The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-15

IN MS arm or leg. Ola "barbee' Is 700
skillful to let War Horse, the splendid
brown red chicken he had selected as
| sample of his stock do him any damage. and
| quickly has the pretty creature standing
on the weighing table alongside the scales,
mantiing. growing strutting about and
talking" What beauty the bird is
| His throat. and what is left after dub
bings" of his comb, are of that bright
scarlet which betokens the top notch of
health and condition. His black, round
eyes have that fire and CLEAN which would
make even a child aware of the desperate
courage and ferocity that centuries of
selection and training have bred into and
imbued him with. He is in full feather
as yet, and the little nobs on his legs
which will be spurs an inch and half
long year from now-if he doesn't get
killed-betoken the young bird. They
have not been cut off, as is necessary with
Older cocks before the steel spurs can
be put on. War Horse has been match
ed. that is, his weight came within
two ounces of that of one of the birds
brought in by visitor. and he is about to
be ''cut OUT for the first match, which is
to be for $50 side. Probably close to
$1,000 will change hands around the pit on
the result OF this opening contest.
Ever see a bird cut out for battle?"
An assistant takes War Horse in both
his hands, holding him with his head to
old Barbee. Grasping huge pair of shears
| in one hand, and the bird by the neck in
the other the old trainer looks indeed as if
he was going TO cut the birds head off.
| He will not though; he merely ruflies the
BIRDS hackle, finally getting all the long
| feathers above the circle made by his
thumb and foreiinger, when, with two
| quick cuts of the big scissors, he
| has the birds neck as clean cropped
as a barber pole. War Horse ''cuts
| out' white. That is, his neck is white in
| stead of brown or red, when the feathers
| are cut off short. Next, Barbee takes War
| Horses left wing and spreads it out to its
| full length, holding his left elbow the
| while close to the birds head, for the
| chicken manifests an intense desire to
| sample "Barbee's' hand with his beak.
| The long feathers of the wing are short
| ened tribe at the end. perhaps an inch,
| with one stroke, then each feather is what
| is called pointed" The other wing is
| treated in the same way, care being taken
| strongly for this pointing of the wing
feathers, claiming that their birds oppo-
nent is liable to lose an eye at any time
| that he ducks up under the wing, as cocks
will do when fighting. After the wings
come the tail; the sickle feathers are
| clipped off close to the rump on both sides,
| leaving only the stiff black feathers of the
fan, which is trimmed or shortened
slightly. Amateurs nearly always make
the error of shortening the tail too much.
| game cock needs his tail to fight with
| just as a rat wants his to run with-to steer
by. The clipping off of a few feathers
underneath and around the thighs COM
plete the cutting out of the bird. Now
comes the heeling. On this depends every
thing. If bird is perfectly heeled.
though only very ordinary fighter, and
with the greatest odds of condition against
him, he has every advantage. In a regu-
lar main the birds are heeled in the train
ing rooms, but tonight is Ii ghting night,
and we follow Barbee on to the pit, where
he delivers his charge to his employer.
Mr.. M, the owner of the place.
The pit Is pandemonium by this time;
the crowd has surged up from below, pre-
scented its tickets and now betting is going
on at furious rate. Men you would meet
out on the street and never think they had
more than enough money to buy drink
with are shouting out offers to bet $40. 500,
| 500 on their favorte at a rate which makes
| you think they are only ''bluffing" or are
| betting with Confederate money. No
money is put up, everybody knows every
body else, or it doesn't make any differ
ence whether he does or not. for a man re-
| tuslng to settle bet Wouldn't stand much
| chance of getting out alive, and even if
| he did the "house" would settle the
welsh" The lights flicker, the crowd
| presses down more closely on the pit and
| subdued cheer goes up as War Horse and
| an opponent, which by the way, is Silver
Duckwing are brought in almost stimuli
| taneously. War Horses owner seats him
| self on the edge of the pit and the owner
| of the other cock takes a seat in the same
| fashion on the other side of the enclosure.
"What spurs will you have?" Well, we'll
| toss for choice" The four, sharp steel
| points-New York regulation-with their
| leather sockets, are tossed on the carpet of
| the pit, and penny decides the choice.
| There is little or no choice in New York
regulation spurs, but to make assurance
| doubly sure, in mains the rule is to change
| the spurs every fight. Columns might be
written on steel spurs. There is as much
difference between the place or points
| these tiny gaffs are made to oc-
| cupy as there is between the hit and miss
| OF q rifle ball. A sixteenth, thirty-sec-
ond OF an inch makes all the difference in
| the world. A spur set too wide is ineffec-
| tive. Set too close it is apt TO throat or
brain the cock that Yields 1t. Set too high
| IL Is Ineffective; the lower il is set the
| more dangerous it is There is all the diff
| ference in the world in the shape of the
| spur. The New York rules, ''inch and a
| quarter, nearly straight, and round from
| socket to point, with short round socket"
| are the fairest and best for sport. In the
| Southern pits spurs of any length and any
shape. provided they are round from socket
10 point are allowed, and the battles there
are very short and fatal; they are battles
| not of the birds, but OF the spurs and the
| heelers. Accompanying are some cuts of
| spurs. Figure shows the New York rules
regulation gait. Figure shows a heel very
! extensively used by heelers, but a spur that
no expert would think of lighting against
| inside of this little leader. On the right
leg it is set so it is on line with the out
with New York regulation steeis. Figure