30 Among Men and Horses. 



personality, would furnish ample material for a novel ; but 

 unless disguised in some such way, would be too plain writ- 

 ing for print. He ruled his rough pack like a despot ; though 

 he kept faith with them as long as their interests were 

 identical with his own. It happened that the police, being 

 in search of the hiding-place of the proceeds of a large 

 jewelry robbery in the city, knocked at the door of the Blue 

 Anchor at two o'clock one morning and demanded instant 

 admittance. They succeeded in getting in, but were stopped 

 on the staircase by Richardson, who, revolver in hand, threat- 

 ened to shoot the first man that advanced, until he had 

 seen the authority for the raid. When the paper had been 

 produced, a light procured, the old man's spectacles adjusted 

 on his nose, and much valuable time wasted, Richard- 

 son's indignation at the invasion of his hearth and home 

 subsided, and he gave the police permission to search 

 his premises, in which, of course, nothing was found. His 

 prey sometimes escaped him. For instance, the incompar- 

 able fighter and drunkard. Joe Nolan, the night before 

 his great match with that stout-hearted Welshman, Dan 

 Thomas, got leave for five minutes to go out of the bed- 

 room in which Richardson had locked him up with himself, 

 and did not return until he was brought back, about midday, 

 dead drunk after having been run over by a cab. Though 

 the fight came off, Thomas was robbed of his victory; for the 

 Blue Anchor gang would tolerate no greater disaster than a 

 ' draw.' This murderous following, which was similar to the 

 pack of scoundrels that was imported to Bruges for the pro- 

 tection of the cowardly Smith against the gallant Slavin, was 

 well utilised by Richardson. Mine host of the Blue Anchor 

 was the early patron of Jem Mace, who, he always affirmed, 

 was a better man than Tom Sayers, which is a statement 

 contrary to the weight of historical evidence. When he and 

 Mace fell out, he produced Tom King to beat him, but the 

 honours were divided. Mace, in those days, kept a public 

 house in John Street, Shoreditch. A man who has been 



