Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-10-04
EBERT HUBBARD ON GEERS.
Sketch of Famous Horse General Now al
Pimlico Track.

Ed Geers is type of man that is fast
| becoming extinct. He reminds you of
one of these old Marblehead sea cap
tains, who used to go down to the sea
in ships, and often left their bones to
the Earracout. Men they were of I'M
tlnching courage, loyalty that knew no
compromise, religious Withal and daunt-
less believers in the God of Battles.
Geefs can never be bought, intimidated
or turned aside when he thinks he is do
ing his duty. He is as mild and low
voiced as was Kit Carson. and could
shoot as quickly if needs be. | do not
think that Geers has ever killed a man,
but, IL not, the reason has been that the
opposition regarded discretion as the bet
Ter part Of valor. If Geers would come
% you and, i'll his quiet way, say Git,
you would not stand on the order of your
going, but so at once.
All Geers' battles have been won by
generalship, and l believe Pa Hamlin is
right when he says that Geers is the
greatest horse general the world has ever
seen: Geers is just 80, with a com
pleXion like dark brickdust, the re.
suit of wind and weather. | make this
explanation because he never touches in
toXicants in any form and uses no to-
bacco. He is a trifle lame and a little
hunched, like Budd Doble, Jack Splan and
Ed Marvin, for who wouldn't be after
being in a score of miXup runaways, up
sets-racers falling dead and six drivers.
six horses and six sulkies piled as high
as haystack, like a game CT football
played by centaurs! Four times he has
been carried from the track on a barn
door for dead, but with nothing worse
than a few broken bones sticking out
through his clothes.
Geers once drove Belle Hamlin, Justine
and Globe, triple team, in PA. This
tremendous feat, it must be remembered.
: F4HR - Nfatr lsA IL J
without Il skip or break. Three horses
abreast. or two abreast, are racing with
each other, and if one goes off his feet il
| would be miracle to get him down and
not drop at least ten seconds.
AS strange race as Geers ever drove
was when he started Milan Chimes at
| Hartford on July 5, 1898. This horse
had never before been in race, VET
Geers gave him the wonderful record of
2:l3;A in the second heat, coming home
on jog. He also won the third heat in
PIG, and the fifth heat, while leading the
field, the animal, without warning, fell
dead. In 1899 Geers drove in twenty
three races straight, and got first money
seventeen times and slice of the purse
in all Of the rest. The courage of the
man is sublime, and, while never court
ing danger, if the other fellows wish to
get in 4 miXup, they can usually be ac-
commodated. Geers drives his horse
Wherever the horse can put his nose
through.
Geers was the first man ever to use n
bicycle sulky in public race. When he
appeared on the track at Detroit in n
bike cart in 1892 the grandStand lifted
a laugh that could be heard mile,
GeerS sized up the field by dropping the
first heat, and then went in and took the
next three straight. The talent GOT hit
hard, and 'squealed'' to the Judges, de-
clariug the bike" a diabolical invention
that pushed the horse along. The judges.
who put up small greenish rolls on
Geers' horse on the quiet, declared that
the race was square.
Next year there was no high wheels to
be seen on the Grand Circuit, and MI
recortr were knocked off about four soc.
onds n consequence. The writer homes
that the following epitaph will not be
used for many years: