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TALE OF FIFTY THOROUGHBREDS Walter Winans, the American millionaire horse breeder, told the story recently of the fate- of his famous stud of fifty horses. "These fifty, all thoroughbred jumpers and action and pace performers, were the finest in the world," he said, "not because I say go, but in the opinion of the worlds best judges, who had awarded them the highest prizes at OJympia and other international horse shows. "And they have all died in the war. "They were a priceless collection. I could have obtained any sum I cared to ask for them. Millions could not buy them. "But the war office came along and took them, paying me their standard allowance, 00 apiece for them. "Any one of these would have realized far more than the war office allowed for the whole -stud. "My own steeplechaser. Blue Moon, was tied up in the open without a rug and died next day of pneumonia. "Marmion, a beautiful animal, which "won the international high-jump iit Olympia; Knock Along, which also won many of the jumping prizes, and Vendetta, also a famous jumper, went to Russia just before the war broke out, where Vendetta won the czars jumping prize. "Captain Bcrtren, who used to ride for me at Olympia, and later was made a general in the Russian army, wis forced to ride Vendetta so hard during one of the early battles on the Russian front that lie fell down dead. "The bolsherlsts got hold of Knock Along and galloped him about Petrogratl without food until he died of hunger in the streets. "Marmion was in the hands of the bolshevists when I last heard, and is probably dead. I would not have taken 00,000 for any one of these three. Each is irreplaceable. "My three Russian troika horses, also prize win- ners. went to France and died there. "Then there was Cokers Rosador, known all over the world. A famous horse breeder once offered me a blank for him, and I said: Hes not for sale. The war office paid me 00 and it went to France and perished. "The horse that won so many first prizes in the pace and action classes, Bonnie View, was equally unlucky. It was in my .stud down in Kent, when the Germans tried to bomb Ashford Junction. A bomb dropped near its stall, . and Bonnie View jumped backward with fright, broke its spine and died. "I have not fifteen horses: left. These were too young for inclusion in the great war office sweep that was made at the beginning of the war. I think that some of these will become as famous as those that are gone." i 3 . . , 5 , ; t t t L. j t 1 e s J r :1
