BRUTAL TTMK MATCHES. 165 



It is said that the owner had no hand in the last act of the 

 tragedy. Whether he had or no, matters not one iota — that 

 was an act of stupidity only, not of atrocity. The persisting, 

 after the mare showed severe distress, and the damning barbar- 

 ity of proposing to renew the effort, when the mare was known 

 to have burst a blood-vessel, already, through her terrible exer- 

 tions on that truly terrible day, was the crime. 



How much Mr. Siberg felt, one can judge by the fact, that 

 within a week of the deed, he publicly challenged a bet that he 

 would accomplish the same match in the following September 

 in nine houi's. 



It is not too much to say that the drive of ninety miles over 

 the Philadelphia p'ostroad, on that July day, was a far greater 

 feat than the drive of a hundred over a course in the same time; 

 and that to do the same in nine hours would have been a far 

 greater feat that what was performed by either Fanny Murray, 

 Fanny Jenks, or Kate, each of whom did a hundred miles some 

 seconds within the time. 



I wish sincerely that there was an act for compelling such 

 men, as make these matches, to run for nine hours, themselves, 

 in the shafts even of an empty sulky, through a July day, with 

 a good stiff jockey whip in a willing hand behind them, to make 

 tliem show their pluck and ability to stay a distance, under pim- 

 ishment, and that hand mine ! 



All these long matches against time are useless, cruel, dero- 

 gatory to the turf, disgraceful to humanity. 



They are never accomplished — whether the horse be urged 

 beyond its powers by the torture of the whip, or only by the 

 incitement of its own high courage and emulation, which, every 

 horseman knows, will spur a well-bred animal to die, rather than 

 to give in — without great present distress of the creature, great 

 risk of its dying in the trial — and, in nine cases out of ten, its 

 serious and permanent injury and deterioration, even if it win 

 the match, and appear to win without distress. 



In my judgment, all such matches should be prohibited by 

 law, at real penalties ; and the death of the animal matched 

 should be visited on its butcher, as a high misdemeanor. 



They have nothing to do with sport — no connection with the 

 true spirit of the turf— no possible influence on the breeding, oi 



