The Express.
London, England, 1866-05-09 00:00:00

STEEPLECHASING.

At the Lewes Petty Sessions yesterday, Mr. J.
G. Blenoowe, chairman, Allen Sadler, jockey ; Mr. Bd-
muml Duke, owner of several racehorses ; and Mr.
William Wyatt were summoned by the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, for having,
on the 4th of April, at liingmer, unlawfully beaten and
ill-treated a horse. Mr. Langham, of Ue.kfield, ap-
peared for the society ; and Mr. Lamb, of Brighton,
defended. Mr. Lamb, to save trouble, consented to
plead guilty if the facts were not brought out, but the
magistrates said they must hear the circumstances, and
accordingly the ease proceeded, the defendants pleading
" Not guilty." The circumstances were these :—On the
4th of April the annual steeplechases were held at Bing-
mer. The weather had been very wet ; consequently the
ground was heavy. In one race a horse called Barabas ran,
and this was ridden by the defendant Sadler. Before it
arrived at the last fence it was observed to be exceedingly
exhausted and swervedto and fro. When it reached the final
leap it refused to take it, whereupon the defendant Wyatt
struck it violently with a whip on its haunches, and the
jockey used his whip freely. Ultimately Barabas at-
tempted to clear the fence, but failed, and fell on to the
bank with its legs and heed doubled under its body. In
this position Sadler stood over it and inflicted ten or
twelve severe blows with an ash plant. So violent was
he that a universal cry of " Shame " was raised, and
the mob called on the police to take the jockey into
custody. Instead of doing so, however, they thrust hint
aside and endeavoured to protect the animal from further
injury. Mr. Duke then presented himself, very excited,
and, swearing, said he was the owner of the horse, and
endeavoured to resist the police. The horse, being unable
to move itself, was lifted up by several persons and sup-
ported for a short distance, when it walked very slowly
away, bleeding and much exhausted. It was then covered
with mud ; in this condition it eras taken for some miles
to Mr. Duke's stables, which it reached at 11 o'clock at
night. It was left there unwashed until 7 o'clock the
next morning. When the horse was being ridden towards
the last leap several persons on horseback, seeing the sad
condition it was in, rode across it in order to prevent ire
jumping the fence, but they were driven back by the jockey
with the ash plant which he carried ; and when it first re-
fused the leap Mr. Wyatt gave it two or three bard knocks
facts were spoken to by Mr. Done an (a magistrate), Mrse.
Langridge (clerk of the peace), Mr. T. Chatfield (son of the
high constable of Lewes), Superintendent denner and
others. Ale. Langridge was croas-exanduekl to show that he
was interested in the result of the race, and that he reds
across Barabas to prevent its getting a second place. lie
denied, however, that he had any bets on the race, and
said be rude across the horse because it would have been
great cruelty to make it take the fence. He was himself a
sporting man, but the treatment that Barabas received was
to his mind excessively cruel, and worse than he bad seen
any other horse treated that day, although they were all
more or less Mused. Mr. Donovan, who was ono of the
stewards, said he himself felt rather conscience-stricken
upon the mutter. The course was very heavy, and all the
horses had to be hardly treated to make them get along.
Indeed he considered that all who were at the races were
morally more or lees guilty of cruelty, and he did not know
why the three defendanteshould have been pitchedupon and
brought before the magistrate any more than the rest.
lie thought that by rights all of them should have been
summoned. afterwards appeared that Mr. Donovan
when he made these remarks was not aware that the
defendants had been summoned for s particular case of
cruelty.) Mr. lamb, for the defence, tried to show that
no more cruelty was used towards Banana on the day in
question than was used inwards any of the other horses,
and that such treatment was not unusual at the races.
The magistrates retired, and on returning into court the
chairman said the majority of the justices were of
opinion that the charge of cruelty had been proved against
all of the defendants. Sadler, who appeared to be the
worst, would be fined 31. and costs ; Mr. Duke and Mr.
Wyatt would each be fined 2/. and costs. Mr. Selater, one
of the three magistrates, said he dissented from this deci-
sion. The defendants then gave notice of their intention
to appeal against the judgment at the quarter sessions.
The case excited a great deal of iatereat.