256 THE GOLDSMITHS. 



DOLLY SPANKER. 



Far above all reward, yet to which all is due; 

 And this, ye great unknown! is only known to you. 



— Swift 



At the time that Dolly Spanker's pedigree was 

 thrown out, I had a talk with Z. E. Simmons on the 

 subject. He said : "I bought George Wilkes when 

 he was four years old, in i860, from Colonel Feltef. 

 He was then a fast colt, and when the sale was made, 

 I asked the breeding of the dam 



" 'Oh, I don't know anything about her breeding,' 

 said the Colonel. 'Thev called her a Mambrino, but 

 you know her anyway, as she was that kicking mare 

 that Harry delivered his groceries with. Don't you 

 remember?' he continued. 'Well, she was the mare 

 that Van Cott cut the tail off. She had a roan stripe 

 over her loins.' 



"I trotted Wilkes to 1866 or 1867 and then gave 

 my brother half of him. Afterwards he was sent to 

 Kentucky, and when he became famous, another 

 effort was made to trace his dam. I had looked into 

 it and could learn nothing further than that she was 

 traded for by one of the firm of circus men that after- 

 wards built the theater that occupied the site where 

 the New York Herald Building now stands. A 

 member of this firm told me that he was driving on in 

 front of the show when his horse gave out. Meeting 

 a man on a fresh-looking mare a trade was effected. 

 The mare acted first-class that day, but on the fol- 

 lowing one she kicked herself free from the wagon 

 and scattered everything. This was too much, so she 



