The New York herald., 1922-03-05
ANOTHER VARIATION
OF WELLS'S STORY
Louisiana norseman in 1919
Said That Edith Was Bred to
kaxington i'm 1855.
SHAREHOLDERS DECIDE
Vote Their Stock on Question
of Peter the Greats Pedigree
i'm A. Il. II. A. Meeting.
by GURNEY c. CUE.

by GURNEY e. CUE.
One moro story told by Jefferson
Lexington out of Edith by imported
Sovereign has come to light since the
stewards of the Jockey Club admitted
this nebulous thoroughbred to registra
ton In the American Stud Book. Frank
II. Best, secretary of the American
Trotting Register Association, says that
in 1919 the aged Louisiana horseman
told him that to the best of his opinion
the mare Montfort Wells traded to the
blacksmith was a bay mare by LeAlng-,
ton, dam Edith, and that Edith Was
by imported Sovereign out Of Fandango.
lie also stated that Edith was bred to
Lexington in New Orleans in 1855, be-
fore he was purchased and taken to
kentucky. 1 noted that the list of
produce of Edith in the stud Book. Vol.
T.. page 367, began with 1856, b. G.
Milton Relf, by Cracker (son of Boston)
and then wrote for more information as
to this daughter OF Lexington, but had
no further information from Mr.. Wells"
1t will be remembered that when the
late May Overton was trying 10 un-
ravel the mystery of Peter the Greats
maternal ancestry in 1914 either T. NJ,
Wells or jefferson Wells, or both of
them, declared Lady Bess was by i'm
ported Yorkshire out of Grzette by I'm
ported Glencoe. tSee Chicago Horse
man. May II, 1850 Both cousins now
state that she was by Lexington out Of
Edith. but their affidavits do not tell how
they know 1t, nor do they attempt to
explain their previous conflicting state
ments. For all that appears in the
affidavit this may be merely the best
of their opinion as jefferson Wells nut
II when he made his statement to Mr..
Best. 1t having been shown that Edith
could not have produced Lady Bess in
1855 Jefferson Wells has shifted his
ground as TO her age as we'll as her sire
and dam, and in the affidavit procured
by Mr.. Gochcr last December he says
ale was foaled in 1855.
Testing His CredibIIity.
Further indicating the credibility OF
Jefferson Wells as a witness. Mr. Best
says ne stated to him in 1919 that he
was born in 1894. I'm the Horsen,dn OF
May II, 1915" MIR Best continues. els
letter from jefferson Wells dated Feb
r7iary q, 1914, in which he says that IL
ne lives until the 10th of March no will
be SO years old. In the matter sent out
by Mr.. Gocher-release of November 10,
1a21-Jefferson Wells is there quoted AS
saying he is 50 years old"
In his affidavit given to Mr.. Gocher.
dated December 10, 1921, Mr. Wells Is
becominGly silent as to his age. This
instrument. which is on file at the Office
Of the Jockey Club. affords a shining
example of the loose talk often found
In aflldavits.
II know personally that Ben Pryor
never trained Lexington" he says. Yet
the Spirit of the Times of May IL, 1855,
publishes an account of the presentation
OF silver service TO Pryor by Governor
Herbert of Louisiana on behalf "of
rho friends of Mr.. J. B. Pryor, the
trainer of the famous race horse Lex-
ington."
after Henry Ten BroeclS sold Lex
ington he took this $4,000 and pur-
chased Lecomtc, Prioress and Starke.'-
IS another example OF the aged horse
mans hopeless confusion about turf
happenings Of more than three score
years ago. Checking up this statement
by contemporaneous records in the
Spirit of the Times II Ia found that
Richard. not Henry. Ten Brock bought
Lecomte and Prioress from Gen. Wells
for s12,500 at New Orleans prior 70
May Z, 1856, which was two months be-
fore he went to England. His sale OF
Lexington is thus chronicled in the
Spirit of September 13, 1856: Mr.
Alexander of Woodford, KY has pLr-
chased the celebrated race horse Lex
tngton. He met Mr.. Ten Brock in
England and the purchase was made
there. We understand the price paid
Starke In Louisiana as late as 1858, ac-
cording TO the Spirits reports from
Alexandria and New Orleans
Numerous other glaring rnisstate-
ments, which might have been discov-
cred II the stewards had tested them by
the files OF the pioneer American sport
ing paper In the room where they ron
dcred their decision. run through the
affidavit.
Lady Duncan Not Identiacd.
Though the American Trotting Regis
ter Association "sidestcpped' decision
on the breeding OF Lady Bess tho stock
holders of that corporation did some
thing equally unwarranted by the
known facts when they accepted the
doubtful pedigree of Peter the Greats
granddam. Lady Duncan. or Shadow
back to that elusive, or Elusive, Lexng-
ton mare. whose peculiar little white
spot behind one OF her ears Is now
suddenly remembered by everybody
who says he saw her sixty years ago.
There has long been grave doubt as
to whether the patriotic Clarksville
neighbors who have come forward in
the last few years to prove the pedigree
We're talking about the same mare that
S. A. Browne OF Pentwater Mch, pur-
chased Mt Nashville In 1876 from william
M. Duncan and then called Lady Dun
can. r.. +. Gin OF Clarksvlile. whose
affidavit seems to have been the only
one covering this point in the A. T.. II.
a. hearing at Chicago. SAYS tho sup
posed Lady Duncan was sold by her
breeder. Mrs. Doctor Greenfield, to n
Mr.. Quarles. and after being trained a
short time passed TO n hotel keeper in