SADDLE-GALL DERBY

Three months ago convivial L. M. Parton, secretary of the Nocona Chamber of Commerce, conceived a publicity stunt. His idea: a 2,000-mile pony express race from his little (pop. 2,352) North Texas leather-manufacturing town to San Francisco, to tie Nocona to the tail of the Golden Gate International Exposition.

His stunt started off hell-for-leather. Last week it was spavined, string-halted, wind-broken. Eleven of the twelve riders who finished had nothing but saddle galls to show for their trouble, were trying to rake up enough hay money to get back to North Texas, where they hoped to see Mr. Parton face to face. But Promoter Parton was missing.

From up-&-coming Nocona 18 riders set out in March with a rousing send-off in their ears, behind them a caravan of trucks and trailers for spare horses, sedans for the judges and Promoter Parton. Eighteen miles out, the lone woman in the race was disqualified when a judge caught her riding in a truck while her horses peered out placidly from a trailer. When the going got tough, five other riders dropped out. Nevertheless, Promoter Parton and his pals had a rare outing, a lot of it in wayside saloons. But as the California line neared they began to drop out. With them disappeared Parton and the plans for a big welcome in San Francisco.

Slim, weatherbeaten Shannon Davidson was the first rider to reach San Francisco. At a pipsqueak reception on Treasure Island he collected the only prize, $750, and headed for home. Day or two later other contestants began to clatter in. One ranch hand, lost, tethered his horse in front of the San Francisco Stock Exchange. All were stony broke.

Last week, a solitary horseman buckety-bucked across the bridge to Treasure Island into the Fair grounds. V. H. Henderson had followed the race route, scrupulously refrained from changing horses until he had ridden 25 miles--consequently had won the booby prize (honorary) hands down. Seeing nothing funny in his place or predicament, Horseman Henderson angrily announced he would sue the Nocona Chamber of Commerce. Then he began looking for a way to get home.

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