His collapse at York was attributed to the hardness of the course and to various other causes, but its immediate effect was to put Lord Arthur Skelmerton in what is popularly called a tight place, for he had backed his horse for all he was worth, and must have stood to lose considerably over L5000 on that one day.
"The collapse of the favourite and the grand victory of King Cole, a rank outsider, on the other hand, had proved a golden harvest for the bookmakers, and all the York hotels were busy with dinners and suppers given by the confraternity of the Turf to celebrate the happy occasion.
The next day was Friday, one of few important racing events, after which the brilliant and the shady throng which had flocked into the venerable city for the week would fly to more congenial climes, and leave it, with its fine old Minster and its ancient walls, as sleepy, as quiet as before.
"Lord Arthur Skelmerton also intended to leave York on the Saturday, and on the Friday night he gave a farewell bachelor dinner party at 'The Elms,' at which Lady Arthur did not appear.

After dinner the gentlemen settled down to bridge, with pretty stiff points, you may be sure.

It had just struck eleven at the Minster Tower, when constables McNaught and Murphy, who were patrolling the racecourse, were startled by loud cries of 'murder' and 'police.' "Quickly ascertaining whence these cries proceeded, they hurried on at a gallop, and came up--quite close to the boundary of Lord Arthur Skelmerton's grounds--upon a group of three men, two of whom seemed to be wrestling vigorously with one another, whilst the third was lying face downwards on the ground.

As soon as the constables drew near, one of the wrestlers shouted more vigorously, and with a certain tone of authority: "'Here, you fellows, hurry up, sharp; the brute is giving me the slip!' "But the brute did not seem inclined to do anything of the sort; he certainly extricated himself with a violent jerk from his assailant's grasp, but made no attempt to run away.

The constables had quickly dismounted, whilst he who had shouted for help originally added more quietly: "'My name is Skelmerton.