292 THE GOLDSMITHS. 



DEATH OF JOHN A. GOLDSMITH. 



Death treads in pleasure's footsteps round the world. 



Young. 



When John Goldsmith returned to Walnut Grove 

 Farm from Nashville, he was very much concerned 

 about his physical condition. In fourteen years he 

 had amassed a fortune amounting to over $200,000, 

 the bulk of it having been earned by fortunate in- 

 vestments in horses or drawn from the betting ring, 

 and now at a time when he could have settled down 

 in the home of his ancestors, there was one jewel 

 missing from the cabinet health. In three years he 

 had with twenty-eight horses won premiums amount- 

 ing to $128,889, their two hundred and eighteen starts 

 being divided into sixty-four firsts, forty-seven 

 seconds, thirty-eight thirds, twenty-five fourths and 

 forty-four times unplaced. This was in itself glory 

 enough for one man in the field of harness racing, 

 but like his brother before him, John Alden Gold- 

 smith, would not stop until exhausted nature de- 

 manded a halt. Early in 1895, acting under the ad- 

 vice of a number of New York surgeons, he had an 

 operation performed for kidney trouble. He recov- 

 ered, was married and, after resting for a time in 

 Orange County, saw Alden start off for the races 

 with a few of his horses. He started Elf and Thelma 

 at Poughkeepsie, Albany and Rome, where Thelma 

 won a seven-heat race and made a record of 2:24*4. 

 Elf also won two races at Syracuse and made a 

 record of 2 :22j4 m one of them. 



In September when the Grand Circuit horses were 

 at Fleetwood, John was about among his friends and 



