THE FULL CRY CASE.

NZ Truth, Issue 165, 15 August 1908, Page 2

THE FULL CRY CASE.

/ Racing Club's Methods at Enquiries.

"Spreader" writes : — The Full Cry case was finally settled last week by the Wellington 11. U. stewards and their decision settled the turf careers of owner Chesterman, jockey O'Brien, and the horse "during pleasure," and has also put on record one of the most amazing and unintelligible, sentences of the year.'

'■''The' procedure of the enquiry; in' the first place, was the medium of forming one pr two precedents' of unjust methods' and doubtful use. '

. The initial warning the connections of the horse Full Cry, got of the idea the stewards : had formed oi the horse's public performances since his win at Hastings (when he gave the books a royal turn up), was the warning of the jockey J. Hall, by one of the Jiighiy-paid officials of the club, who informed Hall, m a most autocratic manner, to look to his laurels as the stewards were watching him. As coming events cast their shadows before', this, m the face of the horse's' uisplay m the race, emphasises m ho small, measure the lieedlessness of "that" part of the business at tne very least. A

Rumor has probably before to-day hUng many men, and will probably do so m the juture. and is generally the most dangerous element to be contended with m the dealing out of impartial justice.

A person, or persons, set to judge their fellowmen should be themselves beyond , the range of just abuse. .Now, this paper k though m no way prejudiced on either side, wants' to know ll all. the mem'oers of the' enquiry sitting on the Full Cry case were m every sense fit and proper ; persons at . the time to sit m judgment on a case affecting the social career of : one man and the daily bread of another. '■■■.. .-''••

As the merits of the case forora the public's point of view, rest, to a great extent, oh the manner m which the evidence was obtained, it may be as well so set befof* them one or two details.

The committee took on themselves the initiative of wiling to . a solicitor \ m Napifer named Lusk, who "interviewed Chesterman, the nominator of tne horse, akd being a man well versed m the art of cross-examination, managed to trip Chest'erman into various statements materially opposed to his ows interests m the case, this, 'near m mind, witho.ut giving; Chestcrman a hearing viva voce or otherwise, on his own behalf, when, according to British law or the unwritten rules of fair play. an accused has the privilege 1 of hearing the evidence put forth for the prosecution.

A feature m. the case is the disqualification of jockey O'Brien, on whose reputed sub-lease of the horse the main points of the case revolve. It is pretty well common property now that O'Brien's appearance m the case and subsequent v fall, originated m the second or third stage from the bookmakers. it is supposed that O'Brien, by means of what is known m the vernacular as crosskidding, managed to induce several books to lay the horse heavily on the understanding that he was not trying. Now, from a moral point of view, if the books knew, or thought; they knew, the horse was dead,- they were robbing the public by going on with him, and the more they laid the horse the more money they were obtaining by unfair means. If this were the case, then those bookmakers who laid the horse and lost aro

not worth considering m the matter, neither should their evidence, or even rumors circulated by them, be paid the slightest heed to by the public or the Wellington stewards. Such men make their start off "mugs." Keep going on "mugs," delight m getting a dead 'un "to go on with," and arc a miserable section of the community not worth venting any spare wrath on. The Wellington stewards have at least put m some very doubtful methods at getting at the bedrock of this case. We are told O'Brien has been continually interviewed m the hopes of obtaining a statement damaging to himself. Now, as this man's guilt or otherwise .m the matter is just what has to be proven, would it not be fairer to seek the proof from other quarters and have it thoroughlyi substantiated before employing underhand and absolutely irregular methods ?

Now, another case m point is the likelihood of Full Cry being m the jbag, when the circumstances are reviewed m daylight. In the first place, the horse could not well have been a non-trier without Hall coming under the same category. Could O'Brien have so influenced the books that Hall was not considered as being a material figure m the race ?

Did the machine not give an indication that the majority ol the public thought the horse's chance of winning a good one ? ' ■•"■.-■,... Were the books so guileless that they laid the horse at a -wide, price at- the start and never tumbled it was "heads" money they were * standing :up .to ? . Or how Would things have turned out had Full Cry not won?

The facts of the 1 matter appear that! the horse was a trier and iron and the books are., sq-uealmg, ,. as. 3Ehey mostly do when things don't happen .along their, way.; Now, to the horse , himself, rumor again, backed, up . with a* ;bit. . of -,de~cent track work, has pushed itself m unnecessarily once"' /again.'. ,'• « Full' Cry, started ,at Hastings ?.nd won over 1£ miles and his .connections never had a,, shilling on him with the books 'that day. He next started at Napier Park, and, as the writer quoted m this paper, was certainly loaded with to« much condition to show his best form, allowing, of course, at the same time, that he ,may have been able to -win. He next started at Wellington and missed^ over If miles, ; over which distance he ' had .' no previous victories, "but secured a winning bracket at his' last essay over IJ miles, a distance that he had proved., before ' suited him. •

How "many instances have cases of; reversal of form happened m last year, twice or even ten times as.< inconsistent as Full Cry's and passed by unchallenged ?' A hundred^ instances could 'be quot-' ed: . . " ■■ ;.- ' : ' ' ■'.

Reviewing the whole, case, it cannot but be admitted that the conduct of the governing body has been unconstitutional m the enquiry m more : than one in^ ■ stance. As to the bookmakers . , cphr cerned, a searching enquiry should toe made into the case, and, if reports are any way near the truth, ■■' the puhlic should take steps at the coming election to do away with bookmakers altogether. They have been given a legal status m order to give them a chafic^to make an honorable .living by means of betting .; if. they abuse the chance, then .let them put yp with the conscqueiices. ' ..

'As regards- Hall m -.the', .matter, and from what I know oi that: 'jockey, I am quite satisfied that oh the second iday at Wellington Hall went' out / to win and won, and that's about all' "the connection Hall had with the case. . . ' . :