Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-03
LOOKING AFTER PED1aREEs.
Joseph Battell's Discoveries Ma,
Startle Horsemen.

There is in Washington a man who has
been here for two months searching stud
books and year books in order that he may
straighten out the pedigrees and perform
ances Of certain horses. He has Travelled the
country from Maine to California in order
to trace certain horses to their breeders
and to establish their blood lines. He has
!, spent thousands of dollars of his own
money to do this. His name Is Joseph Bat
tell of Brattleboro, Vermont publisher Of
! the Morgan Register.
Mr.. Battell Is a devotee OF the Morgan,
which he Is laboring to rescue from obscur-
ity. If what Mr.. Batte'l has revealed to the
writer can be substantiated the pedgrees
of numerous very celebrated stations and
brood mares must undergo revision. Some
Of the worlds Idols will totter from their
pedestals. AS a case in point: For a gener-
alton or more horsemen generally have &C.
cepted the late John Walace's version of
the pedigree Of American Star (Seely's) as
being by Stockholm's American Star a son
of Duroc sire Of American Eclipse; dam by
the Henry that ran against Eclipse and
broke down.
Mr.. Battell d:scards Wallace's version of
Seely's Stars breeding, and claims that he
has incontrovertible evidence that Star was
by a horse Of the same name as Seely's
and his sire Morgan horse called Cock of
the Rock. On the other hand, Mr.. Battell is
willing to concede that the dam of Seely's
American Star may have been by
Henry, but maintains that there is no direct
proof OF even that fact. Mr.. Battell has
spent much time and money in investi-
eating the breeding of the dam of Abdallah
Is. He believes he IS on the right trail, but
nothing definite yet has resulted from
his investigations. He informs the writer
that he has also been delving into the vast
mass Of matter relating to the pedigree of
the dam of George Wilkes
He is satisfied from what he now knows
that she was not by Henry Clay s. as was
fNr LIT,
is still claimed by the celebrated turf writer
and pedigree expert. Simon w. Parline ed
itor-in-ch OF the American Horse
Breeder Boston. Mr.. Battell says he has
evidence in his possession that the mare
was purchased in Pennsylvania, and in a
few weeks will journey to the spot where
he believes she was purchased. and perhaps
bred and see what he can dig up.
Mr.. Battell has a big task before him IL
he solves all the mysteries which he has in
hand. But the pedigree expert, born for the
task, takes as much delight in running
down lost bloodlines as does q bloodhound
his prey. and exhibits the same logged
tenacity in following trails to their ending
Millions of dollars are invested In this coun-
try and on the continent of Europe in
horses carrying the blood of George Wilkes
Abdallah Is, and American Star. The two
first named are foundational sires, while
Star contributed the mares that gave HAM
bleton!an his greatest reputation as race
horse sire. and he did more than any other
horse, except Hambletonian, to raise Will
lam Rysdick from the ranks of a day la
borer to the honor of being, before he died
the richest man In Orange county his es-
tate being estimated to be worth a quarter
Of million dollars way back in the seven
ties.
May much power be given to Mr. Battell
He may destroy some of our idols but own
ers of the blood in controversy need not
fear that the dams of the sires named will
so to speak, into the tall timber. Ma
lures law is that one cannot get something
out of nothing. Figs do not grow from this
ties, nor grapes from thorns The dams of
these great sires must have been well bred
else their descendants would not be each
season astonishing the world with their
marvellous speed, and year after year low
ering records until a narrow margin sep
arates the trotter and PAGER (the product
of three generations) from the runner, the
product of three centuries of intelligent
breeding.
The thoroughbred, glorious as has been
his career, and grand as he Is as an indf-
vidual, has about reached the apogee of
his speed Not so the light harness horse
He has only begun his journey. Scientific
breeding will surely raise him tor greater
heights than he has yet reached. and wher-
ever he goes in his conquering career he
will always be hailed as a product of Amer
,can genius and American civilization.