Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-03-04
From The Trop,c.
TIE LOUISIANA LAW OF COCK
FIGHTING.
By II BEE

view Orleans reposes. IN s1l rural happinrsA,
one Of tire pleasaniest little towns in the soufJ,
hat reflects Itself in the mysterious waters of
The mississippi. To the extreme right Of the
town, looking at II from the river, may be seen
A comfortable looking little building, sur
rounded BY china trees, just such Il place az
sentimental misses dream of when they have
indistinct notions Of " settling in the world -
This little "bnrbon bandbox,' however, IL
not occupied by The airs Of love, nor tho airs
Of the Iute, but by a strong limb Of the law, II
gnarIed one loo, who Enuckl $ down 10 bust
ness, and digs ont OF the " uncertainties Of
his profcssion," decisions, and reasons,
and causes, and effects. no where 10 be- met
with except in the science called, par excel
lcncc, the " perfection Of human reason"
Around the interior walls Of this romantic
locking place may be found an extensive IL
brary, where are all the "s,atucs," from Mo-
Sea- time down TO The present day, are ranged
side by side and in these miafy books the
owner revels day and night, digesting " d.
gests," and growing the while salloW himself
with indigestion. On the evening time Of "A
fine summers day, the sage lawyer might
| have been secn walled in with books and
manuscripts, bis eye full Of thought, aud bis
bald high forehead sparkling with The rays
Of the setting sun, as If bis genius was making
itself visible TO the senses page after page
h" searched, musty parchinen's we're SCANNED,
these expressions Of care and anxiety lndented
ihemselvet in the stern features OF his face
and with A sigh Of despair he desisted from
his lshors. utiering aloud bis feelings that he
feared his case was a hopeless one. Then
he renewed again his mental labor with ter
fold vigor, making the very silence with
which he pursued his thoughts o%rninous, as i
a spirit were in his presence. The door OF
the LAWYERS office opened, there pressed for
ward a tall. ganni figure Of . man, a perfect
model Of physical power and endurance, a
western satboatman. The lawyer lieedsd not
his presence and started ~ if from q dream, ~
The harsh tones Of enquiry. " Does a Squire
live here ~ grated upon his ears. "They
call me go" was The reply, az soon as the
LAWYER recovered from his establishment.
I" Well Squire" continued The intruder, 81
have got a Gaze for you, and / want ~Ieste~s,
if it costs the best load Of produce that sver
came from Indian" The man Of the law
asked what was the difficulty. ats this,
Squire I'm boGnd for Orleans, and put in
here for coffee and ether fxins ; a chap with
a face whiskered up like prairie dog, says
says he, : stranger, | see ysu have cocks on
board Of your oa'--brine one ashore, and III
PIT ORR dLiiDNL MN LHdI VI HIM bn fGka su IN
lees time than yoH could gaf him Well,
'Sqire, I nerer lake a aar. Says ], stranger,
Pm thar at wunce, and in twenty minutes the
cocks were on the fevee. like ~perfects saints.
We chucked them together, and my cock
Squire. now mind. my Geek never struck a
lick. not a single blow, but tuck to his heels
and run, and by thunders, puked. The stake
holder gave up the money against me, and
now ! want ~iesiess az sure as fogs, my
cock was pF ysicked, or he'd stood up to his
business ike a wild cat"
The lawyer heard the story with patience,
and fatty refused TO have anything 10 do with
the matter. "Perhaps,'' said the boatman,
drawing ont a corpulent packet book, "prehaEs
you think | can't pay-here's the money; help
yourself-give me ~jestess, and draw like an
OK team.
To the establishment sfthe fatboatman, the
lawyer still refused, but unlike many Of his
profession, gave his wsuld- be-client, without
charge, some general advice about going OH
board his boat, showing off for New Orleans,
and. abandoning the suit altogether. The
fatboatman started with profound astonish.
ment and asked the lawyer " if he was sure
enough Squire" Receiving an affirmative
reply, he pressed every argument he could
use, to have him undertake his case and get
him " %jes'ess." but when he found his efforts
were unavailing, he quietly seated himself for
the first time, put his hat aside, crossed his
legs, and looking up to the ceiling with the
expression of great patience, requested the,
i" Squire 10 read to him the Louisiana laws
on cock fighting" The lawyer said he did
not know Of a single statute in the stale on
the subject; the boatman started mp az if he
was shot. exclaining. No laws in the state
on cock-fghtinga No, No, Squire, you can't
possurn me; give u. the law" The refusal
again followed the establishment Of the boat
man increased, and throwing himself ina CO.
mico heroic attitude, he carried his long fin
gers round the sides of the room and asked
"what all them thar books were about %
"All about the law" "WeII then, Squire.
books contain a single law on cock-6ghting T."
You are"
"And, Squire, am | to understand that
thar amt IL, laws in Louisiana en- cock fight
ing.
" You are"
"And am TO understand that YOU cali
yourself a Squire, and that you don't know
any thing about cock fighting ~
You are" "
The as.onishment of the boatman at tL,;s
reply isr a moment was unbounded, and, then
suddenly ceased , the awe with which he
looked upon "the Squire, also ceased, ana
resuming his natural awkward and familiar
carriage, he TOOK up his bat, and wsal<ing to-
the door. and with a broad grin Of supreme
contempt in his face, he observed, that Il
Squire that did not know The laws Of cock
fghtings IN his csinion, was distinctly a dam
fool"
The Paris Presse relates the following an