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SOME FEATURES IN WALTER ROLLINS LIFE. Herberts Defeat by Africander a Distress — Sir Walters Career in His Charge. New Y .rl;. January 27. — Another good man has i joined Hie great majority, and the departed soul of Walter Rollins is at peace, let it be hoped, though i at the eost of bis life. The man who trained the first Suburban winner. General Monroe, in grief at ibe los* of bis lieloved helpmeet, killed himself a few days ago. anil men who have spent a lifetime on I lie turf ale mourning the loss of Hie blue eyed • Keiitiiekian who made a fortune by good real estate invent nienls. but who was destined not to long enjoy it. The deceased gave ap all liking for racing alnuit t five years ago. He came within an ace of landing , I ilxr Suburban. Ibis time with his own horse. Herbert, that noted mud runner, which ran second 1 to Hie three year-old Africander in the Coney Island Jockey Club classic of 190.:. That was the year r that Bmn Cleveland Fuller was at the top of the ~ heap as a jockey, and on Africander he took all ilic chances that a rider could to get home first, and 1 aa did. But as a matter of fact the tracks of Africander and Herbert, plain to be seen over the muddy course, showed that they had run diagonally v down the short homestretch at Sheepshead Bay, and, Ci-orge odom on Herbert never had a fair chance because of the gradual elbowing practised by Fuller. Tin-re were a great many who thought, especially v alter the slew aids had used up alxuit ten minutes s in examining l-otli riders, that a disqualification might ensue. I stood on the upper tier of the grandstand, direct ly under the box occupied that day by James s B. Ilaggin, the man who lired Africander, and 11 naturally ImiIIi be and John Mackey, who was witli 11 him. desired to see Africander awarded the race. Bui there was no open expression of interest on the e impassive ccunlcnance of Mr. Ilaggin pending the e argument. Bluff John Mackey was, however, not t mi well contained, for when the red number went t up which announced that the race would go as it t finished, the big Irishman impulsively slapped on n the back the man nearest him. and au immediate B adjournment to "the clubhouse bar was made. Africander, " sou of Star Ruby, did much that year in e add to the fame of his illustrious sire, and naturally Mac key beamed ii|ton the world. There is little doubt in my mind that the result • of this, race told on the nervous system of Walter Rollins, for that season during the Saratoga meeting the annoum. hi nt was made by him that iiis health demanded a change, and he relinquished Mr. 11 K. Knapps stable. There were many applicants .a for the position, among them the late Lew Elmore. ■. bul William II. Karrick secured the engagement, I, ami he has been the trainer of the Oneck Stable le bane* ever since. il was a period about twelve years ago, however. f, i 1 ; i i that Walter Rollins, as the trainer of the game little Sir Walter, was much in the public ce. In MM Sir Waller, one of the most popular horse* which ever ran, was third to Dr. Rice and the three year-old Henry of Navarre in the Brooklyn Handicap. In 1895 Sir Walter was again third in the race, this time Hornpipe, trained by Billy Lakeland for the Messrs. Keene, winning, while I.azzarone was second. In 1S0C. •third time and out" Sir Walter won the handicap from Clifford and St. Maxim. In 189.".. after having run third in the Oravesend stake. Sir Walter was second to Lazzarone in the Suburban, with Song and Dance third. The race was not I first class one, by any means, as it took the winner 2:07$ to run the mile and a quarter. But it created much gossip for the owners of Lazzarone, the Messrs. Frank and J. Robinson Beard, the allegations having been made by prominent turfmen that Lazzarone had not been meant in races subsequent to his performance in the Brooklyn, when he ran second and prior to his so called reversal in the Suburban. Another thing that added fuel to the row was that Domino ran unplaced in the race won by Lazzarone, and in the opinion of some this made it seem all the more certain that the winner had displayed a great reversal of form. The write*, a steward for the Coney Islatnl Jockey 0Mb that year, was called u|kiii to take part in an investigation of I/azr.arones previous races, something which I knew nothing of, because I was at St. Louis up to forty-eight hours before the Suburban was run, and had bandy time to search the cause afler a hurried 1 rip to the east before I was thrust Into the midst of tlie most sensational affair of the year. My associates, however, the late J. Otlo Donnev. being one. took up the burden of the investigation, during which the owners of Lazzarone. his trainer. "Billy" Donohue. now in France, doing well, and his rider, the late Isaac Murphy, were all unih r examination. The burden of the defense was U|to.i Donohue, as trainer, and Murphy, as rider. f Lazzarone. in his two races at Oravesend following the Brooklyn Handicap. The result was that all hands were exonerated, and my own opinion was then, as it is now. that Lazzarone really ran no 1 better, if he ran as well, when he won than when lie lost. His victory in the Suburban was not much better than a selling plater performance. That very ordinary horse. Song and Dance, was third in the race, and lhat speaks for itself, except that Domino ran unplaced. In the race just before the Suburban, an ottl sider called Stephen J., ninety eight pounds .up. won. with Sir Walter. 126 pounds, second, three , parts of a length in front of Lazzarone, 118 pound.-. This was at nine fitrkmgs, run in 1:87. Eleven i days* later, in the Suburban, at a mile and a quarter. Lazzarone. with three pounds less, bent by a length and a half Sir Walter, which had up , the same weight. 120 pounds, which lie carried on 1 June 4. The longer distance undoubtedly suited I Lazzarone. which was a sluggish horse and needed I a strong pace and hard riding to develop his ; best form. The improvement was twit greater and in fact I not so much as is seen every day in the week, yet a great howl went up because Domino wa-beaten. * The fact was that Domino was racing for only the second time that year when he was beaten in the Suburban. His first race that season was at six furlongs, which he won easily, of f course. From this to a mile and a quarter was a sudden jump, but Lakeland, who trained at that t time for the Messrs. Keene. thought he had the horse fit to go the route. It was lucky for Donohue. Murphy and the owners ,. of Lazzarone lhat they were given a hearing by so capable a horseman as was J. Otto Donner, a man I who had spent a lifetime and a fortune in the pursuit of racing and who had learned much II alionl its puzzling features. J. J. Burke.
