Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-09-13
DECIDED A DRAW.
A BIG CROWD OF SPORTING MEN AT A
BRUTAL DOG FIGHT.
The Battle Lasts Two Hours and Twelve Minutes
Neither Of the Animals Badly
Damaged.

other a yellow dog, the property Of q MAJ
named Ferguson, and so great did the M
terest aroused become, that some three or
four DAYS ago the champions OF the COM
bative brutes met in a down town saloon
and arranged a matchfor Sunday morning,
the stakes to be $50 a side, and the fight to
take place ut some convenient point in
Ohio. The news of the match soon spread
among the class of people ~delighting in
sport" of this kind, and Us the day set for
the fight approached the excitement in
creased. and a considerable amount ofmoney
was put up ON the outcome of the mill.
On Saturday it was settled that the fight
should take place ut daylight yesterday
morning, ina field about q mile and o hall
or two miles back from the mouth OF
! Whisky run, and those who contemplated
going, and they were many, at once set
about making preparations for the eXcur-
sion. BuggieS, buses n express wagons
were chartered by the mOnied element for
the accommodation of themselves, the
owners and handlers of the dogs, and the
brutes themselves, while q great many
| Others, mostly living on the South Side,
arranged TO cross the river In sklrfS
and walk from the Ohio shore to
the scene of the fight. Word OF the
contest was also sent to u select few IN
Bellaire, Bridgeport and Martins Ferry,
and ut dark Saturday night it looked as 1t
there would be from two to three hundred
people present. Those in whose charge
the arrangements for the fight had been
| placed made little or no effort ut conceal
ment, and Saturday night the down tow
saloons were filled with w~hisperlngs OF
| what was coming off and invitations to
Join the crowd were handed about with
| charming freedom. Barkeepers chatted
with their customers about the dogs, the
vendezOuS and the personnel OF the eScur-
sion party, tOughs passed each other on
the street with the SalutatiOn: "Going?"
Yes" "Well, see you later and even
the reporters were given valuable pointers
to come along and see the fun" The
crowd began 10 e~Ongregate in a well-known
saloon about II O'Clock, the wagons and
buses being drawn up in the alley In the
rear, and the succeeding two hours and a
half was spent in fraeturing the city ordi-
nance against selling liquor on Sunday,
betting, and discussing the outcome OF the
fight from every possible standpoint. The
crowd was 4 motley one, and u glance at
its makeup would have "paralyzed' Il
Good many wives and SweetheartS. There
were well known merchants, clerks, sa-
loon keepers and their bartenders, gam
blerS, mill men, labOrerS, politicians, loaf
erS, tOughS, young fellows who can gener-
ally been seen about the hotel billiard
rooms, and u general assortment
of other classes of citizens, the
whole going to make up an assortment not
~paralleled in the city for many q long day.
About half-paSt ., after 4 parting drink,
the word was given to start, and the Vehl-
cleS started up street ut Il lively trOt and
filed over the suspension bridge to the
Island. The head Of the procession struck
the Virginia street brick pavement abOut
three o'clock, and then the whip was APP
piled and the horses put To their metal.
Bridgeport reached, the crowd was Joined
by the contingent from that place, Mar
tins Ferry and .Etnayille, and the rehi-
cleS were turned To the left and sent
spinning over the country road to and
past West Wheeling and on down To
Whisky Run. which was reached about
halfpast =. Here \ turn was made to the
right, and, after going up the run about a
mile and u halt or two miles, \ halt was
called about / o'clock, and hitching the
horses the crowd piled out and repaired to
an open field ON top of the hill. Here the
dogs were speedily put in condition, q ref
cree was selected in the person of pump
sherman, and all were in readiness for the
sport. Smith handled his own dog, while
Dick Mccormick performed that pleasing
office for Ferguson. About > o'clock time
WAS called and the dogs were put to
work.
At the toss of the copper Ike Smiths
dog got the scratch, and in n very few min
utes the two bruteS were chewing each
other. In the first scratch the yellow dog
got a hold on his adyersaTy'S tongue, and,
for 4 few minutes, il seemed that he would
be deprived of that organ of speech" At
last time was called, and the thirty seconds
agreed upon for ~SpOnging were consumed.
In the second round Smiths dog showed
more vim, and seemed more ready for the
fray than before, while the yellow dog had
to BE- assisted to the scratch by his handler.
This, Of course, was not at all in COM
plianCe with the rules governing such
sport. However, the colOred man had but
one companion of his own color, while the
other dogs owner had friends by the
score, and this and many other dis
crepancies which would have forced a fair
minded referee TO declare tn" fight to the
white dog, were allowed to pass, and the
cOlored mans protests of foul were met
with a ieer from the crowd, and silent con
tempt from the referee. During the fight
this one sided disposition was manifested
throughout, and during one round, a dis
interested spectator, who knows dog fight
ing rules by heart, AYERS that the big yell
low dogs handler held him up with his
knee to keep him from being thrown by
his wiry little adversary.
The affair was not q fight between two
dogs, but between one dog and a MAJ on
one side and a dog and u multitude of half
posted, hOOdlum sports on the other.
Whenever McCOrmick's dog caught ON
nicely in the scratch the chewing went on
undisturbed, but if the other dog got
any decided advantage the referee called
on the handlers TO chop the dogs
apart and let them try it over
again. Several different times
the referee appealed to the spectators for
assistance in delivering 4 decision, and the
coon, having no backing to justify him in
q vigorous kick, was universally bull
dOzed. The contest continued till ten
rounds had been fought. when the cOlored
mans dog, showing much less fatigue than
his adversary, and Mccormick and his
partner, the referee, fearing worse might
be forced upon them, declared the fight n
draw.
The fight was \ desperate n all
thrvug, hand the excitement among the
two hundred and fifty or three hundred
spectators was ut times very great.
Strange to state, however, neither dog was
badly damaged.
At half past seven the disappointed gang
returned TO their vehicles and set out for
the city, which was reached about half
past eight, and by nine the majority of