The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-26

forty years ago. is still remembered for
| his success in bamboozling the horse
| world into the belief that these were TIE
| greatest trotters of their times
| Princess never beat 2:30 in public, yet
| EoT managed her so artfully that for a
/ long time some OF the shrew6est turfrnen
| in the country believed she could beat
| Flora Temple Indeed, such mystery .a--
rounded her when Eof brought her 10
| New oYrk from California, in 1883. that
4 Flora's owner fatty refused TO mat n
| the queen of the turf against her.
| The willy Californian again worked Up
on the credulity of the pubic in this way
when he brought George NJ. Patchen. T..
| here in 1866. Cody challenging any horse
In the world 10 trot a race. EOf success
fully 'blufTed the owner OF Lady Thorn
and when his challenge was accepted on
| behalf of Dexter, and Patchen was beaten
IN 2:2s1z. 2:2s24 and 2:2715, he kept up the
fabulous reputation Of a commonplace
trotter by setting afioat the story that he
had thrown the race.
This infatuation held the public Tor
months and enabled Eof TO arrange a
long series Of exhibition races between
Patchen and the great Dexter, hung Up
by some of the leading trotting associa-
tons in America
Many horsemen Of the present day viii
recall the wild reports which gained cir
Culation few years ago concerning the
speed Of Nelson. The Maine champion
and Allerton. then the best stations On
the turf, were billed to trot race for
the championship and purse OF $1,000
1t Grand Rapids. Mich. The Iowa horse
had forced Nancy Hanks out in PIP. The
fastest record ever made up TO that time.
and looked like a sure winner, barring
accidents But when the race came on
Nelson sold in the pools for 500, while
Anerton brought only s25.
The story was afloat, and it seemed as
If every horseman on the grounds be-
lieved it, that Nelson had trotted a mile
in 2:O71s over bush race course down
in Indiana a week or two before. This
was in the days of high wheel sulkies,
and the reputed performance put Maud
S. over all trotters away back in the
shade Nelson was the idol of the hour.
A great throng assembled TO see him
smash the record and dethrone tie
mighty Allerten, who then held the stall
lion record. After winning the first heat
in 2:I3, Nelson was easily beaten in 2:14ia,
2:l5 and 2:16h and no more was ever
heard of that Indiana trial in 2:07l2.
On the same track one year later a
somewhat similar Authorization took pos
session of the horseman who followed TIE
circuit. Robert J. and Flying Jib. two
faster young PAGERS than the turf had
ever seen, were entered in q stake race
there. Among the other starters was =
stumbling. slab sided blac-, horse called
Wisconsin King. so loosely put together
as to suggest the thought that he might
fly apart if ne tried to 90 too fast.
From the high brush whence this ram
shackIe PAGER came there came with him
a wondrous tale of meteoric speed. Fly
ing Jib and Robert J. would have -
chance to beat him. The race was ali
over but the shouting He could beat
any PAGER in the world. Notwithstanding
his obscurity and their renown the money
was bet this way in some of the early
pools, but before the horses started sober
sence regained the ascendency.
The great unknown succeeded in beat
ing the distance flag in the first heat
and finally won second money in the race.
This position, however, was due TO he
fact that after Robert J. had tried des-
perateIv in the first heat and failed tc
beat the jib his driver gave il UP, letting
the California horse win the two other
heats in slow time.
After Goldsmith Maid had gone on and
lowered the worlds record to 2:17, the
followers of Dan Mice began to talk mys-
teriously about trial Lady Thorn had
trotted shortly before she was hurt. They
would never commit themselves as to the
exact time made. but were content to
say it was faster than any horse mad
trotted in public.
AS the Maid carried the record down
by successive performances to 2.16A. 2.l6.
2:l5l1, 2:14s., and 2:14- ThOrn's mysterious
trial always kept little ahead of her
though neither Mace nor his intimates
would tell Just how fast she had trotted- |
Budd Doble used TO say the watch tnean- !
ing the worlds record was the most
formidable competitor the Maid was ever
asked to beat, but Lady Thorn't great
trial. was certainly more formidable. for
while the Maid beat the watch six times
in her turf career she could never go fast /
enough to get ahead of that moonlight
right on top of the hen. The old doctor
called out. Let her alone, John; she IS
doing no arm.''-New York Tribune.