The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-04-20
<-uyCx EN- FIGHTING IN TILE LIND
OF sTEaDY HABITS.

society have driven cock-fghts almost
,F this island and out of the surround
;no counties of this state, and. that the
town of Greenwich has become the head
quarters of a regiment of the ralsers,
fanciers, betters and fighters of game
cocks. The Journals invisible reporter
has ascertained the particulars OF dozen
recent fehts, which it ..gives with the
names of the prominent abettors. 1t
then tells its readers something about
these poor birds. 1t saws:
If the cock is over weight, he IS by
medicine rapidly reduced to the required
point, is shut up all day in barrel with
out feed, and at night brought out and fed
in room, with light kept burning all
night, to accustom him to the light, and
exercised in fighting other fowls nightly,
10 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 aid
place being agreed upon, and all the pre-
]iminaries 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 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
vino cut off their "spurs" down TO
about half an inch of their legs, and
while smarting and bleeding they are
burnt with a red hot iron to stop the
flow of blood. A piece of channels SKINS
then bound on and long steel gaffs from
two to three inches long with point as
sharp as needle are bound firmly on
with waxed ends over the stump. The
birds are then by the heelers " clipped
of their 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, g 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
in about five or ten minutes at farthest.
AS soon as the fowls are put in he pit
and catch 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
choice sprinkling of niggers, ginmill
loafers 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 crowding
around to see the dying struggles ofthese
noble birds-shoulder to shoulder, and
cheek to cheek in loving, brotherly en-
brace, straining their eyes and ears,
mounted on each others shoulders often
times, breathing an atmosphere of smoke,
stencil, bad whiskey, old pipes, butts of
older 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 cock
fight one of the Z" 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 hilts, and
death ensues in moment. A fight rarely
lasts over Ave or ten minutes, in many
cases scarcely minute, the first thrust
of the gaffs 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 gaffs are cut off
of the dying gladiator and fastened in
turn upon fresh fowl" 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-fights of the sea-
son took place at Mamaroneck a while
ego, in farm house owned by one of the
] arties, in the day time. There were
gathered mostly the wealthy sports of
lIew York and vicinity, with good rep
'esentation from Greenwich. To guard
against surprise from Mr.. Bergh and his
'ficers, about twenty guards with mus
lets were hired as sentinels.
The fighting was continued all day
end into the night, and thousands of
dollars were lost and won. Several
wealthy men from this place and vicinity
were badly bitten. No regiments en-
camPed in an enemy's country over
night were better protected by contin-
Hons line of surrounding sentries than
these high-toned sports. By system of
signals they could be warned in time to
hut everything away, and when the Of
ficers came upon them they would only
lie company of " innocent lambs" on a
Sunday teachers picnic in the bracing
Sir of the country.
a IHRILLING EPISODE IN HE'S
TERN NEWSPAPER OFFICE.
We don't wish to say much about It