The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-18
ENERAI. ANDREW JACKSON was not only a great soldier and a profound statesman, but those

! N was not only a great soldier and
 &~ a profound statesman, but those strong, healthy clements of character which blazed out so many of the import ant landmarks along the highway of our great republic are recognized in even the most trivial events of his grand life. He loved his country and his friends alike-with an intensity that makes lore and friendship more than name. He loved his dogs and his brave-hearted thoroughbred race horses, and he enter ed into those sports with zest that made him almost as invincible following the hounds or racing his horses as he was in war and in diplomacy and debate.
 Old Col. Bailie Peyton, who was ten years a member of congress from Tenn essee, minister to Chile, and long fig ured as one of the most picturesque na- tional characters In southern ante-bellum days, was warm friend Of General Jackson, and figured intimately with his history on the hustlngs, and on the race course of that day-trulyp the highest type of gentlemanly sport the world ever saw. It was the southern gentlemans past
 
 pack, made the south famous the world over.
 A son of Colonel Peyton-Hon. John Bell Peyton, now lives at Gallatin, Tenn. He Is often found In reminiscent mood and the stories he tells of his illustrious father and his relations with General Jackson bring out many intensely inter- esting facts about their old political and turf careers One which he recently told, has not. believe, ever been fully record ed in the histories They were both strong men; they were the giants of those days and both had much to do with making their state great and famous; and though one was a democrat and the other whig, their common love for the thor cughbred horse drew them close to- gether. Some of Jackson's historians in- sisted that he was a sterr moralist, and in one sense he was but he bred horses, trained raced and bet on them and Ten nessee tradition has it that 1t was race mare called "Haynie's Maria,"-a four mile heat, that kept the old hero of the Hermitage in financial straits for many years; for, during all this time, he was busy trying to beat Maria; a feat he never accomplished, and finally became such an enthusiastic admrer of her that he offered to wager s5OOOO that she could beat any animal in Gods whole crea- tion."
 Just before Colonel Bailie Peytons death. he wrote a thrilling description of this famous old race mare, and 1t must appear to lovers of the horse that 6 WI fO champions of later times.
 Colonel Peytan says "Haynie's Maria was most extraordinary race nag at all distances, not inferior to any which have appeared in America since her day. .she was bred by Bennett Goodrum, of Virginia. who brought her to North Car ollna. She was foaled in 1908. He carried her to Tennessee with him when he moved there, and in the fall of 1909. sold Maria to Captain Jesse Haynie of Sum ner county. She was sired by imported Diomed. when he was near thirty years of age. She was a dark chestnut, ex- actly fifteen hands high, possessed of great strength, muscular power and sym metry-the perfect model of a race horse. Maria commenced her turf career at three years old. and ran all distances, from a quarter of mile to four mile heats, without losing race, or even heat, un- til she was nine years old''
 r Tn the fall of 1S11, she ran a sweep stakes oyer the Nashville course, beating General Jacksons famous Decatur and five others This defeat' says Colonel Peyton, aroused all the fire and com bative spirit of General Jaekson's na- ture; almost as much as did his defeat hy Adams for the Presidency, and he swore by the Eternal he would beat her If horse could be found in the United States able to do so. But. although the general conquered the Indians defeated Racken- ham. beat Adams and Clay, crushed the monster bank under the heel of his miii- tary boot he could not beat Maria In the hands -of Uncle Berry" Uncle Berry was a famous trainer of that day.
 Again in the fan of 1872 over the same course. Maria won a sweepstakes, four mile heats, beating General Jacksons Dungannan and others.
 Mir. John Bell Peyton says that after this second defeat General Jackson be- came terribly in earnest. and before he gave up the effort to, beat Maria, he ran sacked Virginia, South Carolina, Geor- gia and Kentucky. He was almost as clamorous for a horse as was Richard the Duke of Gloster-at the of Bosworth