The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-06-14
OUR GAME CHICKENS.
THE COL UMBIA cOCK-FIGHTs EDI-
FY Y4NKEE.
IsThe South Carolina Breed Never
Run'-Edgefield and Augusta against
the. Newberry and Columbia Chick
ens-Over $780, 900 Lost and Won
Uncle Joseph Crews in the Insane
Asylum. -

Correspondence of the New York SUM-
COLUMBIA, May &c.
Among the most popular of Southern amuse
ments is that Of cock fighting. What the:Je
rome Park and Fleetwood races areto the PEG
pie of New York, a first. class cooking main Il
to the people OF South Carolina. During thu
session of the Taxpayers Convention, twt
weeks ago, a splendid chicken contest pol
place here, and to.a distnterested observer J
seemed a question as TO which excited the mosI
interest, the %copventiou or the. COCK fights
| Both were well.attended, bat it was o lnoticea
BILE fact that nearly every day the adjourn
utepts OF the former were governed to a Ger
tain extent by the hours appointed for the
latter. It was q State affair, this cooking
main, and hence all from. the highest to the
lowest in the social scale felt interested
| Thousands Of dollars were at stake in tht
| main alone, and Us the dtspuLing chickens
were among the very best in South Carolina
their little wrangling attracted everybody
from far and Wide. There We're ex-gorer1orS
in attendance, ex.Gonfederate generals ,1enl
the lustre of their glory 10 the scene, anu
| even certain members OF the Immaculate
Legislature did not consider it beneath thell
dignity to witness the sport. Normally
THE GREAT CHICKEN FIGHT
was confined 10 localities; that els, the main
| was between- Edgahsld County, 8. C., and
Augusta, Ca, on the one side, and Newberry
County and the City of Columbia on the other.
There were numerous shack lights" or side
issues, however. that lent additional interest
to the snort, and upon which more money yas
lost and won than fn the main Itself. 'Seyen-
teen cocks entered the main proper THE
stake was the championship Of South Carolina
and two thousand dollars. Tue main was so
divided as 10 occupy three days in the fight.
Ing, and the fighting SO divided with the ac-
campaigning hack fights as 10 make each Q mag
1f1csRt days sport.
The agnt beg N on The 18th inst.
b THE FIRST DAYS SPORT
wa well attended by both delegates 10 the
convention aud members oil the Legislature.
OF course your correspondent was present,
not only en- this day, but on a!lthe Others.
The place where this chicken engagement
| was fought is on the main street in The rear oil
the Lot owned by Mr.. franklin 1t consists OIL
q circular wooden platform we'll covered with
sawdust, and surrounded with seats elevated
one above the. other as In an ampfilheatre.
These of course are for the spectators The
lot or yard in which the festivities took place
is nearly square. On one side is the rear OF
-ETaQkltQS uOuGe, I'LL dnuLucE VI iteolCu ~
houses OF the archaeological g~ladaLors, TO
which none but The most favored Gan get ac-
| cess. these game chickens are kept rs re-
ligiously from the unappreciative gaze OF the
people as Though they were precious stones.
On O third site of the square were located
booths, In which were sundry and divers little
games 10 amuse and Instruct the audleu e BE-
tween heats. There-w was first o drinking booth,
orer:whose counter poured a hnld a few drops
- -Atoh wauId aof a hnlp fhrmJnh n par-Uhpp1
Then there was aroulette wheel with It's ''eagil
Bird O sweat-cloth, o chuck.a-luck board,
and another device known as ~. s. a."
These adj did welleycept the roulette man: He
was cleaned out by a Charleston reporter, and
lett The ground very morose, go 10 speak.
There. were about
- FIFTY OF THE FINEST GAME COCKS
j. ever saw on the spot to take part. They
were about equally divided between the two
parties, and, OF course, were kept apart. In
separate buildings under double lock- The
first days proceedings were rather tame, no.
body being present but those Interested, TO-
gether with u few sporting characters, who
attended for the purpose of betting. There
were three fights In the main, besides two
hack fights / never before had so lively an
appreciation of the %hackneyed phrase, -''sght-
lug to tine DEATH as I. had after Witnessing
one o4these encounters. Brutal and demon
aliZing as is the sport, there Is yet something
tobe learned from the eagerness, the unhinch-
ing tenaclty and Indomitable pluck with
which the feathered bipeds assail each other.
They literally 60 In perfectly reckless as 10
consequences, and finally, when both are eX-
hausted, they lie down to pest, only to re-
new the assault, and continue 1t till one or
the other yields up the ghost. I don't know
how it is with game cocks generally, bit the
South Carolina breed never run. There Were
over forty fights In this carnival, yet not a
chicken but that was willing to die first, and
by the death OF one, and IN one or two in
Stances of both the contestants. This speaks
we'll of the breed and Of their trainers. There
were many very funny incidents at this singu-
lar affair, and IL would tax the powers OF u
better chronicler than myself 10 take note Of
them all. Of course in the ishtins shsre' Yas
much sameness. Chickens fight alike when
duration OF the combat. One Of these fights
was ended In ten minutes, while two chickens
On another day
FOUGHT TwO HOURS y A HALF
before one succeeded in striking n vital. part
In The body Of his adversary. The main in-
terest in all these scenes. however, to an ont.
slider, isin the betting, and the earnest1ess with
which huge sums in money are stared. all,
from the highest TO the lowest In attendance,
make their bets on the result OF the wrlgglings
and flutterings going on 10 the pit. 1t Is anu.
sing to observe how social barriers and distinc-
tioIs are oblit I'D pending the final striking
home o. the gh,, ng steel gaf.
THE SECOND DAYS PROCEEDINGS
were Witnessed by q much larger crowd. The
Taxpayers Convention adjourned at an early
hour and its members anne pouring In. There
were present on this day General Martin With
erspoon Gary, OF Edgeheld, the great lawyer
and ey-cavalryman. the George A. Custer OF
the South, and the only man in the Coincide
rate army who didn't surrender; the Hon. Jno.
E. Dennis, the Hon. John H. Hubbard, chief
constable OF the State; General a. H. Bacon,
the Ten Brock OF South Carolina; the Hon. A.
g. Warrington, yex United States Minister 10
the Argentine Republic, and next to General
Gary the handsomest man in the State; tine
Hon. Wade Hampton Manning, son Of ex-
Governor Manning; the Right Hon. Sec. Rob.
ert, Bruce Mckay, K. c. B., the great Scotch
planter from Anderson, and the gentleman
who ihsnks he OWNS the Blue Ridge Rail-
roso, and who is admired for his great. per-
sonal beauty; Captain Jacob Steers, another
gentleman who thinks he owns the Blue
Ridge Railroad; Major-General W. A. Peasce.
the gentemsply' agent OF Hoyt, 'spragne &
Co. ;.SenalOr j. Y. P. Owens, Of Laurens; the
Hon. Daniel Joseph Kirwan, author of the
great work palace and Hove1;'' Major. Gene
RAJ WIN. Quincy, late OF the United States
ArmyfGiI hosts of others equally distinguish
ed, from all parts ofthe State. Among them
were many colored citizens and officials, mem.
beTs OF the Legislature, OF the Senate. of The
judiciary, Of the bar, and from the Executive
Department of the State. Besides these were
county officers, constabies. sherifs, policemen
on duty, sports, gamblers, blacklegs and