The Fate of a Crack Joe Ke.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 193, 22 August 1885, Page 5

The Fate of a Crack Joe Ke.

\Yji. Nkwhousk, who was a few years ago a celebrated jockey, and ono of tho best known

uen on the turf, died lately in St. Giles's Work-house, having literally worn cut every

friend on earth. Heavy betting brought Nowhouso to giicf. " (fc was," fays Mr Corlett in the course of nn interesting memoir

in the " Sporting Times," " decidedly the best light-weight of liis day," and possossed of the most unlliucliing courage. Not even

the moat daring acti of horsemanship of Archer have eclipsed the performance of Newhoiiso, and we havo moro particularly

in our mind's eyo a raco bo rode on The Sh ih at Brighton. The horso had been

laJe tho mod him of a desperate plunge, in

diich Nowhouso was a sharor. In tho race ie vfat apparently hopelessly shut in until cry near homo, when it bucamo a caeo of 'nick or nothing" with him. He deter-

mined on risking his nee!;, and, dashing in next the rails, whero there was not Dearly room, fairly pushed hi; principal oppnnont out of the way, and won by a het.d. Tho owner of tho horro, when wo lust paw him. ivas not in a much botter plight than

his jockoy. Tho ruin of Newhouso was heavy hotting, and for this ho neglected his riding. Wehavoseen hitnporched inthenwst

prominent part of tl.o ring, openly betting in hundred* and monkeys, either on hi~ own horces or other people*. Ho took part in that famous expedition Sir George Chetwynd lifted out for the pnrpnso of rooking tho Khedive, and anything more humorous was noror told (lian his description of it. Tho most fairy like tales hadbeen told of the onormons prizes that wcro given by tho Khedive, and of the lnrgQ sums ho betted. A llrst-class In wo culled Countryman, who was top in tho T. Y.C. handicaps, was rent cut for " leading bufinecs," and a cist iron hun.Uo racer to do the "walking gontlcman," Tom French, thocrack jockey of the rlay, who had just ridden a Derby winner, was iirst jockey. So far from rookinc.' tho Khedive, it was tho English party who wcro rooked, n* Countryman, it is believed, was puUoncd, and tho height of absurdity was readied when England's great jockey, who would havo scorned to riiio at, a meeting in this country not tinder Jockey Club rule?, meekly got into tho saddle, and won a trivial hurdlo raco, which was tho only pri/.o tho party di<l win. "If wo had won every race on tho card," said Nowhouso, "they would not havo amounted to more than wo could havo got in one go at Croyden." On his return from I'-gypt (it U not Napoleon we aro speaking of), Newhouso went to Monto Carlo, whnro ho was denied admission to tho gamingtables, on tho ground that children wcro not admitted. This error was soon rectified, and tho following day, to tho astonishment of the croupiers, he was seen staking "maximurns," not altogether without success. It was hero that ho entertained several members of tho Jockey Club with a most princely dinner, tho company not breaking up until tho morning sun sent its beams into the room Nor aro wo Fnrpriserl at it, as Newhoufo was a most excellent on;l entertaining host. A shrewd observer, his power.i of description wero most graphic and humorous, and there was enough fun about him, combined with hard hitting repartee, to havo mndo tho fortune* of half ado/.on professional wits. Tho lirst timo wo saw him rido was at Lowes, uherc ho won on Touch and (io, when ho was so small that ho had to bo lifted into tho scales, and carrying tho big saddlo was altogether out of the question. His weight at thi-i time was little more than three stono. It was not long boforo ho took tho load amongst tho light-weights, but all this timo ho was treated morely (is a stable boy, and every night ho had to clean his horso, for which purposo it was nocOFSary for hiai to stand on a bucket. As will bo gathered from what wo havo said, ho had far moro intelligence than tho ordinary run of jockeys, and this very intelligence was perhaps his ruin. Ifo became one of tho biggest backers of the day, and at one period was worth many thousands of pounds. Tho evil day rarao, and, hiving lived so long in luxury, ho did not seem to caro to return to tho drudgery of tho saddle, and, wearing out his friends, he gradually fell and ;01l until ho became a ITaymarket lo^fur, and linally, poor fellow, found a pauper's grave Tho lo??on of his life is a Fad ono ; but wo fear that it will soon be forgotten. Tho Haymarket i^ a rock on which many jockeys havo boon wrecked before this day, and wo can see moro than ono of the prosont school drifting perilously in the samo direction.