RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN AND HORSES 



Kate Sprague, and preferred to sell my mare for 

 cash at this price rather than make the trade on the 

 basis Mr. Rockefeller proposed. Subsequently Colo- 

 nel West wrote me that Rockefeller was the friend 

 who wanted the mare. While he was talking with 

 you about trading, he must have written Colonel 

 West to get the lowest price for cash. Of course 

 I did not know who Colonel West's friend was when 

 he wrote me, and now, unless Mr. Rockefeller will 

 give me $10,000 and Kate Sprague, do not make the 

 trade with him." 



The straightforward character of the man Is re- 

 vealed by this letter. 



December 8, 1882, Mr. McFerran wrote to me: 



" I notice in the last issue of your paper an ar- 

 ticle in which ex-Governor Stanford says that he 

 would like to have seen his young mare Wildflower 

 in a race against Eva, Alroy, and Algath, or any 

 other three-year-old, and, if such a race could be 

 gotten up, he would keep his stable here two weeks 

 longer and start Wildflower In It. Now, this seems 

 just a little thin, as a purse was made up by the 

 Gentlemen's Driving Association for all three-year- 

 olds to trot on the 25th of October last for $2000. 

 Algath was entered and an express car was held 

 here on the sidetrack four days waiting for orders 

 to ship. Algath's clothes were packed in her trunk, 

 sulky boxed and ready to go, when the President of 

 the Association wired me not to ship, as the race was 

 off, on account of two of the parties backing out. 

 She Is now turned out for the winter, therefore. It Is 

 impossible for me to accept the offer of the Gov- 



304 



