808 SUTTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2529, 3 September 1902, Page 48

808 SUTTON.

Robert Stitton Sievier. the owner of (he celebrated filly Sceptre, by Prrsimmoi. — Ornament, the winner of the < ln«*=ie Two Thousand Guineas and One Thmuaiul Guineas .Stakes at Newmarket (savp an American paper) is nt the height cf his racing ambition. sis being ih«" nio<-t en\ied man on the Rnglish turf. Dukes, lords, millionaire — nay. c\pii Kip? Edward himself, are cai-ting tovetoim eyts upon the record-brpakinj{ filly osvre<l I>j '"tl)p greatef-t plunger e\cr known on the lurf. not even excepting- tJie laif Maiqin' <>f Hastings," to quote the opinion of an o'.d turf writer. It is not too much to say tliat no ntl>er man hus had such a meteoric turf gambling career a<- "Bob" Sievier lie was Iku .1 near London, of very prosperous pan-nt*-. was given a good education, and commenced life ac a clork in a London merchant's office in that city HK \\ \S FIHST AN 4f'TI)H It wa<- while he was associated with the lower theatrical classes that hib gambling instmctb became developed, and ln>- mcn.ic earnings were invented with vai\invf me cees in the "'silver rings" at the mimcimii outlying metropolitan rate meeting, he k'umo associated with many of thesmall ready-money bookmaker* who phei] their trade 111 tlio^e <heap eiu-lofciires which anmvor to the rie'd at our metropolitan tracks. His racing inclinations did not interfere with his theatrical livelihood, and in 1883 h<> wa.4 pla-yms; miiuJl parts at tlie Adelpln Theatre in" the .Strand. His salary was small, but his o<i atonal gambling suirr«s«n provided him nuh plenty of funds, so that his bohemian at tor friends lnuktd up io him a-s a wonder, and his turf information was e.agerly bouzht after at (he theatr.cal reatatirants" and bars 111 the Strand. About tin- time Sievier wai intiodmed to an actor v\ho had jn-t letumfcd from Australia, whore he had bnen playtliff in Melbourne, Hydnev. and the laiger cities of the Antipodes. Sievier learned from him, miu-li to In- surprii*rT that a!l the betting cairicd <m 111 \u-tralia "n the rai c-cours'-ri v a 1 - don' 1 on <'ieclu between Joe Thompson, Bill Br.uich, an-1 other b\'; book maker^ and the nth men hant-.

or tradesmen known to them: thai settle ments weie made once a week between thibookmakers and -their cMi^tomerH, a* they still are m Tattersall' s rin^, England, a-id in the variou* London =prrting e!ub=. VOYUJE TO *VSTR*M* The small Australian gambler's, ho lieard. lched upon the oM-far-hioned >l pnn mutuel'-" as a means of investment, and no cash bookmaking at all. where the Ijettor is paid after every race m bills or coin, was known or practised in Australia. Si"\icr wa» then flush of money, having se\er.il huiidu'd pounds at liis dispopal, and he v\a^ imiru<lt ately struck with the idea of what a profitable thing it would be to introduce the English .=y-tein of ready money bookmaking in Australia. He at once determined to carur it ou,t, and, Bele«tina as <JI9 ckiks

and associates two brothers known as Jack and Dick Swift (then engaged in making a handbook near Victoria Station), Sieviei booked passage for the three and set sail for Melbourne, Australia.

One morning the racy, -sporty, gambling city oi Melbourne woke up to fiud tho hoardings placarded with huge coloured posters inscribed with "Look out for the arrival of Bob Sutton, the Leviathan London Cash Bookmaker, who will make his appearance in th© ring at Flemington on Saturday next."

Many wondered whether the posters were all a hoax, but etill the novelty of the methods to be adopted and th& boldness of the inva«ion kept curiosity rife.

Neither Robert Sutton Sievier nor the members of the Melbourne- betting ring will forget that eventful Saturday in a hurry. From that day the betting methods of "the Australian turf were gradually changed right around from credit to readymoney speculation. About an hour before the first ratt? upon ttie card, while thousands were <ttill pouring into the track at every available entrance, a tall, fine, handsome young man, atmvd in a well-cut, light suit, with a tall white hat, wearing well-fitting gloves, c auntered into the betting ring, which at Flemington is held on a vast gras-s lawn shaded by tree 3, specially reserved for betting.

He -w.19 accompanied b'- two young men. al'o attired in similar garments and tall white hats, who were carrying a satchel and bug-e betting book. Selecting a shady tree in the centre of the ring, S!e\ier calmly divested himself of hi-> gloves, displaying some magnificent diamond ring*. He then slung a large, belting -atchel around his ne k. on the front of winch wa? a burnished brass plate cngiaicd in red letters, "Bob Sutton."

Then in glib accents he explained to the curious crowd his system of i"ceiving the caeh. handing a voucher, and paying off the winner after each race. He was soon doing a roaring business. r l housanda flocked around him, and the crush was fo great. Sie\ ier could not handle the money. It Mas a new stylo of betting to the Australians; it suited their speculative tastes, and they fairly went mad over it. The oldtime bookmakers on credit had laid very cramped prices. Sutton laid better prices, but had a sure winning book on every race at that. In less than two weeks he had won over 250,000d01.

MADE SEVER M, FORTUNES.

His career in Australia, on and off the turf, bristled with incident, and how Fie made and lost several fortunes in four years ; how the bookmakers combined to ruin him on several occasions, and failed : how they did break him by cheating him at t lie card table ; and how he got to the front again and Again, would fill a threevolume novel.

Hors«-raeing then, as now, reigned paramount in the hearts of sporting Australia, and "Bob Sutfion*' was one of the stars of the great game. A change, however, came over his fortunes in 1886 Among his customers was Lrf>rtl De*>rburst, a young aide-de-ramp to Lord Loch, the then Governor of Victoria. Loid Deerhurst owed Sutton money for hotting transactions. The latter met the youthful nobleman in a Bourke street cafe one evening and demanded his money Payment was refused with a sneer that Sutton was a cad. Bob's reply was a savage blow in the face of the defaulting ari.-itocrat, which stretched him fenseW<.*«n the floor. Mutton was arrested, his wild character was denounced, strong influence was bi ought to bear against him before the pohc« mat?iptrate, and the bookmaker was sentenced to imprisonment for the assault without the option of a fine. This he had to undergo.

Feeling unjustly disgraced, Robert Sutton Sievier, who had by that time revolutionised turf speculation in Australia, fchook the dust of that land from off his feet and returned to England with but a HinaM remnant of liib former fortune. His faithful clerk*--, .lack and Dick Swift, remained behind to make a book for thembches

("oinparatn c lilfoitune now dogged the fooicti-p-, of Kicifi foi- «c\iiral year-. Notwith'-tanding that ofttimeu he »ai without the pro\ribi;il shilling, lie iontnve'l to stluaj's put up a wc-11 drrased and attractive aupearancp. He frequentod the faro and iMecaiat lav out=. and kui into money now iuul again, and in his smaller gambling \eutur. -, alw.i>- di-playod the moit daring n-k-.. H<- hs k' pi pia tically "brcjke" for Vt-ars He fie<|ueiued the Criterion Rai, I'.ec adilly. wheie uumlx-rs of the "boys" idle around, (iame&ters «md people whom tlie turf has mined and ha>vks of every description make the \auous- cafe* and s<j]ooii.» of Pucadilly and "the Haymarket their habitual haunts.

U»\KHllf>Kn niS BrSTNES*.

Tn IS9O lie had a mil of lu< k and Marfen m adxerti-iiin "->tai ting pine" lxtting acencv He fiuni»hed flog.int nffiens in .S' .laiiict:. and acheitised b 1 oaclc a"-t as "\ir Pur.c Ii " Again lie ac'optrU novel tactic- Other bfliinij agenries hail limit.-, SiMiir ,'ui\erti-"d "No limit," and foi Himc tm.e he hail phenomenal luck.

Vow < oiTiet-. ptihup*-, one of the jjreat lomaiiMi- 'ii tho life of RobtTl fiiHton Si' \ht In the o.irly nineties the younj? Mai(|iu.« of Aili'cburv nii'l bu trsunei, .J<>lni Tyler, wrie iule<l cjH tlio turf for n>alpra<ticet. Aih -l>iiry <hifU<l then \c-iy low indeed . He Ivcann 1 an almost pfnmle«s frecjiiPiiUT nf Ihc lowest spoitmg re^orttSievier knew him well and him daily ; and fri ijiif inly helped th»> hrc ken down inaiqiuo, for which thr l.tttoi was \eiv grateful. Now, nearly all thp iclati\es of Ailcburv had «ibt him off, but hi" only sio-tcr, Maln-1. «.'wav deail\ lovtd liei uxifortmiaie Jirofhff. and \i j itp<l him -tibio'-a, although foi bidden tv do by the e!cl< rl-ofr lof her f.imilv. <bi one of tliet'e elandc 1--line juts ihe mnriiiiis intrrdured ln-r to iSicwer: it was a tafc' 1 of mutual l"\e at first si«r)it Ix'twiMn th Lady Mabel and the hdiicNoMi" ifjiiiblor.

They frf<|i:fii;lv met. th^ir t • «i*li »r pimhttd in and the ><>uiij; an-io ( rat, who l>:u! h^oii pa^ionately f< ml <A laciiiK fioni her tarluvt galhood, f\fMitn silly bp<a-v»' La<') Mabel S<-vior. A great m aril.i! wi<- r<:ii-cl to her noble f.unilj , but (-ho =tnv( (1 by her hu-baii'l, < aine into pns-e-s'on nf II 11 * 1 ! fort u if, and Sie\ie»" started upon th-- -iucf»--ful caroor ff p'ung ma up'in the tuif vlaili lidfi made him a mi'iio'ia i'c.

(ooi. Axn ■irnu'ioi s

' Ho hn= pnrc-'ia-otl \a-,t es=tut< •„ outbid the ' wp.ilihii-.-t of turf bupportoi-,. and obtained pis-j'- of of the fin(--t thorough-Im-di. in England. His eoolno-t, and audacity, and his reckless di«ipgard for money, | oi its -value, have earned him through to j wealth, and the fame h n coveted as the ' Binnacle oi uifl mabition,

When he purchased the celebrated fillySceptre, the heroine of this year's Two Thousand and One Thousand Guineas, Sievier fairly made the sale ring gasp at the sensational, and what was then considered the madly foolish, figures ho offered. For Sceptre, then a yearling, he silenced all opposition, much to the disdainful contempt of his competitors, who knew his history and turf career, by crying: "Ten thousand guineas" (50,500dol.) Mr Tattereall, the auctioneer, before bringing down the hammer, said to Sievier : "The filly is yours, sir, but I don't know you, and cannot take your cheque fox such an amount." "Don't bother, Mr Tattersall,'' replied Sievier, amidst breathless silence at what seemed almost an insult, and calmly producing a huge roll of Bank of England noted, skinned off three £5000 bills and handed them up to the auctioneer, saying: "There is £15,000; kindly give me the change." (22,500d01.) The astonished Air Tattersall hesitated, and Sievier coolly continued : "Never mind, Mr Tattersall. I'll take your cheque for it, if you wouldn't tako mine."

And "Bob" Sievier walked away, the hero of the most bentational yearling sale on record.

Such arc a few of the incidents in the caieer of the biggest plunger the turf world has ever scon. This is the man who has just refused for Sceptre the largest offer made for a racehorae — namely, 210,000d01.