The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-29
CRESCEUS ARRIVES
KETCHAMs PEERLESS TRoTTER is
STABBED AT MINNEHAHA
DRIVING PARK
He is IN PRIME CONDITION
Owner Relates Interesting Anec-
dOtes of His Turf Experiences
His Horse Is Not
for Sale.

Cresceus, the fastest trotter in the
world, who pronounces his name with
the same vowel sound that belongs To
the everyday English word. precious.
arrived in Minneapolis yesterday morn
ing at o'clock.
He was accompanied by his owner and
breeder George H. Ketcham, of Toledo.
Ohio.
Mr.. Ketcham is a square-shouldered
square-jawed man, with a smoothly
shaver face, who might be mistaken for
man of thirty-five, but after he has
shown you photograph of his twenty
year-old daughter, which he will do if
you insist he is only thirty three years
old, you are bound to admit that he is
forty-two, as he admits.
Mr.. ketcham is not one of those celeb
rites 10th to disclose how he became
famous. Asked at the West hotel yester-
day how he came into possession of
Cresceus, Mr.. Ketcham said:
Il bred the horse 1 bought his mother
at an auction sale in the East ten years
ago. 1 was Jagged at the time. l con-
feSs, having had a hard trip on the road.
/ knew the auctioneer and the auctioneer
knew me.
Il noticed among the horses for sale
Vicious old mare named Mabel. l was
sober enough to remember that NiGhtin-
gale, one of MabeIs colts, had mark
of 2:27, which was pretty good ten years
ago.
Somebody bid 500 Tor the mare [
raised it $50. The auctioneer without
giving another bidder chance, cried:
q Sold to my drunken friend for $3.50.
The auctioneer's drunken friend took
that mare home. And, say, talking about
mares, Mabel was the meanest mare
ever owned.
She was eleven years old when | got
her and had never been broken. know
! put a harness on her with pitchfork,
and never got it off!
las for Mabers Nightingale, foaled be-
fore l owned her, that colt was the win
her OF the largest number of stakes of
any colt I can recall.
"Cresceus is the son of Mabel by Rob
ert McGregor, whom I had owned for
several years. McGrego- was the abso-
lutte limit of nervous force, but, strange
TO say, the produce of McGregor and
Mabel comprised lot OF colts that you
could drive by the tail
Champion Is a FaVorite.
Mr.. Ketcham described the enthusiastic
reception rendered to Cresceus in Kan
sas City, where the trotter gave an ex-
hibition last Thursday, and also the DEM
onstrations of the large crowd that at
tended the horse show there on Saturday
pearance.
What would you sell Cresceus for?s'
was the next question.
Mr. Ketcham smiled as he shook his
head and answered:
Il refused an offer of s125OOO for him a
few days ago"
That's pretty large bunch of money
to turn down" remarked wise one of
the party.
ssATavl,e res,or5oi Nv Lro+oto,,
But when a horse that hasn't cost you
a single cent-that is a horse that you
haven't got "a cent in-has earned you
s15S00O, and is only seven years old. Why
sch him? Cresceus has earned me $4,000
this year, and there are three months to
spare"
Three months to spare?"
Yes, for next February 1 shall retire
him from the race track In the mean
time / shall make some more money out
o. him.
Somebody suggested that inasnueh as
an accident might befaH the horse, or
that he might take sick and die, it would
be wise move to sell him for s125, COO
He Is Not for Sale.
Your advice" replied Mr.. Ketcham,
lis like that I have heard from all but
two of my friends. Those two friends
are my mother, who is eighty years old,
and my wife They don't know anything
about horses-perhaps-bu they advise
me to keep Cresceus, and I'm keeping
him.
4 notice that while I keep him I al
ways have money. He earns me an in
come l could never realize on an invest
ment of $125,000. And, by the way, 1
might add that I have sold colts of Mabel
and Robert McGregor, which have netted
me So, 600, and I stiH own three-year-
old full brother of Cresceus. Robert Nc
Gregor. his sire, was a fourth remove
from Hambletonian To-"
Cresceus viii trot on Thursday next at
Minnehaha against the Minnehaha track
record of 2:09-not against his own worlds
record of 2:02A. 1t is not expected that
the latter record will be beaten.
Upon leaving Minneapolis Mr.. Ketch
am will take Cresceus to Des Moines. ST
Louis, Denver, Salt Lake City, Sacra-
mento, San Jose San Francisco, Los An
geles, Albuquerque, Ell Paso, City of Mex
leo and New Orleans.
Cresceus is a sorrel horse, with 1.-the
limbs. He is stabbed at Minnehaha driy-
ing park and appears to be in prime con-
ditoin. Mr. Ketcham said that he, never
saw him looking or feeling better than