The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-24
TWIN CITY JOCKEY CLUB
RECENT SETTLEMENT RECALLS
RISE AND FALL OF RACING
IN MINNESOTA
THE GAME PROMISED SUCCESS
Running Meetings Killed at the
Height of Their Prosperity
by an Anti-POol Sell
ing Law.

P. P. Pomeroy, former St Paul news
paper man, who, during the last five
years has become a figure in Chicago
racing circles and at the same time keep
! ing up his newspaper work during the
off season, is collaborating with a clever
artist on a book of short stories to be
/ called Tales of the Turf" or some name
covering the suggestion of such title.
Mr.. Pomeroy contributes a weekly turf
article to the Chicago Inter Ocean. That
which appears today, is of local interest,
| because it deals with the Twin City
Jockey club. 1t is herewith given:
Minnesota will settle the claim of the
Twin City Jockey club against her, and
thus the henderson remaining mem
! berS-of the organization will receive
some return for the thousands of dollars
expended in improving the state fair
| grounds property. The claim had been
! pending for several years and had arouS-
! ed considerable opposition until the leg
/ 1Slature preceding the existing body pass
ed bill for a commission to adjudicate
the matter. The commission has found
that $22,OOG is due from the commonwealth
to the Jockey club, and as soon as the
| 1ormalltleS incidental to the report Of the
| commission are gone through with
warrant will be drawn on the state treas
ury for the amount Thus the great state
has re-established it's reputation of event.
ually adjudicating all claims against it,
for once before Minnesota settled a claim
of greater magnitude after long stand
! Ing in an attitude of practical repudia-
| t1on 1t came about through the con-
! struction of railroads in the state-but
| that is another story.
John T. OConnor, of St. Paul, is the
| only one remaining in the vicinage of
| the Twin City Jockey club. 1t was his
/ influence that OrUaniZpd tho
it was his money that brought about the
! first race meeting on the grounds of the
State Fair association, midway between
st. Paul and Minneapolis. 1t was O'Con-
| nor who advanced the money for the i'm
| provement of the grounds and buildings
! of the fair association plant, under an
| agreement with the members of the
state board in control, out of which grew
the claim that has just been allowed
| BY the same token, whatever remains
after all debts have been settled, will
fall to OConnor, probably not a 1.-THE of
what he has expended.
ORGANIZATION OF THE CLUB.
O'Connor was a member of the lower
branch of the legislature two years ago,
and is the present chief of police of ST.
Paul He organized the Twin City
Jockey club in the latter part of the
SOS. The president was J. c. Oswald, a
was
Nutter Shaw, who had a big pool room
in Minneapolis. 1t was a ''nervy'' I'M
dertaking, the first meeting of the club
was in 1889, when half a dozen stakes
were announced and a few purses of $500
and more of $500. Beyond the dashes at
the fairs the vicinity knew nothing about
thoroughbred racing and the meeting
was largely an experiment. But as al
ways happens, once given taste of the
sport of kings the race-loVing portion of
Inc community became patrons, and the
first meeting of the Twin City Jockey
club was a pronounced successful be
followed with other and greater sue
cesSeS until one of the waves of reform
that o erSpread the country intermittent
ly struck ST. Paul and Minneapolis. Like
the pollen of the loco weed in Kansas,
reform affected the people of the
Twin Cities, and the outcome was an
anti-pool selling bill that put a quietus
not only to the rooms, but to the meet
Ings of the Jockey club
AT that first meeting of the club there
were good horses and good riders. The
| opening event was a six-furlong sprint
for purse Of $500, which was won by
| Mabel, beating Mamie Fonso The Der
| by, worth about $4,000, of which s., 500 was
added by the club, was won by La Pre-
mier. The Ladies' stakes, 81, 200 added,
was won by Lillian Lindsay; the Twin
lily OohS, 31,OUU, ny I1duEd DdNluSOHJ
| Twin City Exposition stakes, 81, $780, by
Sallie Hogan; Carnival stakes, $1,000, by
Avondale, and Twin City Merchants
handicap, 81, $780, by Catalpa. Fred Taral
was among the riders the "Dutchman'
| about that time beginning to show form
| that made him famous later. Ray was
| another of the fiat riders, and Stevenson
and Gilmartin. Among the hurdle riders
were George Cochran, Hueston and
Gradner, and among the 'leppers' were
the horses Phillip S, Linquist and No
More w. A. Brown was the starter.
FERGUSON AND SHERIDAN FOL-
LOWED.
The following year J. B. Ferguson, who
died recently at his Lexington, KY. home
from the effects of bullet wound infiict-
! ed years before by Capt. May in IAN af-
| fab of honah, sah,'' and the next year
the famous jimmy Sheridan, also
dead, sent the fields away. And in the
succeeding seasons Ferguson did the
starting. From eight days the meeting
was extended to ten in 1891 and there
was a great rush for the track between
the two cities. "Patsey'' Freeman, last
season riding at Vienna, Austria, and en-
| gagged there this year by one of the I'll
| tied followers of the turf, was one of
the riders. So was Cassius Brutus Sloan.
brother of Tod and under engagement
in France; and little "Fritzie'' Fink,
| now to fat to ride and a race horse own
| er; and Bob Francis, who has a ranch
in the Indian territory. Col. Bill Let
cher, owner, secretary, starter, judge,
and all-around racing official, was CAM
paigning a good string that season. He
was on hand with Prince Fortunatus,
Tenacity, Semper Fidele and others, and
in one of the races the latter beat the
famous race mare Ida Pickwick, be-
longing to E. S. Gardner, who died re-
Gently at his Tennessee home. Robes
pierre and Joe Blackburn were among
the good animals to contest for the Of
ferings of the club, the latter being beat
en- in the Derby by Prince Fonso. Pal
fiene was one of the horses sent by Mar
Gus DAILY, and this animal won with
Tiny Williams up. Ed Corrigan had
Heller Shelter famous Splinter, and
she won with Warwick aboard.
In addition to the old stakes the club
opened number of new ones that sea-
son. among them the West Hotel handi-
I cap and the Ryan Hotel handicap AMI
the Hamline stakes of $4,000 added. The
purses were nearly all increased. One
of the attractions was a $500 piece of
/ plate offered for a race with gentlemen
riders A contestant in this was Ehle
1 Allen a son of Col. allen, of the Mer-
chants hotel, handsome and dashing
; young man who rode under the name OF
Deacon, or something akin to that.
! Young Allen killed a man several years
ago and as a result of that act committed
} suicide, Notwithstanding vague rumors
} now and then of a deep laid plot of
} | feicrned suicide and an escape to South
Africa.
FAMOUS HORSES CONTEST IN 1891.