The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-14
TRICK DISCOVERED
 BY AN ACCIDENT Happened When Cart Horse Stepped on Live Wire GREAT IDEA CAME TO T0BIN Found Out That Electricity Could Be Used to Make His Plugs Win
 on Race Track-Devices
 Used Now.
GREAT IDEA CAME TO T0BIN
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post
 Electric saddles, spurs, whips, batteries and things of that kind are common enough on some race tracks these days, but when electricity was first used for the purpose of getting all the speed pos sible out of horse it caused the greatest kind of a sensation. And that it could be used with good effect was discovered by accident.
 It was back in the old Guttenburg days when it was not against turf ethics to win by any and every old means The ques- ton in those days wasn't how arc you going to make your horse win, but can you make him win?
 Among the men who had horses at the track one was named Steve Tobin. He was in about ELS tough streak of luck as one can run up against He owed feed bills, board bills, and a whole lot of other things. and that he did not get into a lot of truble was due to the good offices of a lawyer named Collins. This Collins look n liking 10 Tobin, and without pay or the hope of 1t attended to all his legal business
 One day Tobin visited the lawyer and invited him out to dinner. I'm almost down to cases" he said. but there's a nice place down tlfe street where we can butt III IOI d Hall d piece.
 The two men started for the restaurant, and while crossing Greenwich street stopped to look at two big gray truck horses that were balky and would not budge an inch. The driver whipped them and eoaked them, but all in vain. Sud denly one of the horses made q leap in the air that carried him entirely out of his harness and he started down Green Hich street on a dead run.
 What in the world got into that plug?" asked Tobin of his friend.
 Blessed if l know was the reply. "He acted as though he had stepped on q red hot coal"
 Tobin stepped into the street to inves- tigate. and the mystery was soon ex- plained. A live electric wire was lying in the street and the horse had stepped upon it. It was the shock that had started him on the run.
 The two men continued on their way to the restaurant, and. while eating their dinner, Tobin suddenly dropped his knife and fork and began to laugh.
 "Good-by. poverty" he said, that run away has given me an idea that will be worth a fortune to us. If electricity can make cart horse run away it can make one of my plugs run fast enough to win a race"
 That day he started out to get an cleo tric arrangement that would do the work. He soon found a man who fixed up a dry battery contained in a belt, with wires leading down the legs to the spurs. This was taken to the track and an old mare named Guyda brought out The battery was placed on boy and he was in- structed to work the mare half mile and then dig the spurs in her sides.
 He followed instructions to the letter The old mare covered the first half in about a minute and the last in an even 50 seconds.
 That was enough for Tobin. He dug up man with money, explained the sit uation to him and showed him what the battery would do. The preparations were made for killing. Guyda was entered against some fair horses and when the betting began she was quoted at 100 to | All those in the know bet on her until they had nothing left, and then went out on the lawn to see her come home alone.
 But they were doomed to dsappoint- ment. The negro jockey who rode the mare mistooi a false break for the start and gave her the electric spurs so hard that she ran away and completed the circuit of the track four times before he could pull her up.
 The next time Tobin had better luck although at first it looked as though he was up against if again. as the mare ran into an ice wagon while on her way to the track and narrowly escaped serious injury. Before going to the post the jockey was instructed not to touch the mare with the spurs until the had gone a quarter, and he obeyed. Then he let her have the full force of the shock and she developed rate of speed that Son took her to the front and brought her home yards in front of her field. This time the odds against her were also 100 to l, and Tobin cleaned up enough to put him on Easy street for many moons.
 The lawyer, however, failed to profit by the mares victory. Tobin saw him in the morning and promised to telegraph him if everything was all right. This he did, but the lawyer had case in court that day and forgot all about the race. He returned to his office about o'clock that evening. and, picking up an "extra, found that Guyda had won at 100 to l. From that time on he never was of any account. He began to drink, and few years later died.
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