The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-25
Fighting Game Cocks.

4 reporter has ascertained the particu-
lars OF a dozen recent cock fights, which
an exchange gives. 1t then tells its
readers something about the "manly
art" Of slaughtering these poor birds.
1t says:
If the cock is over weight, he is by
medicine rapidly reduced to the required
point, is shut up all day in a barrel with
out feed, and at night brought out and
fed in a room, with a light kept burning
all night, to accustom him to the light,
and exercised in fighting other fowls
nightly, to give him { roper training,
and after about ten days and nights of
such "moral and intellectual and
"home training" he is ready for the pit
to battle to the DEATH" to be killed
himself or kill his fellow. The time and
place being agreed upon, and sall the
p'eliminaries arranged, the greatest Sc
cracv is observed to battle the officers Of
the law. The fowls are carried in bags,
often for miles by their owners, and by
railroad for a distance of fifty miles i'll
some cases. Arriving upon the ground
or building at about midnight, u rough
Enclosure of boards is made about ten
feet square and nearly two feet in
height. The cocks are then taken by
the heelerS who cut off their "spurs y
down to about half an inch of their legs,
aud while smarting and bleeding they
are burnt with Il red hot iron to stop the
flow of blood. A piece of channels skin
is then bound on and long steel gaffs
from two to three inches long with q
point as sharp rs 4 needle are bound
firmly on with waxed ends over the
stump. The birds are then by the
"heelers' clipped Of their hackle, sad
die, breast and tail feathers, and thus
shorn of their beauty, are put in the pit
by the heelers who are their seconds,
"bottle holders" spongers and mana
gers throughout the fight, until the
death of their champion or his fellow
relieves him from the charge. Death
generally takes place III about five orten
minutes ut furthest.
As O as the fowls are put i'll the pit
and catch q glimpse OF their antagonist
they make for each other and the battle
commences amid the shouts and cheers
and laughter OF the mongrel crowd of
we'll dressed, wealthy, seem to be re-
spectacle, native and foreign element,
with a choice sprinkling of niggers, gin
mill loafers and played out politicians,
dead beats and bummers of the surround
ing towns for miles around and the
hangers-on of "prize fights" Dead Rab-
bits, Five Pointers. Water street sharks
aud dock rats of New York city. I'm
agine such a mixed throng as this
crowding around to see the dying strug-
giles of these noble birds-shoulder to
shoulder, and cheek to cheek in loving,
hrothcrly embrace, straining their eyes
and ears, mounted on each others
shoulders oftentimes, breathing an at
mosphere Of smoke, stencil, bad whisky,
old pipes, butts of older cigars, foul
breaths, and fouler oaths and words and
smell and contact of birthstone to make
this picture of a cock fight one of the
"devil's own" The long, sharp steel
gaffs worn by these birds soon wound
elch other and cover them with blood,
until, smarting with pain, they madly
rush and make desperate lunges at each
others heads and eyes with these swords
of death, until they are driven through
to the hits, and death ensues in n mo-
ment. A fight rarely lasts over five or
ten minutes, in many cases scarcely n
minute, the first thrust of the gaffs kill
ing in some cases.
AS many as twenty or thirty noble
birds, images of which for years have
been mounted upon many a church spire
throughout this Christian land, are
cruelty killed by each other and their
torn and bleeding carcasses thrown out
to the dogs almost before life is extinct
and their own murdcrous gaffs are cut
off Of the dying gladiator and fastened
in turn upon a "fresh fowl" to murder
his fellow in return, to gloat tie appe-
tite and satisfy tie ticntiish love of tor
ture and put the coveted greenbacks in
the pockets OF the angelic throng. Hun
dreds of dollars thus change hands
nightly, money in many cases taken
from working men mdthose whose fami-
lies need every dollar t6 live in these
trying times. One of the most noted
cock fights of the season took place at
Mamaroneck while ago, in q farmhouse
owned by one of the parties, in the day
time. There were gathered mostly the
wealthy sports of New York and vicinity
with a good representation from Green
wich. To guard against surprise from
Mr.. Bergh and his officers, about twenty
guards with muskcts were hired as SEN
tinels.
The fighting WAS continued all day
and into the night, and thousands of dol
lars were lost and VOL. Several wealthy
men from this place and vicinity We're
badly bitten. No regiments encampcd
in an enemy's country over night were
better protected by continuous line of
surrounding scntries than these high
toned sports. BY Il system of signals
they could be warned in time to put
everything away, and when the officers
cane upon them they would only be Il
company Of innocent lambs" on q
Sunday teachers picnic i'll the bracing
-, &c IL, ,,.