San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-03-31
CHICKEN FIGHTS.
4 Graphic Write Up of Mexican Ma
tiODal Snort

tiOnal Sport.
Next to monte and bull lighting, cock fight
| ing comes in for its share of the attention OF
the average Mexican. In this city cock figh
| ing has been an institution from time i'm
| memorial, and on Sunday afternoons the
cock pits are always crowded, every sport
| who owns a fowl brings him. and there is
| scarce man who does not wager hiI dime or
| dollaraccOrding To the state of his finances, on
| the issue of every fight.
| Last Sunday the crowd was not so great as
! on former occasions allowing LIGHT scribe
| TO make his way into the arena and to take
look al the sport. In the morning the pit is
| the tavOrite rendezvous OF the local sports who
bring their fowls with them, discuss local
sporting questions and make arrangements
for the coming fights. The bar awevS does
rushing business, and numerous vendors OF
toOthsO'ne = daintieS erect their stands, hop
ing to catch the supertlOus pennies of the ad-
nIrerS OF their wares.
In the afternoon, when the fights open, the
amphlthea;re is crowded to its utmost Capa-
city, all available seating space beng OcCu-
pied. Every body bets for the average greaS.
er would not be the son of his father if he did
not nave some money, dime AT least, to
put up on some iavOrtc bird. AnOld Aztec is
constituted master of ceremonies. who. armed
with cane and an air Of authority clears the
arena OF enthusiastic bctters and the snort
commences. The birds, armed with long,
sharp knives, or gals, attached to the legs,
are allowed to peck each other until theV are
well wrought up, when thev are turned loose
TO fight In good earnest, and the combat gen
orally ends in the death Of one of the birds
one of the fights was between two cocks OF
nearly equal size, one black and the other |
white, for Il - stake The birus fought brave |
Iy for about one minute, with varying for |
tune, when, amid the grOans Of the losing |
bcttOrs and the cheers of the winners the |
white cock turned tail and refused to fight |
The white bird was little injured. hut the |
black, which was the winner, received iniurits |
from which he died shortly after.
The next contest was between the same
white one and a red game-cOCk The |
night was an exciting one. but of short dura.
ton. The red seemed to have il ali his own
way. but the white rot in lucky stroke,
piercing his adversary under the wing. reach |
ing the heart and causing instant death.
A third time was the rCdOubtahu white put
forth into the arena; this time against p,uckv
little red cock who seemed vastly inferior to !
MS by adversary, but he entered braVeIy !
enough, and IN a very short time mad the big
fellow completely wOrStrd. They were sepA-
rated but II was found that the white had re
'elved his death blow, and gave M RI" ghost
shortly after Great cheers followed the VIC
Ory OF the little red
The next fight was for a stake OF so and
he interest rose to a corresponding height.
lhe two birds were evenly matched and
mere was more han the ordinary amount of
outside betting. The fight lasted about thirty
seconds and ended in victory tor the cOlCrcd
port.
When the scribe left there was still no !
lOatemcnt in the sport and the spectators
we're as enthusiastic as ever. The number of
cad birds, victims of the cruel lights leads to
reflection on the harbdrity of the sport, but
is difficult to imagine how the lovers Of the |
port could be induced to give III, the one So
ace of their lives.