The Clay Family 219 



Sam Purdy, 2.20^. Eleven sons and 15 daughters 

 of California Patchen are speed producers. Sam 

 Purdy was a bay horse, foaled in 1866, and his 

 dam was Whiskey Jane by Illinois Medoc. He 

 was a very game horse, and his record of 2.20J, 

 made at Buffalo in August, 1876, was not the full 

 measure of his speed. James R. Keene purchased 

 the stallion and presented him to his brother-in- 

 law, Major F. A. Daingerfield of Virginia. Dur- 

 ing a recent visit to Castleton, the great breeding 

 establishment of James R. Keene, of which Major 

 Daingerfield is the manager, I heard the pathetic 

 stor)' of the death of Sam Purdy. He was down 

 with colic, and as no veterinary surgeon was 

 within reach, several of the physicians of Culpeper 

 were sent for. All declined the summons on the 

 theory that to relieve the sufferings of an animal 

 not gifted with speech would degrade their pro- 

 fession. The reply of Major Daingerfield was 

 that Sam Purdy was worth more to the state of 

 Virginia than the whole of Culpeper, and that 

 he had no patience with such foolish chatter. In 

 the hope that a strong physical effort would 

 remove the cause of colic, Sam Purdy w^as liter- 

 erally dragged to the near-by track. The moon 

 was shining brightly, and the fire of his racing 



