The New York herald., 1922-05-14

TO him and his paper a half the faVor-
able notice received through his pur-
chase of the little white faced. white
legged. watch eyed king of trotters. He
and his famous horse were constantly
in the public eye. When President elect
tation to visit New York and ride be-
hind Dexter the hero of Appomattox
drove him in a brush on Harlem Lane,
now known as St. Nicholas avenue, and
the incident was perpetuated In popu-
lar engraving of the period entitled
Taking the Reins." for which collectors
of sporting prints nowadays pay smart
price.
For quarter of a century Mr. Bonner
continued 10 bull the horse market by
collecting kings and queens OF the trot-
ting turf at unexampled prices and re-
firing them to his "nunnery." as the
palatial private stable near Fifth avenue
came to be called by those who hankered
to see Rarus, Maud s., Sunol. 2:oSA,
and the rest continue their public racing
instead OF going into retirement while
in the prime OF life. This feeling grew
particularly strong concerning Maud >.
when her great rival, Jay-Eye-See, the
first horse to trot in 2:10, was at the
zenith of his career, Jerome /. Case,
millionaire horse fancier of Racine.
Wis, owned the black gelding and had
issued a challenge to trot him against
any horse in the world for $4,000 a
side This so annoyed William III. Van
derbilt. who then owned Maud s., that
he hastily sold her to Mr.. Bonner for
$4,000 when he could have taken
S100, 600, so it was said. from a syndi-
cate of horsemen who wanted her TO
race. But Mr.. Case and his manager.
William II. Crawford, did not even then
subside. Knowing the new owner OF
Maud s. would not permit her to race
for purse for wager they proposed
match for gate money. which was to
be devoted to a charity namSh by the
owner of the winning horse.
How Maud s. Made Record.
Maud s. made her fastest record when
owned by Mr.. Bonner. and the condi-
tions under which she trotted show the
strict observance of her owners con-
scientious scruples against racing horses
for money. Rules OF the National Trot-
ting Association did not recognize as
technical records any performances.
however public and well attested, unless
something was at stake ON the result OF
the trial of speed. To get around this
intimate friends of Mr. Bonner ar
ranged to have cup offered to COM
memorate" her trial. which, officers of
the n. T. A. decided with some hesita-
ton, would satisfy the rules. The man
who was then president OF the board of
trustees Of the Fifth Avenue Presby-
terian Church also hesitated about let
ting Maud S. trot for this trophy. but
he. too, stretched his rules sufficiently
TO accept the cup as "commemorating''
the race against time, and so 1t went
into the books as technical record. and
remained there nearly twenty years, un-
equalled by any horse trotting to high
wheel sulky and without artificial aid
on an oval track.
The sentiment attached to this per-
formance and to the mare that made it
was illustrated when. after Mr.. Bon
ners' death. his surviving sons. Robert
Edwin and Frederic, Joined in protesting
TO the constituted authorities against the
acceptance of performance in 2 :05 to
high wheel sullxy made by Lou Dillon
with the aid Of windshield in 1908. A
special tribunal consisting OF the presi-
dents of the National Trotting Assocfa-
ton, the American Trotting Association
and the American Trotting Register AS
sociation. was created to hear and deter
mine the case. and when its ruling up
held the protest there was rejoicing not
all the old-time admirers OF the great
daughter of Harold.
Horsemen of Bonner Family.
The elder Bonner died In July, 1899.
His last noted road horse was the big
chestnut gelding Praytell. :09h and
until short time before his fatal Ill
ness he could be seen almost any pleas
ant afternoon jogging this horse or the
bay mare Elfrida, :131. up the west
drive in Central Park. A. A. Bonner,
popularity known among horsemen as
Alley Bonner in the mistaken belief
that he had been named in honor OF
George b. Alley, the early owner oi
Dexter. died a few months before his
father. He left two sons, the older one
named Lawrence Kip. in honor of the
first president of the old Suburban Rid
ing and Driving Club. and a captain
during the war in the division COM
manded by Major General Clarence Ed
wards. who was son of Col. William
Edwards. long president of the Cleve-
land Driving Park, where Maud s.
made her final record of :0S%. Rob-
ert Allen Bonner. the younger son, was
also In the army.
Frederic Bonner better known as an
art collector than as a horseman,
though he often drove his fathers fast
trotters. died many years ago. Robert
Bonner's other son, Robert Edwin, is
still living and resident of New York.
He took up the breeding of trottins
horses for a time after the death Of his
father. but dispersed his stud when
automobiles began to drive the harness
horses off the roads.