260 Making the American Thoroughbred 



inflexible in his purpose and, in conjunction with Mr. 

 James Jackson, who then resided in the vicinity of Nash- 

 ville, he sent to South Carolina and bought Tarn O'Shanter, 

 a horse distinguished in that state. The fall of 1814 

 Maria won, over the Nashville Course, club purse $275, 

 2-mile heats, beating Tarn O'Shanter, William Lytle's 

 Royalist and two or three others. 



A few days after, over the same course, she won a pro- 

 prietor's purse, $350, only one starting against her. 



About this time Gen. Jackson sent to Georgia and pur- 

 chased of Col. Alston Stump-the-Dealer, but for some 

 cause did not match him against Maria. 



The General then sent to Kentucky and induced Mr. 

 DeWett to come to the Hermitage with his mare (reputed 

 to be the swiftest mile nag in the United States), with a 

 view of matching her against Maria. Mr. DeWett trained 

 his mare at the Hermitage. In the fall of 1814, at Clover 

 Bottom, Maria beat this mare for $1,000 a side, dash of a 

 mile. 



In the fall of 1815 Gen. Jackson and Mr. DeWett 

 ran the same mare against Maria, dash of half a mile, for 

 $1,500 a side; $500 on the first quarter, $500 on 600 

 yards, and $500 on the half mile, all of which bets were 

 won by Maria the last by 100 feet. This was run at 

 Nashville. 



The next week over the same course she won a match, 

 $1,000 a side, mile-heats, made with Gen. Jackson and 

 Col. Ed. Ward, beating the Colonel's horse, Western 

 Light. 



Soon after this race she was again matched against her 

 old competitor, DeWett's mare, for $1,000 a side, over the 

 same course (which was in McNairy's Bottom, above the 

 Sulphur Springs), Maria giving her a distance (which 

 was then 120 yards) in a dash of two miles. 



