The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-22
COCK FIGHTlN G.
The Great Main Between Georgia
and Kentucky.
APPEARANCE OF THE BIRDS.
Interesting Description of the
Louisiana Cockpit.
New ORLEANS, Feb. IS, 1879.

City. In the good old days of the Spanish dominion
and afterward, when the country was under French
rule. it was the game Of all games in New Orleans In
the utter absence OF the higher and more refined at
fractions of the opera and theatre Indeed later
when the country had passed under the dominion Of
the hateful Americans the cockpit still maintained
strong hold upon the affections of the people. essen
TALLY lighting and sometimes lawless people. even
down to the present day. In mixed population.
such the Crescent City holds within its limits it
could scarcely be otherwise. ''Those grand old
days, half century or more ago. said of the
old inhabitants to me last evening. The speaker
q splendid looking old gentleman, who had been twice
Mayor, years ago; and then he told me how, when
o boy, he would travel around the streets with
game bird under his arm and get up matches with
every dirty little gamin he CHANGED to meet-and all
the boys owners Of game fowl. the sport was
never dull. 1t was the amusement of the day The
6rst cockpit then situated on the spot where
the State House stands, and here chickens were
fought with gafrs for the first time in New Orleans.
Before this, only the Spanish game was known. Tho
birds fought then were very closely trimmed indeed
almost stripped bare of all their feathers Later
chickens were brought from the West down the river
and trained on the boats during the long and very
tedious trips that then made Captains Neon
nell and Johnson of Nashville and waltha. of Ken
lucky, then the sports of the day. and Bernard
Marigny, Colonel John II. Grimes and Mayor Mon
ague, with host of others, among the regular
habitues of the pit Bu all those things Of the
past and but few of the men who saw those days
are now left" said my old friend with sigh.
THE EoRoIA-KENrUcKY MAIN.
whirling drive of about half an hour in q horse
car. another modern innovation, a bright, balmy
day down the lower part of the French town. with its
little low, one-story houses and most peculiarly close.
tight windows defying ventilation. OF which Ameri-
cans 30 fond brought me at last to the Louisi-
ana cockpit, where the great main between Georgia
and Kentucky is to be fought, which happens to be
at the present moment the sensation of the day. If
the flag flying gayly at the Of the street bear
ing the words Louisiana Cockpit" was hauled down
it would be difficult to say judging simply from
the outside what this building might be. One
would guess it temperance lecture
hail. very little known in this part CT the country.
dissenting meeting house, only one might wonder
what meeting house is doing in the very IN idst of
the old French Roman Catholic element. away down
Hsre. Fronting on Dupain. with one side resting on
Roman street. the Louisiana cockpit stands in the
middle of large and ample grounds. ornamented with
shade trees. and these perhaps and the fact that it
stands back some thirty forty from the street.
gives 1t half modest, half retiring air and ono
might naturally suppose il did not care to be seen
The building which holds the pit is GO feet by 100 feet
with height of 81 feet On entering the main door
the rst thing that struck the eye was notice set
lucky, would be fought at this place on Thursday,
Goth inst. commencing ut eight O'Clock p NJ. and
that the main would be continued on the Dist. I'D
aud oath inst. found numbers engaging seats as
went in.
THE PIT AND IT'S PROPRIETOR.
Immediately beyond the pit itself. where the
is to be fought. This room. was told. is the
finest In the United States One gentleman told me
he had nothing grand in Europe devoted to
game The pit is thirty feet in diameter with hard.
firm floor of EARTH we'll beaten down, covered with
sawdust. The inner circle is well padded with
at o he ID N
circle. rises the seats tier above tier and the whole
room will seat about thousand persons. Back of
the main hall is room containing coops, where
the birds to be- fought lodged. and
here found the courteous =, proprietor Of
the pit, Mr. dc Fuentes This gentleman
Is worthy representative of class seldom found in
Louisiana nova Castilian OF the old school. A
spanlard by birth. an ante and post bellum mer.
chant. Mr.. de Fuentes at one time a member of
one Of the largest and wcathiest cotton houses in
New Orleans. After the war. he said. things went
bad" and he moved to this parish or St. Tammany
and turned his attention TO planting. The spring.
and fall OF the year he devoes to his planta
tation. When the cold dark. dreary days of winter
set in destroying all vegetation he to the city
and brings his chickens, which he naturally takes
some little pride in rearing and tights them at his
cockpit, he said simply for fun. There was no
money, he declared. i'll the Enthusiastically none.
The birds mostly fought at the Louisiana cockpit
were Of the Spanish breed. cabrons and hennies.
These were all small. the largest saw not weighing
more than lbs. Ia o., and this was considered
the plumage of hen. without the hacke feathers, at
.racted considerable attention. This want of the
Jackie feathers is. am told. such striking feature
In this breed that IL sometimes happens that cabron
cock. after hitting the hrst blow or two. with the
most chivalrc forbearance will actually refuse TO
contend with them, taking these hennies for real
hens. Poor human nature perhaps might take
lesson thcrefrom.
rHE KENTUCKY BIRDS
short distance from the main building l noticed
quite number of coops which seemed TO be most
carefully watched and guarded. On approaching
nearer found thon to be filled with large number
of splendid looking birds and the cause of the care
bestowed IN that direction was soon satisfactorily ex-
planned. There is jockcying INDUCED in in chicken
lighting as well IA In horse racing and the happy
prctor OF fine strain OF cocks has sometimes good
reason to be nervous found here the great object
VI attention the Kentucky cocks, which
to show their mette in the coming fight.
Most OF the cocks seemed 10 be- either
OF Huddlesons which the Captain called brndles.
The whole lot seemed to be powerful birds. with APP
possible kind of hghting-strength of limb, quick nc
ton in movement, with the endurance that will last
TO the bitcr end. All the birds seemed to be the
best possible condition, having suffered less than
Georgia by tho trip. Captain Moore assured me
that he followed no especial system either in the
breeding training OF his birds different from that
usually adopted. Hrs first care he said to get
good stock. the best foundation he could hnd for
strain and to build on that Through the course of
some years he had always found the dominicks and
irish reds b. be the very best, and hence the
character Of his fowl. After chicken once taken
from some known good game breed was carefully
walked, put In condition and spu-rcd he would
show what he was, and his selection was always
made ON tins experience The iuii irish reds and
ccilcnt breeds and lie placed most of his hopes of
tory these The extremely unpleasant weather
during tho past winter, he said, had seriously In.
terrupted the walking, and the cocks had suffered
severely I'm consequence, aud many had died from
diseases incidental to the cold All OF his birds were
bred In Kentucky
GEORGIA BIRDS.
Leaving the cockpit in company with MIR. q. +.
Brown, your correspondent next took look at the
Georgia birds. which were quartered at the yard of
Mr.. lie Fuentes. half mile beyond This place was
quite an establishment in Its way and covered an
1s res.
grove, garden and chicken yard all combined In one
Fruit trees were in full bloom, aud the atmosphere
had all the freshness and sweetness of spring Tho
chicken yard proper reminded of race course.
-Four long yard coops Of about two hundred feet
each extended on one side OF the yard aud here the
cocks placed TO take the fresh air and roll them
selves to their hearts content Ia the COOL fresh dirt
which last amusement they seemed to enjoy.
When 1 reached the coops all of the
birds were undergoing the usual morning
infection of having their faces washed To this par
ucular exercise they seemed to be Just as little in-
LII, 4 rye mai, hn,p