34 LIFE WITH THE TROTTERS. 



money, the i^urse being $1,500. The celebrated Col. Baker, 

 from Seneca Falls, JS". Y., was uj) behind Tom Keeler, and 

 always out for the money. W. H. Crawford was there 

 with Annie Collins, Hanked by the New York delegation, 

 who wanted to back her, and Logan was backed by a con- 

 tingent from the rural districts, so that on the whole there 

 was prettj^ lively speculation. Major Barker, a well-known 

 New Yorker in those days, but long since dead, was the 

 pool-seller. He told me that if I thought my horse had a 

 chance to win he would put some money on and divide the 

 profits. I said the Chief had a chance in that com- 

 pany, but advised that not over a hundred dollars be 

 invested, as I had in my mind one thing. I was trot- 

 ting over a rough track against a lot of good horses 

 and men and did not want to take any chances of hurting 

 my horse. Barker finally said he would play a hundred 

 dollars, which would win about a thousand if our plans did 

 not miscarry. Tom Keeler went out and won the first two 

 heats, but all this time Kansas was hardly in sight, being 

 laid up at the tail of the hunt. In the third heat I trailed 

 until we turned into the home stretch, at which point I 

 swung the Chief well to the outside, and when I gave him 

 his head the white-faced fellow made short work of the 

 others. When we went under the Avire in the lead the 

 fielders who had been backing the outfit for ten dollars in a 

 hundred sent up a howl of the character that is never heard 

 outside the State of Indiana. I think, from the expression 

 on Mr. Baker's countenance, that he was a little surprised, 

 and when we scored for the next heat there was an evident 

 disposition on the part of my opponents to see that I got 

 none the best of it. AYlien the word was given I again 

 trailed until the half-mile pole was reached, at that point 

 moving into second place. As we turned into the stretch 

 Keeler was in the lead. Again I gave the old horse his 

 head, Avith the same result, an easy win at the finish. With 

 Kansas and Keeler having two heats apiece the boys began 

 to hedge in the pool-box. I told Major Barker to stand 



