I JO 



The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



second. In 1876 Mr. Dingier sold him to one 

 Millard, who treated him brutally, and traded 

 him to William H. Corry, of Zenia, Ohio, for 

 "the crippled colt Gum Elastic Bill, an oroide 

 watch and a quart of bad whisky." Corry sold 

 him to Steve C. Phillips for $2.50 and a jug 

 of rye. Phillips raced him until he sold him 

 in 1879 to Joe Udell, of Wisconsin, for 

 $6,000. In 1878 Sleepy Tom won seven races, 

 with the best mile in 2:21 3-4. His first win- 

 ning race in 1879 was at Jackson, Mich., 

 where he beat Rowdy Boy, Lucy, Bay Sally, 

 Mattie Hunter and Sleepy George, taking a 

 record of 2:17 1-4. He won also at East Sagi- 

 naw, Toledo, Louisville, Columbus, Cincin- 

 nati, and Chicago, beating practically the same 

 fields. At Chicago he made his world's rec- 

 ord, pacing the last heat of a five-heat battle 

 in 2:12 t-2, beating Mattie Hunter, Lucy and 

 Rowdy Boy. From that time on the quar- 

 tette were known as "The Big Four." He 

 won in all thirty races out of fifty-six starts. 

 Udell sold Sleepy Tom late in the fall of 1882 

 to Dr. Olin, of Chicago, who drove him in his 

 medical practice. After passing through sev- 

 eral other hands the old fellow finally met a 

 tragic death, perishing in a burning stable in a 

 small Indiana town in 1885. 



Sleepy Tom was succeeded as pacing cham- 

 pion by Little Brown Jug. a brown gelding, 

 foaled in 1875. In 1880 he was purchased by 

 H. V. Bennis, of Chicago, for $3,000, and 

 placed in the hands of "Knapsack" McCar- 

 thy, and did not appear in public again until 

 the next year, 1881, when his career was 

 comet-like, culminating at Hartford, Conn., 

 Aug. 24. where for a purse of $2,000 he beat 

 Mattie Hunter and Lucy, pacing three con- 

 secutive heats in 2:113-4, 2:II 3"4. and 

 2:12 1-2. He won ten races that season, and 

 this, in connection with his world's record, 

 caused his purchase, the next year, by Com- 

 modore Kittson, of St. Paul, at a price said to 

 have been $15,000. He proved a dear pur- 

 chase, however, as he went lame soon after 

 and did little good, winning but two hippo- 

 drome races and going several disappointing 

 exhibitions. His history thereafter was of ups 

 and downs, as he passed through many hands, 

 finally descending to nearly the lowest round 

 of the ladder ; but at last, his condition be- 

 coming known, he was rescued and taken back 

 to Tennessee, where he was pensioned at Ewell 

 Farm, and died in peace and plenty when wel! 

 along toward his thirtieth year. 



The bay gelding Johnston, that succeeded 

 "The Jug," was foaled 1877. This horse was 

 the most remarkable of the pacers in the ante- 

 iineumatic tire days. He was known prior to his 

 fifth year as Charley M.. but E. H. Smith, of 



Chicago, who purchased a controlling interest 

 in him, changed the name to Johnston, in 

 honor of Peter V. Johnston, who trained and 

 first raced him. Every start by Johnston in 

 1883 was a victory, and he closed that year 

 with a world's record of 2:10, his last three 

 starts being against time. After his 2:10 rec- 

 ord was made he was sold to Commodore Kitt- 

 son for $20,000. Driven by John Splan, he 

 made eleven starts in 1884 under the Kittson 

 colors, five of which were unsuccessful tilts 

 against his own record, until October 3, at 

 Chicago. He was started that day over the 

 Garfield Park track with Richball, each to beat 

 their records. Johnston, driven by Splan, suc- 

 ceeded, pacing the first quarter in 32s., the half 

 in 1 103 1-4. and the mile in 2:06 1-4, which is 

 still the unbeaten mile by a harness horse to 

 high wheels over a circular track. In 1886 

 he was sold to Frank Siddals, of Philadelphia, 

 for the reported price of $12,500. Siddals 

 started him sixteen times in 1887, six of which 

 were winning contested races, two to wagon, 

 the others exhibitions. His wagon record of 

 2:14 1-2 was made in a losing race with Harry 

 Wilkes to sulky. Johnston was then consigned 

 to a Lexington sale and passed to Col. John 

 W. Conley, of Chicago, at a cost of $3,900. 

 Col. Conley turned the horse over to Budd 

 Doble, who drove him eight times against the 

 watch in 1888. In 1889 Johnston paced in 

 2 :o6 1-2 at Cleveland, and in 2 :o6 3-4 at Hart- 

 ford. He was sold in 1890 to C. F. Dunbar, 

 of Buffalo. Age was telling seriously on 

 Johnston, and 1891 was his last year of racing, 

 but he was good enough when sixteen years 

 old to pace a mile in 2:10 over the half-mile 

 track at Youngstown, Ohio, driven by his 

 owner. Johnston died in the late nineties at 

 Buffalo, having been well cared for to the last. 

 Mascot, the bay gelding by Deceive, foaled 

 1885, was the first champion to beat 2:05, ty- 

 ing the trotting record of 2 x>4 made by Nancy 

 Hanks in 1892, at Terre Haute, over the same 

 track and at the same meeting. As a seven- 

 year-old, in W. J. Andrews' hands, he showed 

 much higher form, and his last appearance 

 for the year, at Terre Haute, where he met 

 ( luv and Flying Jib and was defeated, but he 

 won the first heat in 2 104 — a world's record. 

 In 1893 Mascot made nine starts, six of which 

 were bracketed. His best race of that year 

 was in July, at Detroit, where he defeated 

 Hal Pointer, Major Wonder. Flying Jib, Guv, 

 Manager and Blue Sign in the hottest pacing 

 contest of the campaign. The heats were in 

 2:07, 2:04 1-2, 2:06 1-4, 2:07 1-2, 2:07 I_2 - °f 

 which Mascot won the second, third and fifth, 

 the fastest five-heat race of the period. In 

 1895 Mascot became the property of the late 



