, 1874-03-22
TIE COMING C1CK-FIGHT.


Yesterdays paper contained copy Of an
| agreement between q Louisville man md u Chi
! cago man, by virtue OF which each is to produce
| twonty-one chickens on day named, to be
| matched in twenty-one fights; each party to
! stake 31o0 on each Of twenty fights, and 81 .0o0
| cn the twenty frat fight. The aggregate amount
Of money staked On the chickens ia $4,000. This
does not iuclude the side bets made by the
owners and the fraternity. Several thousand
visitors are expected to be present aud pay IS a
head to witness the batiles," and, as these are
to last during two whole days. the consumption
Of liquor, the hiro Of horse-1esh, and the gen
eral Refreshments used on such occasions
viii run the total expenditure up to $4,000 OF
$4,000.
We do not propose, however, to discuss the
economical features OF the question, but enter q
protest against this species OF brutality, and to
insist that it be prevented BY the police, or, if
persisted in. that all the persons concerned in it,
whether principals, stake holders, Or visitors, be
arrested and fined The law Of the State punish
ing cruelty to animals provides that-
ANY person who shall keep usc, or in any why be
connected With, or interested in the management Of
shall receive ouey for the admission Of any person
to any place kept OR used for the Of fighting
batting any bull, bear dog, cock, other creature,
md ere1y person shall encourage, ad OF assist
therein, who shall permit suffer any place to be
SO kept used and every person who shall visit such
place 80 kept uecd, who ehal1 be found therein
sha11 upon conviction thereof be punished for every
mfr In fka it3a3
ton l.
The punishment provided in Section / is
fine not less than $50, and not exceeding s100
Here is the law 80 plain that no person can
fail to understand it. Every persun connected
with the fight, interestal in the receipts for ad-
mission, or visiting tho fight, or found on the
premises, is subject to the same penalty. The
Inv is good one. It ia in aid of public decency,
and seeks to prevent brutality. There is moth
irs to mark any distinction between 8 cock-fght
and dog-Gght or buli-6ght, or that emi-
nently Darvinian spcctacle,-a prize-feht.
These chickens are fur moro respectable than
the men who are training them, or those who
will flock to see them fight. Can there be
more debasing spectacle in the world than that
Of pair OF dumb animals, having no enrnlty
to each other, urged by. congregation
Of 1ow-browed humans to lance out each others
eyes, the humans meanwhile betting their money
on the death OF one or the other ct the fowls?
The law properly stamps these brutalizing ex-
hibitions as criminal, and Furnishes them accord
ingly. This series OF fights, or tournaments,
which is to take place On the 8th aud 9th Of
April, proposes to pit these forty-two cocks
against ono another, and the 's battle" between
each rair is to last until one is killed or refuses
to fight. As the last rarely occurs, each fight
includes the death Of one bird, and frequently
OF both. BY the published terms of this series
Of battles, the cocks are to be provided with
steel s'gaffs," one and half inches long, IN
order to render the killing more certain.
It is announced that this affair is to be kept
respectable" by charging an admission fee Of
s5, which, it is gravely stated, ill keep MI loaf
ers and Migrants away. The holder has
the reputation Of being concerned in one or
more gambling-houses in this city, and therefore
his associates and partners are not, ve suppose,
Of the vicious class who are to be- excluded
This pereon.is to give the moral tone and respect-
nbility which are to distinguish this cock-dght,
or series Of cock-hghts, from all others. The
exhibition itself best defines the character of
those who will attend it, and, as all those who do
attend will be- able to pay the fine, there is ar
additional reason why the police should arrest
every one concerned and present. II the police
do their duty, md tho officers OF the Humane
Society are vigilant, this unseemly and cruel ex-
hibition wi]l not be allowed to take place.