The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-06-12
THE GREAT ENGLIsn DERRY.
MngnIncentIy RuinOus Betting on the
ResuIt.-One Man Loses Seven Hun
dred Thousand Dollars.

"There Is nothing certain but the uu-
forseen," Yet neither saying, we fear,
would supply consolation to the heavy
losers by the Derby of 1867. On this
occasion, as in Tennyson's enchanted
castle, "the many fail, the few succeed. y
The million had lost faith in Hermit's
capabilities; but score or two cherish
ed their secret knowledge, and they
are the winners. 1t is, therefore, quite
possible that the unexpected turn in the
great sporting event of the year will
cause a very considerable amount OF
money losses, and the words "settling
day" must already have a fearful sound
to many of those who last Wednesday
morning set out for EPSON full of de-
lightful anticipations. They chuckled
over their superior knowledge. Like
Mr.. Guppy's friend, they "were up TO
everything, whatever It was.u They
had "bRcked their own opinion" and
they declared that 1.-The race was over"
The result proved the truth of that rath-
er despised commonplace, that no race
is over until it has been run.
The prophets prophesied falsely, and
the people were ready to be deceived;
but Destiny, with the unreasonable af-
lection for dark horses to which 1t is
prone, settled the question without re-
gard to betting books, and Misfortune
has dealt terrible "iacers" all round.
AS outsiders, we may feel a rather spite
full pleasure in the troubles of the very
wise. Had a simple-minded igno-
ramus ventured to remark last Wednes-
day morning that Hermit would win,
the words would only have excited a
smile of plying contempt from the
learned book-mAkers, who thought the
chances one hundred TO one against
IA I lFNN
what mean exultation at the defeat OF
those who are apt to exult over their
special information and look down up
on the crowd, we stand abashed before
the sums of money realized in a few
minutes by the more fortunate specu.
laLors. Mr.. Chaplin, the owner of the
winning horse, has won a tremendous
stRke-according to some reports RIOO,-
900, while others nearly double the
amount. But even this, 1t is said, was
in part an unwilling victory;it it may be
that his owner. would at the last have
laid against Hermit-''hedging"f former
bets-ifh he could have found men ready
to back The horse. Fortunately for
him, the winner had a bad reputation,
and the old ones stood. For who did
not know, that Hermit, like The Rake,
had actually burst blOOd-vessel
whilst at exercise? Nay, who was jig
norant of the fact that, ever since that
calamity, he had been thrown out of
training, and left to life of unhealthy
idleness; andi that thus any chance of
success for him had become a mere i'm
possibillty-a contradiction in terms.
The result is, therefore, universal
surprise; the gentlemen who, all
through, believed in Hermit, being GER
tainly very few
1t is difficult 10 draw Il moral from
horse.racing as it is now carried on
but, at all events, the inference is that
the Derby is more of a lottery than the
majority can bring themselves TO be-
lieve. Even if the knowledge of pri-
vate trials, OF stable accidents, of train
ers' secrets were full and complete,
even if the public running of the com
petitOrs were most keenly compared,
still fate has ever and anon left some lit
tie stone unturned, and the best laid
schemes topple over at the last. Those
who bet onthe Derby as they would bet
on the turn of dice, may lose, or may
win-Possibly their chances are even;
but men who rely too much on special
Information are sure, sooner or later, to
come to woe. Nothing is more apt to
throw them off their balance, to de-
prive them of the GOODNESS necessary for
calculation, than the idea that they
know more than the rest of the world.
But why preach? Who is to lister? {?
Now, indeed, we may find some sub
dued Ruditors-sermons go we'll with
soda-water "the day aiter"-but before
the next Derby is run human nature
will break out again, and the excite
ment of the great recurring contest will
again rise to lever heat. 1t is difficult
to descrtbe-it requires an effort even
to conceive-how very wide and varied
are the interests bound up closely with
the events of the day. Racing is, of
course, an amusement for men; bur un-
willingly some of the quietest homes
in England are made to share the thirst
of exultation at success, the sorrow
that follows severe loss. Pretty little
wagers, gladly discharged in gloves,
end the interest Of most ladies in the
great race; but many wives and
daughters knew yesterday that the
words "Hermit first" might mean
nothing less than the ehardships of pecu-
MARY embarrassment. This, after all,
is the great tragic element of the melo-
drama called human life. A man can
bear his own defeat; he knows what he
can endure; but as the most Joyous
thing on earth is to see your own hap
piness reflected in another's eyes, so
the keenest misery is to feel that others
are forced to bear the sufferings follow
ing on your defeat. Those who lost
not doubt, the sharpest sting in return
ing to meet eyes that would have
frightened at their victory.
Not long since one of the most emil
nent publicistS in England wrote an
earnest protest against the prevailing
fashion of gambling in London. The
increasing rage for such excitement
was deprecated and the consequences
fully portrayed Families crippled for
generations, names dragged in the dust,
parents, sons and husbands beggared,
even the jointures of, wives and the
trust money or orphans embarrassed.
These were some of the examples he
gave, and many more OF the same kind.
How much his warnings are needed is
shown in the recent Derby race, at
which the gains and losses are unpar-
alleled, nd,aprOpos of boots, there is
a bit OF gossip tioating about, relative to
the owner of the lucky horse "Hermit," I"
which may.and may not be true. His
heaviest winnings, Gl40, 600, were from
the Marquis OF Hastings, London
blood of the first water, whose exploits
have been both famous and infamous.
The d MARQUIS long since lBapplanted
Mr., Chaplin in the affections OF a lady
and marfied her. For.Yeats the disap-
pointed lover has been seeking his re-
venge, and now seems to have accom-
plished it, unless he Is Unsuitable. Sc
cure in his horse he got previous to the
race allthe money taken upon him that
he possibly could, by causing q rumor
that in exercising, "Hermit" had bro
ken a blood vessel, had gone lame,
and similar Jockey" stories. .4lsE Z
The Marquis WIS one of the "hats. :"
He wagsred his money forty to one,
freely, and lost an enormous fortune.
1t was said that he would not be able to
pay, but subsequently, that though it
would almost ruin him yet he would
meet all the demands in full. .---z--1,.
SS..The London IfmeS cails- Captain Ma
chell a "confederate" or Chaplin. The
term is an equivocal one and excited
remark. OfCaptain MaeheII-Wh0, by
the way, won the neatIttffie ofEI0, COO
il is related that he was living on en-
signs pay when, a few YEAR aRos he