THE SCALES TAMPERED WITH 



6 l b 



carrying this overweight had been discovered, he would 

 have been disqualified. The culprit, when his turn came, 

 of course passed satisfactorily, having weighed out at the 

 top stand. But Sam Adams, the rider of Catch'em Alive, 

 one of those who had " weighed out " at the lower stand, 

 was the first to try the scales in " weighing in " at the top 

 stand, and he could not draw the weight. Admiral Rous 

 was sent for by the clerk, and, after many ineffectual 

 attempts to draw the weight, Adams was told to leave the 

 scales — on the face of it a virtual disqualification. Then 

 James Grimshaw, the rider of Summerside, the third horse, 

 tried and failed to draw his weight, though he protested 

 that he drew it well at the lower stand. I told the Admiral 

 that I was sure Adams weighed the proper weight " out." 

 Of this I was positive ; for he rode in an exercise saddle 

 without any saddle-cloth, and so could neither from design 

 nor accident have lost any weight, as I saddled and un- 

 saddled the horse myself, and I asked that he might be 

 allowed to weigh there again. But the Admiral would 

 not permit it. " No," he said ; " though for convenience' 

 sake there are two places to weigh out at, there is but one 

 that you can weigh in at after the race." Feeling certain 

 there was a mistake, I at once, without asking permission, 

 took the weights out of the scales to see if they balanced, 

 and, finding that they did not, called the Admiral's atten- 

 tion to the fact. " Here is the mistake, sir," I said, and first 

 put on I lb., which did not turn the beam, and then another 

 i lb., which just balanced it, the Admiral and Lord West- 

 morland, the one coolly and the other anxiously, looking 

 on all the time. 1 then turned up the scale, and discovered 

 and pointed out the three pieces of lead fixed to the 

 bottom. They were at once removed, the clerk affirming 

 that " they were not there this morning," and the scales 

 then balanced to a nicety. I have always thought it was 

 a great mistake on the part of the Admiral, when the 

 fraud was discovered, not to have required the riders of 

 the first three horses to get into the properly adjusted 

 scales to see if they could draw their respective weights, 

 and not more than 2 lb. over. Had he done so, the diffi- 

 culty would have been settled on the spot, and the result 

 would have been in the detection of the jockey who had 

 tampered with the scales, and the disqualification of his 

 horse. I believe only three jockeys weighed in ; one did 



