Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-04-05
FOOLED THE EXPERTS.
How Hawkeye Horseman Sold "a $3.50
Pair for $4,000.

fHtr Tor SJOOO.
Dealers at the American Horse Ex-
change tell good story concerning a
man from Iowa and pair Of chestnut
mares that he brought here nearly year
ago. They were consigned to one of w.
ID. Grand's auction sales last spring, and
were struck off under the hammer for
$500. When the exacting veterinarian
came to examine them for the purchaser
he found little fiat splint on one of
them, and they were rejected as sun
sound. AS matter of fact, the splint
was harmless, for the mare never took
lame step. Instead of following the
usual course, selling his 'rejects" for
whatever they would bring, Mr.. Hawk
eye decided to camp out in New York
and get his price for the mares at private
sale. They were thin and not in the best
condition when put up at auction. He
began to treat them like pair of cham
pions, giving them light exercise, plenty
OF feed and the most industrious groom
ing. Very soon the green steppers had
so improved in looks, manners and ac-
ton that buyer came along who was
willing to give all the pair had brought
under the hammer and little more.
But the western horseman's idea of
value had kept step with the increasing
luster OF their coats. lie thought they
were worth $500, and not a cent less
would he accept. Before the end of the
season the mares had rounded out into
really fine specimens Of the park horse,
and they attracted not little attention
among the dealers and the critics. Two
or three horse fanciers offered the owner
his price for them, only to find that his
estimation of their merits had been going
up as fast as anybody's, and that $1,000
was now the lowest figure that would
take them. By the time the Newport
horse show came on, in September, the
chestnut mares were looking and step
ping as they had never done before. MIR.
Hawkeye felt confident that they were
as good as anybody's team of horses, so
entered them IN one of the heavy harness
classes at the fashionable Newport show,
and to the chagrin of all the experts,
who had stood by and seen them sold for
$500 only few months before, they
took the blue ribbon away from all the
millionares. Before he shipped his
prize winners back to New York he
could have taken $500 for them. Not
much," was the answer to this offer.
"lf they are not worth $4,000 they are
not worth dollar" All through the
autumn and winter the western horse
man and his mares remained in New
Y ork. When the weather was pleasant
they took their little turn around the
park, and on stormy DAYS the white
footed beauties got their exercise on the
cinders indoors at the Horse Exchange.
Steadily as this price advanced they i'm
proved enough TO meet it, thought the
owner always kept a little ahead of the
public in fixing their valuation. Experts
who laughed at the idea of asking $500
for them year ago had to admit this
spring that they began to look great
deal like a $1,000 pair. They were
matched to perfection In color, marking,
way of driving and style of going in
harness, aud nobody ever saw a better
hammered pair. When the market
opened up this spring prospective buyers
began to nibble, and all the dealers at
the exchange wondered what would
happel if some one offered $1,000 for the
mares. Not long ago a foreign dealer
who sells carriage horses to the King of
England made a bid for them, and for a
time it looked as though the dock tailed
trotters from Iowa might be swapping
their knees before Queen AleXandre's
park phaeton one of these days. Then
came Pittsburg millionaire and Wall
street bear, whose love for horses is said
to cost him S250,000 annually, and a
woman from Washington. Last week
Mr.. Hawkeye, otherwise j. +. Manning
of Charles City, Ia, received check for
$4,000, and he and his pets were parted.
Their new owner is Miss Marie l.. Will
son of New York. Mystic and Mari
gold are full sisters. Their sire was
son of Dunton Wilkes, by George Wilkes.
They are about 1872 hands high, as round
and full made as hackneys, and looking
rather like hackney than like the trotting
bred steppers they are.-Western Horse
man.
Summary nj Probafe Rusiness