LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS. 25 



and we matched her against a horse called One-Eyed Riley 

 that belonged to a Mr. Hopper, the race to be trotted on the 

 Fourth of July over the Paterson track for $250 a side, the 

 \\anner to take the gate money. Drivers in those days tried 

 to keep everybody from finding out how good a horse they 

 had, and if it was desired to give them a trial the work was 

 done early in the morning by moonlight. There was a great 

 deal of talk and feeling about the race with One-Eyed Riley. 

 I had a man to watch the other j^arty and see what they 

 were doing with their horse. One night about eleven 

 o'clock he came on a run and called me out of l)ed, saying 

 the other fellows were getting ready to give their horse a 

 trial. I donned my clothes and flew to the track, and sure 

 enough One-Eyed Riley and his driver and friends were 

 there and had the outside gate locked. I remember that 

 the driver of Riley was a German. I hid in the grand 

 stand and started and stopped my watch when the trial was 

 given. It was dark, and at that time I could not tell how 

 well he had gone. After Riley finished the mile his driver 

 said to the owner, speaking German all the time, that the 

 horse went crooked with him. The owner said that was all 

 right, he would go straight on the day of the race. I could 

 not understand what they Avere saying, but my agent could 

 talk German, and he kept me posted. On looking at my 

 watch when my room was reached, I found that Riley's 

 mile was in 3:07, and then I knew we had them beaten. I 

 got word to them the following night that my mare would 

 be given a trial, and Mr. Post came down. We were certain 

 that the other side was watching us, so I drove the mare in 

 3:16. I think the medicine took, for the next morning- 

 some of Mr. Hopper's friends came to Mr. Post's office and 

 bet him $250 more that Riley would beat his mare. On the 

 day of the race the elite of Paterson came down to witness 

 the contest. My mare beat Riley, the fastest heat being 

 3:07. I think that there was close to $5,000 bet on that 

 race. With that kind of a horse now a man would have 

 considerable trouble to win that amount of nionev. 



