The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-24
COCK FIGHTING IN GOTHAM.
Six Thousand Game Cocks Have Been
Pitted During the Winter.
(Cof3ztrfoHt 1891


Pitted During the Winter.
Copyright 1897
NEW York, March 23.-Chattiug few
days ago with man who does a very large
business in supplying game cocks for the
private matches during the winter, in New
York, l was rather surprised by his affir-
nation that there is actually more cock
fighting here now than there was years ago
before the s. p. c. A. WIS dreamed Of
There are" he said, ''from fifty to sew
enty-ave cock fights in New York city
every week, at each OF which from three to
seven pairs Of cocks are weighed in. These
matches generally take place IN gentle
mems private stables. but not infrequently
the field of combat is the parlor, with the
fine furniture temporarily pushed out, and
heavy linen cover laid down to keep blood
off the carpet. Times are changed now
from what they were when there used to be
two public cock-pits on the Bowery, as
open TO the public as dime museums"
are now; when gentlemen would go there
in their carriages, carrying their birds In
bags under their arms; and when nobody
saw anything wrong In chicken dispute 3"
But there is more cock-fghting now than
there was then. Aside from the strictly
private fights that have spoken OF as TAX
ing place In the city, there are not few
that may be classed as semi-private and in
the outskirts; within a few miles OF New
York, not less than $50 or 300 game cocks
are killed every month In the season, in
matches that are practically public.
"Of coursA, little care is taken to throw
the officers off the scent of such an event,
IL they don't happen TO be men Of taste, who
would rather .irn up their coat collars and
look on at the sport than intefere with it.
But, as a rule, the patrons of cock-fghting
are among the most genteel of sportsmen,
intelligent enough to keep their mouths
shut about things that are to come off.
sufficiently wide-awake to get TO the place of
meeti without calling the attention of
the police and capable of seif-control ale
quate to keep them quiet when the sport is
going on, however exciting 1t may be.
considered as fighters, should say
that crowd raided recently at Harry Hills
Flushing place was rather a low down lot,
or they never would have let the knowledge
Of the affair leak out in advance to the s.
2. G. A.
"At the lowest estimate there are 5000
game cocks pitted III battles every winter
| right in aud around New York. In fact,
| guess the number would be nearer 1909.
| That represents at least $500, 900, for good,
well-trained game COCKS of choice strains
are we'll worth 500 each, and one that is
| worth betting on at all can hardly be called
| less than $50 in value But say the 9 are
only 5000 chickens fought, worth $50 each
| $500 900 isn't a financial interest TO be
sneezed at. 1t makes business for a great
many breeders over in New Jersey, on
| Long Island, in Connecticut, up about
| Syracuse aud even as far away as Canada,
raising game cocks to supply New York in
the fighting season. And New York too is
a central point of supply for other parts oil
the country. You might imagine naturally
that Kentucky would raise her own game
cocks, hut have seat away many one
out there when matches were made for big
money. 1t is all a ques ton Of the strain Of
the birds, you see. A man wants something
that he has confidence in when he is going
thinks my Red Dominlcks are able
| to clean out the local crowd
he's going to have them, even If he
does have TO send 1000 miles or moro &c
get them. 1t must not be sup: osed that
money invested in Bird only lasts, as an in
vestment, for one battle. That depeIdi on
the bird There is a cock that has fought
seven battles this winter, and as you see has
| not a scratch upon him. He has killed his
bird every time, ,ef, re getting even q
touch and to-day is At to fight for mans
| life / have had birds fight dozen battles
and win them all, without ever getting
hurt. One that nave now at my place in
the country, has done that never match
| him unless there is money enough up to
make it worth while, but when there is he
goes in and wins it for me-"
do you,n asked the game-cock expert,
take as mucn interest in other animal com
bats as you do in chicken disputes'-ssy in
dog fighting for iustancem
No" he replied IN tone of disgust, dog
fgh S are low, brutal, vulgar. They make
me sick"
"How about prize-fghtsr
1--WE got no use for prize-fghters; don't
value 'em penny pound. Not one #
them has the clean grit of a game chicken.
weight and run from club; but a game
cock will fight an elephant aud die fight
ing"
"Are you fond Of horse racingr'
mo. Don't care for it. I've got an
idea that il a man becomes addicted to
horse racing he had better seize the first op-
portunity when he's flush to lay in kit of
burglars tools. Some day he'll need them
and after a horse-racing education will be
none too good to use them"
"Have you any idea how much money
changes hands on cock-6ghts in New York
during the winterF
Impossible to guess 1t wouldn't sur
prise me to know that il was two or three
millions. I've seen from $4,000 to 80, 900
change hands in the course Of night at
the sport many q time, but you must not
think it all went one way. A man may bet
very heavily on succession Of matches,
and at the heel Of the evening only be in,
or out, what he staked on the last or odd
battle. having just stood even in his be.s on
the others. In that way the amount Of
money actually lost or won by an individ-
ual at the end Of the season-unless he has
had remarkable luck, good or bad-may be
remarkably small. though his botting may
have been uniformly heavy. Whatever
bis fortune may have been, he has the sat
isfaction Of knowing that he came by it
honestly, for you can't get game cocks to
agree TO any Of the dirty trickery common
TO the prize-ring and the rsce-trsck."