THE FIRST BALD HORNET RACE
(The Bald Hornet was a famous race horse, discovered to be fast on a
ranch. He was promoted by Matheson, the saloon keeper, primarily. When
being promoted, some of the boys saddled up a jackass, put a blanket over
him, with the name "Bald Hornet", and led him ceremoniously in
front of Watson’s Saloon, making him become enraged. Songs were even
written about him. Not too many hears ago, when they were trying to find a
date in court, someone asked if it was before the first or second bald
Hornet races. Like the date of the death of Billy the Kid, it was almost
the way of fixing time.)
The Bald Hornet Race was in February that year. (Means 1886,
apparently). Mr. Williams was out there for the occasion and was riding a
gray horse that sometimes shook. He was on the track before the race, they
were there for hours, talking to Will Doggett and somebody. Suddenly his
horse shook. He had opened his saddle bag to have access to his pistol, if
needed. It shook the gun down to the ground. Doggett, as a joke, said
somebody had lost a pistol and put it in the forks of a tree.
(I don’t find it in this file, but Mr. Williams told about the First
Bald Hornet Race. Old Man Owens, had two boys, and I believe they later
went west, said he had a herd of cattle. He bet his entire herd on the
other horse that it was generally thought would easily beat the Bald
Hornet. Then the latter ran away from the other horse, and Old Man Owens
had to deliver his cattle, he said, as they were driven away, that
"they looked as big as "kivvered wagons." There was a
handsome young man on a horse, with a will trimmed moustache, holding up a
hundred dollar bill to bet on the Hornet. Someone asked who he was, and
was told it was John Man, a school teacher from Shive.
(He and my mother taught together one year at Shive
in the old school house that is still standing. He later became my uncle,
and my father’s law partner till his death in 1907. They were having a
hard time at a Blue Ridge school
with the boys. They were big and tough. They engaged Uncle John to teach
there. The first day one of the big boys started to take him in. He
squared off and gave him an undercut that floored him. Had not more
trouble. One of the boys said it was the only term he ever learned
anything. He didn’t learn very much at that.)
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CHESLEY'S HAMILTON COUNTY INTERVIEWS
BY
HERVEY EDGAR CHESLEY, JR.
Born: 21 November, 1894
Died: 17 July, 1979