LIFE "WITH THE TROTTERS. 35 



pat with our money, as, barring accidents, I would win 

 .sure. 



There was a collision in the next heat, however, which 

 •came near upsetting my scheme, as in going past the half- 

 mile pole Keeler ran into me and took several spokes out of 

 Jtny sulky. Kansas Chief, naturally a high-lifed horse, 

 started on a run, and acted as though he had made up his 

 mind to get away with me. I took him to the extreme out- 

 .side of the track, and when he struck a trot Keeler was cer- 

 tainly seventy-five yards in the lead, and going for aU there 

 was in him. I cut Kansas loose right there, and if ever I 

 was in a hurry that was the time. With Keeler having 

 "two heats won, and seventy-five yards in the lead at the 

 lialf-mile pole in the deciding heat, and three or four gen- 

 tlemen between him and me that I knew would not pull out 

 "to let me through, the situation was rather gloomy. After 

 Kansas got well into his stride, I leaned over and touched 

 liim gently on the shoulders with the whip. He showed me 

 -a rate of speed then that I had often dreamed about, but 

 never expected to have at the end of a pair of lines. At the 

 head of the stretch I had them all beaten but Keeler, and 

 he was tiring. Seeing this, I stopped driving my horse, let 

 him get his breath, and about an eighth of a mile from the 

 "wire cut him loose again. He soon moved up to Keeler' s 

 lead, and the race was over. Mr. Baker complained that 

 my horse did a good deal of running, but when the judges 

 Teplied that they were thinking about distancing him for 

 ioul driving he abandoned the argument. 



The Dexter Park meeting at Chicago was the commence- 

 anent of the grand circuit, and all the stables of the country 

 Tvere there to do battle for the money. Every man who 

 had a horse entered intended to turn him loose; and to show 

 Tvhat a good lot there were in the race that Kansas won, I 

 jnay say that the other starters were Mollie, John H., Harry 

 Mitchell, Phil Sheridan, Fox, Dan, Gen. Howard, Colum- 

 Tbia Chief, George Judd, and Hattie. In the pool-selling the 

 night before the race George Judd had the call. He 



