— 437- 



lie knew ui' a buckskin mare that was owned by a physiciaji about 15 

 miles away, that was the counterpart of the one I was talking about. 

 Although I thouglit it not at all probable, yet I deemed it perhaps 

 possible that it might be my 'Topsy' of the days of long ago. 

 Whereupon I telephoned to the doctor that if he would bring the 

 mare to my exhibition (it being the last of my series at this time; I 

 would give him S15, which he consented to do. I will here make the 

 confessfon that I was anxious to see and verify, if possible, the actual 

 strength of a horse's memory, there having been a lapse of about 11 

 years°since I had seen the mare. The doctor came, arriving at about 

 five p. M., but I did not go near or see the mare until in the presence 

 of my audience that evening." 



At the commencement of the show several bad animals were brought 

 in to have their various faults corrected. The Professor put them 

 throudi a similar course of treatment to that of other evenings, and 

 they became docile. He then gave them an exhibition of driving his 

 trained horse, " Ham," without bridle or reins, simply using the whip 

 as a guide. The animal's obedience showed his trainer's skill, and 

 called forth much applause from the spectators. Then the " buckskin " 

 mare was brought in. This animal had been exhibited by him in 

 Philadelphia and Baltim.ore. Eleven years before he had sold her in 

 Jamaica, Vermont ; from there she had been sold to different owners, 

 having been used for over a year on the horse-cars in Wooster, and 

 finally coming into the possession of Dr. Kelsey. When she first 

 came upon the track. Professor Gleason called her to come to him, 

 but she responded by running in the opposite direction. He then put 

 a rope on her, and she seemed suddenly to remember her old master 

 and trainer. The rope was removed, and she went through all sorts 

 of tricks — laughing, dancing, pawing, and many others. She was then 

 hitched up without a bridle and driven. Professor Gleason made her 

 stop, paw, snort, and rear, as if balking, and then, at the motion of his 

 whip, start on again. Dr. Kelsey, the owner, was present, and said 

 that he had never known that the mare could perform any of the>e 

 tricks. 



From Wooster, Mass., he went to Washington, D. C, fillingf a second 

 engagement of two weeks' duration, during w^hich time he bandied a 

 man-eating stallion, known as the "Nelson Horse," from Virginia, 

 weighing 2,200 pounds. This was the most vicious brute that was ever 



