prevented FROM HANGING HIMSELF AT A LAMP-POST!
through the interference of this spirited officer.

Shelton, in company with a staunch pal (according
to the acceptation of the term), had determined on a



" There, in some corner, shunning to be seen,
" He'd draw his hat down o'er his prying eyes,

" Or with a handkerchief his visage screen,
" Like one who fear'd a caption by surprise.

" One night we miss'd him in his usual seat,
We search'd both kitchen and the scullery;

" We search'd again, nor in his old retreat,
Nor at the Tun, nor at the Be II was he.

" At length a letter to discovery led,

" With separate notice serv'd at each friend's door,
" Reminding his creditors he was not dead,

" But meant to live to owe them something more."



day's spree in the country ; and the place fixed on,
where the cares of life were to be relaxed over a
cloud of the "best Virginia," was at the delightful
village of Hampstead. To fill up the time, which, it
seems, dragged somewhat heavily upon the hands of
these " non-descripts," notwithstanding much fun and
larking had occurred between them during their ex-
cursion, assisted with most copious libations of heavy
wet to prevent their arguments from becoming too
dry, and also numerous invigorating flashes of blue
ruin to give point to their oratory, still the amusements
they had experienced were not considered altogether
complete, and therefore, by way of putting a finish to
the day, the old pot house recreation of <tjlhi was
the expedient hit upon. That slippery jade, Fortune,
had tantalized Shelton with alternate successes for
some hours, when, at length, his luck turned, and he
lost every thing that he possessed about his person
the blunt having first vanished, the togs followed in
succession, and the last desperate stake produced
(having nothing else left), was-HlS LIFE, upon the
cast of a die!.!

Can such things be, and overcome us

Like a summer's cloud, without our special wonder ?

The destructive effects of profligate gaming were
never seen in a more horrid point of view, than in
this transaction between Shelton and his associate.
To what dreadful extremities men of superior educa-
tion and mind are often hurried into from its perni-
cious effects, even when their imaginations have not
i>ean heated with the juice f.i the grape ; but the
ire conduct of the above chaiacters (though
e\id.ntly hj homing und.r a state of inebriation),
.-..ry thing upon record. It is scarcely pos-
sible to admit of the reality of the circumstance in
question to \\itness one man " staking his life, " with
the most perfect indifference as to the event, and
viewing the other equally as callous, not only in
winning the precious lite of a human being with as
n. uh satisfaction, apparently, as he would a piece of
inanimate metal, but claiming the performance of the
contract, with all the barbarous rigidity of a Shylock,
by having the defendant hanged at the first lamp, on
their getting to the road across the fields!

Shelton, strange to remark, with the utmost alacrity
and cheerfulness, anxious, as he thought, to do the
thing that was right; or, in other words, fulfil the
character of an honorable Gambler, with a composure
and fortitude that would have done honor to a better
cause, ascended the lamp-post, tied a Belcher hand-
kerchief round his neck, which he affixed, by the
command of the winner (his intimate friend), firmly
to the post. Pending the suspension, however, the
handkerchief gave way by the knots getting loose, not
being tied by a more skilful Jack Ketch, and the in-
tended victim dropped not into Eternity, but to the
surface of the earth !

And that should teach as,
There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will.
" Up again, quickly," cries his friend, insisting
upon the full performance of the condition of the
wager, to which Shelton assented without the slightest
murmur, and again mounted to fix the knots more se-
curely f

While in this act, Croker accidentally passed the
spot, and, upon being called, he immediately inter-
posed, sans cercmonie, with the cudgel he held in his



232



PIERCE EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



THE LETTER.

Here rots in jail, with scarce one hope on earth,

A wretch that'- sacrificed to love of play ;
Success, at first, to golden dreams gave birth,

And fortune flatter'd only to betray.
La:ge were his LOSSES, yet no loss deterr'd.

Those mischiefs follow'd, such as seldom fail :
He gave his friends ('tiras all he'd Icf'tJ his tfurd

He gain'd by KAZAKH (as most do) a JAIL!

Seek, not his future projects to reveal,

Nor draw conclusions to prejudge the fact;

io anxious dread (which must of you must feel)
He waits the benefit of the INSOLVENT ACT.



hand, and gave Bhelton several hard blows that
brought him to the ground before he could accomplish
the SI-.COM> SUSPENSION! For this humane interpo-
sitionthis steppiug-in between a man and Eternity,
with all his imperfections upon his head, Croker was
requited with a pair of black eyes, and his nose
biok.cn !

In a false quarrel there's no true valour.

It was for this breach of the peace that Sheltou
was now placed at the bar ; and, after the case was
i'ully proved against him, he pleaded son, assault de
main, and called witnesses to prove that Croker had
first struck him three times before he retaliated, ada-
ing that the olticer had not shown his staff of authority
before he had struck, him, and INSISTING that he
had A RIGHT TO HANG HIMSELF, as he lost
the wager, and it would have been considered unfair
if he had not fully performed the bet ! ! !

By heav'ns ! methinks, it were an easy leap,

To pluck bright honor from the pale-fac'd moon !

Or dive into the bottom of the deep,

"Where fathom-line could never touch the ground,

And pluck up drowned honor by the locks,

So he, that doth redeem her thence, might wear

Without co-rivals all her dignities ;

iiut out upon this half facM fellowship!

After the learned chairman had most humanely ob-
served upon the folly and obstinacy of Shelton in
accusing the officer for an act of imperative duty, in
preventing the impious act of intended suicide, the
jury returned a verdict of guilty.

Upon the sentence being promulgated, the wife of
Shelton, in person, addressed the bench, stating, that
from this prosecution she was ruined in her little shop
and business, and her four young children were de-
prived of the means of subsistence, which had cost
her no less than 18, and left her unable to defray
farther expences, in case the sentence should require
it : but added, with considerable feeling, that, except-
ing some such irregular fits and frolics, he was a
good husband, and laborious and attentive to his duties.

They say, best men are moulded out of faults,
And, for the most, become much more the better
For being a little bad ; so may my husband.

The bench, in consequence of the good character
given of her " lord aud master" by the female pleader,
were induced to grant Shelton his immediate libera-
tion.

The gameness displayed by men in the ring, in com-
parison with the " daringness" or " hardihood" evinced
by Shelton in the above unparalleled " transaction," is
as snow before the sun : and the usual mode of express-
ing courageous acts with the phrases of fortitude, resig-
nation, &c., in this instance is quite out of the question :
in fact, a term is wanting, not to be found even in *ny
of our copious modern dictionaries, emphatically to
designate this species of " action," that upon the toss
up of a halfpenny, the finest feelings of nature were
in an instant obliterated the important ties of husband
and father forgotten no compunctions for the past
transactions of life manifested and the important con-
sequences of the FUTUKE not even thought of ! It is a
subject so Twuwlle in its kind, that sets all theoretical



THE PEDIGREE AND PERFORMANCES OF THE
CELEBRATED MAKE, FLEUR DE LIS.
We perfectly agree with the observations of
TYKE, of York, in ' Bell's Life in London,' in
March, that departed pugilists having been
honored with biographical sketches a similar
notice of the above old mare would not be out
of place ; her honesty a rare quality in these
piping times of cholera and cant would alone
entitle her to a corner in the BOOK OF SPORTS;
but as this quality seems to be exploded, as
well on the Turf as in the Ring, I shall rest
her claims to superiority on her performances,
which will be found to possess recommenda-
tions of no ordinary stamp. To be secundem
artem, it is requisite that I should introduce
her genealogically : her blood royal on one
side, and aristocratic on the other, is unex-
ceptionable, and is traced up to Highflyer;
she was got by Bourbon, out of Lady Rachael
(bred in 1805 by Sir M. Sykes), by Stamford,
her dam Young Rachael, by Volunteer, out
of Rachael, sister to Maid of All Work, by
Highflyer, &c. The Stud Book states Fleur
de Lis to have been bred by Sir M. Sykes ;
but, on enquiry, I find that she was bred by a
Northumberland farmer, who, ignorant of the
gem he was casting away, sold her to Sir M.
W. Ridley, for 100. "in that part of the
country the Two-year-old stakes are, gene-
rally speaking, of little value or importance ;
Sir M. W. Ridley, therefore, instead of stump-
ing her up, as is too often the case, wisely
suffered her strength to mature itself, and did
not bring her out till she was three years old.
There can be no doubt that to this her subse-
quent excellent running is ia a great measure
to be attributed. Her tirot race was at New-
castle, 1825, where she won the Filly Stakes,
beating Figurante and Bird of Passage. She
followed this up by defeating Vicissitude filly,
Beatrice, and sister to Diadem, for a similar
stakes, at Pontefract. She won both cleverly,
but they had not the effect of bringing her



researches into the human character at defiance ; and 1
only reminds us, that with all our experience, still,
" the proper study of mankind is man!" BUAIANA,
vol. ii, p. 185.

Tom repented of his bad conduct ; acknowledged
his errors, and the crime he was about to commit ;
and also promised that his future behaviour in society
should recommend him to the notice of his friends.
In the course of three years after the above transac-
tion, Shelton became a Prize Pugilist, and likewise
distinguished himself in his various contests with
Harry Harmer, Bill Richmond, Big Burns, George
Cooper, Josh. Hudson, and Tom Brown. After Lis
battle with the latter Hero he retired from the P. R.,
as an acknowledged scientific and brave boxer. Shel-
ton opened a Tavern in the vicinity of the town, where
his good conduct and civility obtained for him a decent
livelihood ; and he was also chosen to act as a juryman
in the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, before my
Lord Tenterdcn. But, in consequence of poor Tom's
betting more money than he was able to pay on theDerby
Race, the chance being against him in a moment of
despair and frenzy he committed suicide b> swallow
ing poison in a strong g!ar,s of gin and water. Such
were the horrid effects which operated on his feelings
from z<imblii>z transactions that we can onlv observe
"Alas ! poor human nature !"



PIERCE EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



233



into the betting for the Great St. Leger. She]
was literally unnoticed. She started for that
stakes with scarcely a friend out of her own
stable, and it is not improbable that, but for
an accident, she would have been " there or
thereabouts." This, however, was prevented
by the unprincipled conduct of one of the
north country jocks (a mere leather-plater,
who had been found useful on more occasions
than one of a nearly similar nal ure), who rode
against her and knocked her down. It is
extraordinary how she or her rider escaped
unhurt; still more so, how she should get so
good a place at the finish. In the same meet-
ing she won the Filly Stakes, beating Convic-
tion, a (illy by Walton, out of Altisidora,
Hybla, and Jessy. In 1&2G she won a Sweep-
stakes on the first day of York Spring Meeting,
beating Actaeon, Catterick, Rothelan. Flori-
smart, and Lottery ; and on the following day
she carried oft' the gold cup, beating Acteeon.
The Alderman (who ran a good second to
Memnon lor the St. Leger), Dcr Freischutz,
and Jerry. At Newcastle, same year, she
won the Gold Cup, and the Town Plate of
100, beating Canteen and Abron, in the
former, and Billy Watson in the other. At
Doncaster she won the Doncaster Stakes,
beating Actaeon (the third time of his running
second to her this season), Zirza, br. g. by
Androssan, Crowcatcher, and Lottery. She
also won the Cup in the same meeting, beating
Mulatto, Humphrey ('linker, Helenus, and
Jerry. She closed her four-year-old perform-
ances, by walking over for the Gold Cup, at
Lincoln having, up to this period, won ten
races out of eleven ! In 1827, at York Spring
Meeting, she won the Constitution Stakes,
beating jerry, Humphrey Clinker, and Sirius.
At Manchester she was defeated by a head,
for the Cup, by Longwaist, in consequence of
having slipped, and nearly fallen on her side,
in making the last turn. At Preston she won
the Cup, beating Signorina and Euphrates.
At Doncaster she was opposed by Memnon,
for the Doncaster Stakes, 27 others having
paid forfeit; the race excited considerable
interest, the two not having met since the St.
Leger in 1825. The betting was even, and
the mare won cleverly thus giving counten-
ance to the opinion I have expressed above,
that accident alone prevented her running him
pretty closely for the St. Leger. . In the same
meeting she started for'theCup, and ran a
dead heat with Memnon, for the second place
this was one of the most spirited races of
the week, nor did any of the horses suffer in
reputation by their defeat: Mulatto won it
rather cleverly, the four-year-old weight being
decidedly more favorable than that put on any
other age. She also won the Cup at Lincoln,
beating Sweepstakes and Tinker, and imme-
diately afterwards was added to the Royal
stud, his Majesty having, in the course of the
season, purchased her for 1,500 guineas a
sum much below her actual worth ; Sir M.
has declared that he should not have sold her



but at the express solicitation of the king.
In 1828, she started for the Cup at Ascot, and
was not placed ; on this occasion his Majesty
honored Sir M. Ridley with an invitation to
witness the race from the Royal Stand, and
was pleased to express a concurrence in his
opinion that " she was too thin to justify an
expectation of success." At Oxford she won
the Cup in a canter, beating Liston, who was
in great force that season. In the second
October week, with 9st. on her back, she won
the Second Class of the Oatlands, beating
Helas, 5yrs., 7st. 12 Ib. ; Bee-in-a-Bonnet,
3yrs, 7st.*2lb. ; Miss Craven, 4 yrs, 7st. 12lb.;
and f by Andrew, 3yrs, 7st. In the Houghton
Meeting she beat Belzoni, in a match, giving
Clb, Ab. M. In 1829 her first race was for
the Craven Stakes at Newmarket, in which
Zinganee beat her by about half a head, en-
tirely through superior jockeyship . At Epsom
she won the Craven Stakes, beating Conrad,
Pegasus, and several others of u low degree."
At Stockbridge she won the Five Sovs. Stakes,
beating Brownlock and Colleger. At Good-
wood she proved her great superiority by
beating easily Mameluke, Varna, The Alder-
man, Lamplighter, and Rough Robin, for the
Cup. She was then sent to Doncaster, and
started for the Cup, although it was well
known she was horsing at the time ; of course
she had not the slightest chance. She then
went to Lincoln, and for the third time car-
ried off the Gold Cup (the Grand Falconer's),
beating Lugrel, Bessy Bedlam, Ballad Singer,
Robin Hood, and a colt by Tiresias ; it is
worthy of remark, that Laurel had defeated
her in the race at Doncaster the preceding
week. In 1830 she ran but twice; on the
first occasion for the Goodwood Cup, which
she won cleterly ; the " Gentleman of the
Horse," to " make assurance trebly sure, *
also started Zinganee and The Colonel, and
these three had the race to themselves, for the
others had not a chance in any part of it ; this
lot consisted of Green Mantle, Lady Emily,
Refugee, Glenartney, Tranby, and Hindoo.
She was again sent lor the Cup at Doncaster,
and with a similar result. She was now
" bottled up" for the Goodwood Cup, 1831,
which was selected as the finale to her per-
formances ; it was her fate, however, to be
opposed to Priam, and in spite of stoutness,
honesty, and iirst-rate condition, her defeat
was unequivocal. In all, she ran thirty races,
twenty- two of which she won, and as her
antagonists on almost every occasion were
horses of very superior character, I may fairly
pronounce her to have been one of the stoutest
and best mares, as she was the finest, that
ever appeared on the English Turf. It will
be long before we look upon her equal.

A BEAR CAUGHT " NAPPI NG."

In the setting-in of the winter (says Mr.
Lloyd, in his Field Sports of the North of
Europe), and when the ground was but



PIERCE EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



slightly covered with snow, that Elg and
another peasant started off in company for a
very wild range of country to the southward
of Brunberg, in the hopes that they might fall
in with, and ring the track of a bear ; this
being, as I have said, the most proper season
for that purpose. But their search proved
unsuccessful ; and after the lapse of four or
five days, during which they had either bi-
vouacked on the ground, or quartered at Sat-
serswells, their provisions being exhausted,
they separated for their respective houses. In
the afternoon of the same day, and when Elg
was alone in a very wild part of the country,
covered with much fallen timber and immense
fragments of stone, he suddenly came upon
the track of a bear; the next minute, and
within a short distance from where he stood,
he discovered, in a cleft of a great mass of
rocks, the den of the animal. As he had no
confidence, however, in the lock of his rifle,
he did not care to go immediately up to the
den ; he therefore mounted a pretty high
stone, immediately overlooking it, at about
fifteen paces distant. From this position he
discovered the bear lying fast asleep near the
entrance of the den ; and as he got sight of
her ear, under which is one of the most fatal
places, he lost no time in levelling and dis-
charging his rifle. For a moment after he had
fired, the bear lay still, and, in consequence,
Elg almost imagined she (for it was a female)
was killed; had he thought otherwise, he
would have had ample time to get out of her
way ; but presently the beast raised herself up,
when, fixing her eyes steadily upon him, and
\ittering at the same time a terrific growl, she
dashed at him (to use his own expression)
" with the rapidity of a bullet out of a gun,"
and was close upon him in almost the twink-
ling of an eye. Very fortunately for Elg, the
stone on which he was standing was situated
in a declivity, the after part of it being some
five or six feet from the ground ; down this,
in his hurry to escape, he tumbled all but
headlong. It was well he did so, for the bear,
followed by two of her cubs, which were more
than half as large as herself, almost at the
same instant made her spring, and passed
clean and far over him. In this situation Elg
lay for a short while, frightened, as he said,
almost out of his senses ; when, finding all
quiet, and supposing, as was the case, that
the bears, from not seeing him, had taken
themselves off to another part of the forest, he
ventured to get up, and to reconnoitre the
den : he then discovered that besides the three
which had made a leaping bar of his person,
a fourth had taken an opposite direction.
Though all four bears for this time made their
escape, yet, in the course of eight or ten suc-
cessive weeks, Elg, with the assistance of
several other peasants, managed to kill the
whole of them. On taking the skin from the
old bear, which he described to have been of
a very large size, he found the ball which he
Jiad fired at her flattened out, and set fast on



the back of her skull. By this it would ap-
pear that he had mistaken the position in
which she was lying, so that, instead of aim-
ing at the root of her ear, as he imagined was
the case, he had fired at her lengthwise. Had
his ball, however, been of any moderate size,
this would not have been of much conse-
quence ; for if his gun was properly loaded, I
take it that, at so short a distance, her head
would have been split in pieces."



WHISKER A CELEBRATED STALLION.

In consequence of the recent death of the
above racer, we present our readers with a
sketch of his pedigree and performances.

WHISKER was bred by his Grace the Duke
of Grafton, in 1812, and was got by Waxy,
out of Penelope (bred by the late Duke in
1798), by Trumpator ; her dam Prunella, by
Highflyer, out of Promise, by Snap Julia,
by Blank Spectator's dam, by Partner-
Bonny Lass, by Bogtrotter Darley's Ara-
bian Byerby Turk Taffolet Barb Place's
White Turk Natural Barb Mare. Whisker
was own brother to the following celebrated
racers : Whalebone, Web (dam of Glenart-
ney and Middleton), Woful, Wilful, Wire,
Wildfire, Windfall, &c. &c.

Performances : 1815 : Craven Meeting, re-
ceived forfeit in a Sweepstakes of 200gs. each,
three subs, one of whom (Lord Darlington)
withdrew his stake. Same meeting, received
50gs from the Duke of Portland's c by Orville,
out of Sligo's dam. First Spring meeting,
was beaten by Tigris for the 2,000gs stakes,
and not placed. Same meeting, ran second to
Busto for the Newmarket stakes. At Epsom,
won the Derby stakes (value 1,500 gs), beat-
ing Raphael, Busto, and ten others [Minute,
a half-sister of Whisker's, won the Oaks the
following day]. First October meeting,
beaten by Quinola, by Waxy, for the St.
Leger, and not placed, the famous Sir Joshua
was second. Second October meeting, he
beat Equator in a match for 200gs, B.M.,
giving 91b. Houghton meeting, he beat Don-
key in a match for 200, A.F., 8st 7lb each,
Same Meeting, was beaten by Sir Joshua in a
match for 300 gs. A. F., receiving 41b 1816 :
Craven meeting, he won the Port stakes of 300
gs, beating Equator. First Spring meeting, he
beatPaulus in a match for 200gs, R.M. receiv-
ing 5lb. Second Spring meeting,beat Sir Joshua
in a match for 300gs, A.F., receiving 6lb,
First October meeting, ran fourth to Bourbon
for a sweepstakes of 200gs. each, D.M., in
which he received 91b from the winner, and
gave lOlb to Sir Thomas, and 91b to Quinola.
Second October meeting, received 70gs. from
Paulus. Houghton meeting, was beaten by
Equator in a match for 200gs. giving 7lb, Ab.
M 1817 : he did not run. 1818 : Cra-
ven meeting [now the property of the present
Marquis of Cleveland], beaten by Skim, and
not placed, for the Craven stakes. First
Spring meeting, ran 3d to Skim for a plate of



PIERCE EGAN'S BOOK OF SPORTS.



235



60 sovs. Same Meeting, beat little Dick in a
match for 200, D.M., giving lOlb. Second
Spring, he received lOOgs from Cannon Ball.
Same meeting, ran third to Merrymaker for
a Handicap. Same meeting, beat Manfred in
a match for 200, T.Y.C., giving lOlb. Same
meeting, ran fifth to the Flyer in a Cup
Handicap. First October, beaten by the Stu-
dent in a match for 200, Ab. M., allowing
1-111). This terminated his career as a racer.

As a stallion he was eminently successful,
as the following summary of the winners got
by him will abundantly testify : In 1822 : 2
winners, 2 prizes, value 577. 10s. 1823 : G
-winners, 17 prizes, value 3,936. 1824 : 9
winners, 25 prizes, value 3,607J. lls. 1825 :
10 winners, 29 prizes, value 6,364/. 15s.
1826: 10 winners, 19 prizes, value 3,14H.
10s. 1827 : 10 winners, 23 prizes, value
3,56U. 1828: 17 winners, 43 prizes, value
6,719/. 5s. 1829: 16 winners, 44 prizes,
value 5,213/. 1830 : 26 winners, 61 prizes,
value 7,847/. 10s. 1831 : 17 winners, 46
prizes, value 4,993/. 6s. 8d. Making a total
of 123 winners, and 309 prizes, amounting to
the sum of 45,961/. 7s. 8cl.

Whisker was sire of Memnon, the Colonel
(both St. Leger winners), Abron, Mustachio,
Maria, Stratherne, Caccia Piatti, Emancipa-
tion, Sarah, Jenny Mills, Coulon, Reformer,
Whisk, Lunaria, Whiskerandos, 8cc. &c.



THE INVENTIONS OF MAN TO SAVE LIFE.
A Shark deprived of his prey.

Mr. Hardy, in his travels through Mexico,
gives the following lively account of an escape
from a shark : " The Placer de la Piedra
Negada, which is near Loretto, was supposed
to have quantities of very large pearl-oysters