The Washington herald., 1906-11-06

l9J3-Twin City Handicap. on Mct'hesney
l903-Cresceut City Derby. Ostrich.
l903-Saratoga Cup. AfTicsndeT.
Is03-Flatbush Stakes. on Highbau.
l9o3-AnuHal Champion. Igniter.
During this stasJn Of prosperity Fuller won Tor
his employers S5oG0 and received for himself over
ont Of 675 mounts in one season be rode 234 win
ncrs
Al one time Big Tim Sullivan gave Fuller ss,0oo
his share for winning raes.
To-day Fuller has nothing
A simpIe-minded, hard-wOrking youth
Of eighteen years suddenly saw an open
ing 10 success. Through it he dashed only
to be dazzled by the riches that lay before
him. As the unappreciated wealth was
being scattered to the four winds misfor-
tune struck him down with one sharp
stroke. and to-day Jockey Grover Cleve-
land Fuller is penRiless.
That is why the stewards Of the Jockey
Club have granted him pension Of $25 a
month-an amount formerly insufficient to
pay his laundry bills.
Thousands of men who have had hand
IN the building Of the American republic
would have been content to have earned
as much as $4,000 in their lives. Our
Presidents work four years TO receive that
amount IN salary and our United States
Senators have to live twelve months on a
paltry 5000 StiH. this boy of eighteen,
sprlnging as he did from a stable, threw
nearly a quarter Of million dollars away
in three years. and to-day cannot account
for its absence. and. more than that. has
nothing but his conscience and a crippled
leg as a reminder of the days that were.
Among the raeegoers who formerly sung
his praise and risked their money on his
skill Fuller now limps slowly around and
looks dreamlly at the crisp yellow-back
bills which enliven the ring. and wonders
II any Of MS are among them.
His Period of Prosperity.
one year ago last April such thing as
a 500 note didn't cross the mind Of Fuller.
Money rolled into his pockets in a steady
stream and he didn't have TO worry. Life
10 him at that time was a continual round
Of gayety.
AS he clad himself in riding silks in
April of that year and pTanced before the
grand stand on the speedy Witfui little did
he think Of the misfortune ready to engulf
him. Twenty thousand people had packed
the stands and lawns at Jamaica. 10 see
the running Of the Excelsior Handicap.
and half Of them had their eyes on Fuller
He was the sensational jockey Of the sea
son and the legitimate successor TO Tod
sloan.
The horses were laundering in ths
stretch with Fuller struggling to get .he
rail Preen, bad-acting horse, ridden by
Kent. suddenly swerved and struck Rapid
Water The latter in turn struck Witful.
and down went the mare with the Inflated
Fuller. Sir BriIlar. ridden by Kelley, also
fell. and the horrifed spectators saw Full
Ter mangled by the flying hoofs about him.
Kelley was not seriously injured. but
Fuller was sent to st. Mary's Hospital
and for days was reported in a dying con
dition Blood poison set In, but his leg
was finally saved Since that day Fuller
has limped around on a stick. until few
days ago when he discarded the cane and
announced that he was trying TO get in
shape 10 ride in the races at Los Angeles
this winter. Many of his friends. how
/ ever. wish him luck. but shake their
| heads in a sad way and walk away talk
/ ing in undertones.
Neither n Sloan Nor n Miller.
While one of greatest riders that racing
/ ever knew. Fuller was neither a Tod
Sloan nor Miller He had the riding
ability of both. but the personal charac-
/ teristics Of neither
Fuller might earn a million dollars and
would never learn to spend Il in the
princely manner of Sloan. He is a boy
reared with simple ideas. and for him TO
be Beau Brummel would be impossible
II would also be impossible for him TO
learn the frugal habits of Miller He
could never learn to save his money as
has this little wizard from the Ghetto.
Fuller was born in De Witt. Iowa. n
ISS5. and inherited his smallness Of stat
uTe He always had fOndness for horses
and at the age OF fourteen secured work
rs stable boy. There he struggled in
dustriously for three years. He was ap-
prenticed to J. o. Keene. and earned so
a month during that time.
In June of 1902 he attracted the atten-
ton of Archie thinner and Big Tim
Sullivan. and that began his career HIS
first real race was on ROsselOs. n heavy
headed horse. entered in small stake.
BY the use of his strong arms-one Of
| his greatest qualities-he Won.
Fuller's big jump into popularity came
when. a little later. ne took Hamburg
Belle across the line winner in the great
Futurity. lie then astonished the racing
world By winning the Suburban with Al
TlcaNQeT. the HTSl IIlTee-Ht -ulu 10 bt ~
successful. From that time life was easy
for Grover Cleveland Fuller. and TO enum-
crate the great races he won would be
10 set forth practically all the classic
events in 1903.
Refrigeration of Jockey
With Fuller's prosperity came taste
for liquor and his retrogressiOn began
when on several occasions 'indisposition'
kept him from showing up at the paddock
on DAYS that he was to ride. This kept
up until the public grew suspicious of
rides he made on Sweet Nell and Michael
Burns in 1904 Seeing the error Of his way.
Fuller decided to reform, and was just
striking his gait when misfortune befell
/ him.
Yes" smiled Fuller as he gazed visit
/ fully out toward the track, people of
course say. What did he do withiit alp
But I can't tell myself l suppose | earned
over 100000 since / started out, but /
/ haven't any of II now. l was a good fell
low and had lots Of friends Since my
misfortune I have found out how substan-
tiaI some friendships are. made my
money easy, and we all know that old but
significant expression, Come easy, go
easy l simply couldn't keep it. I tried
at times to hold on TO IL, but It was i'm
possible,