THE DAYS OF MY YOUTH 3 



there I cannot say, but the days became weeks, 

 and the weeks months. All the while I grew 

 more and more interested in the horses Saunders 

 trained. They included those of Mr. James 

 Merry (who afterwards removed them to Russley) 

 and of William Palmer, a doctor at Rugeley — 

 the Porters were among his patients — who was 

 presently to become notorious as " Palmer the 

 Poisoner.** As my visit to Saunders lengthened 

 I began to loathe the idea of going into an office. 

 The open-air life I was leading appealed strongly 

 to me ; and so, no doubt, did the freedom and 

 independence I enjoyed. 



Saunders was somewhat of a ** rough diamond *' 

 and his ideas were a trifle old-fashioned, even for 

 those days ; still, he was a real good fellow, and 

 he and I got on very well together. One of the 

 animals he trained at this time was Mr. Merry's 

 Hobbie Noble, who started second favourite for 

 the Derby of 1852, won by Daniel 0*Rourke. 

 Hobbie Noble finished fourth, and it has always 

 been understood it was his defeat that placed 

 Palmer in the financial difficulties that resulted 

 in his downfall. Hobbie Noble, I remember, 

 was the subject of much solicitude. There were 

 rumours that he was to be " got at,** and so 

 Tass Parker, the prize fighter, was engaged to 

 guard him at Hednesford during the weeks 

 immediately preceding the Derby. 



Another of the trainers at Hednesford was 



