Sprinting. 1 9 



Jackson being dissatisfied with his treatment, went to law, 

 and told in Court how Martin ' worked ' the supposed 

 matches. Pedestrianism is a poor game now. I remember 

 C. Smith, an American, getting on a good mark, and winning 

 a big Sheffield handicap in 1880. Having been put back a 

 long way, he bided his time for eight years, until he got so 

 placed, that he thought he was certain of winning. He came 

 in first, right enough ; but the judge, for reasons best known 

 to himself, awarded the race to the second man. Smith 

 being then thirty-one years old, and having a comfortable 

 business of his own, thought it best to stick to it, and to 

 give up sprinting. 



About a year after Sir John Astley's visit there were 

 some open foot races held at Passage near Cork, at which 

 assembled all the local fleet of foot ; the only stranger being 

 the late General Fred. Brine, who was then a captain in the 

 Royal Engineers, and who was fond of sprinting. In the 

 100 yards race, Quain, a Mallow man of great local celebrity 

 as a runner, was winning easily ; but making the fatal mis- 

 take of turning round to laugh at Captain Brine, who was 

 close behind him, he slipped, fell close to the winning-post, 

 and let the sapper win. All the County of Cork looked upon 

 the next event, the 150 yards race as the one by which justice 

 would be done to Ireland, and especially to Mallow. As I 

 was a young lad, and had never taken part before in such an 

 important affair, I was very much excited when I toed the 

 scratch, with Quain on my right and five or six other com- 

 petitors on my left. I got a little the best of the start and 

 won by several yards, with Quain second, and Brine, who 

 afterwards warmly congratulated me on my success, third. 

 So Cork was avenged ; though not by the one she expected. 



The young men of the class from which officers of the 

 army and members of the various professions are recruited, 

 in the present day, owing to the improved sanitary conditions 

 under which they exist, are undoubtedly bigger and stronger 

 than those of thirty years ago; but I cannot help thinking 



