Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1905-06-16
Grandam of Lou Dillon.


Dillon, and in tracing her lineage several
erroneous statements have appeared
The following letter of Joseph Battell,
concerning the grandam of this cele
brated animal, appeared in the Chicago
Horse Review and is not only interesting
history but extremely valuable because
of the following specific way in which
the author has gone to the bottom of the
matter.
In examining files of horse papers in the
libraries here, to make more complete our
large work on noted American horses the first
volume of which we expect to issue in the fall,
my attention was called to recent numbers of
your excellent Journal, my own copies being in
Vermont, in which appears the tracing of the
grandam Of Lou Dillon. | followed this
through the different numbers This tracing
is exceedingly creditable, and would seem to
be correct.
In the first number l noticed your compile
mentary mention Of The Morgan Horse and
Register" | also notice your reference to
the fact that the pedigree of the grandam of
Black Flying Cloud is differently given in the
Trottng and Morgan Registers, and express
sion of opinion; FIRST that Wallace's pedigree,
by Harris Hambletonian, son Of Bishops
Hambletonian, is the best, and, second, that
it is more probably correct.
AS regards the question of merit between
the two horses, Hills Sir Charles, by Duroc,
son of Imported Domed, dam by Plato, son
of Imported Messenger; or Harris Hamil-
tonian Enormously spelt Ilambletonian), by
Bishops Hamiltonian, dam said to be large
and excellent gray mare, but breeding entirely
unknown; admits perhaps of a difference Of
opinion. But the fact as to which horse got
the dam of Black Flying Cloud, under the
evidence, as l think | can show, admits of
none.
My first information regarding the dam OF
Black Flying Cloud was in an interview, at
Mlddlebury, Addison County, Vermont, with
Mr.. Solomon Jewett, who owned the mare
and bred the horse. His statement was as
given in the Morgan Register, that she was
bred by Charles Howe, Bridport, Vermont;
foaed IS4I, and got by HIPS Sir Charles.
And he was quite positive that her dam was by
Smiths Liberty a very noted horse, which
stood in our county in the early part of the
century and is supposed to have been got 10y
imported King William, or a son. But learn
ing afterwards that the pedigree had been
given differently, we wrote to Mr.. Jewett
who, in letter dated Oakland, Cal, June IL,
1890, in answer to questions, gave the follow
ing replies
Ist Question.-About what year did you
buy the bay mare (grandam of Black Flying
Cloud, and how old was she when you bought
her?
Answer bought Of Charles Howe, Of
Bridport, the first spring or summer after
Black Hawks colts were foaled, two colts;
one bay mare four years old she grew to
weigh about LOO pounds, bright bay, tough,
| strong.
End Questionable Mr.. Howe breed this
mare, and if not, do you know where he got
her?
Answer.-Yes, am sure Charles Howe bred
this bay mare, and horse colt by Black Hawk
that bought of him, one of my first get at
Bridport.
3rd Questionable you think you knew her
sire when you bought her?
Answer.-Yes, Hills Sir Charles. See my
former answer at your fathers.
4th Question.-Please state what you VI =
derstood to be her sire and what her dam?
Answer did know about the dam to my
bay four-year- think her dam was the
get of Aliens Smith Horse, Liberty, great
roadster, bay, about I534 hands high.
Mr.. Howe lived in the same town with Mr..
Hill about mile and half south. He bred
to Black Hawk the first season that Mr. Hill
had him, and on general principles would have
been very apt to have bred to Mr.. Hills
famous horse Sir Charles, and not at all apt to
have sent his mare sixteen miles to Mr. Har-
ris' place at New Haven Mills, and to horse
that at that time was but little known and
little bred to; though afterwards became
quite famous through several trotters.
But aside from all probabilities Mr.. Iewett S
statement is entirely sufficient to decide this
question, as he was both a candid and very
intelligent man, although somewhat cratic, as
is shown by his system of in-breeding
This horse, Harris Hamiltonian, has been
credited as the sire of large number Of noted
animals, or the dams OF noted animals most
of which claims are entirely erroneous. OF
the fifteen prominent horses attributed to HIM
in the American Trotting Register, three are
correct, and the other twelve without warrant,
certainly most of them incorrect, two or three
unknown. The dam of Flying Cloud is not
included in this number. looked this up
very carefully number of years ago, and at
the time offered Mr.. Wallace 500 apiece il
he could prove that any or all of nine of these
twelve were got by the Harris horse, and 500
additional if he could prove the other three
were; and at the same time offered him 5 ooc
if he could prove that the horse Liberty was
got by Bishops Hambletonian, as he has him
registered. He never applied for any of the
money, nor did he ever correct any of the
pedigrees although | afterwards published
the tracing of quite a number of these animals
to their breeders, with statements from breed
ers or owners that they were bred very differ.
emily. Perhaps some one at the present time
would like to take advantage of this offer to
Mr.. Wallace, and if so we are very willing to
renew it.
have no records by me, but remember
among these was the dam OF the gelding
John Stewart, that for number Of years held
the ten-mile trotting record. This mare
instead of being by son Of Harris Hamil-
tonian, as recorded by Mr.. Wallace, no breeder
given, was bred by Austin Dana, Bridport, VT,
got by Sherman Black Hawk and her dam,
also bred by Austin Dana and got by Black
Hawk.
Another was the dam Of IIotspur 2:24, the
fastest OF Ethan Aliens trotters and great