The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-06-05
The Derby Day In EngIand..-An Excl.
ting Scene,

I year (May 16th) was, as usual, a great
event. The Times says:
"'He who has not seen a Derby day
has not seen England So our foreign
visitors have said and written; and yes
| terday some two hundred thousand
people went to see the great race run
| and to exhibit this phase of English
life, less, no doubt, for the editication
of intelligent foreigners than for their
own amusement. Every year one
hears murmurs from old-time people
who complain that the rail has over
crowded the course, taken of the finest
equipages from the road, and robbed the
| Derby-day of half its picturesqueness.
! But every year the railways seem to
bring more branches and more feeders
| to bear upon EPSON Downs and swell
the throng of sight-seers there. Upon
this great metropolitan holiday the
greatest happiness of the greatest mum
| Der should certainly be the object
aimed at and hoped for; and yesterday
our railway system, viewed from the
Derby standpoint, seemed really ben
eficent The opening of new routes or
! new links OF communication LETT no eN-
! cuse to those who wished to study
horses or men at EPSON.
"After the usual rush to the paddock,
where the knowing ones make their
| last observations and gather materials
| On which to found their last bets, the
excitement Increases. Lord Lyon is
| the first TO show in the course. The ia
vorite seems in perfect condition, and
tHe dosen't run-he tlies,' is the criti-
cism passed upon his trial canter by
| one of his admirers. To the uninstruct-
ed eve the same favorable criticism
might be passed upon other horses
which gallop past, full of fire, and
hardly seeming to touch the ground.
| They are soon gathered in cluster at
| the starting-place, but much time is
spent. and six or seven false starts ere
made before they get fairly of. Then
the whole six and twenty toll up the
hill, and only practised eyes with good
glasses to help them can tell how the
| race is going. The few who can dis
tinguish colors at this distance pro-
claim aloud that Blue Riband is lead
| ing; that the favorite has now deposed
him that Rustic is in waiting, not to
be shaken off; and that Knight of the
Crescent, Redan, and the Bribery col
are well to the front. Then the horses
are seen emerging into the straight run
| home, and glasses are put aside, for
now most people who hope TO see any
thing can see for themselves.
"As the rush comes nearer and the
clatter of hoofs begins to be heard, a
horse with unfamiliar colors is seen
where the favorite had been and ought
TO be. A cry is raised, Bribery, colt
wins, by Jovep And amid the feverish
excitement that now prevails 1t certain
| ly looks as If the dark horse is to carry
| off the great prize of the turf. But now
the Jockey with the black jacket and
scarlet cap is seen making his effort,
and gaining gradually upon the horse
which alone remains between him and
victory. His lordship is too late,' sew
eral voices cry, and so really he appears
to be. The colt has plenty of running
| To- I,iT Enf T,Unn hpQ
and, drawing up head to head with his
dangerous rival, as the two pass the
| centre of the grand stand, is in the next
| breath hailed as the winner by short
| head. Rustic, n big, snowy horse, from
which one would have expected better
things, comes in bad third; Knight OF
! the Crescent good fourth.
stThere was less excitement than
usual at the close of the race, for the
| victory of outsiders is more of Il surprise
than the victory of favorites, which
comes pretty much as "A foregone con-
clusion. Mr.. Sutton received with en-
! tire eouanimity the congratulations
characteristic of the veteran turttite,
who wins or loses with equal impertur-
bability. The value of the stakes was
97, $50. According TO Benson's 'Chrono-
| graph the race WAS rather slow one.
| II occupied minutes AZ seconds, while
that of last year was run in minutes
45H seconds; and that of 1864 (Blair
| Athol's year) in 2 minutes 43k seconds.
The Spectator has lively account,
part of which we copy:
THE BETTING.
at is all very well to talk about the
| thousands who go down to EPSON,
being attracted by the love of day out
| in the country, or the beauty of the
scene, or the grandeur of the spectacle,
| or the gaiety of the revel. One in a
hundred may be influenced by cOnsid-
erations of this kind, but the other
| ninety nine would never dream of TAX
| ing the trouble of the journey il they
| we're not peculiarly interested in the
result of the race. The amount OF
money that must change hands each
anniversary of the great race is abso.
| lutely incalculable. The losings and
winnings of the great men on the turf,
| the freQuenters of the Grand Stand,
and the occupants of the front row OF
| carriages opposite, may be guessed at
perhaps accurately enough by those
who are behind the scenes of the sport
ing world. But just as the owners OF
the German gaming tables declare that
their takings from the odd thalers and
gulden of the little speculatOrs are in
| tinitely greater than those they get from
| the notes and rouleauX of millionaires,
so we suspect the great bulk OF the
sums invested on the issue of the Derby
is derived from bets varying from u
shilling to a pound. Middle class ladies
and gentlemen have probably very
little notion how low down the passion
for gambling on the Derby is found
amongst Englishmen.
You may be pretty certain that
every cabman who has driven you for
the last month, every man servant who
waited upon you, every potsman, po-
IicaTnOf1S norterVou met, every cross
ing-sweeper to whom you guve PEN
nv, had stake upon the race, small
perhaps, in itself, but large in proper
ton 10 his means. There is not a pub
| lie house in any town in England, and
very few in the most secluded rural
districts, which has not had its Derby
''sweep." Betting offices have happi-
| ly been done away with, though with
more regard to substantial justice than
TO logical equity, but still there are in
| finite facilities for investing the small
est sums upon the race. Betting for
the million is still conducted on the
varied terms"
| II THE BOOTHS.
"Within the last few years practice
has sprung up upon the turf which, as
| far as our recollection goes, Is an inno-
walton. At all the great races, as, for
| instance at EPSON, on Wednesday
4 last. booths are run up
which are obviously mere betting
stands. A written list stuck up in front
ct the booth informs you what odds the
owners are ready to lay against any
particular horses in the race. And all
| you have TO do is TO pay your money
across the counter for that you receive
4 a ticket, and if your horse wins you are
supposed to receive your winnings inn
mediately after the race is won.
ga more broken down, disreputable,