The New York herald., 1922-01-15

HORSEMEN WRITING
THEIR EXPERIENCES
First Hand History of Ameri-
can Sport by Some of the
Sportsmen.
MIR. GRISWOLD'S BOOKS
mAm =
III. w. Smith, J. r.. Townsend
and Crawford Burton Plan
ming Contributions.
MIR. GRIsWoLD's BOOKS


faded picture of sporting scenes or
characters as they existed in the olden
time is likely to experience many regrets
that so few American sportsmen have
written their recollections of the notable
and interesting men and events coming
under their personal observation. Be
yond the contributions of Judge Gabriel
Duval. John Randolph. Benjamin Ogle
Tayloe and others to the american Tufj
Gegdster and the Spirit Of the Times
There is next to nothing extant, for ex-
ample. in the way of first-hand history
relating to a period OF horse racing
which has hardly been. surpassed in any
country at any time for the distln-
guished character of its contests and
contestants. And this is probably as
true OF trotting, hunting. yachting,
boxing and the rest as it is OF racing.
9What storehouse of turf history we
should now have If men like Col. John
Tayloe, whose recollections went back
almost to the beginning Of racing in
Virginia and Maryland. had written
them for their children or published
them for the information OF the sport
Ing world And In New York there
were men like Lewis Morris and An
Shony Rutgers. and at little later pc
riod Major William Jones of Cold Spring
sharbor, L. l.. and John c. Stevens,
Charles Henry Hall and Cadwallader II.
Golden. of New York, who might have
done like service for the Northern
turf. with which they were closely ass,.
ciated for many years. Yet the most
mat any OF them has left is the long
and interesting letter from Major Jones
TO Frank Forester relating to early New
York horse history when the author of
fhe Horse and Horsemanship of th,
United States" was preparing that work
Two Notable Volumes,
More than half century of racing
has slipped away since then. and scarce
~ volume has been written to tell the
Story OF the horses. men and events.
John B. Irving's History of the South
Carolina Jockey Club" published al
most simultaneously with Forcster's
book, and Douglas Anderson's Making
the American Thoroughbred" which
relates almost wholly to the turf in
Tennessee. and embraces the all too
brief memoirs OF Balie Peyton, are cas-
ny the most noteworthy of these.
IT Is hopeful sign OF the times that
lately a few prominent sportsmen have
get the fashion for making books. and
thc Indications are that the next few
years win see something worth while
accomplished in this field. Under the
,titicpiSport on Land and Water" FRANK
Gray Griswold has written and printed
Tor private circulation five volumes of
his recollcctions relating to the turf,
the chase and the polo field, as well as
yachting and fishing. Mr.. Griswold
was intimately associated with Pierre
LoriIlard in his turf affairs. and these
volumes contain more authentic infor-
nation about the historic invasion OF
England by Iroquois than has ever been
published elsewhere.
In the last volume OF the series, which
recently came from the press, the
author tells the story of Foxhalls great
triumphs abroad over horses like Bend
Or In the Cambridgeshire Handicap,
when the American bred three-year-old
accomplished the impossible by taking
up 126 pounds--more than any other
horse had ever carried to the front In the
race--and beating the four-year-old
Derby winner. 1t was after this SEN
sational performance, Mr.. Griswold says,
that William Day declared Foxhall was
16 or Is pounds a better horse than
1roquois The author adds, however, that
when he asked Fred Archer which was
the better horse the great jockey and
5udge Of race horses. who had ridden
both. replied: 81 think Iroquois would
win at a mile and a half; beyond that
distance I cannot say"
- Historic Ocean Race.
1t Is to be regretted that Mr.. Griswold
has not written the sporting life of his
friend. Mr.. Lorillard who was one of
the outstanding figures of a great period
on the turf and in yachting. shooting
and fishing. 1t is not known to every
body that the first ocean yacht race, for
Z .f. I'll. -.
as one OF the biggest things. II not the
biggest. in all American sporting his
tory was the outcome of an offer made
by Mr.. Lorillard at a dinner at the
Union Club In October. 1866. to match
his centerboard schooner Nesta against
George a. Osgood's keel schooner Fleet
wing to sail from Sandy Hook 10 the
coaHt OF England in the following De-
cenber as a test Of tho seagoing quail
ties of the two types of vessels. Mr..
Griswold tells the story of the match.
which became a three -cornered sweep
stakes by the later entry OF James Cor
don Bennetts Henrietta, the winner of
this daring 3.00o-mile race on wintry
scas. with its amateur owner on board.
leonard w. Jerome won considerably
more than 100000 on the result. he
eays. II well remember when a boy
driving to Jerome Park with him during
the winter OF 1867" he adds. 'in large
blue and golden sleigh which had been
built for him to celebrate the event. 1t
took six horses to pull the sleigh over
the snow. and what surprised me most
was that he drove the zen miles in the
cold without gloves"
Verify. there we're giants in those
days. when men priced stamina above
mere speed in yachts as we'll as race
horses.
The recent untimeiy death OF III. ].
Herbert. one OF the veterans OF fox hunt
ing and polo in America, has deprived
the sporting world of what should have
been an important and interesting vol
ufns OF recollections. lie had been en-
gagged on the work for some time and II
was said he had almost completed It
when lie passed away a few months ago.
John r. Townsend. another devotee OF
fox hunting and of riding. driving and
nearly everything else identified with
horses, Is going TO write his "reminiscences
OF forty years in the world of sport, so
no said dii-jng the last National Horse
eaom.
A Book About Edward Troyc.
Crawford Burton. one of the younger
men In fox hunting, is now collecting
material for history Of the Essex Hunt
of which he is a member. and which. bc
believes had its beginning. informally
aud unoffically, almost a century ago in
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