THE RACECOURSE TRAGEDY.

Evening Star, Issue 12875, 26 July 1906, Page 3

THE RACECOURSE TRAGEDY.

«v. , -7. 7“ ... " , . DEFAULTER KICKED TO DEATH,, FURY OP “ THE FLAT.” A ipoper of July 16 says v A horrible tragedy was enacted at Ftemington on Saturday afternoon, when a defaulting bookmaker was pursued by* an infuriated mob on the flat, and eventually beaten and kicked to death. The man’s name was, Donald John M'Leod, a big, muscular fellow, twenty-three yea,re of age, and weighing about 15st. Ho lived in Cardigan street, Carlton. M‘Leod had attended at Flemingtou on every day of l the Grand National meeting. On Saturday he and a man named Frank Ilitchi© drove to the course, and M'Leod took np bis stand on a box, from which he loudlj called tho odds on the Grand Narional Steeplechase. He went out with tho intention of betting only on that race, but there was a strong nm on Lady Doris for tlf© first race, and M'Leod, probably thinking she would not win, was unable to resist tho offers of the crowd to bet with him. Ho mad© over twenty bets about Lady Doris, and stood to loco £4 l§s if she won. He did not bet on any other horse, and when Lady Doris won he was unable to pay, and had to return the money, with the usual promise to settle on Monday. On the second race, too, he laid £4 10s to £1 10s about the favorite, mostly in shillings. Again the favorite won, and again M'Leod 11 scaled" his clients. By this time he must have been rather a marked man, and had no doubt made not a few bitter enemies among the crowd. Still, he boldly went on betting on the Steeplechase. Altogether, ho made thirtyfour bets, and received 475. Seven bets were made on Decoration, for which he would have bad to pay out £8 10s, and he had only £2 7s in hs bag. Decoration won, and the seven people who had backed him presented their tickets in response to M'Leod’s cry of “I’ll pay the winner.” He did not pay, however, but simply banded hack the amounts of the seven bets—los in all—with a promise to settle np on Saturday night or Monday “ in front of Wren’s.” The seven who had been “seated” complained loudly. Previous victims of M'Leod’s methods of payment joined them, and in a few minutes M'Leod was being hustled and. hunted by a crowd ever growing noisier and more violent. He was struck several times, and then, becoming frightened, he ran towards the booths. Tho crowd streamed after him like a wedge, the fastest runners in front. M’Leod’a white hat and white face could be. seen darting across the flat Then the point of the wedge reached him, and as he went down the rest of tho crowd surged round him, and he was lost sight of in a mass of whirling fists and kicking feet. Some of bis friends and a few men with ideas of fair play forced the crowd off, and M'Leod again got away, only to bo caught, again by the crowd and literally beaten to death. By this time two mounted constables put ru an appearance, and rod© the crowd away from the dead man. His body was carried to a casualty room on a stretcher, and Dr Mollison, after a brief examination, pronounced life extinct. There were a number of well-known “ welahers ” on the flat on Saturday. Just lieforo M'Leod was beaten to death. Detective Tognini, who was standing near the gate leading from the flat to the outer carriage paddock, saw a big crowd following and abusing four men whom he knew to be “welshas.” He spoke to-one of the “ weishers,” and them, on pushing through the crowd, he saw M'Leod lying on l tie - ground, with two troopers keeping a circle clear. ' Just then another crown came along in chase of another “welsher.” This man escaped from, his pursuers, but not till most of his dothing had been tom off him. " There was a very thick and furious crowd following the ‘weishers,’” .said Detective Tognini. “Bat I saw no blows struck. There was a rough-and-tumble, as is always the case on such occasions.” ARCHBISHOP CLARKE ON GAMBLING. Archbishop Chute wrote as follows to tho ‘ Argus’;— I bow my head iu very shame for the ' city in which it is possible for such a tragedy as that of last Saturday to take place. This city has splendid buildings, beautiful streets and gardens, numberless churches, great educational establishments, and everything to educate and ennoble life; and yet a very large number of its citizens are being degraded and brutalised by covetousness and the lust of gold. If there is any manliness left in Viet on a it must be roused into indignation over this unspeakable horror. In vain do tradesmen advertise their goods when the spending power of the community is reduced by the immense sums of money which go ultimately to support the worst vices of our nation. No wonder that the perplexed question of the unemployed is constantly with us, when monev which ought to be spent in support of honest industry is wasted in betting and gambling. The only hope for this state lies in a complete revulsion of feeling and in the .education of the whole community, for no section of it is free from the vice of gambling. The large sums of money spent by the elate for the purpose of education are largely wasted by the false and dishonest ideals in which each rising generation is trained and taught in a universal school, where the one moral lesson learned is to lay hold of money which has not been honestly earned. lam jealous of the fair name of Victoria, and what can the nations of the earth think of a city in which the tragedy of last Saturday is enacted? Gambling debts are called debts of honor—an unworthy use of a noble word; and, whilst I do not wish to excuse the folly of a man who bets beyond his ability to pay, the fruit of the whole system is a tendency of aU gamblers to do the same thing, and to open the floodgates of the vilest passions of human nature. Nor does this tragedy stand alone. Every month tho Police Court records tell us how men in responsible positions have been tamed into thieves bv the spirit of gambling. I could wish that all in this State would resolve that henceforth they will abjure this accursed , thing in every form, and set before themselves the task of assisting to create honest conceptions of citizenship and of onr duty towards one another. At the present time many of the people of this State are supporting a thoroughly dishonest system of dealing with money, and there is no hop© of permanent commercial prosperity and of regular employment for honest labor so long as this wastefulness and covetousness continue. I call especially on all Church of England people to reject upon their own share in this national evil, and to banish it from their homes and places of business; for gambling is sinful because it rs contrary to the law of love, which is the law of Christ; it is proved by its ” fruits to he bad, and a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.