LIFE WITH THE TROTTEKS. 29 



sold by Mr. Akers to Mr. Arthur Gillender of New York, 

 who has always been prominent on the turf and weli-lvnowii 

 as the owner of Sensation and Hopeful, two horses that in 

 their day were stars of the first magnitude. Mr. Gillender 

 j)laced Kansas Chief in the hands of George Ferguson, one 

 of the old-time school of horse drivers, and as faithful, 

 painstaking, and careful a man as I ever knew. Mr. Fer- 

 guson was the first man to bnild in New York City a model 

 stable for the boarding of gentlemen's road horses, a busi- 

 ness that is still carried on by his son Frank, a worthy 

 young man in every respect. 



The following season Mr. Ferguson began to train Kan- 

 sas Chief, but he seemed to have lost his speed. I think 

 now, from what I learned of the horse afterward, that the 

 climate and the change in treatment affected him. He was 

 a horse that had always been used to the oj^en air and the 

 grass of the Western plains, not getting much grain. The 

 training, the difference in climate, the clothing, etc., seemed 

 to have a bad effect on his whole system, and about this 

 time he developed a disease of the feet, and while some- 

 times he would show speed he was not successful in any of 

 his races. I think Jie was trained a short time by Mace and 

 showed a mile at Prospect Park in about 2:25, but his feet 

 hurt him so that Mace had to stoj) training him. Mr. 

 Gillender, becoming discouraged, sold the Chief to Dunn 

 Walton, a man whose heart is as big as his body is long ; 

 and that is saying a good deal. Walton was an old friend 

 and comi^anion of Mace, and he was also very friendly 

 with Mr. Simmons, so much so that they used to trade 

 horses on an average of about seven times a week, and in 

 one of these daily horse-swaps Kansas Chief was trans- 

 ferred to Mr. Simmons' stables. He was brought to Prospect 

 Park, and I want to say here that what I have thus far 

 written concerning Kansas Chief is from hearsay, although 

 I believe it to be strictly correct in all essential points, but 

 from this time on whatever is written about the horse comes 

 from my personal knowledge and exjperience. 



