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ROBERT SIEVIER WRITES HIS LIFES HISTORY Scepters Banished Owner Recounts His Racing Experiences in an Interesting Volume. Few men, perhaps, have had so varied an experience as Robert Stanuish Sievier, whose autobiography has just lieen published in England. Born in 1SC0, he very early adopted the strenuous life, and at the age of sixteen, set but on an adventurous career which reads more like fiction than sober fact. At seventeen he saw active service in the Kaffir war. spending two years in South Africa before returning to England and adopting the stage as a profession. But racing always appealed strongly to him, and he eventually decided that he would tempt fortune on the turf, a decision materially assisted by the winning of 5,000 Over the Victory of Isonoiny in the Manchester Cup of 18S0, but before the end of the year this money had been lost. However, the following year saw Sievier, as soon as he attained his majority, fairly launched on his turf career, and, being attended by luck at the commencement, soon ran up a. lengthy winning balance as a backer, only to lose it again as a layer. But the winning and losing- of huge sums did not seem to upset him in the least. As he himself says: "If I am not a bold speculator, I am nothing. Hail I introduced commercial instincts, and treated my racing career In n purely commercial spirit, I might today have been a rich man, for I have at different times acquired three large fortunes on the Fff SB9Ri t9 9J9F ,Q00,M Going out to Australia, Sievier created some sensation by instituting the English systeih of betting and settling over eacli race, the system In .vogue there being that of doubles and trebles. His ex perience of racing In Australia taught him iriarij things, amongst which was that if bookmakers hcr were licensed, as they are over there, it would givi them a far better standing, and would knock welsh ing out of existence. As a result of his first year? racing in the antipodes be won a sum of 50,000. Sievier has a pretty wit, and cannot help having a good many digs at the managements of the various race m6ctings In England. For instance, in speaking of a horse which won1 four races In one day in Australia, he says: "Such an exphJlt would be next tc impossible in England at such meetings as Ascot. Newmarket, etc., even granted one Owned the liorst capable of accomplishing this extraordinary feat, fo owing to the extremely complex and tangled wording of the many different conditions arid penalties, it would be almost a miracle to be able to discbvei what should be the correct weight to carry in the next race in time to weigh out for it." But by far the most interesting part of the wholt book is the life history of the great mare Sceptre, and her story is told in such a manner as betrayt the intense love Sievier had for her a love sharei1 by the great British public, for Sceptre was every bit as great a favorite as Pretty Polly was after ward to become. It may be mentioned that wher asked for his opinion as to which was the better, hr has invariably replied: "They were both too good tc be compared." Her career is get out as only one man could possibly do it, arid the various Incidents ol her successes are recalled without any tax on thr meinory as the scenes are again brought to iriind. The joy of owning such an animal could hardly have been surpassed. What, then, must have been Sle-viers feelings when compelled to part with her? Considerable space is devoted to going over the recent cause celebre, which ended in Sievlers c6u-ricctlon with the turf being severed, and his per-sorial remarks thereon lose nothing in the making. In the putting together of his nutobWgraphy, so as to make It an Interesting story from beginning to. end, Sievier has shown literary ability of a high order and the attention of the reader is firirily fixed from start 16 finish. Many racy little stories are interspersed here arid there with good effect, arid all tnose who were interested in brie of the best inares who ever trod the British turf should read the life of her owner.
