The Sunday Oregonian., August 21, 1904, PART THREE, Page 23, Image 23

53
QtlEEK PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW THE PACES
Strange . and Picturesque Life at Irongton Track How the
Racing Game-Fascinates Curious Pranks of Horses.
THE races have been going on in Port
land for two weeks, yet it Is safe
to say that not half the people who
have seen the thoroughbreds at Irving
ton realize that within the enclosure
there is a small-sized city. It is a mixed
population that is come to Portland with
the races. There are men so old now,
jiot only In years, hut In the racing game,
that they have almost forgotten the time
when they lisped a-prayer on their moth
er's knee, men horn on a racetrack,
hoys -who are "fanned" out to trainers
.and owners, boys who by natural incli
nation have sought the racing business
because of the oxcltement, and boys that
have run away from home. There are
women, too, who make up the population
- of the racetrack. Some of them are
owners, but for the most part wives of
trainers and of "swipes" who help to
earn a living by hoarding the helpers from
the various stables near at hand.
A glance at these people would lead the
average -visitor to believe that they are
a rough set, crude and uncouth, and with
out education. It is true that many of
them are tough, but, for. the most part,
they are well-behaved folk, happy in
their calling and teeming with a fund of
Knowledge about men and things and
places they have visited in .their travels
from racetrack to Tacetrack. They
are as keen in their Judgment of human
nature as they arc In their Judgment of
horse flesh; but, being human, they are
prone to mistakes. If they make a friend,
either man or beast, they will cling to
him to the end. There is something pa
thetic about the way they will cling to
a horse that time after time turns thyn
down. In nine out of ten stables there
can always be found, one or more horses
that are not worth their salt and fod
der. Yet horsemen will stick to their
favored beast, spending countless weari
some hours In preparing him for a race,
and then when the barrier is sprung and
the field Is away, they may see their horse
slip back, still back, until he is absolutely
last
This man whose life is lived on a race
track does not discard the mitt that falls
him; Instead he offers excuses. May be ho
will swear round and horrible oaths
when he refers to the boy who rode. If
he does not blame the boy, the horse
is "short" or the track 13 bad, but it is
rarely the fault of the horse. This is a
sample of his loyalty, and, year in and
year out, he will keep his faithless equine,
feed him, fondle him and even deny him
self the necessaries i of life In order that
he might have a fresh straw bed to rest
his worthless bones on, and oats and hay
to eat.
This is the sordid side of the racing
game; the other side represents the suc
cessful trainer and owner. Sometimes they
live with their horses at the track. If he
Is a good trainer, he will never leave his
stable over night. -With the successful
owner, It Is different. He, If he has a
string of horses that are often in the
money, will live at one of the first-class
hotels, leaving the care of his racers to
a high-salaried trainer. The owner who
can enjoy this kind of luxury, however,
is always an early caller at the track
and he watches the work-outs of his
horses, and knows as well as the trainer
what his horses will do when they start.
It Is impossible to keep the toughs out
of the racing game, yet their days are
numbered. Since racing was taken up
by the Keenes, the Belmonts and the
Whitneys, the atmosphere of the sport
has been cleansed. Rowdy trainers, help
ers and owners have been, receiving no
quarter. They have been driven from
the tracks In the East and into small rac
ing circuits, and it will not be long be
fore they will be driven out of the racing
game altogether. There are a few of
the old tough racehorse followers at Irv
Ington, but they are shunned, for the
social line is drawn as close among the
racetrack folk as it is In the best of
Jvsoclety.
utauonea at jrvnuion u-ro out a. icw
of the rougher element that follow the
horses. The meeting thus far has been
void of trouble, for the "Pinks" know
them and they got a short shift when
they start anything. From the manner
of speech and dress, the casual visitor,
should he Journey to Irvington early in
the morning, could hardly tell the own
ers from tho trainers, or the "swipes"
from the exercise boys. Life begins there
before the peep of dawn, and often, if a
horse has gone wrong after a race, it is
continued through into the night. Just
at present it is a great sight, say from
5:30 In the morning until 10 o'clock. At
this time the horses are going through
their Jogs, gallops and breezings. Some
times there are as many as 50 thorough
breds walking, Jogging, galloping and
speeding on the track at once. This is
the sight that attracts the rail birds.
They string themselves .-along the top rail
of the fence, talk horse and swap yarns
on this and that "great" racehorse and
the race they saw him run. Comments
of disgust and praise freely mixed with
profanity are the order to the rail
bird's talk, and he gossips away,
but, allthe time, if a horse is being
worked."the timer In his hand Is ever
busy clicking off the seconds which the
horse is reeling off, and, when he goes to
the post, the rail birds know Just how well
the7 horse has worked: He also knows
when ho sees the entries Just how good
each horse is, or thinks he does, and he
lays his bets accordingly, and as often
as he does he loses. That is why they
never have more than one suit of clothes
and dimes Instead of dollars In their
pockets.
STAg-AT--HOMES AT NATIONAL CAPITAL
Mrs. Roosevelt's Summer Visit to White House Enlivens "Washington Society.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15. (Special
corespondence.) -Mrs. Roosevelt's Sum
mer visit to the White House enlivened
things greatly notwithstanding the
large number of boarded-up houses
which signify that many residents of
the fashionable West End are seeking
recreation in places remote from the
Nation's Capital.
Nearly every afternoon during hef
Btay in Washington Mrs. Roosevelt en
tertained friends at 6 o'clock tea on
the south portico, where they were fre
quently Joined, by the President and his
. aides.
Later, a few Intimates would, "drop
in" to dinner after a pleasant horse
back ride or a game of tennis on the
new White House courts.
Mrs. Roosevelt made frequent stop
ping excursions in the mornings, driv
ing to and from the White House in
an unpretentious rig, and wearing one
of the simple silk shirtwaist suits so
much in vogue.
Sne returned to Oyster Bay on Fri
day, just four days before the famous
Igorrote chiefs of the Philippines called
upon the . President. And even if
she had been here It may be doubted
whether she would have felt It neces
sary to give them the right hand of
fellowship and bid them dine at the
White House royalty though they are
said to bo.
Stay-at-homes are having a Jolly
time this Summer, the number of
Washington families possessing near-by
country places having materially in
creased during the past year, and
many fashionables cling to the com
fort of their homes through the season
except for short trips to Old Point
Comfort or the White Sulphur Springs.
Much local interest centers in the
Davis-Elklns rivalry in obtaining the
expression of affection from West "Vir
ginia at the coming election, as both
father and son-in-law have been closely
identified with Washington social and
political life for a generation of years.
Mrs. Elklns, whose position as daugh
ter of the Democratic Vice-Presidential
nominee and wife of one of the
stanchest Rooeevelt standpatters, is
so unique, has been a successful host
ess in Cabinet and Senatorial circles as
well as always a welcome guest in the
homes of the diplomatic corps.
Mrs. Arthur Lee, the ex-Senator's
younger daughter, with whom he has
lived since the death of his wife, made
a flying trip to Washington this week.
While here she and Mr. Lee were the
guests of their cousins, Mr. and Mrs.
Lee Philips. Their bright little daugh
ters were left with relatives in West
Virginia, a fact which hastened their
return.
The regular monthly meeting of the
NationalSoclety of the Daughters of
the American Revolution was held ofN
Wednesday. Mrs. Charles W. Fair
banks presided, having come to the
city on purpose to be present at the
meeting and to attend to some matters
pertaining to the new Memorial Hall
the Daughters are building In old Van
Ness Manor.
The Republican nominee for Vice
President accompanied Mrs. Fairbanks
and stopped here a few days en route
to Boston, where he will deliver a
speech during the G. A. R. encamp
ment. Messages of sympathy because
of the serious Illness of Lieutenant
Tlmmons, the young husband of their
only daughter, were intermingled with
words of congratulation over the
Senator's apparent popularity in his
party.
If the fates so- decree, it will be an
easy matter for his wife to turn the
Fairbanks home into a Yice-Presi
dential residence. As Mrs. "President
General" at home to the whole N. S. D.
A. R. in a single afternoon she proved
herself possessed of unfailing patience
and a happy disregard of details that
would worry another woman to death,
while the effort only left her ready for
a dinner party or a busy evening with
the gavel In the D. A. R. Congress.
" -
Tho j formal announcement of the
marriage of United States Senator Will
iam A. Clark, the multi-millionaire
from Montana, to his ward. Miss Anna
E. Chappelle, was a complete surprise
to their Washington friends. The
bride attended school here until her
presence was persona npn grata on
account of her attending a dinner given
by Senator Clark at the Arlington
Hotel, contrary to the advice of her
teachers.
Her return to the city as tho 'wife of'
the world's richest man and the mistress
of the marble palace Senator Clark Is
preparing to build on Duponf Circle, will
be a triumph of tinje. It was for the
first house erected on this site that the
now famous "Stewart furniture" was
made to order in Florence, and art treas
ures gathered from all part of the world,
to later become the source of family dis
agreements and sensational auction sales.
In tho year of grace 1501. The last chap
ter of this remarkable household furnish
ing is yet unwritten, though its outline is
given in the warrant issued during the
week by the Secretary of War ordering
the venerable Senator to replace some of
tho things removed from his last house
after it was purchased from him by the
Federal Government.
Another wedding In which much inter
est centers is that of Miss Mary Custls
Lee Carter to Mr. Robert Halsey Patchln.
The ceremony was performed by Rev. E.
S. Dunlap, of St John's Episcopal ChurchV
the bride wearing the conventional white.
Her father, Mr. George Carter, of Wash
ington and Leesburg, Va.. was a cousin
of the late General Robert E. Lee. Among
those present at the wedding were: Unit
ed States District Attorney and Mrs. Mor
gan Beach, brother-in-law and sister of
the bride; Mrs. C. H. Patchln, of Des
Moines, la., the bridegroom's mother, and
Ira Halsey Patchln, his brother, and As
sistant Secretary of the Treasury Depart
ment, Robert B. Armstrong.
Major Charles McCawley, President
Roosevelf s chief military aide for all so
cial functions, has forsaken the capital
for Bar Harbor. Mr. McCawley is a
great favorite in the "younger Bet, which
is led by Miss Alice Roosevelt, Countess
Casslnl, the Russian Ambassador's
daughter, the Misses Warder, Represent
ative Nicholas Longworth, of Ohio, and
Hon. Butler Ames, of Massachusetts.
It was he who led the cotillon with Miss
Roosevelt on the occasion of her debut
ball In the East Room of the White House
a few years ago. And he has continued
to dance attendance to her ever since,
when not engaged in escorting his father.
Tho War Department is making elab
orate preparations for tho long-looked-forward-to
and much-heralded Army
maneuvers that will take place September
3-12, on the old Bull Run battlefield, now
known as Manasses, Va. Regular Army
troops to the number of 5000 will be there,
while the' several states will send Na
tlonal Guardsmen enough to bring the to
tal number of brass-buttoned boy3 up to
25j000. These will be divided Into three
camps and spread over 65,000 acres, under
the personal supervision of General Fred
D. Grant, General T.H. Barry, General
Tasker H. Bliss and Lieutenant-Colonel
J. G. D. Knight, U. S. A.
General Grant shows few signs df ad
vancing years, and is strikingly like pic
tures of his illustrious father taken about
the time of the first battle of Bull Run.
Seeing him in the lobby of the hotel, a
few days ago, recalled the last time I met
his mother. It was at her home on Q
street during the Spanish-American War.
Some one asked where her son was, and
with a look worthy of a Spartan mother
replied: "Fred, my Fred! Why at the
front, of course. He has beenln the
Philippines for a long time, and will stay
.as long as he Is needed."
GRACE PORTER HOPKINS.
A WHIPPING FINISH AT IRVINGTON TRACK
- W