The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-10-22
FAMOUS DOG-FIGHT5.
The Celebrated Battle Between sweep
and the Barber Twenty Years Ago.
Other Matches.

Ano ColeDrate0 battle Between sweep
and the Barber Twenty Years Ago.
Other Matches.
The dog-tight set for the first part of
October did not take place, the chal-
lenged party failing to accept. Thom-
as Mulverhill accordingly challenged
Billy Gale, of Cincinnati, to bring his
dog, Scrub, to Louisville and fight
Sport for $500.
The first great dog-6ght in this city
was fought about twenty years ago in
a pit on Market street, between Third
and Fourth. John Rickert. a barber
long since dead, owned a white bulldog
of great fighting qualities. The ami
NAL may have had name, but those
who saw the fight do not remember
any, and he was always called aud is
still referred to as 1.-The Barber"
Frank Rankin was the possessor of a
red brindle animal named .'Sweep.'
Sweep was little larger than The Bar
Der, but the two were considered a
good match, and after great deal of
talk their owners arranged fight.
1t IS said the match was talked of for
nearly year before it finally took place,
aud created much excitement in Louis
vile among the people who are fond OF
such sport. Henry Stickord owned the
PIT where the match came off. There
were not then any restrictions on the
sport and no fear of police interference.
In fact, it is said that fully twenty OF
the latter were present at the event.
On the appointed night great crowd
was present, and filled the place, SO
eager was everyone to see the dogs
fight. The two animals were placed in
the pit, and the fight began. SweeI
had the advantage from the start, and
the betting was largely in his favor
The Barber, however, made a game
fight for an hour and half, and gave
Sweep all he could do. At the end O,
that time the white animal was almost
chewed to pieces, and jumped the pit,
unwilling to suffer any more, and leav.
ing Sweep the victor.
On the 18th of October, 1881, fou1
miles from this city, on the Poplar
Level road, occurred a dog-fgLt or
which there was said to have beer
wagered more money than on any two
similar events that ever took place
This was the celebrated Crib-Pilot fight
Crib was the Louisville dog. He be
longed to a city official whose name
was never made public. Plot belonge,
in New York, and was owned bv a cele
brated sport called Cockney Charley
Crib was white dog and Pilot was :
dark brindle. They were just the same
size, and each weighed twenty-eigh
pounds.
Two thousand dollars were staked b,
the owners of the animals, and an
enormous amount of outside betting
was done; that is, enormous for Sport
OF that character. Cockney Charley
brought his dog to this city. and on the
18th of October the fight came off:
crowd of seven or eight hundred people
went out on the Poplar Level road
starting early in the morning. -Four
miles from the city, in the middle of !;
field, pit was arranged. Boards were
taken from an old barn near by, and
the paddock was quickly built. From
the start Crib forced the fighting, and
the odds seemed heavily in his favor
He forced Pilot into his corner and
threw him on his side. The Louisville
people set up shout, as they though,
their favOrite was sure winner.
For almost an hour Crib continued
his offensive tactics, and Pilot was
nearly always on the bottom. The
New York dog, however was saving
his strength, but did not waste his time,
as he gnawed away at Cribs head, in
tiicting severe wounds. Crib began to
grow exhausted, and the fight took
quite another appearance. Pilot had
| been thrown seven times, but he was by
far the fresher of the two, and he took
good grip on Cribs throat.
In half an hour more Crib was dead,
and there was a mourning and empty
pockets among his Louisville hackers.
Pilot was not much hurt. Cockney
Charley, with his purse filled with
money, carried his dog back to New
York.
The fight between Sport and Tiger
last fall is too we'll remembered for
more than brief mention. Sport died
shortly after being taken from the pit.
but fought gamey to the last. The
fight was for $500, Tiger, the winner,
being Cincinnati dog. Sport was
white in color, just as we're Crib and
The Barber" both of whom were
beaten.