426 THE HOUSE OF AMERICA. 



Holton in 1842, that he remembers the mare Maria Russell, and 

 he thinks she was by Seagull, and out of Limber, by Whipster; 

 he also remembers a mare owned by Holton that was by Rattler, 

 but cannot remember any more about her." This confirms Mr. 

 Holton's recollections in a very striking and satisfactory manner. 

 As a trainer Mr. Duvall did not handle the brood mares, but 

 only their produce. He recalled a Seagull mare and a Rattler 

 mare, that Captain Holton owned, but he attached the name 

 "Maria Russell" to the wrong one. This kind of impromptu 

 inaccuracy is almost always an element of strength, for it goes to 

 prove that the witness has not been "coached." He remembered 

 there was a mare by Rattler in the field, and as there was no 

 other Rattler mare owned by either Holton or Russell, the iden- 

 tity of Maria Russell is clearly established as the property of 

 Captain Holton in 1842. 



Eighth. With the high indorsement of Mr. Llewellyn Holton 

 as a man of truth and honor, given on page 421 of this chapter; 

 and with the evidence before me of his clear and unclouded 

 memory in giving correctly not only the pedigrees but the year 

 in which Maria Russell was foaled, and all this before there was 

 any pressure or suspicion on his part as to where his disclosure 

 might lead, I cannot, as an honest man, fail to believe that he 

 told the truth. Thus, after leaving out all the minor evidences, 

 we have the three major points fully and clearly established, 

 namely, (1) the inscription on the silver cup that Captain Hol- 

 ton owned her in 1836; (2) the evidence of William Duvall that 

 he owned her in 1842; and (3) the statement of Llewellyn Holton 

 that he owned her always and that she died his. 



Ninth. At the Woodburn sale of 1863 and 1868 there were cer- 

 tainly at least two hundred experienced horsemen and breeders 

 present who were able to discriminate concerning a mare repre- 

 sented to be thirteen years old when she looked ten years more; 

 or concerning a mare represented to be eighteen years old when 

 she looked as if she were twenty-eight. Hence, no man was 

 willing to bid five dollars on her. This I take it, was the per- 

 sonal judgment of every man who thought anything about it, 

 and when she died a few weeks after the last sale, nobody could 

 doubt that she died of old age, and nobody could doubt that Mr. 

 Alexander represented her to the public just as she had been 

 represented to him, both in age and breeding, by the rogue who 

 victimized him. 



