Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-28
ALMOSTA TRAGEDY
By c. c. Pettus.


The recent death of Galen Browns horse
Libertine In California brings to mind not
only the successes of Libertine when on
the turf, but the strenuous lives of the
entire Brown family, from Galen and his
brother to their father Jim Brown, who
was shot and killed at Garfield Park, Chi
cago during the raids that track in the
early nneties.
l first met Jim Brown in the winter of
1878 during the circuit that began at
New Orleans and went up the line to
Memphis, Nashville, Lexington, Louisville,
etc. He had a string of horses in partner
ship with ]. C. Hardy, better known as
Jack Hardy. The firm raced under the
name of j. M. Brown & Co. and had fair
success with Glenhall Monita Hardy and
others.
Along in April, 1885, we We're all at Mem
phis. The spring meeting that year had
attracted the best horses in the west and
south, including such turf stars as Hunt
ress, Little Minch, Cruiser, Persimmons,
Bob Miles, Jacobin, Robespierre, Terra
Gotta, Tennessee and others. Montgomery
Park was crowded daily by the best people
of the Bluff city.
The next to the last day the program was
one of the best of the meeting Little
--AASiA - shS cast OiiiS q sPi ihtcl, "Ou Tie
Chckasaw Guards handicap, a mile and a
quarter, astonishing those who had seen
the horse race successfully only at short
distances
Other races of equal interest held the
spectators from first to last Fourth on
the card was a dash of seven furlongs,
for which a fair field was entered. Brown
and Hardy had their horse GlenhaIl in the
race, and on late form and the company
he figured natural favorite.
Fifty hook kerS no
money, and from the first several of the
principal layers began to take liberties
with Glenhall; while the majority of the
penclers held Browns horse at Z to D.
or a point longer, the others went to to /,
and as the money came In went still higher
on the horse.
Brown and Hardy sent in thousand dol
lar commission at to /, but when their
commissioner went back after making their
bets he found the same bookmakers who
had laid him to l were now laying
threes, and taking in the money In punches.
A couple of other firms were doing the
same thing, but the balance of the layers
held the horse at twos.
Memphis Exciting Scene.
When Browns commissioner returned and
told his employers how the market was
both of the men from Texas hurried to the
betting ring to see for themselves. BY this
time Glenhall was to 1 in the books that
money. The suspicious betting was a mat
ter of discussion all over the ground.
What Brown and Hardy said would hard
ly look well in print For few minutes
the atmosphere was suphurous in their
vicinity. But what they did was much to
the purpose. Walking up to the four books
that were taking q fall out of Glenhall.
Brown bet each of them a hundred on the
horse at to /.
Then the Texans struck Decline for the
judges stand. The officials OF the day
George Arnold. May Overton and myself
had heard of the peculiar betting market
and were not surprised to receive visit
from Glenhalrs owners.
Jim Brown acted as spokesman and de-
livered himself to this effect: Judges, the
betting down there on our horse Glenhall is
very suspicious and looks as If some one of
these bookmakers thinks he had ace UP
his sleeve. Now, We are here to put our
selves on record that we are trying to win
this race and have backed our horse"
AS he said this Brown pulled out bunch
of tickets on Glenhall and continued: Now,
want to ask you gentlemen to watch
this race very closely, for those fellows
down in the ring have something In the
wind. And If our jockey does anything
wrong you can rule off as we'll as him.
And with that the two men withdrew
Before the race Brown instructed his
jockey to go to the front at once. stay there
II he could and avoid all possible interfer-
ence. These tactics were followed to the
letter. causing a decided demonstration of
applause from the spectators.
Glenhall shot to the front as the red flag
fell. and. opening up gap, led all the
way, winning by six lengths amid shouts
that could have been heard on the banks Of
the Mississippi half dozen miles away.
people formed behind the stands of the