Show Racing Greatly Changed Since Jim Browns Brown's Days By JACK SACK KOFOED Sports Sport Writer Ne New v York ork Journal Away back in 1871 runty little fellow named Jim Brown was elected elected elect elect- ed cd sheriff of Lee county Texas He was leather faced and wiry and the in tho those He had to be fastest man on the draw e for there were of tou tough h people In that part rt o of the state S He He was a killer at heart but he killed with a badge on his shirt and the law Jaw behind him He was a born gambler too and loved horses Jims Jim's fame spread so far Car that Sam Hildreths Hildreth's father t too took o o k his fleet flee mare Red Morocco from irom Missouri Missour to o Texas to run a race against Browns Brown's Gray Alice for a bet of That It happened to be the only he had did not disturb him Bought Jockey Hildreth was given a fine massaging mas- mas aging The Texans bought of off his jockey and sent him out of town Sams Sam's daddy managed to g get t another another another an an- other one When it became apparent that Red led Morocco would win the new nc jockey ey pulled her onto the strip of grass between the two t pathways they hey used for Cor racing in those days das The Missouri horse wasn't plated for or that kind of or racing A few Cew yards and her f feet et began to burn She shortened her stride and Gray Alice came ame on fast to win As a matter of or fact the learned considerably later they probably wouldn't have been paid even en if ir the they had hadon won on Twenty years passed by Young Sam became a trainer of oC note Sher Sher- Sher-I Sher iff Brown a successful owner Their paths seldom crossed but Sam wain was wa in at the finish when it came to the killer of Lee county Those intervening years had not moderated Browns Brown's fiery iery temperament temperament tempera tempera- ment nor did they persuade him to give up carrying a gun Bitter Feud In 92 there was vas a bitter feud on between Ed Corrigan who own owned cd the Hawthorne race track in fri Chicago Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago and George Hankins and EuGene Eugene Eugene Eu Eu- gene Leigh who had reopened Gar- Gar field Corrigan finally had to close clos-c Hawthorne Hawthorne Hawthorne Haw Haw- thorne but he kept up the warfare through his friend Mayor Wash Wash- burne His Honor ordered the police to stage a raid on the Garfield track The Chicago police had been warned about the little sagebrush killer Jim Brown He Ho wasn't an arm of the law in Chicago He was just justa a racetrack guy and a troublesome troublesome trouble trouble- some some someone someone one at that The police pollee found Jim near the stables talking with Bob Rice another another another an an- other horseman Come on said one of oC the John Laws Youre going to take a little ride with us Browns Brown's eyes blazed He began backing awa away One of the policemen made a 1 tragic mistake He pulled his gun and fired ired at the sheriffs sheriff's feet The affront maddened the Texan His equalizer leaped to to his hand and Patrolman John Powell lay d dead ad on the ground with a bullet bulletin in his mouth Tim The sheriff knew the the- game was up then His fine record as a peace leace officer His exciting years cars on the tiie racetrack aU all the tho heat and pleasure of life was over o for tor him He Ho was sas a dead man still breathIng breath breath- in lug Ing and seeing and ho he knew It He started running toward the gate Patrolman Henry McDowell caught up UI with v him seized the little littleman littleman littleman man b by the throat and began squeezing the life out of him for he was burning with rage at the murder murder murder mur mur- der of his friend Sheriff Sherif Jim Jin pressed the barrel of his 44 against the officers officer's chest chestand chestand chestand and blew the heart out of him He rose to his feet his hunted gaze sweeping the the ring of bluecoats blue- blue coats coals There were only a few seconds sec see of life liCe left The police riddled him with a hail hall hallof of bullets Sheriff Jim went down ready to trade lead if he had the strength to do it But he didn't and he died there on the grass before the stables he loved so much Racing Changes Racing has changed The old tracks like Hawthorne and Garfield had been supplanted by gorgeous plants like Belmont Park Parle and Saratoga Saratoga Saratoga Sara Sara- toga and Hialeah There arc are still plenty of chiselers and touts and plain fools to be found where the bang tails flourish but there arent aren't any more Sheriff Jim Browns Its It's just as well The Texan had the hc killer complex x Whether his victims victims vic vie tims were horse thieves in Texas or policemen in Chicago apparently didn't matter It was in hint him to kill A man like Sheriff Jim wouldn't be very popular now around the therace therace therace race tracks He loved horses but jut he loved his gun a little bit better |