XX HIRAM WOODRUFF. 



there is no reason for wonder that he made his steed understand 

 himself, as well as know his master. One half of a horse's speed 

 is in the mind of his rider or driver. When it is known to the 

 world that a horse has made a mile a second or half-second faster 

 than it was ever made before, some rider of some other horse, 

 nerving himself with the knowledge of the fact, and infusing that 

 knowledge into his horse by dint of his own enthusiasm, sends him 

 a second or two faster still ; and the result of the mental emula- 

 tion is a permanent improvement which never is retraced. HIRAM 

 WOODRUFF was the first to take this mental grip of the powers of 

 the trotting-horse ; and the result, in his case, was, that, by dint of 

 his own mind, he carried him triumphantly over the gap which 

 lies between 2.40 and 2.18. 



There are yet other characteristics of HIRAM WOODRUFF, 

 which, in bidding him farewell, we are called upon to notice. 

 Viewed in connection with his peculiar walk in life, these traits are, 

 if possible, more remarkable than his genius ; and they arrest the 

 attention as matters of surprise. We allude to his incorruptible 

 personal integrity under the usual temptations of his station. It is 

 not enough, therefore, to say that HIRAM WOODRUFF was an hon- 

 est man. He was more than that ; for he was utterly incapable 

 even of sharp practices, or meannesses of any kind. Happen what 

 might, he would not conceal any of his opinions from an employer, 

 or retain an employment by misrepresenting the merits of an ani- 

 mal intrusted to his care. And, when he brought his horse to the 

 arena, it was certain he would be honestly driven, however the 

 money might be on. The most abandoned men who frequent 

 the trotting-tracks dared not, even after he had been on the turf 

 but a short tune, venture to approach him with a dishonorable 

 proposition ; for they had discovered his invincible integrity, and 

 felt, that, in such case, their exposure was inevitable. In this re- 

 spect, and taking all things together, HIRAM WOODRUFF may be 

 regarded as a phenomenon. Here is a man, born, as it were, in 

 the very dregs of the stable, thrown constantly among the vicious 

 and depraved, and frequently tempted by the most alluring oppor- 

 tunities of profit, who preserves his integrity intact, in the midst 

 of a general society largely tainted with corruption, and during a 

 period in which the honesty of almost every public officer is touched 

 with suspicion. It is not singular, therefore, that no trainer or 

 driver ever envied HIRAM his business or disputed his superiority. 



