i86 



The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



there is no danger of the average boy over- 

 exerting himself, however. 



"At present strong, irritating liniments are 

 used on legs, and I regard the method as very 

 harmful. Also, I think bandages are made 

 too much use of, especially those underlaid 

 with cotton. When you see the hair ridged and 

 crimped like a fluting iron, you can put it 

 down that the blood has congested in the skin, 

 and that is certainly bad. Years ago the only 

 wash we used was home made. I always use 

 a combination of Medford rum and witch 

 hazel when I can get it, diluting it so as to 

 make it about one-quarter strength.'' 



PACER, IN OUTLANDISH RIG, 

 WINNER OF RACE 



A follower of the race track is apt to see 

 many funny happenings, but the limit was at 

 the opening of the St. Albans, Vt, track. 



This occurred in August, 1897, and, as the 

 management of the newly constructed half- 

 mile course had well advertised the first meet- 

 ing, the attendance ran into thousands each 

 day, packing the grandstand to the top. 



On the second day of the meeting the initial 

 race on the card was for pacers eligible to the 

 2 :2g class, in which nine horses were entered 

 to take the word. 



For an hour previous to the calling of the 

 horses the earl)' and rapidly increasing crowd 

 had been having plenty of sport with a French- 

 Canadian, who was contentedly jogging around 

 and around the course a fat-looking mare in 

 about the oddest appearing rig ever seen at 

 the races. 



The harness had evidently been in use many 

 a year, and was gray from the lack of clean- 

 ing, while both of the blinkers and the saddle 

 were in strips from constant wear. The water- 

 hook, too, was gone, and the check rein was 

 held in place by a roll of white twine. The 

 harness was a thing of beauty compared to 

 the sulky. It was a home-made affair and 

 never painted. The shafts were straight from 

 the axle, on top of which was a soap box for 

 the seat, so arranged that the lettering showed 

 from the rear. A set of bicycle wheels were 

 held in position by two pieces of scantlings, 

 sawed off at the proper length. 



The Canadian wore an old slouch hat, over- 

 alls and jumper. The overalls were tucked 

 in a pair of long top boots. 



The crowd devoted the spare time before the 

 calling of the races in hooting and jeering the 

 outfit. Cries of "Start her up, Pierre!" "Show 

 us some speed !" "What will you take for the 

 whole show?" etc., were railed at the Cana- 

 dian from all parts of the grandstand. 



The judges, too, enjoyed the sport till the 



horses came on the track for the first heat ol 

 the afternoon, and then they yelled to the man 

 to get off the track with his mare, but it was 

 soon evident that the English language was a 

 mystery to him, and there was nobody around 

 that could talk French. Finally the marshal 

 of the track rode up to the mare on horseback 

 and led the mare oft the track by the bridle. 



No sooner had he been put off the track than 

 around the grandstand he jogged the mare and 

 re-entered the track at the other entrance. As 

 can be imagined, the entire crowd was now in 

 an uproar at the proceeding. The marshal in 

 no gentle manner run his saddle horse around 

 the track, and grabbing the mare once more 

 by the bridle led her off the course in quick 

 order. 



The 2 :2g class pacers had scored several 

 times when another crazy acting Frenchman 

 rushed into the judges' stand. This one could 

 talk broken English. Then the judges told the 

 drivers in the stretch to blanket their horses. 



In a few minutes, to the amazement of all, 

 who should appear on the track but the orig- 

 inal Frenchman and his mare. It seems that 

 he had been entered in the race all of the time, 

 and the name of his mare was Paucette, while 

 his own was A. Tetreault, from some place 

 near to Montreal. 



But the crowd had still another surprise 

 coming, as after losing a couple of heats Pau- 

 cette took the third, and when the Frenchman 

 returned to the wire the cheering could be 

 heard for miles, judging by the volume of 

 sound that belched forth from the grandstand. 



A heavy shower then descended and the 

 racing was postponed until the next day, when 

 the French mare won the two heats necessary 

 to head the summary. In some quarters it 

 was thought the makeup was on account of the 

 mare being a ringer, which caused an investi- 

 gation, but it resulted in finding that every- 

 thing was straight. 



TROTTER, THE ABBOTT, 2:03 1-4 



CARVED ON SCANNELL 



MONUMENT 



In Calvary Cemetery, New York, was 

 erected in 1914 a tall, striking monument to 

 the memory of Florence Scannell — the hand- 

 some, daring, young Tammany "Florrie" of 

 almost half a century ago. who was shot to 

 death in a political row in December, 1869. 



His brother, John J. Scannell, long-time fire 

 commissioner of New York, boyhood friend 

 of Richard Croker, and still a Tammany sa- 

 chem despite his years, placed the tribute in 

 Calvary. John was present when "Florrie" 

 was murdered. John, some three years later. 

 shot to death the man who was supposed to 

 be his brother's slaver — Thomas Donohue. 



