The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-26
CRUEL SPORT IN NORWALK.
COCKS sPURRINO EICH OTHER TO
DEATH IN A BARROOM
How - Cooking Main Appeared to n Reporter
who IL not n sporting Mnn-Youns Men who
Spent y Night About - square Of Carpet.

Spent - Night About - Square of Carpet.
Several wcll-nlled slclghs gllded out Of
Norwnlk. Conn. at 0 o'clock on Friday evening.
cloudy sky hid the stare. hut let enough of
their light through TO make tho road vsible.
All tho occupants in the sleiRha were smoking.
Leee than one hour Of fast driving over the
crisp snow brought tho party to m old tavern
with large. barnlike bnrroom. About Nifty
persons who had come in sleighs from South
port and from other pnrts OF the surrounding
country we're met there. All gathered inside
the barroom. the doors were locked and tho
keyholes stopped with paper. G,asses cinked
behind the bar. but conversation was carried
on In low tones because h was feared that
some Objectionable persons might be lounginR
outside and listening. Horwalk prides itself on
brood Of game cocks that ue called tassels.
because Just behind the comb there grows lit
tie ,uit OF feathers resembling a tassel These
fowls have won pocketfuls Of money for their
owners throughout Connecticut and rs far
away NJ Boston and Philadelphia. southports
pride is It's bluc-mufI stock. A match had boon
made for t25 n aide. and II was reported that
twenty cocks were in readiness up stairs. An
occasional bout Of Growing mnde the managers
Of the AFFAIR tremblo. One Of tho town officials
was present but II complaint should be made
by any citizen that q cooking main WINS being
fought. the officials might feel themselves COM
PEELED to mako a descent on the place.
At II o'clock. when It was thought saio to
| begin operations. n striped carpet fourteen
| feet square, was tackled down In the middle Of
| the barroom. Four planks. fifteen inches wide.
| wore set up on edge 90 as to form an enclosure
about the carpet. Four short pieces Of plank
| were nailed across the corners on the inside 10
Sscd y. % as Then pn.sb S H' Ise cGr
RS " on 4 a hS S ISSn se Dss %
! II IL not 30 good. because sometimes the snurs
| catch In IT, There was room between tho sides
Of the pit and the walls Of the barroom 10 place
as possible Of the 100 persons present seated
| themselves IN expectation. On the eide next to
the bar there was no plank settee. because tho
constantly changing throng at that place lett no
room for one. One Of the tAllest men in that
WAS handsomely dressed. and he might
have hive NJ been WI mistake. f9 pLa memesr 81
| him was big. red bearded. enthusiastic
| German with n bent for horse play. A town
constable was impaiient 70 see the sport begin;
| Of Young men with heavy fur or cloth caps fur
nished with ear laps. and who worc, long heavy
| ing for the battles to begin they talked horse.
| Another quarter " tho crowd was made MP Of
| blue check shirts and solcd slouchcd hats
| There wns n sprinklng OF clerks and New York
| men. young man with only tho top button Of
his coat butoned. sloucbcd hat pulled over
| his eyes n Roman nose. and curl 81 his
dRy School" Tho overloaded room was hllcd
! with tobacco smoke. Most OF those present
kept their ovcrcoats on. aud some Of them did
| no; domorc than loosen tho swcltcring COM
| iortars they wore about their necks. The pit
was lighted by four Kerosene lamps that burned
AZ flye minutes before midnight Norwnk
| stepped into the pit. holding under his arm n
| handsome pylc cock nearly whit. That fowl
| like an the others that were 10 hgbt. had under
| CONC severe course of training for weeks. He
had boen weakened with medicine and then
| fed in u way TO make his muscles firm and
| hard. He hal been allowed open air exercise.
and had been made to nutter about in
| a collar fnr tho bausnt Of lia wind
| He hal been pushed and pulled rnDid.y
along The ground by bis iaii To give him ready
| from side TO side. that he should not be
| clumsy in battle. On his, legs we're firmly
| quite an eighth 81 an inch thick. made "a
| sharp rs needles nt the point. They were curved
| been cut down 70 mere stumps. nr.l were an
inch and quarter long; IL wns announced that
| must stop smok mr. to CIV" me cocks ialr
| chGrcc The rcirree stepped into the pit and
entered with his frat champion, red cock with
evon on the battle Tho two hnndl"rs held out
| their two champions toward each other. and
mutual savage picking was Of oncc BE-
se carpet. one on each side Of The mid.
die chalk line. Each weighed i've pounds
oihar with n Violence that len nothing 10 be dc,
sired hy the excited spectators. Catching firm
hold Of zach others heads and nccKs. they piled
their spurs IN almost continuous battle FOR
nearly q minute. Then there was q hrief cesse-
eonj rad b woe red viii b"od rom he SndeT
side 81 his throat, which was cut and he BLEED
steadily. Tho lcft side Of his antagonists head
was Scared and bloody. ana his left eye was
permanently closed. At ittncy went again the
pyle having an evident advantage. Tho red had
second. Tho pyle cut him again and again
on the neck and body. but there was no sign Of
blood. when the pyle had exhausted himself
fora time On his logged enemy, and neither
heads over each others necks, and pushed and
struggled like wrcstlcrs. Their bcaks were
f%s ana hf tho r SG'R as 14S
10 get dnzad. and fell into the habit OF walking
in any, direction In which his mend might be
set. He walk I'd until he came Ia the edge OF the
pit and then he moved slowly along il. occa-
sionally pocking savagely at tho edge OF the
II the match had been fought under the
rules" Norwak might have counted ten ten
iessly about. and then he could have claimed
the battle; 1t was fought. however, on the
out, Breast your birds" and the two handlers
at the middle chalk line. At first whom the rcd
pccked rrycngcfully ut each other, and then the
red, resumed his wandcrlnss while tho pyle
Ave 10 three on the pyle. BY and by the red be-
gan to. stand sun when he was breasted while
10 move. The two fowls wore taken NJ aud set
down again for, about half an hour, with no
|
would not attack his enemy, which exhibited no
sign Of life as he lay cxcept his loud and pain
full pnnting At length. Just one hour from tho
beginning Of the battle. while the red stood
painting md bleeding ut the chalk mark tho
pyle raised his head and made feeble peek at
h m. On that the referee declared the battle u
draw. A short time after the epurs were taken
on the pyle he died. having BLEED TO death from
the wound in his throat.
You'd better take him out Of the pit II you
want to keep him" somebody shouted in the
latter part of the fight.
" I've got the father Of HIM" was NOrwalk g
proud answer, at which the crowd applauded
and lecred
Por the second battle Southport entered a
cock whose color was described ny a blue nun.
Norwak entered a dark red The latter weighed
four pounds and two ounces and the former
about half an ounce less. The fight opened
ncrcely and bloodilv. with the bets even. Each
in turn gave tho other heavy fall on the side ns
n result Of the conclusion Of their bodies. The
carpet was strrwn with the feathers and spotted
with the blood II their predecessors in the pit.
The blue muff. that had fought with desperate
energy. fell down gasping. nj Inst. He was COW
cred with blood. His hnndcr crOuched down
beside him 10 watch the dark red peck at him
, and try to drive his spurs into him M he lay.
Finally the red. AZ i he thought his enemy was