Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-03-02

correspondent Cincinnati Gazette.
The, commission has not as yet pro-
gressed very far in this branch of the
subject. But the grand cock fight Of the
Sunday after their interview with Baez
threw a little, light upon the question.
From Wednesday to Sunday night
every one in the party had met almost
at every turn men and boys engaged
in trimming the heads, necks, wings.
tails and breasts of game chickens. In
the open space before churches, under
the shadow of ruins, and in the courts
of many "palaces, the birds, with
their combs cut short and their necks
picked clean down to the body, were
tied to stakes driven out in the sun, in
order that the white sneeks might burn
red, and gradually harden in the heat
In the square before one church at least
forty were thus anchored, Just out of
reach of each other. On Sunday the
whole city res0unded with growing
From any height it was like the loud
murmur of camp of men, and rolled
over the city from the first streakings of
morning till dark. ~ 4
b OF course we went to the cock fight.
How better could the morals of a peO-
pie be studied than to see who attended
such a place on Sunday? 1t began at
nine O'Clock and lasted till dusk.
! In one of the courts was round,
thatched roof, that covered ring of
fifteen feet in diamter, surrounded by
successive circles of seats, where from
four. to fve hundred could be accom-
modated.
1t was noon when party us look
ed in. Matters had become exciting,
and betting ran high. A fight had just
ended as we entered, and so We saw
tthe method of managing while ar
rangements were making for the next.
The birds are brought in, putinto small
bags and weighed. The spurs are then
measured, and both weight of bird and
length of spur are made known, and
recorded in a book. The birds then
have their spurs sharpend, and are next
put down in the ring, for exhibition,
but kept apart.
Betting then begins, and the scene
comes little nearer pandemonium in
| its aspects than the Gold Room in New
York on the days of panic-nearer, be
cause of the mixture which the crowd
presents. All colors and races, and all
grades of intelligence, from the most
Savage and british to the highest OFF,
Icers of government, join in the wells
and shouts by which they make their
bets known. The scene was valuable,
las shedding flood of light upon the
If the lower order alone had been there,
it would have been less significant, but
there before us, in the pit, helping al
the weighing, and the measuring OF
Ispurs, was one of the three Cbainet
Ministers, and Minister of Finance, and
10y the Interior, who a few days before,
had, with Baez, formally received ouI
commission. With him, engaged in
sharpeningspurs and in ageneralsuper-
intendence Ofthe fighting, was the Gov
ernor of this Province. and near them,
and as intent as any, was the Mill
/ tary Governor of this city. ,r,d III
The high and the low, both in civil,
military and official life, We're there,
and for the time looked, acted and talk
ed like savageS. Since we have learn
ed, beyond doubt, that all of the Cabi-
net, as well as the principal officials OF
every grade, habitually attended these
disgusting spectacles. Not only was
/ the common fighting of the birds brll-
tai, but if one, when whipped, attempt
ed to get out of the pit, he was beaten
back; and on one occasion there were
fierce cries ofdisapprOval from all sides
because a chicken that had knocked his
exhausted opponent over was not al
lowed to continue the pleasing specta-
Gle of picking his eyes out over five
minutes. And these scenes, of which
the above picture is no exaggeration,
occur Sunday after Sunday the year
around, and often twice week. Ina
gine Governor Cox and Secretary Bout
well assisting at a cock fight in WASH
ington for the greater part of Sunday.
NJ. Thiers, the new President of the
French Republic, was born at Marseil-