406 



The last race he ever won was at this same meeting, on October 29, 

 when he rode Blanchland for his old patron Lord Falmouth in the 

 Houghton Stakes. His last mount was on Tommy Tittlemouse, in the 

 Castle Plate at Lewes on November 4. 



He returned to Newmarket feeling very ill. Next day typhoid fever 

 developed itself, and in a paroxysm of madness he shot himself in his 

 bedroom at Falmouth Hous=^, on November 8, 1886, which, by a 

 melancholy coincidence, was the second anniversary of the death 

 of the wife he loved so fondly. 



Very seldom did the death of an Englishman cause more sensation 

 than did that of Fred Archer. Consternation spread broadcast over the 

 kingdom when the news was flashed from Newmarket. Grief seized 

 all his friends, while sorrow sprang upon everyone who knew him. 

 Next day, when the tragic circumstances were learned, these feelings 

 became the more intensified. Thousands who never saw a race, in- 

 cluding old ladies and decrepit men, mourned for the man whose name 

 was familiar to them as that of the Prime Minister, and whose glory 

 they had so often seen heralded in almost every paper they had taken 

 up during the racing seasons of the previous decade. 



Archer's coffin was followed to the little graveyard at the top of the 

 town of Newmarket by more people than was that of any other person 

 who was ever buried there. Nor did the vast concourse attend through 

 idle curiosity, as is often the case ; all came to do homage to the 

 memory of this great and popular jockey. 



To assert that Archer's record is likely to remain unparalleled in the 

 annals of racing is, I think, pretty safe ; but to speak with equal con- 

 fidence regarding his ability as a jockey in comparison with others 

 who have not run up anything approaching his record is a different thing, 

 and as some of the best judges hold opposite opinions on that subject, I 

 certainly am not going to express mine, for of course it would be 

 valueless. It cannot, however, be denied that he was at times very 

 severe upon his mounts, and many a two-year-old which at first enjoyed 

 it, hated for ever the sight of a silk jacket after finishing a severely 

 contested race with Archer riding him. 



He was intensely popular with all classes. Apart from his doughty 

 deeds as a horseman, which alone would make anyone popular among 

 Irish or Englishmen,hisquiet,unassumingmanner and gentle disposition, 

 ever courteous, generous and considerate, made for him friends among 

 all who knew him. Even his appearance was to be admired, for it was 

 that of a gentleman, and his style of dress was in accord. To see the poor 

 fellow riding hard over the Heath in covert coat, breeches and leggings, 

 or strolling up Piccadilly at Ascot time in West End costume, no one 

 would say " That is a jockey " unless they recognised the well-known 

 features. Unlike many others, he never fiew the flag except when he 

 donned the cap and jacket. 



Even among his brethren of the saddle he was popular, but most of 

 them held him in awe and would make way for him in a race when 



