Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-11-08

Editor Breeder and SpOrtSman: Your
letter dated September 4, has just reached
me, having remained at Hamilton for
some time before it WAS forwarded to
my present address. Ia regard To the
horse that you inquire about, am afraid
that cannot give you very much salts
faction. The history of the horse as far
as known is as follows: He was brought
to this country when about year old,
by man named Rork, that belonged to
the Butler County Stock Company. Rork
had become dissatisfied with the doings
of the Stock Company, and said he
would get horse of his own that would
beat any they had, so he went to Ken
lucky and bought this yearling colt at
either Cynthiana or Lexington, / am
not certain which. The new conner
proved to be a ridging, and the other
members Of the company guyed Rork SO,
that he became Disguised and sold the
colt for a great deal less than he pail for
him. The colt then passed through the
hands of irresponsible parties and was
sold twice at constable sale for $75. He
then fell into better hands, and having
heard Of him hunted up the person who
owned him and bought the colt for $500.
l kept him for year and then sold him
to the gentleman who took him to Cali
| fornia.
"All that could ever learn positive
about his pedigree was that his sire was
Whip and his dam by Woodford. But
Rork had moved away to Illinois, and
although / wrote to him several times, !
fully believe it was because he thought
he had fooled his bargain away, and he
would not give any one the information
desired. Have heard that Rork is dead
but do not know whether it is true or
not. When l sold the horse to Hughes,
promised to get him pedigree, never
| thinking but what Rork would send it to
me, but when Hughes failed to get it, a
brother of Hughes's partner sent them
| the pedigree of Washtenaw Chief, a
Canadian horse that was in this country,
but he was in no ways related 10 the
horse that sold. am truly sorry that
l cannot send you the information that
you want, but have done the best l can.
II you know the present address Of
Thomas E. Hughes, please send it to me
as have lost all trace of him and oblige,
Yours respectfully.
w. M. NICHOL.
THAT is how the pedigree of Niagara
stands at present, but we have forwarded
a number of letters East, to try and I'M
ravel the great untraced and it may be
just possible that in time the mystery
will be solved"
| In the American Horse Breeder of
Sept. "a, 1907, Samuel Gamble writes as
| follows:
Editor American Horse Breeder:
Yours of August 81 received and con-
tents noted.
Before the late Otto Holstein and my
self started to try to gain the correct
breeding of Niagara. in the years, so
and 81 that horse was then claimed by
different horsemen as by Black Hawk.
Tom Crowley, Dave Crockett, etc, and
if were not governed BIZ Mr.. Holstein's
reports, also the late Thomas Hughes of
Fresno. that he purchased Niagara in
sale stable in Cincinnati, Ohio. and inn
ported Niagara to this State, then /
might believe that that Mr.. Battell was
correct, but as the case now looks to me,
and all being heresay on my part, am
still of the opinion that Magyar was the
Washtenaw Chief that Mr.. Holstein
mentioned as being bred in Kentucky,
and that he was by Mambrino Chief.
know Mr.. Holstein personally, and
have found him above reproach as to es
tablishing correct pedigree of any ami
NAL. Mr.. Battell has also always been
held in the same esteem by me, from
what have learned bf him and from
| friends who knew him, and | have now
every reason to believe that learned
gentleman thinks Niagara was by Black
Hawk, as he has given true statement
of the horses ownership from Hughes to
Tremble and to Alexander Gamble. Mr..
Hughes informed me in 1890 that he
never knew the persons name from
whom he purchased Niagara and he only
stated that he came from Kentucky to
| Cincinnati with both horses and cattle,
and Niagara was among them. Mr..
Hughes also stated that he purchased
five other horses from the same consign-
ment from Kentucky.
| l judge from Messrs. Holstein and
Hughes statements to me, and as
knew them to be men of ho2or | have
the utmost confidence that they both
stated to me the true facts of which they
had knowledge. That is my idea of the
Niagara case in nutshell.
1t will be seen by referring to his
previous letter as published in the
Breeder and Sportsman of over twenty
years before, that Mr.. Candles memory
is not good. Mr.. Holstein's statement be-
ing that the horse was by Black Hawk,
as he understood
AS will be seen to from the letter of
Mr.. Rork, the first owner, who has yet
been heard from. Mr.. CANDLES recollec.
tons of how the horse was brought from