, massive silver muksrdg,
cups, pitchers, punch bowls, or graceful cwrrs
several feet tall, ofso)l silver, with running horses
In repoIsse work around them, each inscribed
with the date Of the race and the namr0t TIE famous
racer that won IL These are treasured and kept
bnght as the only souvenirs Of past x. neS and
honurs which bear no sadness IN thclr train. The
swords worn by the soldier heroes ~ the family
~, I g pn.y treasures more valued.
No matter Tow popular racing tecaIlc all over
South Carolina, tie races he'd II Charleston
were always The Races" Of he SAFE 1t was
on The New Market course, Jan. 81, 1864, that
the first gteat race was run w.h an imported
horse, This horse wGs named Shadow, n beau
,iiul black creature owned by Thomas Night
lneale, n rich merchant Of Charleston, but a
Norkshireman by birth, and the first proprietor
Of the new racetrHck, Mr. Nightingale was
also The owner # the FIRST, COW pen as II was called.
in those days, a large ranch It would be named
now, which was near Nlusboro, il the upper
part Of he State. The place where the cattle
OF Cowpens was fought must have taken its name
from another one If these cHtiy rGrChes
Shadow was run against a home bred horse
named .AdOlphus and owned by VILLAIN Henry
Drayton, aftcrward the first chief Justice Of South
Carolina as a State, MI Nightingale for some
time owned the fastest horses, but IL another
equally famous race n few years later, his best
horse Careless, which mad beaten everything
put up against it heretofore, was beaten by o
newcomer in the field, flimnap, which had
previously woa many races in England Film
nap, which was perhaps the most famous horse
ever run IN the South, was he winner azain when
the Hon. josiah Quincy Of Boston went to the
famous races IN lID on his visit to Charleston,
u.lt,I ,,t,r Ia aanEllarat .f.rnH tl.,, a..