Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-17
By c. C. Pettus.

dhiohS tuC lidStiOLS was d tioI lol lliS
free-for-all class. including some of the
best trotters in the west, a very large
crowd was in attendance People came from
miles around and many very well-known
turfmen were on hand from neighboring
cities.
In the free-for-all trot were such fast
harness performers of that day as the black
mare Cozette, Red Cloud, little Fred, c.
w. Wooley, Huckleberry and others, and
speculation ran high over the outcome of
the race.
Auction pools were the only method of
speculation and the old-time circuit pool
seller, Major Banks, contemporary of
Frank Herdc, Ira Bride and others, was
the auctioneer. Under his persuasive elo-
quence thousands of dollars in pools were
sold
-Cozette brought $500: Little Fred, 500;
Red Cloud, s175; c. w. Wooley, $50; Huckle-
berry, $50; Field $50, and the selling had
all the earmarks of frame up for Co
zette, the mare from Detroit.
Ed Corrigan as Driver.
Edward Corrigan, the well-known owner
and breeder of race horses, stakeholder in
tracks at New Orleans, Chicago and Kan
sas City, was then the owner of Huckle-
! berry. In this particular race he had de-
cided to bet on the horse and to drive the
trotter himself.
AS far as Corrigan and Huckleberry were
concerned there was nothing doing on
| the apparent ''frame-up,'' for Huckleberry
was not considered to have the ghost of a
chance to defeat either Little Fred or Red
Cloud. let alone Cozette. So in spite of
| the fact that man identified with Corri-
| gan bought pool after pool on the latters
horse, those behind the mare smiled incred-
| ulously as. they answered all questions
about Huckleberry, mo chance. boys, no
chance"
So many pools did the corrigan agent
| buy that Aucuoneer Banks himself was
impressed. and said to his clerk, Jimmy,
I'm going to take in a little of that Cor
| rigan good thing myself" And suiting the
action to the word he paid $25 for Huckie
berry In a pool Of $500.
The first heat was won by Little Fred,
| with Red Cloud second, Cozette third,
Huckleberry fourth and two of the others
Fred a stronger second choice, but Cozette
was still the favorite at 500, Little Fred,
$500: REQ Cloud. $3.50; field, 500.
Red Cloud in the second heat took the
| pole from Little Fred at the turn, and hold
| ing the lead throughout won in a hard
drive, with Little Fred second, Cozette
third. as before, her driver never having
made a move for either heat ~
Hucklebery, as before, was fourth Driver
Corrigan having saved his horse in both
heats just saving his distance. All of the
| others were distanced.' ieaving only four to
start for the third heat, with Cozette still
favorite over the field.
The third heat was lively one, as all of
the drivers got busy" from the word GO
Cozette went to the front after Red Cloud
and Little Fred had led to the backstretch
with Huckleberry a close fourth, but in
pocket behind Red Cloud and Little Fred
Here it looked all day with Corrigan. but
his friend said, Just watch E. c. The end
is not yet"
Huckleberry Lands Big Coup.
Sure enough, rounding the turn out of
| the backstretch, where Huckleberry had
| only very small hole to get through,
| only about big enough for his head, Corri-
gan called out to his fellow drivers, Boys,
I'm going through" And as they showed
no sign of letting him get through he
forced his horse in, sent the wheel of his
neighbours sulky up in the air and once
on terms "butted' along, finally showing in
| front.
The track was only half a mile so every
thing was plainly discernible, and as
Huckleberry passed the stand second. in
hot pursuit of Cozette, he was loudly
| cheered by the crowd in successfully get
ting out of the pocket where the other
| drivers had held him.
Here Huckleberry was all of three
| lengths behind Cozette, but. sticking to his
work. Corrigan's horse caught the mare at
the final turn, and in hot brush beat her
| for the heat by half length, the other
| two just inside the distance.
Still Cozette sold the choice at $500;
Huckleberry, $3.50: field, 500. In the
fourth heat Cozette outtrotted Huckleberry
| in the first mile before. But as this
| time Corrigan did not get caught in any
pocket. he took his horse after the mare
| the second half, and catching her again,
won cleverly at the end.
| Now it was Huckleberry, $500; field, $3.50.
Huckleberry won the fifth heat and race,
| pulling up from Cozette and Red Cloud,
Little Fred behind the flag. Ed Corrigan's
| commissioner had fully $4,000 worth of
tickets to cash In.
While Corrigan was attending to the cool
| ing out of his horse and his agent was at
ha tfver tn he t,ot6 holP
| a dozen masked horsemen rode up to the
| main gate only couple of hundred yards
| away, and two of them with drawn re-
volvers entered the box Office.
The clerks were just counting over the
days receipts, some 5000, when the two
| masked men broke in. and while one Of
these stood guard with his gun. the other
soon had the cash. sweeping the gold and
| silver into small hand satchel.
Big Haul by the James Boys.
In another second the two leaders were
in the saddle again, and the whole party
| Off toward Independence at full gallop.
veering toward the Missouri bottoms as
| they did so.
Up to this moment there had not been a
shot fired and the $4,000 people a few hun
| dred yards away were in total ignorance
| Of what had happened. But now the nerve
and they sent a few shots after the rapidly
| disappearing freebooters.
This brought people running, but not 30
Maj. Banks, the custodian Of some 10000
| in pools He at once shifted his quarters
| to the secretary's ONCE. saying as he did
80, 1T Frank and Jesse James had only
known how much have here think they
| would have taken q still greater chance for
my bundle"
| nd. Corrigan and posse Of nifty men
ct once got horses and started In pursuit.
But they had omitted to take dogs with
them, and the trail was soon lost In the
river bottoms. whore the road agents
bad separated to unite again ct some point
l further up the river.
90 NO one was injured in this unpre.
cedented sAcking Of Q race track box once,
but the fair association was out the days
| receipts. -
world that he knew how to drive trotters