Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-01-04

Gentle reader. did you ever witness .
o~ock-aghtt II not, you may. II you wish'
take an early opportunity Of doing 90.
There Is . cockpit In Virginia City. lis
In the basement Of Enginehouse No. T. on
G street. A News reporter visited this
resort last Sunday night. Tho place vas
hlled with men and boys. and tho fights
we're going on at . lively rate. The pit
stakes amounted to $50 for each nsht.
and a. much more Wa bet On the Outside.
The room Is flled with rude seats. rising
one above another. after the style OF the
old am~pi,heatsrs. The seats form almost
a complete circle. doors for ingrsss and
ecre.. being left at each side. The pit"
IL an ellipse-shaped boz. about tan feet In
| length and four feet across. The bottom
| Of This box Is hlled In with clay. we'll
| packed, and the sides are covered with
canvas under which 10 placed soft straw.
forming . kind Of cushion. The sides OF
the Dit are about eighteen inches high.
For the regulation OF the combatanz
| nineteen rules have been agreed upon. and
all fights are conducted according 10 thsm.
| The hrst rule provides that After the
cocks have been entsred. they shall DO ex-
amined 10 SEQ that they have on fair heeis,
aud guard against either party having TO
sorted '' " the unmAnly and foul prAcuce
Of greaslng. soaping. peppering. or max.
| ing any other external application. all OF
which arc foul and inadmissible." OBJ
serve the the spirit Of "a manliness' evinc-
| Cd by the expression Of the rule. No
..fowI' proceedings are permitted.
The rules abound In technical terms
| which arc scarcely 10 30 understood by
| the uninitiated. Rule 6 states that" vhsn
| the cocks arc put TO. II either refuses 70
| ight. the pitter Of the other has . right 70
| count, when no proceeds 10 count forty,
| deliberately, which when counted 10 net
| 10 DO counted again during that battle"
After that tho pitter counts six tens, the
| birds being brought mp TO the scratch
each time. II . bird refuses TO make hght
six successive times he loses the battle.
The rule. given above arc the main ones
observed In this sport. which ct present. u
90 popular on the Comstock.
The birds often ight until one or the
| other Is killed. and even after . death
stroke has been given. the unconscious
fowls ara forced up 70 tho score.
The expression Of "living like h.hting
cocks" isa favori,e one upon the Pacific
Coast. In order 10 form an opinion oil
Just what this means. . reporter made an
inspection Of the coops on the morning
after . night Of battles. This gentleman
who owned the pit Was very talkativs. and
| impaired information freely. "You sec
| this fellow is coupled" said he, - he
| opened q little door and exposed 70 viev
amost wretchcd looking fowl. 81 don't
know what couples 'em. unless 10 10 getting
| the steel between . Joint. Then here's .
blinker. lie had his eye put out tho frat
dght he ever made. and has killed two
birds since them"
SO the inspection was made. There
were twenty or thirty fowls. and . more
sorry looking crew could not be imagined.
The majority Of them wsre without eyes,
and their heads were swollen fearfuily.
The marks Of the deadly gAff were TO be
seen ON the necks Of nearly all. In many
cases the feathers were coming on. Du-
ring tho time Of their treatment they arc
given but little TO eat and only water to
drink. A . general thing there 10 but one
good fight In . bird. Somstimes they can
DO patched up and be made 10 do service
again, but this IL seldom the case. That
Pacific Coast expression already referred
TO has very little significance.