The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-11-25
FRED ARClIER'S END.
FANI0ls JOCkEl KILLS HIMSELF IN
4 FEVER.


Ills hcmarkRblc Career Oh the i'urT aud Its
Tragic End-Somr Of Iis Most Noteworthy
Races with Other Points of In,erca,
tFrom the New York Times
LONDON, November S.-Frcd Archer,
the celebrated Jockey, is dead. His
death was the result of pistol shot
wound inflicted by himself while in II
dclirium resulting from fever. 1t is
reported that he was i'll with typhoid
lever. The first symptoms of the disease
appeared on Thursday, after he had
been present at the LcwCs races. When
1t became evident that his illness was
likely to be serious, he was taken to his
sisters house at Newmarket. He rapid
ly grow worse, and had been in II raging
fever HiIlcc yesterday morning. He was
lc1t alone Tor few minutes, and his at
tcndant, soon after leaving the sick
room, h"ard twO pistol shots. He hurried
back aNd found Archer dying, having
shot himself with revolver.
tr"tVrlCk james Archer has for the
| past fifteen years been not only The best
| KnOWH 'Alt the most successful Of Eng
llSl J'thCNS, and his record during the
! season just closing has been as SUCCESS
tul AZ those Of the pnst dozen years,
during all Of which he stood at the head
OF the list Of winning Jockeys. Since
the cath Of Tom French in 1872, he
has been Lord Falmouth S chief Jockey,
and tn.t gentleman had the first claim
upon iIa H>IviccS. After him, in the order
named, his time was claimed by contract
by Lord Hastings, the Duke Of West
minister, Matthew Dawson, of Newmarket
his father -law-and the Prince of
Wales, all of whom paid him handsome
retaincrs. Fred Archer was about 5 feet
: inches i'll height, Of slim, wiry build,
and rode at from 10 to 120 pounds,
keeping himself ut that weight by the
use OF Turkish baths during the racing
season.
Archer was native Of Prcsbury, near
Chcltcnham, and The son of William
Archer, famous Cross country rider,
who i'll 1870 won a national reputation
by winning the Liverpool Grand Nation
al Stceples chase on Little Charley, 1t7
pounds up. Young Archer, who was born
Oh january IL, 1856, seemed to have
been born jockey, for when but the
mcrcst child he was at home only on the
back Of donkey or pony. He was
known as a bold and good rider over the
Gloucester stone walls with the Cotswood
hounds, and his childish treble was more
frequently heard crying out that he
''Was jn ut the death than among the
crowd Chat was ut the end Of the hunt.
His first winning mount was made when
he was but years old, when he won
stcCplcchaSc at Bangor on the famous
of IA ,nt L
t" Matthew Dawson, Of Newmarket
when - years of age, and on September
2S, 1870, when If years old, he won the
Nursery Handycap at Chesterfield, on
Athol Daisy. In 1872, riding at -
pounds, he won the Ccsarcwitch stakes
on MIR. .Radcliil"s Salv0nas, Il victory
which was his real stepping stone to his
fame as Il jockey and the fortune of over
5000, GOO which he leaves behind him.
Soon after this he succeeded Tom
French rs Lord Falmouth's chici Jockey
and it was III the employ of this noble
patron Of the English turf that he won
some Of his most famous victories. In
1874 he headed the list of winning
Jockeys and has done SO ever since, his
closest competitor for this honor during
the past five season, as he Is this year
being Charlie Wood. 1t was during the
year ISGl that he Won the Lincolnshire
Handicap with romahaWk; was seconded
i'll the CCSarCwitch with the Truth geld
ing; the Two ShOusand GuinCaS on At
lantic; finished third on the same horse
i'll the Derby, riding J22 pounds, al
though his bodily weight WAS but 50
pounds. lie also won in that year the
WoodcOtc stakes for two year oids with
Lad dYlOyC, the Great CheSirc stakes with
Androd, the Stewards Cup at Coodwood
with AIOdcno, the Clcarwcll Stakes ut
Newmarket with the repentance colt,
and host Of handicaps, purses and stake
races. His riding as we'll as his win
nlnGS III that year earned for him the
nickname OF "Ihc Demon Jockey" and
''Thc Tnman," the latter because he
always rode for "thc tin"
Patience, vigilance and courage were
his characteristics, and to these were due
ms wonderful success. He was always
ready, and nearly always first at The
starting post, 50 as to secure the best
place. lie obcycd the starter implicitly
and SO proiitcd i'll many of the starts,
and, as hlS eye was always kept on the
starter NAG: he was never left at the
post and rarely got a bad start. He al
ways studied his horses carefully, and,
by knowing their faults and good points,
got everything possible ont OF them.
So great was his average of winning,
and SO thoroughly honest WAS he that
"Archcr's mounts" were always heavily
backed after the opening Of his wonder
fully successful career.
Archer was wonderfully successful in
winning what are known as the classic
races i'll English racing circles, and won
these events oftcner than any Jockey
that ever lived. The Cambridgeshirc IS
the only one of them he never won. In
this race, run on the 2Sth of last month,
he was second to Sailor Prince by a
head, his mount being ST. Miron, and
he was second last year on Bcndigo. He
won the Derby in 1877 with Lord Fal-
mouths oilviO, in 1880 with the Duke Of
Wcstn instcr's Bend Or, in 1881 with
Pierre Lorillard's Iroquois, in 1880 with
Lord lIastings Melton, and this year
with the Duke Of Wcstminstcr's Or
monde. The two thousand Guineas he
won for Lord Falmouth in 1871 with
Atlantic, again 1879 with Charibert, and
again in 1883 with Gnlliard. Last year