Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-12-20
STORY ABOUTOUR
old HORSEMEN
Reminensinces About John Stiles
and Benny Headington,
Written by NJ. L.
Grattan.
THEY OWNED
SOME FINE HORSES
Mr.. Headington Lived to be Nearly
One Hundred Years Old, and
Owned Horse Called
Sampson.

The following is an article by NJ
/. Grattan, OF DEBORAH, who is one
of the well known horsemen of the
country, and relates to some well
known pioneer residents here, who
have passed on, but We're very active
in the race horse game when the,
We're here. 1t was printed in ths
Breeders Gazette:
Winneshiek County, Iowa, and tn,
adjoining counties of Fillmore II
| Minnesota and Allamakee in Iowa
! have for 81 years, to my personal
| knowledge, been successful i'm the
breeding of both draft and harness
! horses. In 1865, driving north from
Decorah, | met in rocky pass an
| active old man riding fine draft
stallion. Quick as a cat he jumped
from his horse, and killed a rattle
snake with a we'll aimed rock. He
said that his name was Benny Head
ington, and his horse was called
Sampson. Both were remarkable in
dividuals. The man lived to be near
ly 100, and the horse was correctly
named; he had power, but In addi-
ton he had wonderful action and un-
firing energy. Despite his size, he
also had speed, and a grand daugh-
ter produced Maggie Kevan, 2:25,2
by Star of the West. What his
bloodlines were | never knew. He
was a blood bay with black points.
His sons in the stud were repiIcas
of him, and his daughters transmit
ted his characteristics unfailingly.
The same year a remarkable man
with a remarkable horse became
prominent in DEBORAH. The man was
grandson of President Stiles of
Yale College, and the horse King
Herod was a splendid specimen of
the old-time Morgan. His most not
able campaigners were Herod 2:2412,
Foxie V. 2:23% and Billy Barefoot
2:28R, the first trotter bred in Iowa
to sell for $4,000 in real money
currency, no checks. The owner OF
King Herod, John w. Stiles, also at
tanned great age, as is customary
with men who love and handle horses.
IA is the true elixer of life, beating
fountains Of youth and gland trans
plelILcllOll d NlSlolltNE VI lllOlCs mig
Herod not only sired big money-win-
ming campaigners, but many of the
favorite roadsters of the kings OF
finance, notably Jim" Hills favorite
.dsil-ey-- label Rates HS--hat- -hlnndl
coursed &ffough the veins of champ
ions, and is carried today by beauti-
full and game campaigners.
Skipping many goSa ones, we come
to Cory Kilvert o:16A, a son of
John r. Gentry. The iron-sided
Corey, real race horse, sired W.
G. H. 2:06h, which Geers said this
year at Davenport could step the
end of a mile as fast as any trotter
he ever saw. On the way to champ
ionship honors this five year old in
his second season add luster to the
fame of Allamakee county. His
breeder S. H. Eddy lives in Waukon.
Not to over-burden the crowd col
umns of The Gazette | will close
with the reigning sire of this Sec
ton at the present moment Peter
William 2:14A by Peter the Great
retired from racing by an accident
He had out this year that consistent
winner on the half-mile tracks The
Gilded Lady. Few better PAGERS
scored for the word this year. /
do not recall her lowest mark, but
from the ease and frequency with
which she beat 2:10 she seems head
ed for even time on a mile ring.
Peter Johnson, who broke and devel-
oped Peter the Great, was a good
friend of mine, and l saw him drive
many a race which old copies of the
Gazette thirty and more years ago
record
The tribe of Peter the Great In
his ancestral lines is not so plebian
as some people imagine. Some very
great trotters that | saw race in the
old days figure in his pedigree. As
a matter of fact, he had far more
extreme speed in his ancestry than
either Geo. Wilkes or Electioneer. AS
to looks, he is and always was a
better individual than either one Of
them.
This by way of partial answer TO
a Gazette subscriber who farward
ed To me sketch and picture of the
greatest sire of harness horse speed,
living M, dead M II G.