>56 



The Driving Clubs of Greater Boston 



argument, but ordered that Miller's Damsel 

 be driven another mile, which she did in the 

 fast time, for the whole distance, of twenty- 

 one miles, in ih., nm., 7s. To see this race, 

 which he had heard discussed so much, Mr. 

 Fitzgerald secreted himself in the robes under 

 the seats of the wagon that took the party to 

 the track. 



From that time Mr. Fitzgerald has been a 

 constant attendant of race meetings, and he 

 has owned many fast trotters and pacers. He 

 joined the Metropolitan Club when it was or- 

 ganized, and is also a member of the Dor- 

 chester Club. He is a life member of the 

 Boston Lodge of Elks, and belongs to the 

 fraternal orders of Foresters, Knights of 

 Columbus and the A. O. H. 



Among the best known horses owned and 

 raced by Mr. Fitzgerald can be mentioned 

 Dick, 2:12 1-2; Lockheir, 2:23; Tilly Cline, 

 2:16; Tee Dee Gee, 2:19 1-4; Bonnets O' 

 Blue, 2:18 3-4; Cato, 2.23 1-2; Jack, a great 

 snow horse; II. R. B.. another which made 

 fame on the snow; Watchmaker Patchen, 

 which Denny Keefe took to England and won 

 many races; Blacksmith Maid, trial of 2:08, 

 which Eddie Switzer broke from being a rank 

 puller. 



Mr. Fitzgerald induced the later prominent 

 local trainer and driver, Mertie Page, to come 

 to Boston from Laconia, N. H., securing him 

 the position of assistant trainer for C. E. 

 Mosher, from which position he soon had on 

 the circuit the pacing gelding, Charley P., 

 2:18 1-2, owned by Charles Pinkham of Lynn. 

 Mr. Fitzgerald resides at 205 Webster Street, 

 East Boston. Mass. 



THOMAS J. GRIFFIN 

 Thomas |. Griffin was bom in Waltham, 

 Mass.. in '1875. and attended the Lowell 

 School in Boston. After working in several 

 lines of business, including the running of a 

 milk route in Somerville, he finally learned 

 the trade of mason. In 19C2 was organized 

 the John F. Griffin Company, building con- 

 tractors. 15 Merchants Row, of which Mr. 

 Griffin was one of the firm. Later the office 

 was removed from Merchants Row to 17 

 Milk Street, where it is now located. 



Mr. Griffin joined the Dorchester Club in 

 U)Oj, and the same year became a member of 

 the Metropolitan and the Fellsway Clubs. He 

 has served on the board of directors of the 

 Dorchester Club. He is also a member of 

 the Boston Lodge of Elks, and the Dorches- 

 ter A. A. 



In both matinee and professional racing 

 Mi. Griffin has been strongly identified. The 

 m. -st of his amateur sport he has enjoyed at 



the Franklin Field Speedway. The first he 

 raced for the ribbons was a green trotter 

 named Pontosuc. He then got Edith R., 

 2:18 1-4; Red Echo, 2:17 1-4; and Lee Burns, 

 2:14 1-4, that for a time was champion pacer 

 of the Dorchester Club, with a speedway 

 record of 30 seconds. 



Directumwood, 2:201-4, was one of the 

 fastest ever on the Franklin Field Speedway, 

 as in 14 races, the season of 1909, he only 

 lost one heat, and gained a record of 29 1-4 

 seconds, which has remained the best for 

 the speedway, for a pacer without the hopples. 



Another whirlwind was Johnny Agan, 

 2:05 1-4, one of the fastest pacers, by record, 

 ever raced at Franklin Field. With Easter 

 Direct, 2:c<) 1-2. Mr. Griffin secured the pac- 

 ing record for a half mile at Franklin Field, 

 she marching off the distance in I :oi 1-2. 

 Then Cascade. 2:061-2. brought a lot of 

 credit to the Griffin matinee stable, in defeat- 

 ing Chief Wilkie at the Charles River Speed- 

 way, being the first pacer to perform the trick- 

 over that course. He also earned a record 

 of 29 seconds, the third heat of a race, at 

 Franklin Field, which mark was later tied 

 by Charley King, and still stands the best 

 over the old quarter-mile course. With 

 1 leraldine Mr. Griffin won seven out of nine 

 races. She was a green mare, not having 

 been raced professionally. 



But the best of all of Mr. Griffin's horses 

 was the trotter. Worthy Prince, 2:11 1-4. 

 which he bought when three years old at the 

 Xew York sale for $600. The following sea- 

 son he had him trained at the Rockingham 

 Park track, and he improved to a mile in 

 2:17 1-2. During the Grand Circuit meeting 

 and fair Mr. Griffin tried bard to sell the 

 stallion to a Xew York man, and would have 

 accepted $500. possibly less, for the trotter, 

 but to the utter discouragement of Mr. 

 Griffin, the Xew Yorker would not do busi- 

 ness. 



The next Spring, Worthy Prince was 

 given to "Whitey" Crowley to train, and the 

 horse did finely. On July 22 he was given his 

 first race, at Montreal, there being fourteen 

 starters in the event. It was handy, however, 

 for Worth v Prince to win, he heading the 

 summary in straight heats and getting a 

 record of 2:14 1-4. That year he won six of 

 bis nine races, and lowered the trotting rec- 

 ord for Marshfield track to 2:14 1-4 



In 1914 be was given to James ( I'Brien to 

 train at Rockdale Park, and won three 

 straight races, lowering his record to 2:1 1 1-4 

 over a half-mile track, when he was sold for 

 $tO.OOO, by a large margin the most money 

 ever secured for a horse by any member of 

 the Dorchester Club. "Long Shot" Cox later 



