34 THE GENERAL. 



found a way to hitch the veteran and it was not long- 

 before he began to step him. It was along in May 

 when the old horse was sent to him and the sun never 

 caught John E. in bed from that time until he met a 

 Waterloo that almost put a damper on his prospects. 



May Day could trot, and the brushes that he re- 

 ceived mornings together with the care made him feel 

 like a game cock. His young teamster was sweet on 

 the old horse, so he let him move along at times. On 

 the Waterloo day, the pair had been down a side drive, 

 and as they struck the macadam, May Day asked for 

 his head. Unfortunately for Turner and his hopes, 

 that piece of road had been treated to a few loads of 

 broken stone the day before. When the old horse 

 reached it he stumbled and fell, Turner flew over his 

 head, and when the pair managed to get on their feet 

 again, they looked like a couple of defeated gladiators. 

 May Day's knees were cut and bleeding and he had a 

 dozen other wounds, while Turner's face was almost 

 peeled and his hands were not much better. The pair 

 wandered back to the tavern, and before the blood had 

 been washed off the owner of May Day put in an ap- 

 pearance. After looking them over he took the horse 

 home. Turner never saw him again, but after he had 

 drifted to the race tracks, he found a mare by May 

 Day that proved the nest egg from which his fortune 

 was hatched. 



This horse, May Day, was, according to W.H.Van 

 Cott who gave Flora Temple her first lessons bred 

 by Jacob S. Platt, the New York merchant, after whom 

 Platt street in that city was named. He had three 

 Canadian trotting mares named Surrey, Bet and Rose. 

 Surrey was very fast for her day and could trot in 



