Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-09-03
SOCIETY COCKFIGHTS.
a Fad Among Certain Chicago
Circles.
Parlors and Billiard Rooms Turned Into
PCS Where the Guests Are En-
tertained by Battling
Gamebirds.

the rooster asked q man the other
evening, on the corner Of Michigan
avenue and Twenty-third street, of a
cCclSucv coaclnan who was hurrying
along with Il sack under his arm. The
officer showed his badge, and the coach
man opened the sack and showed two
game roosters, which were returned to
their roost by the officer
THAT coachman was going out on
Wabash avenue with those birds to have
4 main at some private residence" said
the officer of the humane society to a
Chicago Times reporter. 1T is fad
for millionaires to have private cooking
mains in their dining-rooms, or billiard
rooms Board of trade men are espe-
cially given to this form OF sport. OF
course these mains are conducted very
quietly, for, as rule, these people do
not wish it generally known that their
tastes run that way.
when a main is to take place, the
word is quietly passed around to Sc
lect few and there is a gathering of a
dozen or perhaps more in the dining
room at the mansion designated. Some
times they are invited to dinner, as was
from Twenty-ffth street, few even
ings ago. After dinner the ladies adj
journed to the parlor. The gentlemen
remained below in evening costume.
The dining~table was cleared, the guests
ranged around the room in circles, and
the master of ceremonies summoned
the coachman, who carried two fine
game boosters. They were placed ON
the mahogany Gining-table, and when
one Of them Tapped his wing and
crowsed his defiance a round of applause
shook the room.
's'ghe butler, an English cockney with
mu.ton-chop whiskers and an rlnspeak-
abe accent, wore a steelpen coat.
knee brooches, and low-quarter shoes
with silver buckles. The coachm3n
wore the regulation panta1oons, high
cop boots. ,etc. There were no gaffs
used Nom, am telling you this as it
was told 10 me, for | know nothing
about it of my personal knowledge -
said the officer, in explanation. We'll,
as | understand it, after a few small
bets the butler took one of thu birds
and the coachman the other, and the
feathers began to fly Whenever a
bird got in a lick, or rather kick, on
his opponent, he wopld receive a gen
erous burst of applause from his cham
piCps. The host stood at the head of
the able and acted as timer. or umpire
or fudge, and as earnestly and as sol
emily as if he were about bulling
wheat or selling October lard short.
Three or four rounds had been
fought and neither bird knocked out,
and the interest in the tirht was grow
ing intense, when the host took the
Eutler's place at the table saying:
Let me Erht this bird. MIR. -, take
she other bird, and we will have fight
TO the finish The other gentleman is
4 millionaire and has acres of real es-
tate and numerous. blocks of buildings
in Chicago.
The real estate Gwncr offered the
host n bet of one Thousand dollars and
d champagne supper for the party that
his bind would win. The wager was
snapped up by the host, who declined to
let certain large railway shareholder
in the deal Al it the birds went.
The host proved tc, the satisfaction of
all his guests that he was no novice in
the busincss-in fact, he managed
his bird so well as to prove that
he had had considerable experience
in affairs of this sort. His bird,
however, was not quite SO game,
or, rather, less 'Scientitic,' than
the other, and the real estate gentle
mans rooster WIS victorious after seven
wcll-fouGht Notwithstanding his OPP
poncnt OFT the table. The butler called
time for he was now timer in place of
his master, and the victory was given
TO the real estate aristocrat
Private cocking-maius," continued
the officer, ARE very popular, and be-
coming ,qcdite frequent with some of the
wealthy class. There are several aris-
tocratic mansions in Chicago which at
times are private palatial coclzpits.
The owners are not even suspected be-
cause Of their high social and financial
standing. They each in turn, give u
main just as socials are held al the diff
ferent hcvases o. those of set BY
this means this 5 lect coterie of lovers
Of corking-Inains have a half-dozen or
more during the season. Each host
trains his own birds, and sometimes
there are t-TO or~nOrc mains of an even
ing. The :butler.and the coachman do
the training and frequently they are
selected with Il special view to their
qualifications in this line. These serv-
ants train the birds in the stable, barn
left, carriage-house, or yard, and often
test the Inettle of the birds, and con-
tribute TO their Gown amusement by
having mains of their own, and perhaps
betting their wages on the result