I 888 COMPANY. 215 



Frank Buford, Charley Gibson and Jeremiah. The 

 Kentucky Prince gelding had won at Poughkeepsie, 

 defeating Graylight, who afterwards became a free- 

 for-all candidate under Goldsmith's pilotage, Superior, 

 and a number of others, taking a record of 2:19^4. 

 He was known to be uncertain, unsteady and a 

 tremendous puller; in fact, so bad that John Murphy, 

 who gave him his first lessons, stopped him in a race 

 at Cleveland and sent him to the stable. 



Company was the kind of a horse that Goldsmith 

 cottoned to, possibly on account of nearly every other 

 driver being disposed to give him the cold shoulder. 

 At all events, he got him, won the race at Poughkeep- 

 sie, and then popped up at Charter Oak. The race 

 was one of the kind that makes men dizzy. Feek won 

 the first two heats with William Kearney. In the 

 third heat Company out-finished him, and then Cap- 

 tain won two heats, Goldsmith fighting Golden at 

 every point. When Company won the sixth heat 

 Goldsmith felt he could win. It was then the fun 

 commenced. The bee in Company's bonnet began 

 buzzing it made him dizzy, rank, cantankerous, 

 mean. Guy, in his sulkiest mood, was not a marker to 

 him. For over three-quarters of an hour he chassed, 

 waltzed, danced and hobbled down the stretch with 

 William Kearney and Captain. The public was dis- 

 gusted, but Goldsmith was unruffled. He had a whip 

 and an arm that could use it as unmercifully as any 

 man in the business when the position warranted it, 

 but he sat there and waited patiently for Company to 

 get over his tantrum. The starter and judges were 

 also determined to send him away on a trot, and when 



