Norwich bulletin., 1919-01-04
TURF TRAGEDIES.
By w, n, Gocher

Racing has it's tragedies as well as
its pleasures and while very few of
them appear in front of the scenes.
there are times when tears are bind
ed with the applause that roofs
through the grandstand after the fin
ish of heat. Ample evidence of this
was seen at Hartford in 1905 when
the thousands who had assembled to
witness the contest for the $4,000
Charter Oak purse saw Sadie Mac fall
dead near the distance in the fourth
heat as Angola flashed by the stand
in front of Norman B. and Lisoniero.
1t was conceded for weeks that
barring accident, tie unbeaten
daughter of Peter the Great and Fan
ella would win this event, as she had
repeatedly shown faster than any
horse entered in it. At Detroit in her
first start of the year, Sadie Mac won
in 2:0612, while at Buffalo she
landed a $4,000 event without being
forced to drive. Her next appear
ance was at Readville in another
$4,000 event, where she lost her first
heat during the season and the second
one in her career to Kid Shea but
won in 2:06A. Another victory
awaited her at Providence, where she
defeated Lady Gail Hamilton and
Turley in 2:07& while the end came
without d moments warning at
Charter Oak Park, where in her
threeyear- old form she won from
EtheFs Pride and Lord Roberts, and
also where her dam was foaled.
The most spectacular death of a
trotter that ever occurred on a race
track was seen at Pittsburgh on July
Is, 1881, during the inaugural meeting
OF Homewood Park, when Bonesetter
dropped dead. He had trotted two
heats with Driver, Midnight, Wedge
wood, TTinket and Patchen, being in
the thick of the fight in each. In the
third heat, while Midnight and Think
ct were furnishing out in front Bone
setter faltered near the distance. Nc
earthly yelled for someone to catch
him. No one came to the rescue.
while the splendid stallion. whose
brilliant racing had thrilled thous-
ands for four seasons, stags and
swayed almost to the Judges stand.
where with a lunge, he fell towards
the rail and was dead when he struck
the ground.
Bonesetter was bred in Tennessee
ana was owned by H. V. Bemis of
Chicago when he did D. B. Hubbard
brought him out in 1873 when he won
good horses as Woodford, Mambrino,
SCOTS Thomas and indianapolis,
While he also had a seven heat battle
with Protein and Little Fred at Chi
cage at Chicago, the BIackwood mare
winning after BoneSetter had placed
! two heats and a dead heat to his
credit.
Frank Van Ness raced Bonesetter
in 1879 when he won twelve of eight
cen starts from such horses at Driver,
! Hannis, Noltaire, Dick Swiviller and
Charley Ford. Dan Mace also won
with him in 1880 when his score was
eight frsts out of twelve starts, while
in 1881 Mccarthy won two races with
him at Fort Wayne and was beaten
| by Trinket Wedgewood and Voltaire
| prior to his death at Pittsburgh, the
race at that meeting being won by
| John Shillinglaw with Midnight
BOnesetter is entitled to a tab in
I in the race horse hall of fame as dur
| ing his career he was started in fifty
two races Of which he won thirty. He
was also second in thirteen, third in
six. fourth in two and unplaced ir
! five The black mare Flash 2:19I
made a place for him in the table Of
| Sires.
The most gruesome tragedy on the
turf occurred at Chicago, Sept. %
1866, in connection with the IS, O0C
match race between General Butler
! and Cooley. The latter was the favor
! ite and won the first two heats. The
! next two We're won by General But
( Ter. 1t was almost night when the
| heat was started. General Butler wa!
in front as the horses disappeared
around the turn and nothing NOR,
was seen Of them until Cooley jogget
in and General Butler Butler gallope(
by without a driver.
An investigation developed the fac
that someone whose identity was nev
er known knocked board off tn
back fence Of the grounds and held i
over the inside rail Of the back stretcl
near the half-mila pole so that tn
head of William McKeever who wa
driving General Butler, struck it whe1
his horse passed that point. Mickey
err dropped from the sulky dead Will
the perpetrator Of the crime escape
through the hole in the fence.