Show LAST OF A TYPE OF OLD Major Barak Thomas a Southern South South- em ern Horseman of the Old School LEFT PENNILESS BY WAR L Later cr Be Breeder of ur Famous Race Horse Fine Home to Colored Mammy 1 H Ky June 9 The Thc last of or the southern of ot the thc type that flourIshed flourished flour flour- before the war passed awn away when Major G. G Thomas died nt at his home In this city last lut month For twenty years cars h i had been slowly lying dying Time hl Ills hIs ph told him ho II must soon oo die hut but each time bo ho rallied and S 'S 5 Was able to leave lea his bed bell for lor the ens easy if chair In his stud study r Major Thomas was born horn at nt Charleston Charleton s 8 B. C. C eighty years ago no When lie he was G Ghis his hlll father removed tJ to Lexington ton For Jor four years he called this place 1 hIs bis home He began bigan his business buness career enrI as ns a n clerk clerkin J in a Cl freight hl office of or the thc Loul Louisville and andL l L railroad and WitS was to w en engaged aseel when the thc war broke out Hc lie got sot into n a difficulty with some Union Umon s Iders campIng camp- camp Ing In this count county killed one of ot them and was compelled to flee for or hs hIs life Hn effected his e escape cape IJ by the tho aid old of or an nn engineer who was in charge of or a switch engine in the railroad yard The engineer picked 11 up Thpmas opened the thc throttle of oC his engine lne and ran him out of the thc count county II In Ia Sarel safety Thomas then made his way through the mountains of or Kentucky Ken tuck Picky tucky Into Virginia where he lie reached a detachment of Confederate soldiers and enlisting In the thc service ser ho he followed thc the Lost Cause until Lees Lee's surrender nt at Richmond Rich filch mond Earned Rank of or Major In the war he he- earned earnel the rank of major ma ma- jor Jar but when he returned to lon hc he was barefooted coatless and without a a. aScent cent to h hs name A piece of ot prope property l' l 1 he lu owned here hail had been bren confiscated h by bythe bythe the Government and he hc recovered reeo it It or ora a a. a portion a-portion of or It H It only after years ears of or flU liti ga gation tion atlon WIen he hc was forced to lice flee to the Conf Confederate Confederate Con Con- f federate ranks hc lie and his brother J Judge Charles U. U Thomas owned an Interest Inthe in inthe the tho note marc mare Hegira During the thc war she was bred to the thc famous amous Lexington and when Major Thomas returned from Crom Virginia lnla he found Cound a n sucking rm lilly filly the outcome of or that union He entered catered this filly in a n stake at Louisville Louls trained her himself ran her and won the thc race This mare was the thc famous ramous HIra IUra thc the dam of or the thc 8 sire re of oC Domino That was the thc foundation of oC thc the great estate which Major Mojor Thomas built hunt up UI In Kentucky Once on his hla feet he became a power politically socially and anI financially In central cen ceo Kentucky The fhe only office ce he ever er aspired to wa was that of oC sheriff He Hc was elected l by 11 y an overwhelming majority Been Became me Retired Capitalist After ACter his hla term of oC office expired he hc became became became be be- came teller leller In a a. local bank but for or the thelast thelast thelast last thirty years he lived Il as a a. retired capitalist devoting de his time and attention to his Us stud of hors horses s which made him celebrated d as a He bred Domino Domlao Dom Dom- lao ino Americas America's largest winning horse Himyar one ona of or the greatest stallions of oC America Dan Ban Fox King Fox and m many n others No e eastern stern of or distinction visited vis is Jt d Lexington without paying a visit to toI toMajor toMajor Major I jor Thomas Thoma He Hc stood for everything good In racing and many of the thc strictest st rules which now hold in check vicious horsemen were the thc outgrowth of his sug sus' Ills His horses were the thc first to appear on tho the track with thc the program number on the Jockeys Jockey's arm and his writings on the pure bred horse led Bruce Druce Lowe to publish his book on the figure system Major Thomas would not have a mare marc that did not trace back her pedigree to Oriental sources Hc lie held that In no other way Y could great race horses bu bo suc- suc e bred Major Thomas' Thomas first venture In the thc breeding line Une was on the Dixiana Farm Parm some five miles from Crom this city Here for fora a a. number of years eans he hc re resided in a large house houlle built of or stone and surrounded h by a an n number of cottages collages built for his help and for his horses all painted white while an and resembling a Swiss s village Only Horses s Wanted Over O the thc gateway hung a sign warning warnIng warnIng warn warn- ing off or peddlers and agents The he last line liner I r read ad Nothing but hut a good race ho horse e I wanted here During ou out of his serious attacks of or illness he Jie sold his estate And tho the sign was secured b by eastern and now han hangs 5 on the thc walls of oC Madison Square Garden New York On th the walls wallIS of or the thc house houle In this city Ip which hc he passed his last days das hangs hanSs a notable collection on of oC paintings of or horses I Here ere he hc entertained statesmen millionaires and famous treating them to punch made of year twenty Bourbon find and nd served In gold old and anel silver sil cups won In races by hl his famous horses horse It was this brand of or whisky which he hc declared W was waa 3 too valuable to be used u in declared cht christening a battleship Miss Harriet Richardson on the lilac Grass girl selected by the tho secretary of oC the thc hav navy havy to name the battleship Kentucky requested re- re ted quested Major Thomas Thom lB to give o I her a bottle bot- bot tle the of oC this famous lamou whisky to smash on oti the thc how bow of the thc vc l holding that whisky whisky whis whis- ky cy was more appropriate for fOl a a. ship with the name namo of oC Kentucky that the thc conventional conven con 1 bottle boUle of oC champagne Major Thomas offered to furnish the thc famous ramous Bourbon for the tho SU guests to drink on that occasion but non none to bo ho wasted in the thc waters of oC the thc Atlantic Once a state official not too scrupulous In n his hilt methods method went to Major Thomas in tn I the thc heat of a big hll fight ht and showed hf him different nt sides alden of the case saying this way or that way ay would win winfor winfor winfor for the thc party Major Thomas turned to him and saId salO When 1 I wa wad walS a child my m mother said the only way WRY was the thc right wn way and I if 2 you ou cant can't go Sf those thos lines 1 I am not for you The story b becoming noised about abou caused tho the downfall of oC the thc man who up r I to that Ume time had never Imo known n political defeat i. i tl Tir V. V C Concerning Room Doom To Towns us J Once co Major Ml Thomas was consulted b by a ayoung I IJ young friend con concerning a a. heavy y Investment Investment investment invest Invest- ment In boom towns in Kentucky Kentuck The young youns- man told lold Major Thomas the thc prospects pros of DC two or three places as they had hec set forth to him hm by lP others Major Thomas Thmas turned to the young oun man and said 1 1 Once during the thear war ar In South Carolina I camo came to a 1 crossroads where an old Irishman was all seated cracking rock I asked him which was the best road of oC the thc two to take to lo Charleston V 4 Oh said saki he cither will land you there I. I Well dl what do you know about them rf I asked aked ed Laying down his hammer for an in In in- slant ho looked a at l me and said Well Weil I will Ill tell you soldier Whichever Which ever avet ono one you OU ta before you Set get to Charleston you will wish you OU had taken the other one I That was how the thc major looked upon In Investments in boom towns towns- Though a. a Confederate soldier and a southern sympathizer r no one was a bettar better bet bet- tar ter friend to th the color colored race than Major Thomas To his old colored housekeeper and cook Aunt Margaret who served him faithfully for years carB he hc J gave C a n hand hand- some homo home Ho lie picked up on the road when a bo boy tho lie noted Jockey and trainer John Clay who handled and other oilier ho horses ci fur for him and by the thc majors major's assistance tance Cia Clay Is 15 toda today probably probably ably the richest colored man In Lexing Lexing- ton Ion Major Thomas never married and hc he ha has no relatives Ca to Inherit his vast estate J If there was no romance in his early life no onn oin knows s of or It and he hc never gave Ja Jaca a reason rason for living n R single life I JIll Ills only relative e known In the past thirty thirty thirty thir thir- ty years was his hla brother Ju Judge Je Charles II n. Thomas who died some lame years ars n ago o. o Like Major Thomas ho was unmarried and his estate wa was inherited by hy the m ma ran- jor Major Thomas made his last trip east cast eastIn castIn In the th of or 1931 H JI He lie went to 10 NewYork New New- NewYork NewYork York to dispose p of oC his hI yearlIngs s and anil beIng bc- bc Ing ng In fain fairly Jool good goed health at the time hI hu remained there Ihre until late lale In the summer ills III JI death Is looked upon here ns as second see sec cc- cc ond only In tn importance to that of or Henry Cia Clay and General John C C. Breck- Breck |