The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-08-03
AMERICAS GREAT
LOVER OF HORSES
Robert Bonner Developed Many
OF Country's Notable
Trotters.
SELDOM SOLD ANYTHING
The Bonner Farm Once the Home OF
Many Famous Harness Horses
Now q Thing Of the
Past.

| ST. Louis: Recently Robert J. Bon
uer and n party OF friends paid a fare
| well visit To the famous Bonner farm
at Valhalla, ~. \. The property has
been sold tn Alexander Smith Cochran
/ OF White Plains. who owns large
/ .ract OF land surrounding u.
The Bonner farm was founded In
\ 1874 by the late Robert Bonner. who,
after having become the best known
trotting horse owner OF his day, wished
i to indulge I'm the breeding and develop
| ing OF the light harness horse. A three
| 1uarter mile track was constructed by
| an expert and over this course were
| trotted many private trails. some fast
fr than the worlds records OF their
time. Mr.. Bonner never raced a horse
| FOR a purse. His breeding ventures did
not meet with the great success he an
.lcipated. In that his champion mares
never became producers. However, he
| bred n number OF fast horses and also
he sires and dams OF many OF the
present day winners. After Mr.. Bon
ner's death. July 8, 1883, most OF his
stock was sold at auction, but his sons,
Robert T.. and Frederick Bonner, and
| their uncle. David Bonner. have con-
.ined breeding trotters In a small way
until lust recently, when the farm was
sold TO Mr.. Cochran for $4,000. or $3.50
per acre. says the New York Telegraph.
one OF the members of the party that
visited the farm last week was West
trner who had known Robert Bonner
only By reputation. He asked this
question: when did Mr.. Bonner FIRST
become n horse owner?''
In 1866" Robert r.. Bonner replied.
In the carly summer OF that year, as
he often told the story, he came near
breaking down from overwork. His
| nj
Hall. advised him To- get horse and
take an hours exercise every morning.
Doctor Hall purchased my father
horse In July"
In 1856 there were only nineteen
horses. living or dead. that had trotted
I'm 2:30 or better. When Mr. Bonner
died, In 1889. there were $4,000 trotters
In the 2:3o list. to say nothing OF the
5000 horses that had paced In s.2S or
better.
When Robert Bonner began driving
on the road. In 1856, trotting was In
rather bad reputc His interest In
duccd several other wealthy men TO
take up the sport, among them Com
modore Vanderbilt. The two became
rivals as the owners OF record break
ers. and n sensationally fast horse could
always be sold TO either one or the
other. The impetus this rivalry gave
TO the sport was inestimablc.
Dexter Brought SSo'VVV.
rhe first sensational horse Mr. Bon
ncr purchased was Young Pocahontas.
for which ne gave $4,000 and "A mare
he had bought for $4,000.
He purchased Young Pocahontas Ia
1885, Robert r.. Bonner said. she
was u trotlng daughter OF the famous
pacing mare. Pacohontas. that In 1856
paced a mile over the old Union course
I'm 2:l7L. She then drew n man and
wagon weighing $50 pounds. despite
which she reduced the worlds record
one second.
Young PocahontRs trottcd n mile for
Mr.. Bonner in 2:iSia when the worlds
record was 2:l4. Mr.. Bonner also
owned. at about the same time, Joe
Elliott, a geldlng that trotted over
Mystic Park track, near Boston. SEN
sational trial mile In 2:i5is. Mr.. Bon
ner owned his sire. Edward Everett,
for which he paid $4,000.
A year after purchasing Young Po-
cahontns Mr.. Bonner bought the
worlds champion. Dexter (2:l7is), for
SIS. 900. a very hgih price for gelding.
II is a matter OF record that after COM
plotting the purchase In Bufialo. Mr..
Bonner telegraphed n friend I'm New
York TO this effect: Il saw Niagara
Falls this morning for the first time.
and I came down here this afternoon To
see the other great wonder. Dexter
when he trotted I'm the unprecedented
time OF ATTN. You know, l like 10
as I could not buy the falls thought
would do the next best thing and buy
Dexter"
Dexter was dethroned by Rarus
(2:i3L) In 1875. The following year
Mr.. Bonner purchased the latter for
$4,000. but had not owned him many
months before ST. Julien (s:lihb be-
.4k4. N.aVs Uns. - a
trotted the three-quarter mile track at
the Bonner farm In 2:llia.
When Commodore Vanderbilt an
nounced !n 1854 that ne had sold Maud
:. To his rival, Robert Bonner. for Si0.-
600. the horse world was astoundcd. II
was gratifying TO all sportsmen. how
ever. To know that the mare had found
such an excellent home. Her record
was then 2:O9Z. and she could have
been sold for $500 900 for hlppodroming
purposes. Mr.. Bonner allowed her 10
be exhibited in various parts OF the
country until she reduced her record
TO 2:eS&. when she was retired 10 the
breeding ranks
Maud S. in High sulky,
The last champion Mr.. Bonner ac-
uuired was Sunol. HS purchased her
AS n 3-year-old, with record OF
2:1OL. paying the late Senator Stan
ford OF California $4,000. She after
wards trottcd in 2:OSL to high wheels
over a hte-shaped track. She Is the
only champion mare once owned by
Mr.. Bonner that is now living. She Is
matron at Shultshurst. in Portchest-
er.
When Sunol was purchased the tBrf
scribeS predicted that on account OF
her nervousness Mr.. Bonner would not
be able TO use her as "A road mare. lie
replied to one OF the writer's and
offered To present the mare 20 the
newspaper man ~ he (Bonner) could
not drive her In Central Park. After
her racing career was over he often did
drive her through the streets f'Sew
York.
These facts concerning Mr. Bonner's
horses were brought out by Robert l..
Bonner and his friends on the train TO
Nnlhalla. Mr.. Bonner was asked the
highest price his father ever received
for a trotter.
He very seldom sold anything" was
the reply. but William Russell Allen
paid him $4,000 for Majolica. 2:i5."
After reaching the farm the carriage
house was first visited to view that Ia