The New York herald., 1921-11-27
Man Who Rode Dam of Peter
the Greats Reputed Ances-
tor in 1862 Turns Up.
ROMANCE OF THE TURF
Jefferson Wells Of Scott's
Louisiana Cavalry Says Lex
ington Was Her Sire.
ny GURNEY G. CUE.

anything more romantic come to light in
the horse world than W. H. Gocher's lat
est discovery concerning the mysterious
sam Johnson horse, or Creole. that is
believed to be the sire of the great
sranddam OF Peter the Great, 2:O7X
Shanghai Mary was hot headed. white
faced, white legged bob tailed sorrel
trotting mare OF great speed that Henry
Weed of Staten Island drove on the road
in New York shortly before the civil
war. She got her name from the mu-
tilated condition OF her tall which gave
her something OF the appearance, Billy
Van Cott used to say. of chicken with
out its tail feathers. Bred to Harry
Clay 2:2e. she produced in 1862 the little
brown mare Green Mountain Maid that
was the dam OF Electioneer and an un-
eGualled brood of other trotters. When
.Aey tried to trace the ancestry OF
Shanghai Nary the trail ended In north
eastern Ohio, where some drovers from
this State bought her on the road from
a young man who had apparently ridden
her long distance and who told them
Tho calves had eaten the hair off her
A<il. ISOIne CHt WHO IuOuRlL the EraNQ-
dam of Electioneer ought to have an
aristocratic pedigree started the story
that she was daughter of Lexington,
and John III. Wallace accepted it with
qualification. but 1t never had any
foundation. and was stricken out OF the
stud book when It became known that
she was older than her reputed sire.
Was 1t Shanghai Mary.
Forty years after Shanghai Mary was
dead and gone a horseman at Lebanon,
Ohio, brought out some evidence which
tended to show that the mare traded for
by the sheep drovers from western New
York might have been a well bred
daughter OF Irons Cadmus, sire of the
great PAGER Pocahontas, 2:171s that
had disappeared from the stable of
Goldsmith Coffeen of Red Lion. when
one of his sons ran away from home at
Just about the time the drovers met the
hard ridden mare and the young man
who answered the description OF young
Coffeen
All that has ever been known about
Creole is that he was a handsome black
saddle stallion. whose dam. n bay mare.
then in foal was ridden in to Clarksviile.
Tenn. in February. 1862, by Confed-
crate soldier of scott's Louisiana cavalry
and traded TO Joe Thomas, blacksmith
on the Russellv.lle turnpike.
Now comes Thomas NJ Wells OF Grant
county. Louisiana, nearly sixty years
after the civil war episode, and says that
he is the Identical member Of Scott's
Cavalry who rode the mare into Clarks-
vile and traded her to a blacksmith be-
cause she was too heavy in foal to carry
him further. Mr.. Wells is S6 years old
and IS the only survivor Of Col. Scott's
command. He is a nephew of Gen. I. J.
Wells. famed in turf annals as the owner
OF the great Reel, and breeder OF Le-
conte, Prjoress Starke and War Dance
He says the mare he rode was given to
him by his uncle, and that she was O
thoroughbred runner by Lexington out
Of Edith, by imported Sovereign. He
named her Lady Bess and learned after
ward that she had been bred to dock
tailed black pacing stallion known as
Aikenhead thft Gen. Wells purchased
from James Aikenhead, who took him TO
Louisiana from Lyons, N. Y. This horse,
ne says. was the sire of Creole.
Corroborating Mr.. Wells his cousin,
Jefferson Wells, now 80 years old, says
Gen. Wells raised Lady Bess. and that
she was foaled in 1856. Edith was
bred to Lexington at the race track in
New Orleans" he states, "after she
raced there in 1884" In explanation OF
the fact that Lady Bess is not to be
found in the stud book. he says her
dam. Edith. was shipped to Kentucky
soon after having been bred to Lexing-
ton. james A. Grinstead a banker, |
had the mares in charge at Midway. Ky. !
Grinstead gave the pedigrees of the colts
TO Bruce for the stud book. The foals |
OF mares bred in Louisiana and dropped
in Kentucky received no pedigrees, as
\lSrinstead had no record OF them
Edith Ancestor of Domino.
Ms interesting to note right here
ffXdith in 1857 produced filly by
in that when bred to War Dance
W.. ~ Lexington and Reel. foaled
Tho rSXhose daughter. Mamie Gray, |
.1d r,n-N\of Domino.
1854 vii, y Lexington with any mare
a. roost Marty with Edith in April. |
reroa,oharos good many horsemcn
pschard IT,, Sproceeding when It Is |
choTiars,. - Xexington's owner. |
any horse IN sirfyas then issuing
change Of acrirnoni% Vso tsot an ak rs
Spirit Of the Times waA..s 80 ~.
tween the owner Of In, n,scs he
owner or Lexington afterE and tho
Cen Wells's great colt in hcto,.,, 90
New Orleans on April g. TAa
were hurting high explosivesS ,n.-s @
other through the Spirit all sprNocn
summer In that eventful year Ns
Jefferson Wells says in his IetterN I
Lexington was trained by Graves. RN
Bruce who wrote n history OF Iexir,,
Ton. says he was trained nj this time +
,. 3. Pryor, and also says the first OF n
get was j. G. Breckenridge, foaied
1885. In letter to Mr. Bruce write
from Hoirndel n. j., in 1891 Mr.. Pryc
himself stated that Lexington came inf
bis hands In 1883. when he was tv
years old. Finally, Il is to be remerr
bered mat at the time Gen. Wells IA rs
ported 70 have bred Edith to Lexinrto
on the race track at New Orleans he ha,
mere better bred colt Of his own. tn
same oge as Lexington, also by the sam
sire. and one that had beaten the col
owned by the man whom he was accus
ing OF unsportsmanliISe conduct.
In his letter 10 Mr.. Gocher Jefferso,
Wells says at the outset that he ia 20
Years old and Il has taken time for b,-r
10 think OF the past. which seems 10 I'm.
dicate that the Incidents OF sixty-soven
years ago, about which he was under.
taking 10 write. had almost faded from,
MS memory. Whether his recolIectior
"a ct fault or whether the seer,i,ri,,
extraordinary occurrence which he re.
lstes took place exactly as stated tbo
reader must Judge for himself.
John E. Maddeu's Comment.
John II Madden. who started ana
financed the inquiry conducted b,, M
1ocher. has said In comment on tho
n1affar. e'N