The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-11-28

association, whose board of censors is
the final arbiter in all matters OF re-
cords made, or alleged to have been
made, by animals whose performance,
if accepted, would make them standard.
or that are already in the register by
virtue of previous performances.
The story of the now notorious mile
of Cresceus at Wichita is an interesting
one. Briefly, the facts are these:
Cresceus, during the height Of the
trOtting season, had not shown the abil-
ity to trot a mile track better than 2:O6.
He had been transforming in the
west over half-mile rings. On October
2 Cresceus trotted the Wi 2hita track in
2:11 1-2, but the course was reported
slow from rain. Over the half-mile
rings he was not better than a 2:OS
horse, and this would indicate that
about 2:O6 would hold him on mile
track.
On Saturday, October II, Cresceus
was back at Wichita again and started
to beat his two-mile record. He did the
distance in 4:21, but again the track
was admittedly slow. Right then a
/ trial at one mile was arranged for the
following Monday, and then Cresceus
trotted mile that was announced as
1853 ga. But the entire performance
has queer look.
Aside from the incredible speed devel-
oped by the stallion between Saturday
and Monday, there are other facts of
great interest. The men who offieiated
as timers of the 1859 performance were
A. C. Jordan, of Lyons, Kan, who has
acted as starter at various meetings.;
Fred Stearns, a resident of Wichita, a
railroad conductor, and HI. T. Eames, a
young man attending high school at
Wichita.
Not one of these men who We're Sc
| lected as timers had a stop watch, and
the inference is inevitable that they
were not particularly familiar with the
use of such timepieee. 49,
The watches We're handed to the
timers by officials of the racetrack, and
| they timed Cresceus in 1853 3-4.
But other watches in the hands of
men in the crowd who owned them, an
who We're presumably more expert in
their use than were. the official timers,
who did not have any stop watches, did
not make the Cresceus mile in 1853 ga,
or anywhere near that figure. They
registered all the way from 2:04 to 2:06.
Among the outsiders who timed the
mile, George Peels is quoted by the
| Chicago Horseman, which sent a man
to investigate the performance, as say
ing that his watch registered 2:05 1-2.
Charles Mosbache. a jeweler, is report
ed as having timed the mile in 2:06.
Afterwards he tested his watch and
found it ran correctly. 1t is learned
from persons familiar with the whole
matter that plenty of outside watches
showed around 2:05. a-.... /. H..
| But nearly every one of the men who
timed the mile much slower than it was
given out has declined to make affida-
Wit to the fact when asked to do SO.
Several of them admit having told what
their watches showed, but will not
swear to the fact because they said il
would hurt them in a business way in
Wichita, and one man is understood to
have already felt the effects of a boy
colt because he talked too freely. Lo-
cal pride stands in the way Of securing
legal proof of what everybody believes
to be true; but while this may work in
Wichita, it will be of no avail elsewhere,
and the alleged record is certain to be
rejected, as stated above. i, ..s
Secretary William H. Knight, of the
American Trotting association, read OF
the wonderful mile on Tuesday and
that night he started for Wichita to in
vestigate. Mr.. knight staid two days
in the Kansas town, but what he
learned will not be known until it is re-
| vealed to the other officials of the
American Trotting association and the
American Register association Mr..
Knight said yesterday that at present
it would be manifestly improper for him
to discuss the matter.
IT went to Wichita" he continued
Ito investigate the record said to have
been made by Cresceus because it was
publicly questioned. There was no de-
nying that. Doubts as to any such
mile having been trotted were voiced
and the sentiment was in the air. I'm
der such circumstances I felt it was
due to the horse interests of the coun-
try that the matter should be looked
into by the American Trotting associa-
ton and the Trotting Register associa-
ton, as it is to come UP for record.
may say that SO far as the judges book
| of the Wichita track is concerned il
shows that the mile was trotted as sent
out, and to that extent the track is
sponsor for the performance. 1t is the
first duty of the American Trotting as
sociation to protect and uphold the
tracks in it's membership when they
are right and the horses performing
over those tracks; but, on the Other
hand, it is duty to see that nothing
that will reflect on the integrity of the
sport shall go unchallenged."
Now that two separate investigations
have been made and another one is un.
derstood to be under way, there is nc
chance that the whole matter will not
be torn up, and already stories Of the
eventful Kansas day are being told; but
the men who tell them, for one reason
or another, do not want to be mixed W
in what they consider nasty piece Of
business. One story Is that promi.
nent driver known all over the country
was in the grand stand when Cresceus
| trotted, and timed him in about 2:O5
When he saw the time hung out as
1853 ga he called attention to the dis
crepancy and remarked that it would
have been better to give the horse cred.
it for just what he did, as it was a great