The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-19
FIGHTING TO THE DEATH
A Big Cooking Main Held at a Farm
House Near the City Last Night.
Sporting Men from Several Cities in Attend
ance. and the Best Cocks in the Coun-
try Pitted Against Each Other.

For several weeks the sports OF Indianapolis.
in conjunction with sporting men from St
Louis Louisville Cincinnati, and other cities,
have been preparing for big cooking main to
be held in this city sometime while the Ameri-
can Poultry show was in progress. Ten days
ago number of men arrived in the city from
Louisville, St. Louis and Cincinnati, and active
preparations for the main began. Quite num-
Der of the men brought game
cocks of National reputation with them but
the number lacked enough to make the event in
teresting and more were purchased from cities
in all parts of the country and shipped here.
During che last three days cocks have been az
irving, and in order to prevent the police from
getting information of the coming main the
cocks were kept in a cellar under ono OF the
business houses in the central part of the city.
Invitations to DE present at the main were
quietly sent out to several hundred gentlemen,
on whom the managers of the fight knew they
could rely. but the invitations did not state
when or where the fight would come Off The
selection of the time and place were left to
committee, which was instructed to quietly
notify those invited when all the arrangements
had been made. 1t was not until Tuesday after
noon that the time and place were agreed on
Last night was selected as the time, and the
cellar under big farm house in the country,
east of the city. was chosen as the place for
holding the main.
Yesterday morning the hackers of the cocks
went to the country house and prepared the pit
in the cellar, and made all other necessary
rangements The cocks were quietly removed
from the cellar of business block just after
noon, and taken to the farm house. According
to the instructions of the managers of the fight,
those who were to witness it were not to leave
the city together. but each man should go out in
his own rig, so as to avoid suspicion.
By o'clock last night sleighs, bugeies and
carriages began to leave the central portion OF
the city for the place chosen for the main. A
journal reporter was among the first arrive
at the farm house, and found the managers OF
the fight and dozen or more prominent sport
ing men lounging about the cellar waiting for
the crowd. By $50 o'clock about one hundred
persons had arrived. Many of them were very
prominent gentlemen, who would probably dis
like very much to see their names in print as at
tending a cooking main. It was a very orderly
gathering. There was not drunken man
among the entire number. and smoking was
prohibited in the cellar.
The cellar in which the fight ccurred is 3Ox46
feet The pit was arranged in the center
and was 18x12 feet. Around it was arranged
two rows of seats, one above the other, for the
comfort of the spectators. An admission fee of
so cents was charged at the door, and sentinels
were kept on the outside to that the police
from the city did not intrude. In ante-room
of the cellar. in bags. were twenty of the best
game cocks that could be procured in the coun-
try.
The fighting began at 9 o'clock, prompt. A
light red game cock from Elmira. N. Y, and a
dark red game cock from Cleveland were
brought out. They were well matched in color
and weight Each weighed six pounds and five
ounces, and both had records showing that they
had won many fights in the East The battle
was for $25 side, besides what money those
present wanted to put up. which reached about
the same amount. There was some difficulty
experienced in getting the directors
and the referee, but they were finally secured
The cocks were allowed to spar a little, and
then the referee said eight" After the frat
dash at each other ir WAS evident that the light
red cock would be the winner. He struck the
dark-red cock in the leg and crippled him. In
the second round the dark-red got the first blow,
but he struck on the wing. and it proved ineffec-
tual The lightred then struck the dark-red in
the leg again, this time badly cripplng him.
In the fourth round the light-red had a walk
away. He struck the dark-red a fatal blow in
the head, at the first dash. that killed him.
There was some growing among the losers
because they thought their cock had not been
treated fairly, but the money up. soon changed
hands, and preparations began for the second
fight
The owners of the cocks said it would be the
fight of the evening. domineck game cock
from ST. Louis matched against red
gamester from Louisville. Both cocks had
they would be willing to throw up penny and
let it decide which one they would back
The betting was high. and when the fight
was ready to begin there was a large
sum up on each cock. 1t proved to be a good
fight. and it took seventeen rounds to decide it.
The domineck gave evidence of being the win
ner at the beginning of the fight In the first
round he struck high on the red and knocked
him down. In the second round the domineck
drove the red to one corner of the pit, and then
struck him a blow the head. In the third
round the red got his feet and got in the
first blow. The domineck retaliated with
a strike the wing, but the second
strike from the red knocked down the DOM
meek. In the fourth round the red buried his
spur in the leg of the domneck, and crippled
him badly. In the next round the domineck got
in a blow on the reds head, but while he re-
treating the red again buried mis- spur in his Leg
and they again had to be pulled apart 1t be-
came evident that the red would likely win the
fight. In the sixth round the domineck rallied and
succeeded in knocking down the red. There was
much excitement and bets were freely offered
on the domine:k. In the seventh round the red
succeeded in again burning his spur in the
were uninterestng In each one the red buried
his spur somewhere in the body or legs of the
domineck, and although the latter was still
game it was apparent that it was only question
of few more rounds until he would have to
succumb. In the sixteenth round, the domi-
neck got the best of it: He struck tho red
square in the head, and knocked him senseless
for few minutes. Again bets were made that
the domineck would win. In the seventeenth
round, the red, at the first dive struck his right
spur into che head of the domlneck, and the
latter fell over dead.
Old sports said the fight was one Of the best
they had ever seen. For the third fight a white
cock belonging TO an ludlanapOllS man was pit
ted against a dark red from Shelbyville. Both
were from good game stock but neither had
fought before They Were backed by $25
side, and the outside bets were on the Shelby
Vile cock. They fought three rounds The
dark-red proved the best gamester from the be-
ginning, and in the second round broke the legs of
the Indianapolis favorite. In the last round
the red drove his spur into the body of the
white twice and ended his life
The three fights had lasted two hours, and
during the time several hundred dollars changed
hands. The fighting was resumed at 1870
o'clock. and it was the intention that the main
should continue until 3 o'clock this morning.
The winning cocks will be put in the pit to-
night, when the main will end.