Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-04-23
THE GAZETTE.
A COPYRIGHT IN HAVANA.
SATURDAY MORNING. APRIL %. 1859.

y OJN lNill IN ia
ICor-t.pondeace Of IL, !Sa,annoh Rep"thc""l
The Cock Pit isa circular building with
rows of seats raised one above the other. all
round; twenty-five cents is paid for each per-
son who enters: and although ten or twelve
thousand dollars a yeara are pa d t"the govern
ment for the license for the place. yet | am
told the lessee makes quite Il handsome reve-
nue. from the bu ,ldins, he receiving, besides
the entrance money. a dollar Tor each battle
fought in the pit. | had barely time to look
around me AMI observe the motley throng,
which was composed of first class Spanish
merchants and members Of the most arlSto-
cratic families, aS well us professional gamh-
lers, and cock-traincrS and fighters, when Il
bell was sounded three times and every one
except the two men who were about to fight
the cocks retired to their places. These two
men each held a bird in his hands, which, at
ter they had allowed them to peck at each
other two or three times. they put down OPP
posite each other in the part Of the pit in
which two slips of wood were imbedded i'll
the ground in the shape of a cross, OF rather
they were placed across each other. The two
birds had their feathers clipped from their
necks and down their backs; ones tail was
an natUrci, the others was trimmed of square
and short. One was a black bird, the other
a sort of brindled color, which | heard a man
who spoke English. who was seated near me
call a '.gingerpile." The spurs were shar-
pened to the greatest possible extent, and | was
told that the spurs of each were of exactly
the same length. and that there were not
two ounces difference in the weight of the
two birds.
The TIVE birds were scarcely out OF the
hands other trainers. before, withcpcn bcak,
they flew mt each other with a ferocity j had
only thought was possessed 10y wild animals;
thew struck at each other with their spurs
until they were apparently both exhausted:
all this time, the most upr"arious shouting
was going on from all parts of the building,
Offers cf bets Of large amounts, and at heavy
odds, were made in all quarters. OCCASION
allv, | observed Il person seated opposite me.
hold up Il finger, or slrca nod, either OF winch
signifed that he accepted the bet offered by
some one seated near OF behind me. In my
ignorance, | could not discover which OF the
birds, if either, had the advantage. They
had ut this time been taken up by their res
pective trainers. who were busy refreshing
them by squirting some fluid from their mouths
over their heads, necks, feet and into their
Threats. 'Cinco onzas para uu peso: hvo
ounces to q dollar, exclaimed a man seated
near me, and Immediately | noticed the Sign
Of the raised finger on the opposite side
The two birds were again placed opposite
each other, and renewed the contest with
seeming fresh vigor, and this was repeated
until one of them apparently, accidentally,
broke his leg. and lay helpless in the pit; the
other bird standing over and pecking at his
xollon .1rar,ary Tho poor bird still shOWlnp
signs Of flight" was not removed from the
nit. but placed again almost on one leg, oppo-
site it's fne, who, with a single spring, struck
him with both spurs in the head, knocking
his victim down ~lifeless. Such a hullabaloo
as was then raised. mortal ears never before
heard. The dead bird was kicked from the
nit, and the losers of the bets walked round
with their hands filled with gold. paying it
away with a nonchalance | had never before
seen equalled.
would then have gladly retired, but was
assured it would be impossible for me to
make nv way through the dense crowd. ad-
ded to which the next battle was to be a very
famous one-a bird having been brought
from u village nine miles distant, whose
blood and breeding were highly boas,ed, and
who was to fight the champion Vi Guanaba-
Goa; so | turned. but only looked long enough
at the pit to see that one bird was OF q black
color, the other of n red. | turned away my
head whilst they were fighting. and was at
forwards told that the black bird had been
killed-Guanabacoa being again the victor.
After this there was a rush out OF the peo-
pie from the village whence the fallen bird
had been brought. and. getting in among
them. | was fairly carried out of my feet
among the throng.