The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-10-10
COCk-FtGHTiNG.


fathers We're Conducted.
With all the antiquarian knowledge
Of the present day, we doubt whether
one man in a thousand could give toll
srably accurate description of the cock
tights OF his forefathers. How cock
lighting is conducted 81 present we do
not pretend to know but ancient
cooking hath its literature. and, be-
sides, the written t-crd. there is consid-
cradle tradition concerning it, ~hieh
some of us are old enough to have re-
ceived from the very mouths of our
parents.
The first and most important point in
cock-fghting was the weight of the
birds. In most agfeeifients for a cock
tight. articles for a cock-rhatch =.
was the technical phrase-it was stipu-
lated that no cock should weigh less
than three pounds six ounces, or more
than four pounds eight ounces. When
the cocks Of each side had been weighed,
the next thing was to pair them. This
was done by matching all the cocks on
either side whose weights came within
one ounce Of each other, The hghtest
pair Of cocks were always made to fight
first, and then those gradually
heavier, until the heaviest pair
fought last. This venerable rule had
been in use since the days Of King
CHARLES II. Although the combs of the
birds were always cut, they had to
appear with a fair hackle, not too near
shorn, or out. nor with any other fraud. y
The spurs were usually of silver, at least
in the great matches. At the time APP
pointed for the cock-fight to begin, the
masters of the match" took their seats
opposite to each other, on either side Of
the cockpit, accompanied by two Off
cials termed the s'setters-to.n Then
the two feeders appeared, each carry
ing cock. After due examination. the
birds we're made oyer 10 the settlers to,
and they handed them to the. masters
of the match, who started the fun by
putting the cocks upon the mat on the
floor Of the cockpit The next part of
the business the cocks managed for
themselves. The mobile sport now
began in earnest, and sometimes two
good birds would fight until one cock
had killed the other or thrashed him to
helplessness. But not uncommonly,
after sharp round, both cocks would
suspend hestilities to gain breath, and,
Withdrawing to d little distance. each
would watch the other in the hope Of
catching him in careless OF istless
moment. For q short time this rather
added to the excitement of the specta-
tors; but human patience soon became
exhausted when two cocks stood
solemnly cycling each other. Now the
limit of time for cocks to ogle without
fighting was fixed at, the interval during
which an official, called ''the teller of
the law" could count forty. When this
limit was passed, human science was
brought to the assistance of the birds.
The setters-to then caught them, and
CARRYING them to the middle of the pit,
delivered them ON their legs, beak to
beak." If either of them had been
blinded in the previous battle, their
heads were to be made to touch each
other If one cock refused to fight. he
was tried ten times, and he had to re-
fuse to fight as many times before he
was considered beaten. 1t sometimes
happened that the cock who would
fight, died from his wounds before his
adversary had refused ten times, and
in that case the craven bird was con-
sidered to have won the battle. The
law further provided rules in case both
cocks refused to fight, as well as in
other cases which it is hardly necessary
that we should enumerate; but they
were nearly all based on the principle
that 'sthe teller of the law should
count forty, twenty or ten, according to
circumstances, between the intervals o.
the fights, 1t will be readily under
stood, from this description, that a grea
part of cock-fght was occupied b,
the setters-to squatting opposite to eacl
other in the middls Of the pit and ''de
livering the cocks on their legs, beak t
beak. "
Cock-fghting was fashionable il
Greece at least five hundred years b. c..
and it was probably very ancien
sport in China, where it is still highl,
popular. In India, again. cock-fight
ing is an institution of very great an
tiquity. Mr.. Doyle, in his book OF
poultry, assumes that the Britons prac
ticed cock-fghting before the landing o
Caesar, from the statement of that au
thor to the effect that the Britons onl,
reared their fowls for amusement
Both Henry VIII. and James l. wer
fond of "cocking;" Oliver Cromwell
legislated against it, but Charles ii
revived it. The Royal Cockpit at West
minister. which was the head quarter
of cock-fghting, was established b,
Henry VIII, and even in the presen
century mains have been fought in it
| Newmarket has been the scene of mum
berless cock-fghts. Indeed, it may b
said that for q long time cock-fghtin,
went hand-in-hand with racing, and
used to be reported in the official racin,
calendar, which was then called tn
Sporting Calendar. Taking up tn
Sporting Calendar of 1878, we rea,
that at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, durin
the race meeting 4 the gentlemel
of Durham and Northumberland
fought main of cocks" CONSISTING
of thirty-eight battles, and ending in g
| drawn main" It is said that 100
game-cocks have been killed in fight
during one week at Newcastle. Tn
| gentlemen of the same counties Tough
another main, at the Durham races G
the same year, when Northumberland
won. after thirty-four battles had bee
fought. Although the matches wer
sometimes made between individuals.
was more usual for the mains at race
to be fought between cocks belonging
to the gentlemen of two adjoinin,
counties. Ten guineas each battle, an,
one or two hundred on "the odd,
seem to have been the usual stakes; bu
| there was an immense amount of bet