Middletown transcript., 1891-10-29

her one cut, and she answered like
the game bit of stuff she was, but
George was just as quick. Before I
could raise my whip again he had got
the first go, and Norseman was neck
in front. Then l piled the whip and
spur together. and the filly answered
every call. got her up inch by inch,
and st1en, right on the post. she peck
edyEom sheer distress, and when the
numbers were hoisted George had
done me by nose.
When | went into the weighing
room Rowland was there. He was
quite livid with rage, stamping about
the room and swearing and blasphem-
in way to make ones blood run
cold.
"The-jade-wouldn' try yard.
I'll have the-shot, by" he shout
| ed, as soon as he saw me. When /
was weighed | went up to him.
j" You're wrong about Fenella, Mr..
Howland,"I sale. "She struggled
every yard, but met one too good for
her, that's all /"
"She cutit, / tell you. She's
jade. You, the filly, and all the rest
of them are in league against me.
She'll never serve me the same trick
again. Shot she shall be if have to
hang for it tomorrow.
"God knows, tried all l could to
save the the fiIly's life. In vain |
pleaded with him. In vain I threat
ened him, in vain begged him with
tears in my eyes to spare her. | offer
ed him, two, four, five hundred, a
thousand even, and that was some
thing to me in those days, to let me
have her. 1t was of no use. The
devil was raging in him. Nothing
would satisfy him but that she should
be shot, and he would do it with his
own hand. Others came up and
tried to reason with him, but they
might as we'll have remained silent.
He answered them only with such
curses and oaths and foul abuse that
everybody cried shame on him. Then
one of Howland's men brought gun,
which he took, and with which he
left the room.
{" The blood of that defenseless
creature will follow you to the grave" !"
I cried, thought little Of the words
then / had a good reason to re-
member them aftrward. Rowland
only grinned in reply and went out.
Presently | saw him going to the
course, on the river side, with the
gun under his arm. Walking into
| the paddock I met Fenella, who. was
being led away by a stable lad. As
she passed me she turned her head
my way and gave quite a queer
little cry. went up to her. and
stroked her neck, and she rubbed
her head against my arm. Then I
felt big lump rising in my throat
and hurried away into my dressing
room. That was the last I saw of her
j" It was after the next race that
Rowland wos seen coming back to the
ring. / had not ridden in that race,
but some of the boys who did told me
that they had seen the butchery ac-
complished, and that the carcass was
then lying up at the top turn. When
Rowland came into the paddock all
the lads were in waiting for him.
They got around him with boots and
groans, and Kisses and blows, and l
believe would have lynched him on
the spot if he hadn't been we'll pro
tected by his own gang. As it was, it
took six policeman to get him safely
away.
The first news I had of Rowland
after that was that his wife and only
son had been thrown out of a trap,
which the former was driving along
the Tyingham road, and instantly
killed. All accounts of the affair
showed that the horse, when going at
full speed, had suddenly stopped and
SHE'D at something in the middle of
the road, though it was known that
the road was perfectly clear at the
time. Howland had given up hook.
making after the Fenella affair. and
confined himself to placing his horses
where he thought they had chance
of winning But even here an evil
fate followed him. For twelve months
he had to face an unbroken succession
of defeats and losses. His horses were
always beaten, and, what was still
more remarkable, invariably by the
same distance short head. I had
the pleasure of accomplishing his
overthrow ON many occasions, and
you may guess that this gave me no
small amount of satisfaction. Yet
the unvarying regularity of the dis
tance by which his horses were de-
feated became the subject of remark.
| Another notable fact was that they
| always turned their heads right on
the post. Whether they were caught
or were trying to collar the leaders,
the result was the same, when the
pinch came they always faltered.
The last and most striking circum-
stance of all was that every boy who
once rode horse of Howland's steadi.
ly refused to ride for him again. The
highest fees would not tempt them.
Not one could be persuaded to give
his reasons, and there the fact re-
mained, and Rowland was often hard.
pushed tor a jockey This develop.
mept of the situation perplexed us
much, and gave rise to lot of talk
and speculation. But the explana-
tion Of it all was soon to come, and in
manner for which | was least pre-
pared.
"Ttis was in the November stakes
Of ten years ago, one of the last big
fat races of the season and run at the
same place that haYe' already spoken
of, Fullingham. | had for a mount
in that race a mare called The Flirt,
between whom and another mare Of
the same age, Zanetta, whom Charlie
Beach was riding, the finish was sup