The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-08
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can beat your hoss blindfolded an NE
a ridin' her backwards
Money talks. repeated Adams Put
up or shet up.
" What 10 you want TO bet, old
man? asked jim. stni believing It
huge joke
The stranger drew q long buckskin
bag from his pocket and before the
wondering eyes and gaping mouths OF
the crowd counted out q cool thousand
dollars.
Thar 1t L. he said now, dern ye,
match 1T
"A thousand dollars was good deal
bigger sum In those dsye than IT is
now, bait this was too good q thing to
lose, end after Jim had put up ell he
had, others clipped In to make UP the
thousand, and arrangements were
made to run the race next morning.
Now. gentlemen, some OF you have
no doubt been saying to yourselves
that you have heard this story before.
and probably you have heard one much
like II, up to this point. Adams wasn't
the only racing sharp roaming the
country at that period disguised as q
mover. But the rest OF the story Is
different.
During the night three men came
down the river from Quincy. They car
ried shotguns and were looking for
Adams. The immigrant had been In
the Illinois town a couple OF days be-
fore and had cleaned UP about all the
ready money there was over there.
The avengers heard about the coming
race as soon as they struck Hannibal,
and they decided they kouldn't kill
Adams-not just yet Instead. they
sought Jim Thomas and informed him
that old Nance was a regular flying
m a liza To
no more chance than a fireny in a
whirlwtnd. But. they said. go on with
your arrangements, put up all the
money you can raise on your mare and
leave the rest to us.
Next morning everybody IN Hanni-
bal that wasn't opposed to horse racing.
and quite sprinkling OF them that
were. gathered at the half-mile track.
It was to be a straight-away dash,
without any trimmln's or handicape.
the winner to take the pile The strans-
er wouldn't accept any odds, and he
took all the bets offered until he had
planked out $4,000, all the money he had
in the world, he said. There had never
been SO much staked on q race In north
Missouri before. and you can imagine.
gentlemen, there was some excitement
around Hannibal that morning
We'll, the two horses We're brought
UP to the starting point each mounted
by her owner. and all was in readiness
when one Of the men from Quincy sug-
gested that some one be sent down each
track to pick up any stones or sticks
that might have fallen on It. This
seemed all right, though a good many
wondered why It hadn't been done be-
fore. But neither of the principals OBJ
jected and so two young fellows were
sent down the tracks. Apparently they
didn't find anything worth picking up,
for they didn't stoop over, and as soon
as they reached the end they sigualed
All clearl
"At the word 'Gor the stranger and
Old Nance were OFF like n streak of but
tered lightning. Adams evidently was
confident Of the staying powers Of his
animal. for he worked her up to full
speed right from the start, and at the
quarter she was a full length ahead of
Liza Jane, who was doing her level best,
but losing ground at every jump. A
groan that was almost wall went up
from the crowd as that long-legged,
ungainly beast pulled away from her
pretty rival like limited express from
a freight train. The sporting blood of
Hannibal was practically bankrupt un-
less Liza Jane could get a faster move
on her than she ever did in all her life
before.
''Old Nance was Just about 200 yards
from the finish, when she was seen TO
stumble. She recovered herself, though,
and went ahead without losing much OF
her lead, the old man uring her on with
constant cries Of Gittup, Nancel Git
tup, Nance" while he leaned forward
over her neck and let his long legs
sweep out behind, needless Of stirrups
II was the funniest spectacle ever seen
in Hannibal, but nobody laughed. Ev-
cry man in that crowd was holding his
breath, except the few who were hol-
lerin' to Jim to run faster.
Then the strangers horse stumbled
again. Her rider pulled her up with a
jerk, and she sailed on until she was
about fifty feet from the post, when
her tremendous legs seemed to fly out
from under her In four directions and
down she came like q thousan' O. brick
Adams went over her head, sprawling
into the dust, while Liza Jane flashed
past to the finish and a roar went up
from the crowd that sounded like the
breaking Of the Sny levee.
THE stranger picked himself up and
looked around In a beWildered way.
Nance was already on her feet and ap-
parently unhurt. 1t took him a full
minute to realize his position; then.
without word, he stepped slowly down
the track, his face close to the ground.
while with little stick he brushed the
dust from side to side. Suddenly he
reached down, picked up something and
examined 1t. Immediately the good peo-
pie Of Hannibal were treated to tho
most picturesque and sulphurous exhi-
bition Of pioneer profanity that ever
came from mortal man. The stranger
was mad, but he knew the cards were
stacked against him, and when he had
exhausted his vocabulary and his
breath he remounted his mare and rode
slowly back to his wagon, hitched up
and drove on unmoleC.cd. Hannibal
was satisfied and 60 was Quincy"
But what was 1t he p!cSsd up In the
track?" asked the red-headed man In
the corner.
"Buckshot." replied the veteran. "One
Of tho men who examined the track had
through hole in his pocket. sprinkled
buckshot thiokly over the last quarter
Of the course"
Yet we talk about the good old
days" said the red-headed man, as he
threw away his cigar and strolled back
to his berth.