Telegram-herald., 1889-04-18
COCK FIoHTiNo * NEw YORK.
SO Hhoussa1 S41as Ce<ks Have Bs~s
fitts& 0eSsss tes faal n later.

filssa 0sslss tes faal Il later.
lceFrUsaE lsosI
Coating & fe~ DAYS go = ~ . pazu
wAs eevs 5 very larEe bussaess ia sspels-
ias gaaae eocks fos pr.sate Iaas~lss aerI :
tb4 wiatsf a Nrw York Z wa> ratasr
s4rrl->ea oy cis af'lFuatioa th4t tlsre j.
Setestiy aaeFe coek f.sltlus tasrs nes ta..n
tlsrv ua- years ago before tas s. J. e. A
80. dreamed 81.
~Ihers are lie said "from aay to
severity rve eoSA s1ts lu Ae~ d 1srk city
every aesk af each ~ - hieh frQm three l3
sefea pairs - cocks Ars wei saed la. laeAs
matches gelerailY tAAs p -.cs ~ KeutIe
nlVl prit4te stables. out nof iaires neatly
tAe ls-l ci e9mbst = the paf-er. wlta tas
nne furnitgfe temporsrlly pushed oar aae
. heavy A0sa cover lai1 down - Keep
blood III tie carpet Iliavs are changed
nsw flotl whAt tLry were ,, Len ttsre used
u be too publie cock pts ou Tie b9weiy,
a. open u the pubilc as "dlue museums
are now, When gentlemen would 80 there
ln their carriages. carry X their birds Ia
bags uuder their arms, and when nobody
s2W ans tblug wrong ia d chicken dis
puie" Bar there is more cock hghting
now than there was tnen. Aside from the
strictly private hsAts that l have spoken
of 4s taAing place Ina tie city. there are not
few that may be c.assed - semi private
and ia the outskirts. Within feW miles Of
New York not less than 30 or 80 game
cocks are killed every month Ia the season.
Ia matches ths- are practically public.
Oi course = Attle care Is taken 10 throw
the officers of the scent IT such an event,
II they don happen 10 be men OF taste,
who woIld rather turn up their coat col
lars aud took on az the sport than inter
fere with b. But, a. rule the patrons
OF coca iightiug are among tho most gem
teel OF sportsiuen. iuteliiS gent enough &C
keep their mouths shut about things that
are 20 come OF, sufficiently wide awake 20
yet o the place Of meeting without call
ing the attention 0f the police, and capable
OF ,eif control adequate 10 keep them quiet
when the sport IL going on, however excit
Ing IL may he.
At the lowest estimate there are 00c
game cocks pitted in battles every winter
right ia and around New York. In fact
guess the number would be nearer 10 z, 90
That represents at least half a million dol.
lars, for good, well trained game cocks OF
choice strains are we'll worth 600 each and
one that Is worth betting on AT all can
seldom be bought for less than $50
But say there are only 6O0(
chickens fought, worth so each
$500 600 .sn't a financial interest TO be
sneezed at. Il makes business for great
many breeders. In New Jersey, or
Long Island, in Connecticut, around about
Syracuse, and even as far away as Canads
game cocks are raised 10 supply New York
in the fighting season. And New York
too is a central point Of supply Tor other
parts of the country. You ght imagine
naturally that Kentucy would raise heI
own game cocks. but / have sent many
chicken out there when matches
were made for biz money. 1t is all cues
tion OF tho strain OF birds, you see.
man wants something that he has conf
dence IN when he j. going 10 put mp large
money and II he thinks my Red DOminicks
are able 10 clean out the local crowd he's
going 10 have them, even If he does have
20 send a thousand miles or more 10 get
them. IL must not be supposed that money
invested in bird only lasts, as an invest
ment, for one battle That depends on the
bird. There is cock that has fought seven
battles the past winter, and, as you see,
has not a scratch upon him. He has killed
his bird c .ery time, before getting even
touch and to-day is fit to fight for mans
life. / have had birds fight a dozen bat
ties and win them all, without ever get
Ting hurt. One that l have 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 aud wins IL for
me"
Do YOU" ! asked the game-cock ex-
pert, take as much interest in other ami
a t,i.f az
putes say in dog-1ghting for instanceW
NO" be replied IN a tone OF disgust,
dog fights are low, brutal, vulgar. They
make me sick"
"How about prize-fghtsi
I've got no use for prize lighters; don't
value em penny = pound. Not one OF
them has the clean grit OF game chicken.
A prize fighter Will haggle over pound
light and run from club; but n game
cock will fight an elephant and die fight
ing"
"Are you fond of horse racinGi"
No. Don't care for it, I've got an idea
that If a man becomes addicted TO horse
racing he lad better seize the first oppor-
tunity when he's flush 10 lay in kit 0 +
burglars tools. Some day he'll need them
and after horse-raciug education viii be
hone too good TO use them"
Have YOU any idea how much money
changes hands on cock-hghts in New York
during the wiuter?
impossible 70 guess. 1t wouldn't sur
prise me 30 know that it was two
or three millions. I've seen from SIS.
OC0 TO So coo change hands IN the
course OF night at the sport many
a time, but you must not think 1t all
went one way. 4 man may bet very
heavily on succession Of matches, and at
the heel OF the evening only be i'm, or ont,
what lie staked Oh the last or odd battle,
having just stood even ia his bets On the
others. In that way the amount of money
actually lost or won by an individual at
the end OF the season-unless be has had
remarkable luck, good or bad-may be
remarkably small, though his betting may
have been uniformly heavy. Whatever
his fortune may have been. he has the sat
isfaction OF knowing that he came by it
honestly. Tor you can't get game cocks 20
agree 20 any ~ the dirty trickery common
70 the prize-riEg and the race-track."
j H. C0NNElLY.