view raw text
CHANCE SHOT ACCOUNTS FOR WITHERS STAKES DEATH TAKES PAYNE WHITNEY Noted New York Sportsman Brother of Harry Payne Whitney Owner With His Wife of the Famous and Suc ¬ cessful Greentree Stable Dies Suddenly NEW YORK N Y May 25 Payne Whitney brother of Harry Payne Whitney and one of the most prominent sportsmen on the American turf died suddenly today at his estate at Manhasset L I after a game of court tennis With his wife he raced a large stable of thoroughbreds in the name of the Greentree Stable StableMr Mr Whitney who was 52 years old was stricken on the tennis court He died while artificial respiration was being administered and before the arrival of a physician A heart attack is believed to have caused his death deathThe The news of Mr Whitneys death spread quickly and it was a severe shock to his friends in the highest social financial and racing spheres throughout the country One of the modest men he was held in fondest regard in all circles of his activities His benefactions were manifold and most of them were given with the understanding that his name was not to be mentioned One of his last public spirited actions was tie conveyance to the city of New York for park purposes property in the Bronx valued at half a mil ¬ lion dollars dollarsMr Mr Whitney was born in New York City the son of the late William C Whitney secre ¬ tary of the Navy under President Cleveland and Flora Payne He was a graduate of Yale University in the class of 1898 Four years later he was married to Helen Hay daughter of John Hay secretary of state under President McKinley They had two children Joan who now is Mrs Charles Shipman Payson of Portland Me and John Hay Whitney a student at Cambridge and popularly called Jock In addition to Harry Payne Whitney he was a brother of Mrs Frederick K Elmhirst the former Mrs Willard Straight and Mrs Almeric H Paget PagetNow Now well known to the general public Mr Whitney was an active and important figure in the fields of finance and sport It was Mrs Whitney who won him to the turf When she gathered a few horses together and founded the Greentree Stable he visited the race track only occasionally His interest inthe sport grew gradually and in recent in the sport grew gradually and in recent ing year and none during the Belmont Park and Saratoga seasons seasonsJOCKEY JOCKEY CLUB MEMBER MEMBERAlthough Although a member of The Jockey Club for several years Mr Whitney never would con ¬ sent to election as a steward until a few years ago agoThere There will be a special meeting of The Jockey Club at Belmont Park on Friday afternoon between the races Assistant sec ¬ retary Algernon Daingerfield yesterday issued a call to all the members of the gov ¬ erning body of the turf to attend It is ex pected that arrangements for the entire i membership to attend the funeral in a body will be made at that time and that resolu ¬ tions of regret will be adopted and spread upon the minutes Arrangements for the funeral probably will be announced to ¬ morrow morrowWith With the news of the untimely death of Payne Whitney there naturally followed the j scratching of all of the entries from the Greentree Stable as well as those of his elder brother Harry Payne Whitney which meant the withdrawal of both Valorous and Whiskery from the Withers Stakes StakesIt It also brought a hurried change in other plans when horses that had been loaded for Churchill Downs were unloaded and still others that were to have gone to Woodbine Park were not shipped It had been the in ¬ tention to start Pandora in the Kentucky Continued on eighteenth pagf PAYNE WHITNEY DEA Continued from first page Oaks while the others were to have gone to Louisville with the filly fillyInstructions Instructions were wired Mosc Goldblatt to scratch all the Whitney entries in Kentucky while George Ellis contract rider for the Greentree Stable cancelled all his mounts for the day out of respect to the memory pf the dead sportsman sportsmanAt At a called meeting of the New York Turf Writers Association honor was done the memory of Payne Whitney and resolutions were adopted mourning the passing of a sportsman whom there was none that meant more to the American turf turfThe The death of Payne Whitney does not affect the stake engagements of the Green tree horses as the ownership of that estab ¬ lishment was vested in Mrs Payne Whitney In his own name Mr Whitney was owner of some twoyearolds and yearlings that have been nominated in 1927 192S and 1929 events but the engagements are not numerous The dead sportsman was a liberal purchaser at the disposal sale of the late August Belmont brood stock and these mares are at the farm located adjacent to Brookdale in New Jersey OWJfER OF SAINT GERMANS GERMANSMr Mr Whitney owns Saint Germans the imported stallion he purchased last year from Lord Aster in England and several brood mares from that establishment are now at the Brookdale Farm FarmTrainer Trainer CTyde Phillips was shocked yester ¬ day when the news of Mr Whitneys death was given to him by telephone from Man hasset All the Greentree Stables entries for the day were ordered scratched A ship ¬ ment of Greentree horses was about to en train for Canada and the thoroughbreds were sent back to the stable at Belmont Park ParkPhillips Phillips was deeply affected and he said it was difficult for him to express his feel ¬ ings He spoke of Mr Whitneys enthusiasm over the thoroughbreds and said the sports ¬ man was a regular visitor at Belmont Park vatching the c training gallops and co ¬ operating at all times in the management of the establishment He was as keen a sportsman as his famous father and brother and derived constant enjoyment from the stables activities activitiesA A J Joyner said the turf has suffered a terrible loss for Mr Whitney was one of the finest sportsmen the American turf has known I have known him for many years and it was a privilege to know him as I did he asserted John Whalen expressed his grief and paid high tribute to Mr Whitneys devotion to the turf and his liberal support of racingl racinglHoward Howard Oots was another horseman who vdiced his sorrow and deep affection for Mr Whitney WhitneyFoxhail Foxhail Keene declared the American turf had no more loyal friend and liberal sup ¬ porter than Mr Whitney had been ever since he began participating in racing racingA A H Morris said the news of Mr Whit ¬ neys death has been a shock so serious that he could not adequately express grief griefJ J E WrDENERS TRIBUTE TRIBUTEJoseph Joseph E Widener who has been so closely assoicated with Mr Whitney in the development and improvement of Belmont Park said the loss to the turf was irrepar1 able and he never had a finer friend or more Icyal associate His place in the American turf will not be filled by another anotherWalter Walter S Vosburgh one of Mr Whitneys closest friends was greatly depressed by the news and he said he had never known a finer sportsman sportsmanSamuel Samuel D Riddle referred to Mr Whit ¬ neys death as a terrible calamity for the turf and paid high tribute to his admirable qualities qualitiesSamuel Samuel C Hildreth spoke feelingly of his fondness for Mr Whitney whom he had known for so many years He said his loss was personal for he had loved the dead sportsman and had been associated with his father William C Whitney WhitneyGeorge George Odpm declared the turf had not suffered such a loss since the death of Wil ¬ liam C Whitney and Payne Whitneys place could not be taken by anyone f now con ¬ nected with racing Every horseman has learned to appreciate what Mr Whitney has done for the turf and he was universally loved and respected
