The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-10-27 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY SUICIDES AT
PRESTON.

On Saturday two very melancholy suicides were re-
ported at Preston. The first wan that of Mr. Riley,
solicitor. During the past few days he had been in
low spirits, owing, it ie supposed, to an expected
change in the transaction of some of the legal business
of the county with which he was connected, and
which would have deprived him of a considerable por-
tion of his income. At about eleven o'clock on Satur-
day forenoon he went to his office, and shortly after-
wards took a rope from a drawer, and told the office
boy that he was going into the back-yard for a short
time. An, hcwever, he was absent for a much longer
time than was expected, the office boy and another
went and shouted at the back, but they received no
answer. Suspecting that something had happened to
Mr. Riley, they went into an adjoining office and
fetched two other clerks, who went into the cellar, and
there they found Mr. Riley suspended by a rope from
the ceiling, and quite dead. /dr. Riley was about
sixty years of age, was much respected, and, until
recently, was superintendent of a Sunday-school in
town—a position he had occupied for many years.
The other rumour had reference to Captain A nderton,
of llaighton-hall, near Preston. Captain Anderton
had not been well during the pant week, and a medical
gentleman in Preston had given instructions to the
effect that he was to be strictly watched. Early (in
Saturday morning the report of a gun was heard in
the house, and, on lotus of the servants going to the
library, from which the sound had apparently conic,
they found the captain lying there in a dying state,
with a double-barrelled gun by his side, lie shortly
afterwards expired. The deceased gentleman was a
captain in the Ist Royal Lancashire Militia, and was
about thirty years of age.

THE TURF and TROTTING-MATCHES
IN AMERICA.
In an article on the scandals of the turf In America, the
correspondent of the London Mandan( relates the follow-
ing incident ef a trstUng match
:
Indeed, there wae necessity for reformation on the
American turf. Things have come to such a pass that
the danger of driving& "trotter "on a race-course, and
charging a battery of light 12.pourelers. are about
equal. Beside every occupant of a " skeleton " wag-
gon sits skeleton Leath. Let me relate two incidents,
to show that I exaggerate nothing. On Saturday,
Sept. 22, a trotting.match took place in Chicago, be.
tween two well-known horses, Butler anti Cooky.
The driver of Butler was a man named M'Keene. A
large amount of money had been wagered upon the
result of the match. Several heats bad been trotted,
when darknees set in. The horses started for the last
beat, and disappeared in the gloom. Soon they
were heard coming down the third-quarter stretch.
Oaths and cries were also hoard, and suddenly
a entail. An instant afterwards the horse Butler
pawed the judge'. stand without a driver. He made
three circuits of the course before he stopped, and in
the meantime the driver if the other horse came up
and coolly announced that " M'Keene would be found
on the track below." The unfortunate man was picked
up and removed from the course. He died in a few
hours. He had been murdered under circumstances
of frightful atrocity. A board had been wrenched
from the fence which surrounds the track, and planted
near the course at such an angle that the end was plane
with tha bead of the driver of Butler, that Lorne
having the outside of the track. Coming up with great
velocity the driver of Butler was precipitated against
thin firinly-faetened board, and hurled from his waggon.
His skull was smashed in, and he received other in.
juries. He waa murdered, that the race should be con-
sidered a drawn one, it having become evident that
Butler would win it. Of course, his murderers were
patrons of the other horse (Cooley), and acted in collu-
sion with his driver. —The other " incident " happened
on the Centreville (Long Island) course on Tuesday,
the victim being one Hobert Walker, a celebrated
trainer of trotting horse.. Walker was shot dead by
some person unknown. The motive for the crime wee
evidently a desire to prevent the completion of the
training of some " trotter " upon whose defeat or
victory in a coining match the transfer of a large
amount of money would depend.