certain gentlemen imported from Kentucky a number 

 of highly-bred pacing and saddle animals, and these 

 being crossed with the thoroughbreds gave to the peo- 

 ple of the State the foundation stock of the great 

 families of pacers which have made the name of 

 Tennessee a household word wherever the pacing and 

 saddle horse is known and appreciated. This was the 

 condition of affairs when the clouds of civil war rolled 

 over this fair State and darkened nearly every home 

 within its borders. When the war was over, it was 

 found that most of the valuable and highly-bred horses 

 of the State had disappeared, and what remained were 

 the common-purpose horses used to carry on the 

 business of a pretty well discouraged and nearly 

 bankrupt people, and it may readily be imagined that 

 in this state of affairs the minds of the people were 

 upon something more substantial than racing horses. 

 So little attention had been given to the training and 

 development of harness horses for racing purposes 

 that when I commenced my career as a trainer and 

 driver, in 1872, there was but one old dilapidated mile 

 track in the State, and not a single horse bred or de- 

 veloped in the State had acquired a record below 2.30. 

 Another element that contributed to this result was 

 the fact that the only harness horses in the State 

 during this period possessing sufficient speed to engage 

 in turf contests were the pacers ; but at that time the 

 pacer was not recognized as being entitled to demon- 

 strate his merits upon the race tracks of the country, 

 and hence pacing speed was of no value, and the 

 horse that could pace a mile in 2.10 was worth no 

 more in the market than one that could not pace a 

 mile in three minutes, the only element of value being 

 his ability and value as a saddle horse. But when, in 



