SPORTING ANECDOTE AND RECOLLECTIONS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10886, 1 July 1899, Page 2

SPORTING ANECDOTE AND RECOLLECTIONS.

■ ,-,- .. ' j* l (By Thormanby.) 'Author of "Kings of the Turf," "Kings of ''-'" the Hunting Field," to. IX—WAS DICKENS BIGHT ABOUT . "HORSEY MEN r Charles Dickens on the InUaence of the Horse—-WiAtam Hutton's Experiences of Honso-dealing—How Dicky Wise and the Sporting Butcher Exchanged Nags—And what Came of it—A Tale of the New Forest Hounds—The Scotch Laird. and -"the honest beast"—An Adventure with the Roscommon Hunt—Ludicrous .Plight of a Cockney Sportsman—Chief Justice Alvanley and the Horse-coper—Tbe Perils of going Circuit on Horseback—HorseStealing in England and America—A Sporting Trial in tho Far West—How a Jury was pursuaded to Change its Verdict—Jedburgh Justice. I think it waa Charles Dickens who remarked how strange it is that the horse— the noblest of animals—generally eiercises a deteriorating influence on the human beings that are brought into contact with him. There is some truth in the observation, I daresay, tnough I will not admit that it is universally applicable. It is a generally recognised fact that there is more latitude of deceit allowed in the sale of horses than in any other kind of barter. Old William Button, in his "History of Birmingham," gives an amusing instance of this: "Having occasion for a horse in 1759," he writes, "I mentioned it to a friend, and told him of the use the animal was wanted for. He assured mc he had one that would just suit, and showed it to mc in the stable, holding the candle pretty high, 'for fear of affecting the straw.' I told him it was needless to , examine, as I should rely upon his word, believing he was too much my friend to deceive mc. I Bargained, and caused the horse to lie nent home; but by the light of the sun I discovered the horse to be greased on all fours. I therefore, in gentle terms, upbraided my friend with duplicity, when ho xVplied with some warmth, T would cheat my own brother in a horse.'" I fear the morals of horse-dealers, amateur or professional, have not improved since William Hutton's days, and some men ._ will show no mercy to their dearest friends wlran selling a horse. Some years ago there used to hunt with the New Forest Hounds; a notorious character, Dicky Wiso by name, On one occasion Dicky had a deal with a Veil-known sporting butcher of Southampton, Jack Hewitt, who horsed one or Jjwo coaches. Wise's horse was a rank woarer, and tho butcher's had an awful gpavin, but they agreed to exchange even landed, without examining each other's torses. The next day Hewitt went out with do hounds, and soon discovered the roarer •—but said nothing about it. The following 4ay Wise rode has horse with the hounds, ' and coming down the High street on his return, he passed Hewitt's shop, at the door af which Jack Was standing. The horse , waa going on three legs, and Wise shouted wit, "No friendship in horse-dealing, Mr Hewitt; there is no friendship in hbrsedealing." ■• ■■ : * » i a lie told in the course of a deal in horses is considered the most venial of white ones. It is like a sea-captain's oath, an indispensable necessary to the business in hand. But sometimes a double entendre will do as well. For example, a certain Scotch laird sold a horse to an Englishman with the remark, "You buy the horse as yoit see him; but he's an honest beast." The purchaser took him home, and a few days afterwards the horse" stumbled and fell, to the great detriment of his knees and the rider's head. On this the angry purchaser went to the laird, and remonstrated with bim warmly. "I supposed, sir, I was dealing with a 'gentleman and a man of his .word,, you said *he horse was sound." "Nay, sir," was'the reply; "I told you he was an honest beast, and he is that, for many a time he has threatened to com© down with mc, and I kenned he would keep his word some day." An Irishman, you would go bail, would have had quite as witty an. excuse 1 as a Scotch laird. Not long ago I heard tbe following story of Irish horse-dealing, which I give in the words of the narrator: — " Wo bad rather a humorous adventure here; the plains of Roscommon abound with them. A Cockney sportsman who waa i amongst us had bought 'an 'osb' two days j before the hunt. There was as bad a ' speculation in tho animal's eyo as there-was i in the purchaser's bargain; and he had a I trifling thickness of breath which the Irish dealer said was only a cowld, that he required & good breathing to get into tune and upon the top of his speed. He had also a bit of a blemish on one knee, which the dealer said was only a mark on his coat. In short, tho 'oss was a rip, and at the first stiff leap he came to he shot his rider over bis head, broke the other knee, girths and bridle altogether. Tho Cockney was bruised and threatened the seller with a lawsuit, at the same time appealing to his conscience bow be could cell such a horse as sound, or praise him up as he- did. IJpon my word,' i says Pat, 'and that's as good as my bond, ' he's as sound as a bell, for he'll go when you touch, him; and as for his character, all I said was that he ■would run against any horse or mare yott could bring into the field; and as for a leaper, let bim alone for that. *>c cockney saw that be would cover him--tith ridicule if he attempted to carry further, so ho wisely dropped it.' Jtt v, w only fair to give a specimen of English trick " to supplement the illustration, of Scotch ami Irish artfulness. Lord Chief Justice Alvanley was once trying a , horse-coping ease, and in tbe coarse of the trial be told this story, of which, it was understood, ho was, himself the hero—or victim. *' • « "Some years' ago a/* acfaon was brought against a gentleman respecting a horse be had bought to go the circuit upon (in those days barristers went the circuit on horsebuck.) - The horse was taken home, and the - barrister s servant mounted bim to show bis paces. When the man was on bis back At would not stir & step. He tried to turn the beese round and round, but it would not go , tho circuit. The horse-dealer was informed of the animal's obstinacy, and asked by the purchaser how he came to sell bim such & horse? "Well,* said the dealer, 'it can't be helped, give* mc back the horse, allow mc five pounds, and we'll settle the matter!' Tie-hamster refused, and advised bim to -send the horse to a rough rider io be broken in. 'He has been to rough riders enough,' • said the dealer. 'How came you to sell mc '»Jborae that would not go?' demanded. the Barrister. 1 sold you a horse warranted ' Bound,' concluded tbe dealer, 'and. sound be ; is; but as for, going, I never thought he would gxtf * '\ ' , ■ : 'U' ' . «• '•• -'• • *• ■ - *■ '' - ','Time ,waa within Una memory of man, wW horse.stealing wb punished with death still perteof.Amerjc4where r it Is" safer to kill »*man than to '"■'. £ will &n you an instance jpdugbi aud ready way in which? they serve out horsestealers ia the Far

camp of the northern mines havingwacked his two mules and one horse for half a mile and discovered that a man's tracks with spur marks f©flowed than, came back to "town" and told tbe "boys" who were loitering about some popular .saloon that, in ids opinion, some Mexican bad stolen the animals. Such news naturally demanded drinks all round. "Do youkknotw t gentlemen," said one who assumed ih» leadership, "that jusl'ltiaidrally to shoot these Greasers aint the best way ! Just give 'cm a fair jury -trail, and rope 'em up with all tbe majesty of the law. That's the cure!" There was a smack of judicial moderation about this proposal which commanded itself to the approval of the-"boys.". To«shoot » man at sight was a process which fcad become monotonous. They were glad of a novelty; something, too, which.would have a legal air about it. There was a general grunt of "Good," and they quaffed their Kquor to the toast of "Here's -we ketch that Greaser!" As tbey loafed back again to the verandah a Mexican walked over the hill-brow, jingling bis long spurs as an accompaniment to tho waltz be was whistling. Tho advocate of law, pointing to the stranger, said in an undertone, "That's the cuss.'" The unsuspecting Mexican strolled towards the saloon; a rush, a struggle, and bound hand and foot he lay on his back in the bar-room. "String him up! Shoot the dod-goned lubricator!" shouted a score of voices. But the advocate of law and justice bade them remember their recent resolution, and give tho prisoner a fair trial. The fact that the Mexican did not understand a word they were saying did not, in their eyes, prejudice the case in the least. Indeed, it saved trouble. A jury was quickly gathered in the street, and they were hurried behind the bar. Tho gentleman who suggested fair trial briefly stated the case to the jury, who were then shoved into a commodious "poker-room" to consider their verdict. Presently the noise in the bar-room died away to complete silence, but from down the canon came confused sounds as of disorderly cheering. Then the sounds came nearer, and presently the tramping of many feet, the ring of laughing voices, and clinking glasses announced that the bar was fall again. There was a knock at the jury-room door, which was then burst open and a dozen voices asked at once what the verdict was. "Not guilty!" was the prompt reply of tho foreman of that hastily elected body. A volley of oaths burst from the "boys." Pistols were drawn and pointed ominously towards it he jury. "You'll have to do better tlian that," the leader of the loafers shouted; "we'll give you half an hour to consider." At the expiration of the half hour the door was opened again, and "What is your verdict, gentlemen?" asked the spokesman of tho "boys." "Guilty!" "Correct. You can come out.. We hung him an hour ago." "The jury came out, and the 'boys' stood them drinks; and when after a little time the town resumed its tranquility, it was allowed at more than one salon that "Mexicans '11 know enough to let white men's stock alone after this."- One after another of the "boys" exchanged the belief that this sort of thing was better and more sensible than "nipping 'em at sight." Towards sunset the barkeeper concluded to sweep some dust out' of the poker-room back door. He felt a momentary surprise at finding the missing horse dozing under the shadow of en oak, and the two lost mules masticating playing-cards, of which some bushels lay in a "dusty pile.. Then he suddenly remembered that the animals had been there all day ; but as the Mexican was dangling, a black corpse, in mid-air, halt a mile away, it was too late to repair his little abberatkra of memory, so, like a wise man, he held his peace. (Next week—"The Romance of Coursing."