Year: 1876

tember before, and she was a prominent


favorite for the Derby, which was to be


run in the following May. Chaplin also
had horse entered for the same race, q
horse named Hermit, and Capt. Machell


was experimenting the training of the
animal at a quiet training. ground in


Yorkshire. Machell tried the horse
thoroughly, but quietly, and came TO Ger.
tain conclusions concerning his running
capacity, which conclusions were men
toned to no ear but that of his patron
and friend, Mr.. Chaplin. The horse was
believed by both men to be good one,
and to be capable of winning, or at
least "getting a place." if only that
dangerous Lady Elizabeth were out OF
the way. And here, perhaps, it will be
as well to explain what is understood in
English turf parlance as getting place.


In all races where more than two or
three horses run, the rule is for the second
horse to obtain share. of the principal
prize, while tie third saves the money
which its owner has had to pay at the
time of entering it for the race. Thus,
the three first horses are said to be
"placed," or to "get a place." and a
favOrite mode of betting is to stake a
certain sum of money on horse to win,
and another similar sum on his being
placed. The general rule of the odds is,
that in backing horse for a place only
One.f0urth the odds are given. That is
to say, that if the current betting be
eight to one against particular horse
winning, the odds against his being
either first, second or third will be two
to one.


Captain Machell and Mr.. Chaplin,
confident as they were in the prowess of
their horse, were far too shrewd TO show
this confidence by openly putting their
money up on him, and on the morning
of the race he was still ranked as an
outsider" forty to one being offered
against him. The Marquis of Hastings,
on the other hand, was not only certain
that Lady Elizabeth would win, but
backed her to win to an enormous
amount, and continued his operations
till on the day of the race he and the
friends of the mare had to bet three to
two on her winning in order to get any
money on her. The widest excitement
that has ever, perhaps, been seen on any
race course, prevailed on that Wednes-
day in May, 1867, which was to witness
the total ruin of one of the finest
fortunes in England. The day was
miserably wet and gloomy, and the mud
in the approaches of the course ankle
deep, but at least half million people
were out at Epson to see the race. The
Gill;" the grand stand and fifty other
stands were crowded with representa-
tives of the fashion and beauty of Eng
lands capital, while along each side of
the course from the famous Tattenham
corner, stretched double half mile of
densely packed members of the lower
stratum of English society. There were
twenty-seven horses in the field, and
great difficulty was experienced in Sc
curing fair start, no little of the diff
Guilty being experienced by the vicious
temper of the favorite, who had been
groomed to perfection, and had been led
from the saddling paddock amid
Hermit was shaggy, unkempt and
slovenly in appearance, somewhat under
sized, and looking very little like
thoroughbred in a high condition of
training. Finally fair start was OBJ
tanned, and the hOofs of twenty-seven of
the choicest horses of England beat
thunder out of the turf as they sped
over EPSON Downs and disappeared in
the bottom land beyond "The HILL"
Soon the struggling mass of many colored
jockey jackets could be distinguished
rising to view amid the gOrse brush on
the opposite side of the course. Tele-
scopes and feld.glasses were brought
into requisition, and the universal cry
was, Where is the LadyY The answer
was soon found she was in the ruck in
the rear-well up, but still in the rear.
"Ah," said her hackers" Fordham (the
rider) knows what he is about" and
sigh of relief passed around, while the
idea gained ground that he was saving
the mares strength for the straight rush.
in. But those hopes speedily died out;
and when the turn was reached, at
Tatteuham corner, generally the deciding
point for ca place" in all Derby races,
the cry went up, "She's nOwhereP y
proved to be so, for when the leading
dozen horses passed the judges stand the
despised outsider, Hermit, was first, and
Lady Elizabeth walked into the weigh
ing paddock.


Then there was scene which utterly
battles description. Curses both loud
and deep rent the air, and throng Of
well-dressed men, and women too,
crowded on to the turf and into the
f" ring" yelling their imprecations on
everybody and everything that could by
any possibility have been supposed to
have brought about the disastrous result.
The bOok-makers-all save one-looked
serene, for this class of gentry conduct
their business on certain mathematically
calculated plans, and to them it does not
amount to the value of rush which
side wins OF leoses. They hold the age
under every possible circumstance, and
are serenely Indifferent tO facts which
bring ruin and disgrace on thousands.
The one exception was a certain Mr..
Steele, who had the unfortunateMarquis's
name on his books for an enormous sum,
and who, on settling day, which was the
following Friday, posted the Marquis OF
Hastings as dcfaulter. The total losses
incurred by the noble noodle on the oc-
casion have been variously estimated at
from 100000 to E120, 900 sterling, and
that, taken in connection with his al
ready "dipped" revenue anu known un.
trustworthy habits, ruined him. On the
Friday when he was posted, he was Or
dered out of the Ring" to which any
plebeian can obtain admission on pay
ment of a guinea, by Steel, the book
maker, who had been carpenter work
ing for daily wages in Brighton, and who
had hardly sufficient education to write
his own name. The disgrace, coupled
with his dissipated habits, brought the
foolish young Marquis to his grave, and
few months later quiet funeral, at
which not half dozen people were
present, wound up the earthly career OF
the last of the direct line of one of the
Oldest families in the United Kingdom.


Chaplin, as before indicated, did not
bet much ON his horse-certainly he did
not win more than was sufficient to pay
the expenses of the race. But he had
secured deep and lasting revenge, and
won the highest honor of the turf at one
stroke. He is now a member of Parlia-
ment, and looked upon as one of the