100 TRAINING THE TROTTING HORSE. 



compels me to say that with the exception of Elec- 

 tioneer and his half-sister, Elaine, there was nothing in 

 the lot of any great account. When I first came to 

 Palo Alto, however, Mohawk Chief was at the head 

 of the stud, and I spent two hard seasons' work in 

 trying to make trotters of his get, but I never saw one 

 that any amount of training could make even a 2:40 

 trotter of. Once it was plain to Governor Stanford 

 that Mohawk Chief was not a gifted sire of trotters. 

 Gen. Benton became lord of the harem, and when, in 

 1880, the then phenomenal performances of Fred 

 Crocker gave a slight token of Electioneer's coming 

 greatness, he became the pride of Palo Alto. Mohawk 

 Chief has long been retired to " private life." 



For the purposes of this sketch of Palo Alto history 

 merely a brief recapitulation of its campaigns are 

 necessary, as the notable horses that have from time 

 to time iDrought the stable fame and prestige are dealt 

 with in their order in succeeding chapters. 



The principal horses in the " string" in my first cam- 

 paign (1878), under Governor Stanford's colors, were 

 Occident and Abe Edgington. Though Occident was 

 only successful in one race, he was second to Col. 

 Lewis when that good horse made his record at Oak- 

 land, Cahfornia, going three heats in 2:18|, 2:19i, 2:21, 

 Judge Fullerton being third. 



About a month later Occident beat Judge Fullerton, 

 at Sacramento, in 2:23, 2:23J, 2:22. At Santa Clara, 

 October 1st, Abe Edgington beat Doty, Coquette and 

 Frank Ferguson in straight heats, taking a record of 

 2:23J, which stands as his fastest mark. 



In 1879 we did not campaign to any extent, starting 



