Arizona republican., 1922-06-20
The Once OUer
THE SAD PLIGHT OF
PHIL SHERIDAN'S HORSE

PHIL S6ERIDAN'S HORSE
The Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals should do some
thing about winchester. Winchester
the horse that ran a twenty mile
race and saved the day at Cedar
Creek, is being compelled to stand,
immovable, with his right foreleg
crooked at the knee, year after year,
at the age of sixty or thereabouts.
o o
OF course, Winchester is only a
stuffed horse. But even a stuffed
horse has his sensibilities. The in
justice began when they stuffed him.
He played quite as important part
at the battle of Cedar Creek as Cen
eral Phil Sheridan. If it was fair
to stuff the horse, why wasn't it fair
to stuff Sheridan?
o o o
The general lies at peace on a
green hillside, under shady trees.
with nothing to disturb his rest: but
his horse. with two glass eyeballs re-
placing the real thing, has been
standing on Governors Island in a
stuffy building. his innards stuffed
with excelsior and his hide soaked
with preservatives, for many years.
He is powerless to swish his tail or
wriggle his skin enough to disturb
visiting horsefles.
A few days ago they transferred
him to the Smithsonian Institution
at washington There he Will be
oiled up a bit and made to stand for
another fifty years or so. And with
that right foreleg in the same tire
some position, too.
Imagine Phil Sheridan, stuffed with
straw, being oblig ID TO stand on a
block of mahogany. with his right
leg akimbo, all these years. No tax
idermist could touch him.
o o
You recall. of course, the part of
the horse and the general in the Civil
War. If not we have the racing
charts before us, and can give YOU
the facts Winchester became IA
nous in the Cedar Creek Sweep
stakes The race was run Oct. 8,
1864, the facts being as follows:
Distance: 30 miles. Track: soft.
Winner, Winchester b.g.. 4, by
Emancipation Rebellion. Jockey: p
Sheridan.
Summary: Winchester, at home in
the going, broke in motion. struck
fast pace for the first ten miles;
appeared to be tiring but was let
down at 18th mile and came stronger
than ever; finished at terrific gallop
with plenty in reserve. Sheridan, a
good Judge of pace, gave horse a
mastery ride and was loudly cheered
at finish. Showing of horse with SO
much weight up caused experts to
declare him a horse with a great
future.
The race was considerable of a
surprise. Nobody had a line on what
the horse could do A few days be-
fore the race Confederate clockers
reported Winchester had worked a
fast is miles on a soft track. Another
reported that he "breezed fifteen
miles and a quarter under = pull"
o o
When General Early attacked the
Union troops at Cedar Creek that
day he knew General Sheridan was
at Winchester, 20 miles away. and
doubted that his horse could go the
distance. But the horse did and the
ride is famous in song and story.
O o
And now old winchester, 5S years
later. is in the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition stuffed.
"It don't seem fair" he complained
TO the horse editor recently. I'm
stuffed and all that, but you can get
terribly tired under such conditions.
Try it yourself and see. And it
grieves me to see how racing has
Changed. Man o. War and Norwich
both hand me laugh. Six furlongs.
!. Luvva Mike :. used to
run that far by way of setting-up
exercises. And today afte.' two years
of racing they send fast horse to
nasture. And when they kick in
they'll be given decent burials. And
here I am stuffed and stiff and un-
comfortable Would you mind
swatting that fly on my side Z"