CHAPTER YI, 



The pacer Johnston, and the manner in which he was trained to beat all the 

 records — A nervous, fretful horse that would not feed well — Treatment at 

 Cincinnati during the winter months — Slow work in the spring — Speed 

 comes gradually— Dave Colross turns up in the nick of time, and takes 

 care of the horse — A mile in 2:10 at Milwaukee, and then 2:06^4^ at Chi- 

 cago — Mattie Hunter, Sweetser, Gem, and other famous pacers. 



I now come to the consideration of tlie fastest pacer that 

 the world has ever seen, and to whom I gave his best record. 

 I refer to the bay gelding Johnston — record, 2:00^. 



This horse was bred near Berlin, Wis. , and was sired by 

 a horse named Bashaw Golddust. His breeder was a Ger- 

 man farmer, and, when the colt was fonr yeai s old, he sold a 

 half interest in him to C. M. Mather, a banker of Berlin, for 

 $350. The following summer the horse was taken to Chi- 

 cago by a local driver named Bassett for the purpose of 

 sale, the price asked for him being $5,000. He was driven 

 a number of miles better than 2:20 while in Chicago, the 

 best exhibition being 2:15f . No sale was made and in the 

 fall the horse was sent home. During the following winter 

 E. H. Smith of Milwaukee went to Berlin and bought a 

 controlling half interest in Johnston, paying therefor $5,000, 

 and a few weeks later the horse was sent to Chicago and 

 placed in the stable of Peter V. Johnston, a well-known 

 driver, after whom he was named. The horse had previously 

 been called Charley M. , and at the time of the change of name 

 he was entered under that name for several events, but had 

 never started in a race for money. Johnston drove him a 

 number of races tlirough the Michigan circuit, winning them 

 all, and came back to Chicago, where he won a purse and 

 race, reducing his record to 2:13. In the first heat of this 



(146) 



