HIS FIRST TROTTER. 23 



riding would lose the race. Shortly after this I 

 matched Whitestockings against a one-eyed chestnut 

 horse called Cornstalk, alias Bogus Bill. The latter 

 bolted, carrying my horse off the track. I had a sixty- 

 five pound boy up, who was unable to control the horse 

 after he left the track. This match was at Leaven- 

 worth, Kansas, for $2,500, and in all I lost $3,000 on 

 the affair. I then made up ni}^ mind firmly to one 

 thing, viz. : That I would never again race horses 

 unless I could steer them in the race myself, and I 

 have lived up to the resolution. I sold out my racing- 

 stable immediately, and returned to Kansas City." 



Shortly after this, in the fall of 1866, Marvin was 

 engaged to manage a livery stable at $100 a month in 

 Kansas City, and it was during this engagement that 

 he had his first trotting-race. He trained a chestnut 

 stallion named Cassar to trot, and entered him in a 

 sweepstakes race, in which he finished second. A lum- 

 ber dealer named Kendall had a horse called Harry in 

 the same race, and afterward undertook to convince 

 Marvin that Harry could beat Caesar single-handed. 

 The\^ had three successive match races, all of which 

 Caesar won. Then Mr. Kendall gave up the job of 

 convincing Marvin that Harry could beat Csesar. 



Marvin tired of the livery business, and, in the 

 autumn of 1867, took a team and made a contract to 

 haul rocks at so much per square 3^ard to the abutment 

 of the present railwa}^ bridge at Kansas City over the 

 Missouri Eiver, which was then being constructed. 

 One evening, as he was caring for his horses, a sporting 

 man named John Forbing happened into the stable, 

 and inquired where he could engage a man to take a 



