The New York herald., 1922-01-01
YIRGINIA'S FIRST
RACES OF RECORD
Col. Chiswell's Edgecomb Won
on Mile Course at Williams
burg in 1889.
FOUR MILERs IN 1852
Turf History Prior to 1866 in
the Old Dominion Is AL
most a Blank.
BY GURNEY G. CUE.


first organized horse racing in America
took place on Hampstead Plains. L. l.,
fully half a century before legitimate
turf sport supplanted the craze for quar-
ter racing in Virginia, the Old Dominion
still can boast OF the earliest contest on
record in which the names Of the win
ming horse and his owner are known.
This occurred at williamsburg. the
capital and metropolis of the colony, in
1873. and was thus reported In the
Virginia Gazette, then the only news
paper published south of Philadelphia :
Williamsburg. December IA. Last
Wednesday the fair began In this city
and held three days. There was q
Horse Race round the Mile Course the
First day. for n Saddle of Forty
Shlllings Value. Eight horses started,
by Sound. Of Trumpet. and Col. CHS
wells Horse Edgecomb came in First and
won the Saddle. Mr.. Cookies Horse
Singed Cat came in second and won the
Bride OF IL Shillings value. and Mr..
Drummond's Horse came in Third and
won the Whip
or the horses mentioned nothing
whatever is known, but the owner of
the winner of this first race of record
was one of the prominent men of his
day. Col: John Chiswell was born in
Hanover county and was the son Of
Col. Charles Chiswell, who died there In
Fr.t. xHfa
in developing the iron. lead and zinc
mines OF Virginia. AS early as 1852 he
established furnace for the manufac-
ture of iron five miles south OF Fred
ericksburg, and In 1857, about which
time Fort Chiswell was erected and
named for him, he discovered and de-
veloped the first lead and zinc mines.
Turfman's Tragic Death.
The tragic end OF this wealthy and
notable Virginian is one of the sad
stories of Colonial days. He had mar
ried the beautiful Elizabeth Randolph,
daughter of William of Turkey Island !;
ths same who acted as starter In the
litigated quarter race between the
horses OF William Epes and stephen
Cooke at Malvern Hill in 1858. While
living at Williamsburg in 1866 Col
Chiswell got into a quarrel in q tavern
at New Kent. which resulted In the
death of Robert Routledge. He was re-
leased on bail and one of his most inti-
mate friends was designated to conduct
the prosecution OF the case, but It preyed
on the mind Of the accused turfman so
that he committed suicide in his home
before he came to trial.
Mr.. Cooke, the owner of Singed Cat,
like Stephen Cooke OF the quarter race.
Is difficult to identify i'm the misty rec
ords OF two centuries ago. 1t is very
certain. however, that both were among
the numerous descendants of Col. Rich
ard Cooke. who settled in Henrico
county. near the James River, before
1880. And Il Is altogether probable that
the turfman Of 1889 was his greatgra nd
son. Richard Cooke. who represented
Surry county in the HOUSE OF Burgesses
from 144 to 1747. 1t was one of the
Cockes-Thomas. son of Col. Richard
who built the historic house OF i'm
ported brick on Malvern Hill. which
burned only about fifteen years ago.
At this house Gen. Lafayette camped
during the Revolutionary war. and here
Gen. Fitz John Porter, some time Police
Commissioner off New York, made his
headquarters In tho last Of the "seven
days battles" before Richmond In 1862.
when Mcclellan defeated Lee and then
backed away from the scene OF his vic
tory. The Cookies were a family of
horsemen from very early date, and
there can be little doubt that the NAL
vern HUI race paths" of 1858 were on
their property.
Oldest Racing Family.
In this connection It Is worthy of note
that William Epcs. who made the quar-
Ter race OF 234 years ago, was of n
neighboring family, that can be traced
back more than three hundred years in
Virginia history. The matchmaker may
have been descendant of that Capt.
William Epes. or Eppes, as the name
was usually spelled. who, in 16l9, fought
the first duel OF record in the colony. IL
rot in tho country, killing his man, a
sea captain named Edward Statlinge, Gt
Dancing Point. Francis Eppes. another
OF the family, settled on the James before
1926. perhaps In the bend of the river
irst below Curles and Turkey Island.
which still Is known as Eppes Island.
A later Francis, who was major of Col.
Patrick Henry's regiment at the out
break of the Revolution, married
Thomas Jefferson's sister, while Jack"
Eppes, capital horseman, was the
husband Of Jefferson's favorite dauah
WI AAofaht Who NANd Wlllle the Aul1OT
OF the Declaration of Independence was
President.
The Mr.. Drummond whose horse ran
third In the Williamsburg race of 1877
was probably William Drummond, son
Of the Col William Drummond who
came to Virginia from Scotland I'm 1860
and after being sheriff and burgess was
hanged In 1876 for supporting Nathaniel
Bacon of Curles. the original American
rebel. His wife. the mother of William.
was one OF the heroines of Bacon's re-
beilion.
Had No Judge DuvaI.
with the exception of this one race
sat the Williamsburg fair I'm 1889 near
" ell we know Of the Virginia turf and
its turfmen until 1866 Is found in the
incidental mention of men and horses
from the Old Dominion I'm the "Raclng
Memoranda OF the Olden Time" In
Maryland, as compiled and written by
Judge Gabriel Duval of the United
States supreme Court for the ABeri-
cdn Turf Register almost 100 years
ago. Unfortunately "the original race
horse region OF America" had no Judge
Duval TO collect and put on record in
this pioneer sporting magazine the then
rapidly vanishing remains of Virginia's
early turf history, most of which is
now lost forever. The little that was
rvthtichad nj fba tfrpn a. oCc,,rrad oV