Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1906-05-04

pedigree, says that Mr.. Berry said, that
friend OF his, Joseph Gemung, urged him to
buy fine mare, that friend Of his name not
given, owned on Long Island. Mr.. Reeves
also says, that Mr.. Berry said, that Mr..
Gemung said that some one said, that her
breeding was SO and so.
This is all the evidence there is Of the
breeding and we do not wonder that Mr..
Lukens fell back upon the evidence Of poor
feet and a rat tail, to establish the pedigree.
But these is rebutting evidence; First. that
Mr. Reeves was inaccurate in other state
ments of pedigree and second, that Mr..
Berry told very different story to another
witness.
First, inaccuracy in other pedigrees. Mr..
Reeves SAYS, Mr.. Seely said, that the dam
of his horse was Canuck mare. We do not
understand that Mr.. Seely ever said this.
Mr.. Seely said that his sire was a Canadian
horse and so advertised, (see Wallace Month
ly, October, 1880. And this was no boubt
as Mr.. Seely had been told, probably by Mr..
Berry, the breeder, as, if we remember cor
rectly, it is on record that they met, for at
this time very generally in New York, and
quite frequently elsewhere even in Vermont,
the Morgans were called Canadians. And
the sire of Seely's American Star was the
Morgan horse, Coburns American Star, bred
by Judge Sumner of Charlestown, y. H., and
got by Cock of the Rock, son of Sherman
Morgan, by the original Justin Morgan.
1t follows that Mr.. Reeves attributed 20 Mr..
Seely something which he did not say, and
apparently did this because he could the bet
ter explain it away, that is apparently did it
maliciously; at any rate he did it. And this
inaccuracy. very serious one, must discredit
whichever further Mr.. Reeves says in regard to
pedigree.
Again, in giving the sire of Columns Ameri-
can Star, Mr.. Reeves says his sire was Cock OF
the Rock-which was correct-son of Gas we
remember it) a son of Messenger. Unfortu-
nately our pamphlet is lost. In copying this
to our files, we changed it to son of Duroc,
knowing there was no such horse as Cock OF
the Rock mentioned, and supposing, for we
did not then know the true breeding of Cob
urns American Star, that Cock Of the Rock,
By Duroc. was intended. If Mr.. Lukens has
the pamphlet he will be able to quote
accurately what horse is given for the sire of
Cock of the Rock. All that we could remem-
Der with certainty, after our pamphlet was
lost, was that it stated that the sire of the
Coburn horse was horse called Cock of the
Rock.
And when afterwards we learned from the
daughters of Mr.. Coburn, that, at the same
time he owned American Star, he owned an
older stallion called Cock of the Rock, we saw
at once that this was unquestionably the Cock
of the Rock which was the sire Of Columns
American Star, and proved it. In both OF
these instances evidently Mr.. Reeves drew up
on his imagination for his facts,
Second: contradictory evidence. The fol-
facts were obtained by US of the dam. Mr..
Samuel =. Roam of Pompton Plains, \. ].
said:
"She was only common stock, no speed that
| know of. She was getting along in age; a
bay mare with white face or stripe, nearly It
hands, not heavy built. He did not have her
great while before he raised this colt.
never heard she was hlooded. She was slim
built and had slim tall guess she was used
up when he got her; a good working animal
and might have been well bred"
But the best testimony in regard to the
mare that we were able to get was that OF
ex.Sherih Nathaniel Towsend of Passaic, \
J., remarkably intelligent witness who said
81 came here April 20, 1855. Martin J
and Henry II. Berry each raised colt from
same horse. | do not know what the sire
was, but Judge Sperry's colt was afterward:
known as American Star. His brothers colt
| l. I ~ he bot
colt. He was bigger than Star, but not SC
stylish. This bay was kept stallion until
four years old. but do not know what then
became of him.
"Judge Berry bought the dam of his horse
in New York city. He wanted cheap horse
to work on farm in the spring of year, and
bought this mare, giving twenty-five or thirty
five dollars for her. Judge Berry has repeat
eddy told me that he knew nothing at all
about her breeding, and | know he told me
right, although, he said, it was stated, after
she had her colt, that she was by the race
horse Henry. She was a broken down stage
mare, kind OF a tall, light colored mare,
with bad feet, sore forward. Berry told me
he did not know any more about her than
did; said the mare worked before stage
She was about 10 hands, and probably eight
or nine years old; not what we call very
strong limbed mare not made up for good
work horse, but quite traveller She didn't
stradde as Star did. 1t was very natural
for HIM to trot He was nice little horse
and sold to Blauvelt for s25o or $500. lie
got his head up well, and went in good style
The dam looked like pretty well bred mare
At that time the Henry stock was in its glory
and that was the reason it was said she was
by him"
1t will be seen that the two statements
attributed to Mr.. Berry by Mr.. Reeves and
Mr.. Townsend, concerning the dam, are
distinctly opposite. They either remem'
bered Mr.. Berry's account very different
or Mr.. Berry gave very different. accounts
The ex-sherifi impressed US as being entirely
truthful, nor can we see any possible motive
for him to lie, as he certainly did, if Mr.. Berry
did not make the statements referred to- Or
Isl IL III l. cofl