The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-26 00:00:00

SPORTING NOTES.

The York Meeting commences on Wednesday, and bids
fair to outrival any of its predecessors. There are 10 races
set for decision on the first day, the principal of which is
the Convivial Stakes, for which 53 two-yr-olds are nomi-
nated, being a decrease of 18 compared with last year,
when it fell to Mr. Merry's Folkestone, who was only op-
posed by a field of nine. On this occasion a much larger
number of runners need not be anticipated, as seven are in
the obituary, and no fewer than 24 of the remainder have
been tried, and all " found wanting" with the exception of
five--Neptunus, Lorelei, The Elector, Sir William Arm..
strong, and the Chieftain's Daughter—who have thereby
become subject to a penalty of 21b each ; but as the two
former take an untried allowance of 31b they will run on
almost as good terms as any of their antagonists. Amongst
the dark division are Mr. Robinson's North Star, Sir Chas.
Monck's colt by Stockwell out of Vignette, Col. Towneley's
Whitendale, and Lord Zetland's Garibaldi, the former of
whom, being a son of Neville (an untried sire), is entitled
to 31b allowance. As public performances are generally the
best guide, I shall place my faith in Neptunus to pull me
through. If Dictator has any pretensions to the St. Leger
he can hardly lose the Fifth North of England Biennial
Stakes. The Black Duck Stakes of 1,000 sous each will be
reduced to a match between Mr. Merry and Lord Glasgow;
and The Chieftain's Daughter will, no doubt, easily dispose
of the Maid of Masham filly. Brown Duchess will have no
difficulty in disposing of her opponents in the Yorkshire
Oaks. The Three-Yr-Old Produce Stakes will be won by
Starlight ; and the Juvenile Stakes will go to Sir Charles
Monek. Thormanby will carry off the Burgundy, and
Will-o'-the-Wisp the Bramham Park Stakes. The
Chesterfield Stakes has Voltella amongst the entries
but as she will be reserved for the Ebor Handicap,
I shall anticipate the success of Jingling Johnny or Donner
and Blitz. Thursday will be the most interesting day cf
the meeting, which includes the Great Ebor Handicap, the
Eglinton Stakes, and three two-yr-old races. The Great
Ebor Handicap seems to have given great dissatisfaction
amongst owners and trainers of horses, as out of an entry of
74, nearly the half unaccepted. Gamester stands at the
head of the list with Bst 121 b, and if he was in anything
like his St. Leger form, when he defeated Promised Land,
he would be difficult to dispose of amongst such a moderate
lot of horses as are likely to take part in the race, but he will
most likely be an absentee. The next that attracts my at-
tention is Cape Flyaway, who now seems to be the repre-
sentative of the 'Whitewall stable. This son of the Flying
Dutchman won the Great Newton Handicap, one mile and
a-half, easily by a length, carrying 7st 111 b, and ran a dead
heat with Cantine for the Craven Stakes at Epsom, one
mile and a-quarter ; but at Manchester, Wildman gave
him llb and a 51b beating in the Union Cup, one mile and
a-quarter. As I do not believe in his staying powers over two
miles, I shall look elsewhere for the winner. Moorcock and
Lady Trespass and Raparee are John Osborne's lot, and
whichever he trusts will be very near winning. Rising
Sun, Stockade, Sir William, and Bevis are of no use to
win, but I should not be surprised to see Sir William run
into a place. Wildman, with 7st. 81b., would keep Cape
Flyaway safe if he put in an appearance. Prologue, if all
right at the post, will be very dangerous to the favourites.
Voltella has come with a rush into the market within the
last few days, and her clever party make few mistakes
when they are in earnest. Bally Edmond, with his 141 b
penalty, I have no fancy for. Gardener and Virgilius are
the only others amongst the light weights worthy of
notice. The public are sure to have an honest run with
Lord Zetland's horse. To LADY TRESPASS, VOLTELLA,
VIRGILIUS, and PROLOGUE I will leave the race, giving
my preference for them in the order named. The Eglin-
ton Stakes will fall to Marignan or Lady Clifden. Car-
bineer will secure the Ebor St. Leger ; Ivanhoff the Hope-
ful ; and Feu de Joie the Filly Sapling Stakes. The Sixth
North of England Biennial should be carried off by either
Caterer or Neptune; and Hippodamia looks a gcod thing
far the Prince of Wales Stakes. There is nothing in the
Cup on Friday likely to lower the colours of the Wizard.

A FRESH MAN.

BETTING AT MANCHESTER-SATURDAY.

For the Ebor Handicap' Lady Trespass was very firm,
and, when all the 6's to 1 were taken that could be got,
there was an offer made to take five fifties. Everything
besides her fluctuated more or less ; but there was money
for either Voltella, Bally Edmond, or Cape Flyaway at
any advance upon the prices quoted. Virgilius receded to
12 to 1, but a very small outlay stopped him, and at the
close Bto 1 was the highest (Ater. Moorcock was at 25 to

1 (taken and offered.) The same price was taken against
Stockade, but from the fact of the same parties backing and
laying against her, it would be difficult to predict what the
trice may be on Monday. For the St. Leger 2 to 1 would
have been taken about Kettledrum. Kildonan and Lady
Ripen also had their supporters. Upon the whole there
was no great amount of business done. Closing prices :

EBOR HANDICAP.
sto 1 agst Lady Trespass (wanted)
Bto 1 agst Voltella (wanted)
Bto 1 agst Bally Edmond (offered)
Bto 1 agst Virgilius (offered)
10 to 1 agst Cape Flyaway (offered)
12 to 1 agst Sir William (taken)
12 to 1 agst Prologue (taken and offered)
20 to 1 agst Tulip (offered)
25 to 1 agst Moorcock (taken)
25 to 1 agst Gardener (taken)
25 to 1 agst Stockade (taken)
25 to 1 agst Rising Sun (offered)
THE ST. LEGER.
7to 4 agst Kettledrum (offered)
10 to 1 agst Kildonan (taken)
11 to 1 agst L tdy Ripon (taken)
20 to 1 agst Dictator (taken)
20 to 1 agst Janus (taken)
20 to 1 agst Big Ben (offered)
20 to 1 agst Imaus (offered)
50 to 1 agst Pagoda (offered)
50 to 1 agst Bombardier (taken)
66 to 1 agst Betts (taken)
100 to 1 agst Neighbour (taken)
THE DERBY.
1000 to 18 agst Zetland (taken)
THE YORK CUP.
6to 4onZ he Wizard (laid)

CAPTURE OF A BURGLAR AND HIS

WIFE.

Living quietly with his wife and family in Church-
lane, Horseley-heath, Wednesbury, Davis com-
mitted no less than 13 or 14 successful burglaries.
Davis is a miner, and no doubt by the semblance
of steady habits (he says he worked in one place
for eight years), and from his cool and systematic
mode of going about his " night work," he for a
long period went on unsuspected. At length the
police got no fewer than 13 clear cases against the
burglar and his, wife, for the woman was charged
and placed in the dockl with her husband. Out of
the 13 charges of housebreaking only four were
then gone into. In all these the plan pursued by
this experienced thief was precisely the same. The
shutters well fastened had holes bored in them,
and then with a piece of wire, constructed for such
purpose, the bolts were drawn back. This done, the
sash fastenings were lifted, so that the windows
were easily drawn up, and ingress was then afforded
to the robber. The thing next done was to secure the
doors at the foot of the staircase, and then Davis,
lighting a candle by means of the dark lantern he
brought with him, proceeded to rummage cup-
boards, drawers, and such other receptacles as con-
tained property, and packing up a selection of these
they were carried off. In his exit with these he
appears to have passed through the front door,
which he left open. From the evidence of Inspec-
tor Phair, it was shown that the detection of Davis
was owing to the fact that his wife had resorted to
various pledge shops, where she pawned portions of
the articles stolen by her husband. Mrs. Agnes
Oldacre, pawnbroker, proved the pledging of pro-
perty pledged by the female prisoner, and as to
which the persons who had been robbed established
that such was part of the plunder obtained from
their dwellings. Inspector Phair produced as com-
plete a burglar's kit as he bad met with in the
course of his many years' experience. Some of the
implements were of such a clever yet simple con-
struction as were new even to him, Mr. Phair
found a six-barrelled revolver pistol, loaded to the
muzzle, as well as powder and shot in abundance.
Inspector Phair has found a very large quantity of
what is no doubt stolen property (irrespective of
that produced in court) in the house of the prisoner.
The magistrates and Mr. Sharp, who remained until
a late hour to hear the charges, fully committed
both 1) ivis and his wife for trial at the next Staf-
ford assizes.

A REAL MURDER —We learn from Captain
.
Henry Johnston, of Washington county, Mississippi, now
in our city, that on the 18th of July Mr. Preston Pickett,
an influential planter of Egg Point, while riding along the
levee, near the Point, was shot by some person concealed
behind a cluster of cotton-wood bushes, at a distance of
not more than 15 or 20 paces. The weapon used was a
double-barrelled shot gun. 15 shots entered the clothes
of Mr. Pickett, but four taking effect in his body. The
murderer, supposing Mr. Pickett killed, stepped from his
ambush, but, seeing him stand with pistol in hand,
made his escape through a cornfield. Mr. Pickett returned
to the hotel, which was about 300 yards distant, where ho
fainted from the loss of blood consequent upon his in-
juries. A physician was called in, Mr. Pickett's wounds
were skilfully dressed, and he was rapidly convalescing,
when, on the following Wednesday night, his assassin,
finding he was not mortally wounded, entered the room
in the hotel where Mr. Pickett was lying, attended by his
body servant, chased the boy out, and placing the muzzle
of a double-barrelled gun so close to Mr. Pickett as to
burn the bedclothes in its discharge, fired both barrels
into the body of the wounded and prostrate man, lite-
rally tearing him to pieces and killing him instantly.
The murderer escaped, and although the most strenuous
efforts were being made to ferret out the cold-blooded as-
sassin, up to the time our informant left no traces had been
found of the perpetrator of this inhuman deed.—Memphis
oikrais