New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-09-08
JOCKEY FOR HENRY CLAY
Negro Still Living at Keokuk, Io7ca'
.Serrcd Kentucky Statesman.
BY W. T.. Pringle.

..T-,cIo., Peter Boyd. Horny Clay Jockey oouS
servant and blacksmith. Is living III henAuN, 80 800
:. ~ resent time and has lived there ever since
:, - Of tho Civil War. For many years ne ulu
General hauling. He Is at the present 'ule III -
Joseph's Hospital and IL was 'neie '
ana peter is ninety-one years Old. and he
s,ys ne was born into the Clay FAMILY lot feHIy
CLAY owned both his father ana nlo'heI- ne ~u'
-, I'm Hffsdletown. Va, and brought up there
Ills mother and father had small farm anu on on
mis- ne and other children played and worked unuI
Peter was old enough 10 go 10 Massa cray "heiI
about fourteen Peter was taken by Henry Gay 20
BE- the Jockey Of several of the finest thorouehoEeu
horses on the Clay estate. Clays horses were sent
N Nashville Tenn. and Mobile and Huntsville
Ala 10 race. Ii was in Huntsville that Peter RODE
his most noteworthy race and won for ms master a
fat purse. This race was most viva IN the oiu
mans memory and was the one he told me ABOUT
OF Clay's horses the best was Cana. an iron gray.
and ne was entered at huntsville As ne was 'ng
especial pride the Clay estate. II was no small
honor that Clay allowed Boyd to ride CANA in this
race Hugh Kirkwood. of Huntsville. Clay's
rival I'm this race. and Post Boy, big sorre was
entered by him.
IN dem DAYS the old man said in describing
the race. "Massa used to take all us niggers when
he TUX his bosses to 'em. We used To travel
in wagons. and had wagon filled VIII olack-
smiths tools and shoes ana ebcrythiDg that was
needed. Massa always done de racing when ne
want at Washington speechmaltIn. We done
went south To Huntsville where we had de biggest
race I rode in. Massa he said TO me; Peter
you all is ride Cana and rode him. too. and
won de and done made over a thousand dollars
for massa outen dat race.
De racetrack I'm dem days mile around
and we run four times around Dey was big grand
stands built all round the track and judges
stands and little stands where de gentle
mems and Massa Clay done made speeches Dey
used 10 take drum bigger dan hogs
head and put il in wagon. wild two men
to it. to bring in de people 10 de races Dey
would beat dat drum all mornin. and den de races
would be in de evenin, and dere would be the big
gest crowds of ladies and gentlemens come 10 de
races Dey would jes fill dem stands long before
time for de horses to run. De ladies, Cord bless
EN- would all be dressed in de finest dresses and
Y,4tr 10 lest .
would all ne dressed up. and de color would be
hyn' and everything would be fixed up
Den came de race. Massa done glib me Cana
70 ride and Mr.. Krkwood's boss was Post Boy.
CANA big iron gray boss, and Post boy
big sorreL
crowd did boiler and how dem bosses did run!
tell YOU sab. dem big days in dose times bere
we went round dat four-mile track wild dem hosSeS
lust a humpin #. First Post Boy took de lead. ana
den Cana fetched UP wild him, and den dey run
neck and neck till Cana broke away from him. and
den POST Boy dun catch up wild Cana again. and 50
dey run neck and neck till long iowa DIS de hnish'
and den Cana took de lead and won DE race,
ct won lots of money 70 massa in dem races. ana
he done got big pile out OBJ dat race De people
dey all come round and graduate him on de race;
Massa sold CANA at Huntsville oeto ne ieit' ana
dat was de last 1 oh de old boss
''Arter l got old to jockey went wild Massa
Clay as his body servant We done went To WASH
ington cherry year. and had great time on de
road and in de city. Massa would let me have any
thing I wanted-all had TO do was Jus to ask
done went with massa. too when ne MADE de
speeches 70 to be President
IT was during the iatar years Clay spent IN
uubllc life at Washington that Peter served MIN
as valet and body servant and went with him on
his CAMPAIGNS. During the intervals Clay enjoyed
his country home al Ashland and found time to
race his horses Some time before his death he
nut Peter Boyd learn the backsmith's trade
and this trade old Peter followed until the free
times - as he said the Clay estate.
When asked what kind of master Henry Clay
was the old man replied, "A mighty fine marster,
a mighty fine marster. He never treated one OF
us bad. and when he had to go away he left kind
men to take keer of US. He done always bring us
somethin' when he came from the city. He neber
he had were all good men and kind to He done
thing / just asked Massa. and he always glib it
to me"
After Clays death Peter said he stayed on the
old estate until the broke out. Then the Union
soldiers took him off with them and he became
blacksmith to General Grant.
lie was Grants blacksmith for two years when
he sent to Arkansas Post with another de-
tachment of the Union Army. OF his experiences
with Grant the old man seemed TO remember chief
ly that he almost always in demand by the
Union officers to shoe their horses fix something
that had gone wrong with their equipment lie
took personal pride he said, in the shoelng or
General Grants horse. At night around The
camp fires Peter in demand 10 tell anecdotes
and stories of the Mill Boy of the Slashes. as
every one OF the Kentucky soldier boys knew
Henry Clay. Time and again was the great race
between Cana and Post Boy told about. Here