Mexico Ledger from Mexico, Missouri • Page 9

EASY CHRISTMAS SPECIALS VILLAGE SQUARE Tom Boss Book Is About And For Mexicoans By Jane See White For most readers, "Tom Bass: Black Horseman," is probably overpriced at $11.95 (by Saddle and Bridle, the publishers), but for Mexicoans it's worth the cost. For this is a book which traces the birth and growth of Mexico as well as traces the career of one of Mexico's most famous sons. The book describes the birth of Tom Bass into slavery and his steady rise to fame as the premier trainer of saddle bred horses of his time; indeed, perhaps the greatest trainer of all. Bass was born outside Columbia, in 1859, the child of Cornelia, a slave woman, and her white master, William Bass the book reports. Tom Bass was still a child when the Bass slaves were freed in 1865, but his freedom changed his childhood little, for he grew up on the Bass plantation.

Bill Downey, author of the book, details Tom Bass's first experiences as the trainer of a stubborn old mule owned by his grandfather. Bass astonished the wealthy white children of William Bass by mounting the mule and showing the creature at all five gaits. Then, before the wide-eyed children who had been taunting Tom Bass only moments earlier, Tom put the mule into a gentle rocking- horse It was this tale which inspired Bill Downey to write a book about Tom Bass. Downey, himself a black man, remembers sitting at the knee of a great uncle who told crazy tales about a black man from Mexico, who taught horses to canter backwards. Years later, when Downey was talking with a trainer for the famous Lipizzaner horses of the Austrian Riding School, he asked if such a crazy thing were possible.

The trainer answered by bringing out a Lipizzaner who cantered gracefully around the ring backwards, like Tom Bass's first mule. Downey grew up in Iowa, but his family is from central Missouri. Today, he is a reporter and columnist for the Santa Barbara (Calif.) New- Press. Downey did much of the research for the book in Mexico, visiting with Mexicoans and reading microfilmed editions of The Ledger, from the late 19th Century through Tom Bass's career. The old mule was not the only animal Tom Bass trained to canter backwards (and walk and trot and rack).

Columbus, the first high school horse Bass trained after he opened his stables in Mexico, could perform the feat. Bass later sold Columbus to Buffalo Bill Cody, who rode the gelding in his Wild West Shows. The gift Bill Downey has offered to Mexico with his book is this: For the first time a wealth of lore which, until now, has been passed on largely by word of mouth from generation to generation, is now recorded. Remember the story about Fred Pilcher listing for a condescending out-of-town sign painter all the championship sons of the town called Mexico? Or the tale about the fire which destroyed the Ringo a fireman poked his head into the smoking attic, sighted the stuffed statue of the great Rex McDonald and shouted, "There's a horse up here!" There are many other memorable tales of Mexicoans: Louis Hord, who first employed Tom a bell hop at the he first came to Mexico in 1878. Joe Potts, who with Cyrus Clark operated the Potts and Clark Stable where Art Simmons' stable stands even today; Joe Potts, who first sent black Tom Bass into a show ring and who convinced Bass to open his own stable.

The book explains that Mexico began in 1818 with one cabin raised by a fellow named Robert Little. And that the town's first realtors were Robert Mansfield and James Smith, who laid out the village at the fork of Beaver Dam Creek and Davis Bend. Also, that the town's first race track was located across the street from the Methodist Church. But even for those with little or no interest in Mexico history, "Tom Bass: Black Horseman," is worthwhile reading. It is an inspiring tale, told in entertaining and anecdotal fashion, about how a man born into slavery came to be friends with Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland and to decline an invitation to perform in London before Queen Victoria.

One of Bass's historic accomplishments was one of his first. It was when, as a black, he rode into the show ring for the first time, it was the first time a black was permitted and had dared to show in competition with whites. Downey recounts Joe Potts' decision to allow Bass to show a black mare with a mean disposition. It was a weighty decision, for showing horses was considered a "gentleman's" activity and men with black skin were not considered to be gentlemen. But Bass was the only man on Potts' staff who could handle the black mare and Potts had no other horse to enter in her class.

Downey writes that Potts looked up at Tom Bass, sitting astride the mare, and said: "I hope you are ready, Tom Bass, because you are about to be the first nigger in history to show the Missouri and Kentucky white folks that a good man on a fine riding horse can perform a miracle." Bass took a red ribbon in that first class but afterwards, Downey said, rare indeed was the white man who complained about the presence of this black man in the show ring. For when Tom Bass rode into a show upon a three-gaited, five- gaited, or high school the other riders knew the winner could almost always be the black man on the magnificently trained animal. Angie Bass, Tom's wife, finally stopped attempting to display the ribbons in their home on Whitley Street, for there was not enough room to show them all. Mexicoans can see only a few of the ribbons today, filling a show case at the Audrain County Historical Society's American Saddle Horse Museum. Some of Tom Bass' trophies are on display there, too.

If there is a flaw in the Downey book, it is only a small one, forgiveable in the light of the service Downey has done in recording so much. The flaw is an inclination on Downey's part to tell us what Tom Bass was thinking, how he felt, and yet to offer no documentation: "Tom wondered if she (Belle Beach) was trying to tell him that she was not a fancy stepper but a performer He felt as though he was standing on the edge of the world Tom knew all this as the sweat of anxiety rolled in icy rivulets down his ribs A new confidence surged through Tom's body On balance it's a wonderful book, quickly read, filled with enjoyable tales of Mexico and Missouri, of great horses, jbf an even greater trainer, and, yes, more than worth the price. REPAIRS ON BARN Lawrence Roberson, owner of the Tom Bass barn on N. Olive is making repairs on the historic structure. Mr.

Roberson has long been interested in preserving the building. Kansas City Star Reviewer Praises Bill Downey's Book Bill Downey, author of new book on Mexico horseman. "Tom Bass, Black Horseman" was featured under the heading of Books Of The Day on the editorial page of the Kansas City Star, when the book was released during the week of the American Royal. Here is the Star's review by Joan Gilbert: TOM BASS, BLACK HORSEMAN, by Bill Downey (212 pages; Saddle and Bridle The time and place of this book's and not have been more appropriate, for it's about a former Kansas Citian credited with starting the American Royal. While some will debate the accuracy of that, there are many other reasons why it's fitting for his story to be told.

For one thing Tom Bass more than lived the American dream, elevating himself by talent from slave birth to Notes For Readers Of The Book Bill Downey's book on Tom Bass provides a lasting picture of great saddle horse days here, and includes a lot of Mexico history in the bargain. It provides all the ingredients for a movie scenario, triumph and tragedy, plunging horses in fear of a tornado, and thrills in the show bit parts for Buffalo Bill, William Jennings Bryan, Calvin Coolidge, and Queen Victoria. The book deserves a place on any serious shelf of local fiction. And that's where some caution is needed. Mr.

Downey's dramatization of the racial bar overcome by Tom Bass is sound in theme. But he needs to be read with caution in a sequence where a reader is apt to get an implication that a lynching inserted into the drama took place in Mexico or Audrain County. The text would seem to imply that, but it is not so. If the reader is careful, he will note locations named to be in Howard County (Steinmetz Station, Fayette) and in Randolph County (Moberly). He will note that the sheriff concerned is a "Sheriff Audrain County has never had a sheriff named Winn.

Tom Bass did constantly face racial bars in his career, but the county which was his home was never a lynch historical fact which deserves to be recorded. And Pages 143-144 of his book would have been a good place to record that Audrain County was Tom's choice of home, and that its people did give him the opportunity for his great personal achievement. With that noted, perhaps some other and minor items should also be listed. They are certainly not major, but anyone maintaining a serious library might wish to clip the following and paste it in the back of his copy of the book. Page 11: Boone County was not the first county of Missouri.

Page 13: The Bass acreage was not "north of" Salt River. Page 74: If Tom took the train to Columbia, it had to be the Wibash now), not the "old Alton special." Page 105: "The Rev. Richardson, a minister of the Mexico Baptist Church" must surely be the Rev. C. E.

Richards, longtime pastor of the Second Baptist Church of Mexico. Page 124: "Forest King, out of Montrosewas a stallion; the Forest King dam was Stella French. Page 187; "Pitcher, the druggist" must be Fred W. Pilcher, the jeweler. Page 203: "Press" funeral parlor must mean Precht.

Page 203: "Switchboard in The not in 1934. Page 204: "Rev. C. E. Richardson" must be Richards.

international status. His stables in Kaasas City and Mexico, were shopped by Buffalo Bill (Bass "made" Columbus, the striking gray horse Cody rode for years), Teddy Roosevelt, Grover Cleveland, William Jennings Bryan and dozens of other names big in government, business and society. Bass was included in inaugural parades for two Presidents and entertained royalty visiting Washington. He was asked to exhibit at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and when a horse fell on him here, British newspapers cabled for details. Bass also did his bit to change American history by opening a few doors to blacks and by gently forcing thousands of whites to rethink their prejudices.

He added countless stories to saddle horse lore, doing such things as outshowing the haloed Rex McDonald on a mare and, while still a child, teaching a mule to canter backward. He strove to improve the plight of horses, inventing a more humane bit which still is sold and making his name a synonym for justice to them; each animal he trained demonstrated the practical benefits of kind handling and conscientious care; everyone knew his soft-spoken gentility could disappear at the sight of abuse. But the book has timeliness quite apart from Bass himself, for it opens up a glamorous segment of too-little-known Americana. Actually, the saddlebred is the most American horse of all, developed by combining other breeds to get what was needed for the average resident's saddle and light harness use in this land. When horses were necessary, it was naturally also necessary that some people have vastly superior ones and from competition among these arose a kind of showing that was new to the world: Horses were pitted against each other on a basis of physical refinement, elegance of movement, delicate control of power and instant responsiveness to cue.

Forebears of the 3-and 5- gaited and fine-harness horses we see in today's shows are what our forebears dreamed of possessing; the men who could produce such animals were heroes of a type our society today has no parallel for; seeing them perform was a treat something like all our pop and classical cultural events rolled into one would be. The eulogy Downey quotes from Will Rogers is a perfect example: It depicts a horse- hack entrance to heaven and admonishes St. Peter to see that Rass gets all the ribbons himself to compensate for all the earthly ones given to people riding Bass-trained horses. In truth, Mrs. Bass gave up, years before her JL (Continued on Page 10) 3 -j I Give him an old fashioned Christmas English clothing by Austin Reed of Regent Street.

Left. The always proper wool blazer $95. Center. Right in it's patterning, the classic chalk stripe vested suit $165. Right.

Up to the minute styling with a European accent. $155. OF MEXICO MISSOURI.