The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1866-11-07
Dog Fighting---How Human Brutes in New
yApV sMrSE

ITloG NHli3 at 4Ab Duitlo opOi toilIdll it
Water street. The occasion as set forth in tn
announcement. was an interesting exhibtio
of dog sports" To detail the proceedings {
this interesting occasion, a reporter of til
Herald was sent and after many inquire
and long and tedious walk-being more thai
. once wrongly drected-reached the localit,
desired. Kit Burns great and favorite re
sort of the hearts of oak of New York, is stu
ated on the street above mentioned, Just nortE
Of Peck slip. Externally it presents the ap
pearance of an ordinary bar-room but to nc
one who has been in the locality and smelt the
unmistakable odor Of dog which extends ever
into the street, there can be no mistake as tc
its character Entering the place the eye o.
the visitor meets with an immense number o.
colored prints which adorn the walls and
which represent the most famous pugiIists,
past and present, in every posture Of self de-
fence. Over the bar was suspended a large
/ photograph of Morrissey, dressed in black and
wearing kids This portrait would seem
strangely out Of place among all the other pic
lures which represent their prototypes stripped
to the buff, did not the lowering brow, the
Scared nose, and ''croppy" hair indicate that
here, too, was fighting man, like all the
rest. It was early, and the crowd had not
yet begun to arrive. Meanwhile, an invita-
ton from Kit himself, a short but very com
pactly built son Of Erin, with a face perpetu-
ally on the grin with good humor, and who
held between his teeth stubby pipe, at which
he was viciousIy putting, was accepted to visit
the basement and inspect his stock of dogs
After proceeding through dark and tortuous
passages, against the walls of which one was
perpetuaIy barking his elbows or knocking
his head against the ceiling, the cellar was
reached BY the descent Of a short and rckety
staircase. The place was damp and I'M
wholesome, though the guide said it was q
"loine place for dorg," and dim gas-ight
afforded feeble illumination. Peering about
in STOPPING posture-for one could not stand
upright-thtre were to be seen on every side,
ranged around against the walls, little stalls
each of them containing lively and wicked
looking dog. These were of all ages and col
ors, but all of them were small and wiry and
handy legged, and each wagged slender, ia
pering tail with incesSant motion. They tug
ged strongly at their chains, each struggling
to loose himself In all there were not less
than forty dogs, and many of them had their
heads covered with scars and bore the eyi-
dences of more than one bloody encounter
One brindled cur was lying down, and did
not manifest the viyacity Of the rest. Inquir
ing the reason, it was learned that the dog
had but recently fought and killed his anLago-
mist, whose death grippe had fastened with such
force on his leg that the bones of the limb haG
been crushed. In another stall was brin-
died bull terrier, whose scathed muzzle showed
him to be veteran. This dog, it was learned,
had been a victor in no less than six battles,
one of which had lasted three hours In
little apartment boarded off from the cellar
was a full -blooded bull dog black and tan,
with white neck and legs. This, it was told,
was Belcher a dog who stands ready to fight
any dog in the United States of his weight for
any amount from 500 to $1,000
Ascending to the saloon again, the bar-room
was now full Of men, who had congregated
there as the hour for opening the entertainment
drew nigh They were rough-looking lot
OF men. Some of them had faces lowering
and strongly set about tie jaws, so that they
bore no weak or fanciful resemblance to the
brutes who were yelping and rafting their
chains in Impotence below. Some were in
their shirt-sleeyes others sported shirts of a
loud red COLOR all of them talked slang and
drank necessarily. Many stood up at the bar
behind which the attentive Kit now stationed
himself; some scanned the portraits on the
walls and others still gathered in little knots
and talked loudly and rapidly among them
selves.
Soon head was thrust through hole in
the wall opening from an adjoining room, and
a voice shouted, ''Tckets for the exhibition ="
A rush was instantly made in that direction,
and the crowd rapidly filed through rear
passage. This led, BY numerous branches,
ascents and descents and windngs lab
square In the centre of this was an III
closure about eighteen inches high, sixteen
feet long, and eight feet wide, and of octago'
nal form. On all sides rude wooden seats
rose in the form of an amphtheatre to the
roof Into this limited space filed the crowd,
which numbered in the aggregate not less than
two hundred The place was lighted by four
gas Jets which hung over the pit. After the
crowd had disposed themselves around on the
seats there was much chatting and loud dis
pute. One great, square jawed individual,
with a ferocious aspect, shouted, 81 have got
dog twenty-Six pounds weight, that can lick
any dog in Ameriky for $1,000. | can lick
the Newark dog / got another dog. which
| call Edwin Booth, that can lick any dog in
Amerkv for $lOOO-make it $4,000 if you
want. Who'll come and see me +" Another
person. with his coat off and sleeves rolled up,
wanted to match an eighteen pound dog
against any dog or slut of the same weight in
the world. There was much talk about some
one called AIRY Jennings, and an invincible
brute which he owned. Suddenly young
fellow, in red flannel shirt, leaped into the
pit amid vociferous cheers and yells, and drew
after him a cream colored terrier pup of about
thirty pounds, which he offered to match
against any dog in the house for five or ten
dollars a side. There was more chatting, and
the crowd began to grow more impatient, when
the exhibition" was inaugurated by two men
who entered the pit leading each dog. The
first of these was Of spotted black and white
color, and manifested great life and energy,
shifting eagerly about the enclosure. The
other dog was quick to follow. This last was
of tawny color, with white dashes on his
body. A pail filled with water was placed at
each end of the pit, and all being ready, the
dogs, eager and painting, were etloose. They