120 " MY KINGDOM FOR A HORSE ! " 



The war has not embittered anyone against such as him, 

 though he must be regarded as an enemy. 



It was some time during the summer of 1868 that I 

 was staying at Sleights, and as Whitby is only three miles 

 away and a by-election was being fought there, I naturally 

 went to participate in the sport. The candidates were 

 Sir Harcourt Johnstone (afterwards Lord Derwent), 

 Liberal, and " King " Hudson (the " Railway King "), 

 Conservative. There was normally a considerable Liberal 

 majority in Whitby, and it looked as though Sir Harcourt 

 Johnstone, though always defeated in his efforts to win 

 Thirsk, would at last be returned to Parliament. The 

 financial position of the " Railway King " had been con- 

 siderably shaken by events which it is needless to detail 

 here, and, in an evil moment for his opponent at Whitby, 

 it happened that within a week of the polling day he was 

 arrested for debt and taken off to York Castle. 



This regrettable incident created a feeling of profound 

 indignation among the people of Whitby, for, rightly or 

 wrongly, it was regarded as the work of the Liberal agent, 

 who had thus got rid of the opposing candidate. The 

 nomination day was close at hand, and sooner than let 

 the foe have a walk-over the Conservatives hunted wildly 

 for another candidate. They succeeded in unearthing 

 one in the shape of Mr Bagnall, an ironmaster, hailing 

 from Goathland way. He had no political ambitions, 

 > but allowed himself to be thrust into the breach, and 

 appeared in due course on his side of the hustings with 

 the Conservative agents and committee, Sir Harcourt 

 Johnstone and his supporters occupying the other half 

 of the wooden erection, which was near the railway 



tation. 



By this time their indignation had vexed the Whitby 

 people " even as a thing that is raw," and I who was 

 present soon saw that there was to be plenty of fun, but 

 did not anticipate the shape it would assume . 1 1 happened 



that there had been a very large catch of fish, and the boats 

 were unloading at the quayside not far away thousands 



