AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORXE 71 



second ten times, twice third, and twice 

 unplaced, if my memory serves me true. My 

 father sold him as a three-year-old to John 

 Jackson, who bore the nickname of ' Jock o' 

 Oran/ and bred horses at Fairfield, near York. 

 Lord Alfred won his last race as a three-year-old, 

 beating the Chicken, who had previously beaten 

 him in a handicap across the flat at New- 

 market. They ran first and second on that 

 occasion, but Lord Alfred turned the tables on 

 him at Shrewsbury. 



" Did you ever have any personal dealings 

 with the owner of the Chicken? 



" ' The Chicken,' replied John, ' belonged to 

 the notorious Palmer, the poisoner, of Rugeley. 

 I met Palmer first on the course at Bogside, 

 where I had some horses belonging to my father. 

 Palmer had Doubt there running for the 

 Handicap, and we ran Alp in the same race. 

 Alp won, Doubt being second to him. Before 

 the race Palmer came up to me and asked my 

 opinion about the different horses in the race. 

 I told him, ' I think I shall beat yours.' 

 "He replied, 'You'll win then.' 

 " I said, ' I think I shall.' 

 " That was the first time I met Palmer, but 

 he used afterwards to come up to me frequently 

 and chat about the horses at other meetings. I 

 always thought him a nice sort of fellow to 

 speak to." 



This William Palmer, the poisoner, at the time 

 became the most notorious man in Europe. A phreno- 

 logical lecturer, who took a cast of the dead man's head 

 as he lay in the dead house of the prison after he had 



