Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-06

the whip, and the youngster struck a gait
that surprised his owner. Not until then
did Williams realize that he had trotter.
About May 90, 1883, he was hitched to
sulky for the first time and taken to the
track, where he trotted an eighth a little
better than 20 seconds. He now saw the
track only two days in a week; the re-
manning days. except Sunday, when he was
not harnessed. he was logged on the road
at the rate of from eight to ten miles an
hour. He was driven without a check and
in an open bride. When worked it was on
the brush system, and he driven as
fast as he could go. His daily food was
large quantities of hay, oats and grass
all he could eat. About the middle of July
he was asked to go his first half and did
II in 10. Ten days later he negotiated the
same distance in lip. August I he was
driven easy mile in 2.3S1a. Remember
that all of these trials and all future trials,
as well as races, were to high wheels Au-
gust he was started in his first race over
the keokuk track Ga poor half mile ring.
and dstanced the field in 2.31$f in the third
heat, which was a worlds record. At
Washington Park. Chicago, August %. he
trotted mile in 2.24%, thereby gaining
another worlds record for year-oid
stations. Bell Boy. by Electioneer, had
previously set the record at 2.26, which
enabled Senator Stanford to sell the colt
for 800 eco.
Axtell was now national celebrity. After
making several trials in races and against
time. in which he did not lower his record
he was shipped to Lexington, Ky, where
he lowered his mark to 223. He was ship
ped home, thrown out of training and was
not harnessed in four months. He was
turned out every pleasant day, never
bianketed, and was fed on all the oats
hay, corn, cornstalks bran and carrots he
could eat. On March 1, 1889, he was again
taken up. He now in his three-year-
old form. His jogging was gradually in
daily. Between March l and July he was
bred to twenty-five m-res. At Cedar
Rapids. Iowa, he went against the three
year-old record of Sable Wilkes, 2.l9, and
finished the mile in 226la. At Minneapolis,
July 2 he trotted a mile in 215, breaking
the worlds three-year-old record and the
four-year-old record of Manzanita 216
John Splan. who was present, said if the
beaten Maxey Cobb's record of 2.1314 Will
liams was offered $4,000 for the colt the
same day and declined the offer, saying
he wanted 100000 for him.
X x
Axtell was hardly cooled out when he was
on his way back to his stable at Independ-
Cedar Rapids mark and trotted his mile in
2.2O1z. At ST. Paul, July II, he trotted
mile in 2.15la He was then shipped home
given 4 rest of two weeks and shipped to
Cleveland, where he trotted a mile in 2.14S.
At Chicago, August p, he trotted a mile
in 2:154. Two days later, at the same
track, he started again, and, paced by a
runner, trotted a mile in PA, last quarter
in SO seconds. He ran under the wire in this
heat, the first and only time that he ever
left his feet. The heat was a new worlds
record for three-year- ods.
In the meantime Marvin had been busy
with Sunol. At Petaluma the great daugh-
ter OF Electioneer and Sallie Benton had
trotted a mile, September II, in 2:161a and
at Fresno, a few days later, trotted a mile
in 2:13Si. Williams, not to be outdone,
shipped Axtell to Terre Haute where, on
October II, accompanied by a runner, he
trotted a mile in PIP fiat The track was
seven feet over mile and Williams was
thirteen pounds over weight. Then followed
his sale to a syndicate of wealthy men,
comprising w. 2. Igams of Terre Haute, j.
w Conley and John II. Steiner of Chicago
and A. E. Brush and Fred Z. Moran of
Detroit, for Sl05,00o.
He was apparently as sound the day he
was turned over to his new owners as he
ever was, but he could never be got into
condition to race again, one of his fore
legs hung out the danger signal. His serv-
ice fixed at 81 coo and within five years
he had paid for himself He is the sire of
ninety-one trotters and twelve PAGERS in
80 or better. and his death is severe loss
to the breeding interests of the country His
greatest producing son is Axworthy, 2:1Jh
recently sold under the hammer to William
Simpson of New York for S21