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, tneir 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 \22]/\ in one of them. 



In September when the Grand Circuit horses were 

 at Fleetwood, John was about among his friends and 



