The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-05-12
CHfCKE EN- FIGHTENI IN THE LIND OF
ETE1DY HABITS.

ing counties of this state, and that tn
town of Greenwich has become the head
quarters of a regiment of the raisers
fanciers, betters and fighters of gam'
cocks. The Journals invisible reporte
has ascertained the particulars of a dozel
recent fights, which it r'gives with tn
names Of the prominent abetbors. 1
then tells its readers something abou'
these POOR birds. 1t saws:
If the cock is over weight, he is by
medicine rapidly reduced I 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 al
night, to accustom him to the light, and
exercised in fighting other fowls nightly
to give him the proper training, and
after about ten days and nights of such
"moral and intellectual culture" 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 all the pre-
liminaries arranged, the greatest secrecy
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 in
some cases. Arriving upon the ground
or building at about midnight, a rough
Enclosure of boards is made abont ten
feet square and nearly two feet in height.
The cocks are then taken by the heelers
who cut off their "spurs" down to
about half an inch of their legs, and
while smarting and bleeding hley are
burnt with a 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 a point as
sharp as a needle are bound firmly on
with waxed ends over the stump. The
birds are then by the " heelers" clipped
of theft hackle, saddle, breast and all
tail feathers, and thus shorn of their
beauty, are put in the pit by the heelers
who are their seconds, " bottle holders"
spongers and managers throughout the
fight, until the death of their " cham
pion" or his fellow relieves him from
the charge. Death generally takes place
ia about five or ten minutes at farthest.
As soon as the fowls are put in The pit
and catch a 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
well dressed, wealthy, seem to be respect
able, native and foreign element, with a
choice sprinkling of niggers, gin-mill
boafers and played out politicians, dead
beats and bummers of the surrounding
towns for miles around and the hangers
on of "prize fights" Dead Rabbits,
Five Pointers, Water street sharks and !
dock rats of New York city. Imagine
such a mixed throng as this erowding
around to see the dying struggles of these
noble birds-shoulder to shoulder, and
cheek to cheek in loving, brotherly en-
brace, straining their eyes and ears,
mounted IN each others shoulders often
timessbreathing al atmosphere of smoke,
stencil, bad whiskey, old pipes, butts of
elder cigars, foul breaths, and fouler
oaths and words and obscene .jests, and
you only need the smell and contact of
brimstone,to make this picture of a cock
fight one Of the devils own" The
long, sharp steel gafs worn by these
birds soon wound each other and cover
them with bleod, 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 a moment. Al fight rarely
lasts over Eve or ten minutes, in many
cases scarcely a minute, the first thrust
of the gafs killing 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 murderous gafR are cut off
of the dying gladiator and fastened in
turn upon a afresh fowln to murder his
fellow in return, to gloat the appetite
and satisfy the iendish love of torture
and put the coveted greenbacks in the
pockets of the angelic throng. Hundreds
of dollars thus change hands nightly,
money in many cases taken from working
men and those whose families need every
dollar to live in these trying times. One
of the most noted cock-fghts of the sea-
son took place at Mamaroneck a while
ago, in a farm house owned by one of the
parties, in the day time. There were
gathered mostly the wealthy sports of
New York and vicinity, with agoOd rep
reaentation from Greenwich. To guard
against surprise from Mr.. Bergh and his
officers, about twenty guards with nus
kets were hired as sentinels.
The fighting was continued all day
and into the night, and thousands of
deIIars were lost and won. Several
wealthy men from this place and vicinity
were badly bitten. No regiments en-
carnped in an enemy's country over
night were better protected by q contin-