CHAPTER III. 



Rams, the first trotter to beat 2:14 — How he was bred and raised by a Long 

 Island farmer — The old gentleman thought by his neighbors to be too 

 enthusiastic about the colt — His first race on the Island — How he came 

 into my hands, after making a record of 2:20^?^— A successful trip through 

 the central circuit, winning all his races but one — How Jim Crawford 

 fooled the pool buyers — Going West and beating the famous Bodine— 

 Entering Rarus in a race against the crack trotters of the land. 



Away back in the war times, or rather, just after the 

 Rebellion, there lived in one of the iDrettiest ]Darts of Long 

 Island, and with a farm overlooking the Sound, an old 

 gentleman named R. B. Conklin. In his younger days Mr. 

 Conklin had been a stage-cari:)enter, and, in the i^ui'suit of 

 his trade, drifted -to New York, of which city he was a resi- 

 dent for many years. His business brought him in contact 

 with the world a great deal, and a natural love of trotting 

 was fostered and encouraged by the fact that in the vicinity 

 of New York there were two of the leading tracks of the 

 day. and two more, the Fashion and Union, on Long- 

 Island. 



Being an economical man, as well as an industrious 

 one, Mr. Conklin had saved some xiortion of his earnings, 

 and by the time he had reached the meridian of life was 

 the j)ossessor of a tine little farm at Greenj^ort, Long Island, 

 where he began in a modest way the raising of a few colts. 

 During his trip to New York City Mr. Conklin had noticed 

 in one of the markets there a big bay stallion, not a finely- 

 linished horse in any sense, but one of wonderful power 

 and resolution, that fulfilled the menial duty of hauling a 

 fish wagon. At this time the fame of Rysdyk's Hamble- 

 tonian was Just being made, and there were several of his 



(53) , 



