LIFE WITH THE TEOTTEES. 347 



ting horse, from the rubbing cloth to the Judges' stand, as 

 he is one of the old-time drivers who had to serve an. 

 apprenticeship at the business when a boy, and one of the 

 self-made men of the turf. John Murphy is perhaps the 

 most versatile man connected with the trotting turf, 

 and in the matter of riding a trotter or pacer is unquestion- 

 ably at the head of his profession. To begin with he was 

 the first man to ride a trotter a mile better than 2:30, hav- 

 ing perf onned that feat when a mere boy, the occasion being 

 the match made for Dexter to beat the 2:19f of Flora Tem- 

 ple, then the best on record, and Hiram Woodruff, who 

 was training Dexter, paid Murphy the compliment of select- 

 ing him as the jocky on this most important occasion. In 

 a previous chapter I have told how Murphy rode the pacer 

 Billy Boyce to his record of 2:14^, a mark that never was 

 beaten untU last year. 



When trotters and running mates were in fashion a few 

 years ago. Murphy gave the bay gelding Frank, that is a 

 member of the Ethan Allen family, a mark of 2:08^ at that 

 way of going, and this was the best on record until Golden 

 came out with H. B. Winship, another member of the same- 

 family, and went the distance in 2:06. Murphy has ridden, 

 and driven a great deal for Mr. Kobert Bonner, and on two 

 occasions when I have seen him ride in a manner that made 

 a great impression on me. The first trotting race I ever saw,. 

 Murphy rode the winner. I did not at that time consider 

 myself much of a judge of trotters, but there was one thing- 

 I was sure of, that being that I would never see a better 

 rider than Murphy, and on that point I have never changed 

 my mind. The last time I saw him on a horse's back was a. 

 few years ago when I fell in one bright morning with Mr. 

 Robert Bonner while he was on his way to Fleetwood. Mr. 

 Bonner said to me that if I would accompany him I would 

 see a man do something better than I had ever seen the 

 same thing done before. I accepted the invitation, and when 

 we arrived at Fleetwood Mr. Bonner asked Murphy to put 

 the saddle on his mare Pocahontas and ride her a slow mUe, 



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