LIFE OF THE AUTHOR xvii 



He was the first *' Man in the Ring" of the 

 Sporting Life, and the pioneer of returning 

 starting prices at race meetings. For many 

 years he wrote for the Globe ; he was the People s 

 first sporting editor, under the name of ''William 

 of Cloudeslee " ; for a long time he did the 

 sporting article of the Penny Illustrated ; he 

 succeeded the late Mr Innes as '* Pegasus " on the 

 News of the World. A few months before the 

 end he joined the newly-started Tribune as 

 sporting editor. His connection with the Referee 

 began in March 1886, when that paper's 

 honoured founder, Mr Henry Sampson, started on 

 a tour round the world. From 19th August 

 1877 (when the first number of the Referee 

 appeared), up to the date of his departure for 

 Australia, every line of " Pendragon's " *' Sporting 

 Notions " article had been written by Mr 

 Sampson himself; and the article had obtained a 

 deservedly high position in the world of sport. 

 It was therefore a matter of considerable diffi- 

 culty to find a sufficiently ''all-round" sporting 

 authority to temporarily fill " Pendragon's " 

 place. It was originally arranged between 

 Mr Sampson and Mr Richard Butler (who was 

 entrusted with sole charge of the paper during 

 his chief's absence) that the article should in 

 future be a composite one, each contributor 



being a specialist in his own branch of sport, 



6 



