GENERAL BUTLER. 13 



Farragut were making it interesting for our friends at 

 the mouth of the Mississippi River, the black gelding 

 caught the eye of Harry Genet, who was so well 

 pleased with him after he made General McClellan 

 trot a fourth heat in 2 \$2 l /> to wagon, that he paid the 

 owner's price and placed his new star in charge of Dan 

 Mace. 



"The General's first start for Genet was in a purse 

 race to wagon against Panic, who was considered in- 

 vincible. The betting was 20 to I on Panic and all 

 you wanted of it. Genet and the balance of the Tweed 

 ring who were in touch with his secret took 

 enough of the General Butler end to make it interest- 

 ing and then pulled off the race in straight order, the 

 first half of the second heat being trotted in 1:11. 

 That clip was what could be termed tapping at the 

 championship door in those days and in a short time 

 Genet found a few wigs on the green. 



"At this time the brown stallion Robert Fillingham 

 stood without a competitor in the public estimation. 

 Flora Temple was no longer on the Island, George M. 

 Patchen was in the stud and Ethan Allen was not fast 

 enough to exercise Eph. Simmons's son of Hamble- 

 tonian and Dolly Spanker, who at a later date estab- 

 lished a world wide reputation as a stock horse under 

 the name of George Wilkes. In order to keep the ball 

 a rolling Harry Genet offered to match General Butler 

 against Robert Fillingham, his horse to go to saddle 

 and the stallion to harness. Eph. Simmons made the 

 match and the pair went in what was called the best 

 trotting race ever seen on Long Island, General Butler 

 winning in 2\2i l / 2 , 2:23, 2:27, after Robert Fillingham 

 gathered in the second heat in 2:24^. 



