70 KINGSCLERE 



had been made first favourite without his having 

 backed him for a single penny he determined to 

 scratch him from the race. To settle once for all a 

 point concerning which there may yet be doubts, the 

 public grossly overrated Vagabond, who was never 

 anything but a moderate horse. A description of 

 Walter's system of swindling, and an account of his 

 career will be found in the Appendix. 



Although strongly urged by his friends to prose- 

 cute the ' Sporting Times,' and while he himself was 

 persuaded that he could not suffer such an atrocious 

 libel on his honour to pass unchallenged, Sir Joseph 

 Hawley was deeply grieved at the severity of the 

 sentence which was passed on Dr. Shorthouse, and 

 used his utmost endeavours to obtain a mitigation 

 of the Doctor's punishment. He personally waited 

 upon the Home Secretary, and implored him to 

 curtail the term of imprisonment, but without 

 avail. It was, Porter is convinced, a matter of deep 

 and lasting regret to Sir Joseph Hawley that his 

 strenuous efforts to procure the release or mitigation 

 of the excessive sentence passed on the editor of the 

 1 Sporting Times ' altogether failed, the more espe- 

 cially as he was aware from the commencement of the 

 proceedings that Dr. Shorthouse himself was not the 

 writer of the libel. One of the first race meetings 

 which Dr. Shorthouse attended on his release was 

 his favourite Epsom. Porter happened to be stand- 

 ing at the foot of the steps in the little paddock 

 when Dr. Shorthouse approached, and said, ' Porter, 

 where is Sir Joseph Hawley? I want to see him.' 



