Richland beacon., 1877-04-21
CHICK N-FIGHTING IN THE H'"
OF STEiDT HABITS.

society nave driven
off mi. i.land and out Of the surronnd-
ing counties of this state, and that the
town Of Greenwich has become the head
quarters of regiment of the raiseis,
fsnciers, betters and fighters of game
cocks. The Journals invisible reporter
has ascertained the particulars of dozen
rccen. fiehtq, which it ..gives with the
names of the prominent abettorS. 1t
then tells its readers something about
these roor birds. 1t saws:
If the cock is over weight, he Is 10y |
medicine rapidly reduced 20 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. AID
after about ten days and nights Of such
moral and intellectual culture and
"home training" he is ready for the
nit 20 battle 10 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 a distance Of fifty mile. in
some cases. Arriving upon the ground
or building at about midnight, 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 halt 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 chamois skin is
then bound on and long steel gait. from
two to three inches long with a point as
sharp as needle are bound firmly on
with waxed ends over the stump. The
birds are then by the "heelers b" clipped
OF their hackle, saddle, breast and all
tail feathers, and thus shOrn of their
beauty, are PIT in the pit by the heelers
who are their seconds, bottle holders"
spongers ami 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 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
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 thronA as this crowdine
around to see the dying struggles of these
noble birds-shoulder to shoulder, anC
cheek to cheek in loving, bsOtherly 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 o
older cigars, foul breaths, and toule
oaths and words and obscene jests, ant
YOU only need the smell and contact o
brimstone,to make this picture of cock
fight one of the devils own" Tn
long, sharp steel gaffs worn by thes
birds soon wound each other aid cove
them with b!eOd, until, smarting will
pain they madly rush and make desperat
lunges at each others heads and eye
with these swords of death, until the
are driven through to the hits. an
death ensues in moment. A fieht rare;
lasts over Ave or ten minutes, in man
cases scarcely a minute, the first thrus
of the gaffs killing in some cases. A
many as twenty or thirty noble bird
images of which for years have bee
mounted upon many church spil
throughout this Christian land, al
cruelty killed by each other and the
torn and bleeding carcasses thrown OF
to the dogs almost before life is extinc
and their own murderous gaas are cut Q
of the dying gladiator and fastened
turn upon "fresh fowl" to murder h
fellow in return, to gloat the appeti'
and satisfy the fiendish love OF tortu'
and nut the coveted greenbacks in Il