RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN AND HORSES 



but his triumphs were achieved in single harness. In 

 the autumn of 1882 W. W. Bair drove Mr. W. H. 

 Vanderbilt's mares, Early Rose and Aldine, a mile 

 over Charter Oak Park, Hartford, which led to 

 controversy. The time was taken by men in the 

 judges' stand and on the track, but it was not recog- 

 nized by the National Trotting Association. T. C. 

 Eastman, a close friend of Mr. Vanderbilt, published 

 a card September 18, 1882, in which he hotly re- 

 sented slurs on the reported time of Early Rose and 

 Aldine, September 13: 



" On that occasion there were four or five gentle- 

 men entirely unknown to Mr. Vanderbilt, and who 

 were accustomed to timing horses, present, who 

 timed the horses in 2.16^, and, at the driver's re- 

 quest made an affidavit of the fact. I wish to ask, 

 are these men not to be believed just as much as 

 the individual friends of Mr. Work who timed his 

 horses at Fleetwood Park July 13, and which time 

 neither Mr. Vanderbilt nor his friends had dis- 

 puted? Why should not this team of mares beat 

 Edward and Dick Swiveller? I am only one of 

 hundreds who think they can do it single or double 

 every day in the week. Mr. Work has said pub- 

 licly several times of late that he would trot his 

 horses for fabulous amounts against Early Rose and 

 Aldine next week, which conclusively shows that they 

 are in condition. He has named large amounts, 

 knowing that Mr. Vanderbilt never bets on his 

 horses, and thinking no one else would bet him on the 

 large sum named. Mr. Vanderbilt believes that his 

 team made 2.i6J, and thinks that they, with the 



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