The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-01
SOUTHERN JOCKEY Club.
THE FAMOUS Old SOUTH CAROLINA
ORGANIZATION PASSES INTO
HISTORY
HAS IMMoRTALIzED ITSELF
Features OF the Great Race Week
Some Noted Southerners Who
Followed the Manly
Sport.

The South Carolina Jockey club, the
oldest institution Of its kind in the Unitel
States, came to a quiet but illustrions
end a few weeks age. Its last act, after
century and half of existence, lnsuT ss
for it Immortality In American history
(says writer in the New York SUM. II
gave to the Charleston library, a still
more venerable institution, its entire
! property. valued at 100000, which places
upon a sure foundation that valuable col
lection of books.
The library was well worth the sacri-
fee, for its Americana is of great value
its most important treasure perhaps being
the complete file of the Charleston Gazette
and other newspapers from 1882 to the
present day. AS Charleston has always
played an important part In the national
drama, from the battle of Fort Moultrie,
the first great victory of the Revolution,
to the war with Spain, when Cervera
had orders to destroy it, there Is WON
derful amount of interesting historical
knowledge to be CLEANED from these Old
papers. The library contains also many
rare old prints and first editions whose
value has greatly increased In the last
few years, because of the great demand
Tor them by modern collectors The
Charleston Library society was founded
IN I'a5 and has been kept UP continuously
ever since on the same site
Ii there We're public libraries in Charles
ton before there was horse racing. horse
racing at least followed very soon after
AS early as 1884 there was q race on Bowl.
Ing Green, for Charleston, like New York
mad its Bowling Green and Bowling Green
PUBIC house. In the next year 1735. a.
regular course was laid out and called
the " ork Course" about six miles above
charleston. Here a racing season was
held every February or the early part
OF march. The prizes were usually han
some pieces of plate. imported from Eng
Idno. AT one race, though in l7A the
prize was a very finely embroidered taclr~
eC' valued at 800. In fact there was no
money made by racing, except by fndi-
Vioual betting, until nearly a hundred
years after, when the races in South Car
ollna' which had hitherto been a gentle
man sport began to Degenerate into
professionalism"
AS morse racing became more fashion
go anu the rich planters began to i'm
port nne-blooded horses, there WIS do.
1 ms one was subscribed for in 1754 Int
II was not completed until 1850, wien ira
IlFSt races were held on IT, 'EhiS track
was called the New Market C,o,,rSa ..
ana was about mile above the town. on
me eastern part of the neck of the parin-
sula on which Charleston Is situated. On
thls race course was run memorable
tdces, ana many of the horses became a.
famous That their names to fills dsy 4,
south Carolina are, in some families
IresRiy remembered" and as 'famili.,r
as household words" .
IL was not until 1893. when tha sso,,tb
Carolina Jockey club moved It's hea,to,,ar.
tiers to the new track on the western sada
OF the Neck. near Ashley river. tha+
morse racing was revived in all It's former
glory. This track was naturally ceIl,ed
after the Father of His CoIintrv ao5
races were held here under the ai1spiees
Oh the South Carolina Jockey club for
nearly a hundred years after All that
Is now left OF the Washington course Is
crumbiing pair Of old gate posts at the
entrance Of the grounds, through whIrn
must have passed many of the finest.
horses, ana fatrest women, and bravest
men OF the Old South. For the races be-
came more fashionable than ever. and
were carried off every year with greater
eciat: All of the first families Of South
Carolina belonged to the club. and nearly
all sent horses to the races.
me original owners and proprietors Of
the washington race course, in 1893. gera
Gen. Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Cen
William Washington. O'Brien Smith, John
Wilson, James Ladson. William AIston,
NJ M. Rutledge, Gabriel Manieault, Gen
Read, Col. Mitchell. Gen. Wade Ha1np-
ton, James Burn, Capt. White, L. Camn-
bell. Gen. William Moultrie, Gen. Nc
Pherscn, Col. Mcpherson, Col. Morris. p
Fenwick and William McCleed 1t wouId
be impossible to get 50 many celebri les
together III these days. The names of
Gen Charles Cotesworth Pinckney and Of
Gen. William Moultrie the nation wi
never let die fer their victories against
the British in the councils of the country
and on the field, while Gen Wade Hamo
ton. Gen. William Washington Gen Nc
Pherson and Gabriel Manigault who heIn
ed to support congress during the Reyo't-
ton by his gift of $225 COO, are as worthy
OF the nations honor, and ION flames
eternal beadroli worthie to be fyled. -
such men as these great statesmen and
heroes of the Revolution found no shame
IN Following the manly sport In times OF
peace. and with such men at the head
or 1t, 1t was not surprising that the roc
Ing was kept up during the next half
| century to the very highest standard ever
approached in this country
Horse-show week in New York can give
one only faint idea of the immense -ex-
element over and Importance attached }
the race week In Charleston by the Old
aristocrats of South Carolina. The town
which was. century ago, orc of the
very largest in the United Stat S, did no.
| number half hundred thousand inhabi-
tants, including the negro slaves, but It's
population was nearly doubled during race
week. The hotels In the South have new
er. until recent years, been very good
because the Southern pc )ple, espec tally In
South Carolina, were always so hospitable
that no stranger who appeared to be a
gentleman was ever allowed to stay at
the hotels long enough to make 1t worth
while to the proprietors. In race week.
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