128 



He was a large planter, had a beautiful home and was 

 elegant and refined in his manners. He was very wealthy, 

 and there was not a man connected with the turf, in business, 

 politics or in the social whirl but was glad and proud to be 

 able to say that Major Doswell was his friend. When he 

 died the turf lost a valuable adjunct, but behind him he left 

 several sons and daughters, and they are all said to inherit 

 the sterling traits that made the name of the father illustrious. 



A little incident relating to Major Doswell occurs to me. 

 I had been introduced to him at a hotel in New York, and 

 six years later I again saw him at the Mills House, Charles- 

 ton, S. C. I was sitting talking to Jerome Edger, a trainer, 

 and the Major was sitting alone not far away. 



'* See that little old gentleman sitting there,'' I said to 

 Edger. " That is the celebrated Major Doswell, who used 

 to ride a little black horse around the track and make his 

 jockey win races. He knows as much about racing as any 

 man on the turf to-day.'' 



The little eyes of the Major twinkled, and, addressing 

 me in a tone that was perfectly audible to all about the 

 table, he said : 



" Young man, you must have been brought up in the 

 old school or you would not have known about the little 

 black horse." 



We became fast friends at once, and we would have 

 taken a social drink but for the fact that the Major was not 

 from Kentucky and did not believe that a little wine is good 

 for the stomach's sake. 



Capt. John Belcher, who lived at the Fairfield race, 

 track in Virginia, not far from Richmond, was also a cele- 

 brated trainer and owner, and had many of the famous 

 horses of his time in his care. He trained Boston for 

 Col. Johnson, and the great son of Boston Red Eye, 

 One-eyed Joe, Die Claperton, and a host of other distin- 

 guished horses. He was a man of the highest standard of 

 morals, the most loyal of men to his employers and a model 

 example to a race track. He reared a family, was a kind 

 and affectionate father, and had the confidence of everybody 

 who knew him. His descendants still live in old Virginia, 

 and they are among the most respected residents of the 

 famous Old Dominion. In that State the name of John 



