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RACING SECRETARIES OF RARE TYPE. Interesting Anecdotes of Hugh Mclntyre and H. G. Crickmore, Old School Officials. Some men- were dlscnssing racing and the men who had bellied to make the spoil attractive when one of them mentioned the name of a man who had a brief experience as secretary of one of the big organizations around New York many years ago. This man was a southerner and knew little of racing win n In- took the post, but lie was a past master when it line to dispensing hospitality. He WM consequently exceedingly popular with the horsemen, and in fact with everybodj with whom he came I ■ on tact. "1 never hear that mans name that I dont have a good laugh," remarked one of the company. ■ II. ill a dozen Kentucky majors and colonels were up here for the yearling sales when their young had brought splendid prices and they were naturally having a good time, and of course didnt miss a lay at we races, They had free badges and WCR made much of everywhere they went. II Lapp, aed that the Jockey Clubs meeting was in: at the track where this man was secretary at the time and be wiued and dined the Kontuekians to the queens taste. When they departed for house thej old the secretary that there might be others more capable of making up a fair overnight program, but When it Came to extending the right hand ot good fellowship the others in his line of business wore left at the post •One of them whispered at parting that the minute he got home a demijohn of price less whiskej which reposed In a certain corner of a special cellar to which be only had Cue k.y would be forwarded by express. They waved their broad brimmed hats in fan-well and dared the racing olli.ial to cme to Kentucky at his peril whenever he could spare the time. "The bard worked official was losing up his hooka for the meeting one .lay when the express ■ on. pain brought to the New York sOsee a demijohn that looked as though it contained the real thing. It wa-from Lexington, Ky.. and that evening as the steii ographer was preparing to quit work the demijohn caught the secretarys eye and be dictated the following note: • .My Dear Colonel: The aroma of your delicious bourbon tills my room. The nectar of the gods a u insipid indeed in comparison with your Incomparable whiskey. 1 toast you looking toward Kentucky, the home of the fairest women, the bravest men and the ibctest horses in the world." "The next morning there was a telegram on the secretarys desk which read: •• S. ut you demijohn of maple syrup my mistake. Kindly excuse blunder. Itnuriioii gucs forward tomorrow. ""There was another time when this same man was a trifle emb-.irr.ised to say the least. 1 UOU this occasion it was his lack of knowledge of racing rules which caused his discomfiture. One of . Chief slake events, the largest for two-year olds in fact, worth upward of 0,000 to the winner, was Lo be decided during the absence of the owner of the course. The stake was apparently at the mercy • ! his candidates, of which no fewer than three were named to start. The prowess of these two-year-olds was so well known that the owners of all the other no a. inations declined the issue, and the secretary, after consulting the trainer ror the stable, cabled the owner: Three starters from your stable named for the stake tomorrow. Draw your own conclusions. ""The next afternoon." resumed the speaker, "within the required time a young Keutu.kian announced that be would start a chestnut lilly named after his wile in the hope of securing some part of the money, remarking as he paid the starting f .■ that "one of those others might fall down, Jon know." None of them fell, but the chestnut lilly cat ae home booming and tin- secretarys face was I study. He had forgotten all about the ability of a nominator to announce a starter forty-five minutes before a race, ami when his employers candidates were the only ones named overnight he couldnt resist the temptation to send the glad tidings abroad." "lie wasnt much like poor Hugh Mclntyre, who was secretary for the Brooklyn Jockey Club and other organizations for so many years," spoke up a listener. "Nothing ever was known to faze Mac. If things went against him he laughed them off. and many a man who went to him with a grievance left the otlice with a smiling face. Ill never forget one time, though, that his powers were put to the supreme test. It was in the olden days when they arete in tbe habit of giving a small circuit through Virginia, the Curolinas and Georgia after the windup of the eastern season at Washugton. Some citizens of Culpeper Court House, Va.. came up to Washington and asked Mac to arrange for a three-days meeting at their town. They would put up the money for the panes and Colonel would donate the famous Culpeper Cup. won shortly after the war by his justly famous strain of lighting cocks in a battle With the pick of birds from Charleston. The trophy was described la glowing terms by the promoter of the meeting, and when the a. lvalue i itlcea were circulated by Mclntyre — he was an old newspaper man and few could excel him in his specialty — the Culpeper Oup was pictured. It was 1. scribed In great detail, and Joe McMahon. a character in bis day, who always had a good horse or two in his stable, was among those who succumbed to the blandisbiiK nts of the accomplished Secretary. He declared that he didnt want the money particularly, though money was always ae eeptable lo a man about to enter winter quarters, but he would like to have that cup to take home to the missus for the sideboard. "The day Mac arrived at Culpener Court House he asked to see the famous cup and a negro boy was sent to the Coloneis house for it. The boy was a long time coming, and Mac looking up the street finally saw a mule pulling a cart and the messenger was holding the lines. Arrived in front of the afflce the cart was hacked to the curb, and reposing in the body of the vohiele was the cup. It was about the size of a Happy Home baseburning coal stove. standing perhaps four and i half feet high and was about as big around as a fair-sized saw log. II wai of pewter or some other base metal, and Mac bursi out laughing the minute he caught sight of the trophy. " What in the name of all thats wonderful is that? he gasped, his face empurpled by his spasms. " Dats de Culpeper Cup. an Massa he say you all want be k.erful how you all handle it, cause its brittle an liable to l c bruk! "This started Mac going again, and he m donSled up and holding his sides, the tears running down his cheeks the while, when McMahon, who was thin and a dyspeptic and a stranger to hilarity. happened along and wanted to know what was so funny. "Pointing to the mass of junk. Mac managed to explain the situation, and when he had finished with Ihe negros message of caution Joe was sore. He couldnt bold out, however, against Mclntyrea mirth, which continued, and before long he was laughing heartily — for him — and seemed to enjoy the joke. No other man but Mclntyre could have carried the thing off as lie did and when Ml Malum won the cop the next day he had the secretary pen a graceful note to Colonel returning the prize and saying among other things that he did not have the In ftl I to take to his northern home a souvenir which must have meant much to the colonel and his family. The winning of it was glory enough for him, and he was certain that no prize his bone would ever carry Off would bring more renown to him or to his stable. "We havent any more racing men of the Mclntyl type," sai.i tbe speaker. "The last of the old school died when H. ;. Crickmore, dear old Krick, passed away. There was a man for you. Under lib gruff exterior he carried as brave and gentle a heart as I have ever known. It was my privilege to know aim for years as a reporter of races and plge in matchs long before he ever thought of becoming a racing secretary. We had our little tilts occasion ally on the merits of the horses, and I found fault with him times innumerable for giving away his money. He would always i. II me that it was none Of my business what he did with what was hi-own. and I guess he was right. "Once there was a hoy who had done something he shouldnt and jail threatened him. His father. who had fought through tbe ivil war with Krik. was dead, and the mother in the time of danger eanio to the brusque old bachelor and told her story. H was ■ matter of a thousand U llan II tnattei not that he hadnt that k : v at baltd, I wilt out and got it. That u.e only one in tanci of his splendid charity. "He was the friend of tbe lockeys and counseled the little ieiiows as :, rather would. Be ova Slave to habit and did the inie things with clock-like regularity day after da, took no vacation . scorned typewriting machines and wrote all the details of his daily routine in long hand. "It is an open secret thai the racing authorities ■ranted to superannuate him. but be hobbled about alter rheumatism had swollen his Joints almost be yood endurance and he died literally In harness. He was a hater of shams, fraudj aiid pn tender* ami spotted theni Instinctively. The turf is tin poorer for the passing of Mclntyre and Krik. "I ean recall some Of Kriks criticism Of racing and there is one man alive today whose memorj will always he keener on a certain event than it otherwise would be because of his advice. Prank Iur. -ell. when a liny lad. had the mount on tin Dwyer Brothers Richmond in an overnight race at Gravesend. lb was winning handsomely when Prank began to ease up, and Pierre Lorillards Exile, ridden by Harris Olney, nailed him in the final strides ami won the race. The nexl day bj the storj of the race the veteran counselled Irani, j.-Cube, the Dwyer trainer, to take Pureell into a nice i.ig box stall and tan him well with the businew end of a mart ingale. Mei.ii . i i disciplinarian those days uu.i he look Kriks, advice. Them ssj no more alert boy in tbe saddle than Pureell until I be grew too heavy to ride. Krik knew that horses] would run in and out in spite Of anything that owners or trainers could d . and be was always chary about criticising an owner, trainer or jockey. I hey cant talk and tell you theyre BOt aide to do their best, he was wont to say, and there was a heap of wisdom in his reasoning. He never bet and his judgment was always sound and Unbiased. -N.w .oik Sun.
