Capt. "Billy" Williamson: Career of a Veteran Turfman Who Served in Two Wars, Daily Racing Form, 1922-12-14

article


view raw text

CAPT. "BILLY" WILLIAMSON Career of a Veteran Turfman Who Served in Two Wars. 9 Witnessed Some of Most Notable Races at Three and Four-Mile Heats Ever Run In This Country. NEW ORLEANS, La., December 13. A group of turfmen were recently discussing the old days of racing in the Crescent City, when someone mentioned Capt. "Billy" W. H. Williamson, who died here in 1906. "Captain Billy," as he was called everywhere, was one of the most widely known and most popular figures on the American turf. Old turfmen can remember the days when he was ready and willing to back his opinion on the relative merits of horses with .sums that would be reckoned a handsome competence for a Lfcnlleman of reasonable financial aspirations and some can recall dark hours when he was but meagerly supplied with the most commonplace comforts of life. No one can remember, however, one single instance where he ever entered into any shady or suspicious transactions on the turf, or anywhere else for that matter, and everyone who knew him regarded him as a gentleman of the strictest integrity. Captain Williamson was born at Richmond, Va., February 5, 1823, so he was nearly eighty-four years old when he died. His father was a prominent citizen of Richmond and was the owner of several large plantations, among them the one upon which the battle of Malvern Hill was fough. during the Civil War. In 1S36 Captain Williamsons father sold these estates and remoed to Sumner County, Alabama. In 1S43 Ciptain Williamson went to Mobile and entered the office of a firm of cotton brokers as a clerk. In 1S49 he went to California r;nd 1SZ1 was iriade clerk of the legislature. He regained in California until 1S55, when lie joined General William Walker in his expedition against Nicaragua. Under General Walker he had the rank of major and figured conspicuously in the movements of the famous filibuster. In the Civil War Captain Williamson fought with the Confederates, lis was one of the aides-de-camp of General Jonas M. Withers. After the war Captain Williamson went into the wholesale and retail cigar business at Mobile and New Orleans. Even before the war Captain Williamson was an enthusiastic turfman. As early as when he was living in California in the fifties he owned and raced a filly in that state. While in Mobile before the war he owned General Twigg, John Macdonald, Ella Moon and Neil Robinson. After the war, in partnership with the then famous trainer, Tom Patterson, he owned Harry of Ihe West, by Lexington Laura, by Leviathan. He was successful with these, as he won handsomely with them at Metairie, winning at two-mile heats and three-mile heats during one winter meeting at that once famous old track in New Orleans. Another horse of no small note that was owned by Captain Williamson and Patterson Avas Grapevine, renamed by Captain Wil-I liamson after a personal friend, Lewis E. Smith. He brought this horse to New Orleans and won a stake worth 00. After this race he matched Lewis E. Smith against ! the famous mare Maiden, by Lexington the dam of Parole, Messrs. Moore and Coffee betting ,000 to ,000. The race, which was at mile heats, was run over the Louisiana course and Lewis E. Smith won in straight heats. This horse was also well engaged at Saratoga and he was sent thither by his owner in charge of Patterson, but he contracted lung fever on his way from Kentucky to New York and became a persistent and confirmed roarer. Lewis E. Smith was by Revenue, the sire of Planet, dam of Sea Breeze, by Albiou. REFUSES OFFER OF 5,000. Moore and Coffee offered Captain Williamson 5,000 for Lewis E. Smith just after he had beaten Maiden in the match race, but the offer was promptly declined. The judges in that famous race were Duncan F. Kcnner and Colonel Bingaman of New Orleans. Captain Williamson saw some of the most notable races at three and four-mile heats ever run in this country. He saw Charmer and Revenue run a four-mile heat race in Mobile. Charmer won the race in two straight heats, Revenue breaking down in Continued on second pase. CAPT. "BILLY" WILLIAMSON Continued from first page. the second heat That, of course, was the last race run by the famous son of Trustee. That was in 1S4S, and ten years later at Columbus, Ga., he witnessed the famous race at four-mile heats between Charleston, by Glencoc ; Frankfort and Sue Washington. It took just sixteen miles of racing to decide this notable event. In the first heat Charleston was first and Frankfort second. Frankfort won the second heat, with Charleston second, and then Sue Washington, which had run third in the first and second heats, came on and took the race by winning the third and fourth heats. In the spring of 1SG0 at Metairie he saw the great race at four-mile heats between Lightning, by Lexington ; Panic, by Glencoe, and Planet, by Revenue. The track was deep in mud and Lightning won in two straight heats. Attributing the defeat of his horse to the heavy going, Colonel Thomas Doswell, the owner of Planet, offered to match that horse against Lightning for 5,000 a side, same weights and distance, with, the specification "good day and good track." The match never came off, however. In 1859 at Metairie Captain Williamson witnessed the dash race in which Captain William CottriUs Daniel Boone, a brother to Kentucky and Gilroy by Lexington Magnolia, by G-lcncoe and Colonel Doswells Planet Daniel Boone won the race in 3:36, w-hich was the fastest two miles that had ever been run over Metairie. Out of this match grew the famous sweepstakes between Planet Daniel Boone and Colonel Thomas Puryears Congaree. This race was at four-mile heats, each owner putting up ,000, while the management of Fashion course, Long Island, added ,000, making in all ?20,000 for the winner. Daniel Boone broke down in his final trial just before the race, leaving only two starters, and Planet distanced Congaree in the first heat. As the agent of William Cottrell, Captain Williamson conducted the last races that were held in Mobile at the old Bascombe track, now laid out for residence purposes. When Captain Cottrell died his racing stock became the property of his niece, Miss Jennie Cottrell, and Captain AVilliamsons brother, Hardy Williamson, managed her farm until the stock was sold at Lexington, Ky., this being the end of the Cottrell stable. After the death of Mr. Cottrell, Captain Williamson became the commissioner for several well-known horsemen through his reputation for j strict integrity. He was a bon vivant of the old school, universally liked wherever votaries of racing congregated and generally found there. It is stated that the Leland Hotel Company of Saratoga, New York, Chicago and other places, kept " Billy " Wil-: liamsons room" ready for him in each of the hotels owned by the company for thirty years. Captain Williamson never married.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1922121401/drf1922121401_1_4
Local Identifier: drf1922121401_1_4
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800