The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1913-07-25
HONESTY HAS. ALWAYS
BEEN THE POLICY OF
GEERSOA THE TRACK
NOT A BLIGHT ON HIS LONG CA
REER AS A DRlv-
SPILENT man FROM TENNESSEE
Had a Chance to Pull the Famous
Hal Pointer at Cleveland But Re-
fused-set a High Standard on the
TrottinQ Turf.

Prominent among the names OF
drivers Of the old school who are
now living and who have never been
accused of resorting to dishonorable
methods to win races are those OF
Budd Dobble and Ed Geers.
Ethics of trotting races have I'M
dergone a great change during the
last twenty-five years, and the one
who has done more than all others
combined to bring about this much
needed reform is the Silent Man
From Tennessee"
In the early days of California
races it is said that scarcely race
was decided upon its merits when
certain we'll known drivers partici
pated. On one occasion horse was
entered that everyone knew far out
classed the field and could win the
race easily If fairly driven. 1t was
also known that the driver of this
horse was one of the most notorious
crooks that ever disgraced trottine
race. In the pool selling before tn.
race this horse sold in the field, ant
his driver openly bought pools on one
of his competitors. 1t did not take
| long for the spectators to draw theil
conclusions.
One man from the back district
bought pools to the amount of 500
on the field, and knowing the char
acter Of the driver behind the horse
that should WIN, prepared for action
Taking a double-barreled shotgun
loaded with buck shot with him, h
stationed himself on the back stretch
of the track, and when the horse!
came around in the first heat he sal
to the crooked driver: you viii
this race or something will happen.
The driver heard and understood ant
won the race in straight heats.
| For a number of years there wa
one of the most notorious gangs o
crooks engaged in driving races a
Overland Park, in Denver, that eve
infested an American race tack
Nearly every race was fixed" an,
no horse was allowed to win that di,
not receive tne sanction of the nefa
rious gang. 1t often happened tina
only one or two of the drivers y;oul,
know what the job was until the tacl
stretch was reached, when the driy
ers would get near enough togethe
to talk to each other and the schem
would be divulged and carried out a
planned.
Thirty years and more ago nun
Der of the then most famous driver
would get together at the beginnin
of every grand circuit campaign an
map out the program for the Who'll
circuit. They would designate tn
horses to win the different races q
the respective meetings, and so lov
erful was this combination that
was an exceedingly difficult unde
taking for any one who would nc
enter the disgraceful compact to wi
a race.
1t is most gratifying to know thu
this species of intrigue and dishol
esty has long since been banishe
from the grand circuit, and, with tn
exception of an occasional laying u
} of a heat, no wrong-doing is no
= charged against any Of the grand CT
i cult drivers. The transformation h.
8 been wrought by the answering 4
> tegrity of few prominent breeder
of whom Ed Geers at all times hs
been the most conspicuous figur
One of the many illustrious exar
pies Of this great exponent Of cles
racing occurred at Cleveland In 1S9