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

q white canvas web eighteen inches high.
When you enter it, before the fighting has
begun, you are surprised at the clean
oruerliness of the place. The carpet of the
pit is swept as clean and looks as inviting
as the cover of a dinner table, although it
is not generally white. The shining sides
of the pit glisten and CLEAN in the bright
light from the jets suspended as
low over the pit as may be
to give the fighting bipeds the
best possible chance to see each other, and
the rows on rows of circling seats look
clean. comfortable and inviting. After
the crowd piles in, though, things look
different. The brightest of gas jets have
hard battle with the close and tobacco
laden atmosphere. and the spectators al
most tumble over each other in their eff
forts to get the best seats. One seat only
is sacred, and that is the referees seat on
the lowest tier. Never make the mistake,
when you want to see cock or dog fight,
of getting in the referees seat quiet
smoker will run around the place at your
greenness if you do so. though no one will
say anything about vacating. You will be
allowed to keep the place until the cocks
are brought on by their handlers, and the
referee comes to take his place. Then you
will have hard job to find place from
which to view the struggle with any de-
gree of comfort. After nights fighting
a cockpit is as uninviting place as could
be imagined. Clots and splashes of blood
mar the white canvas web, and enough
feathers to stuff pillow deface the carpet
on which, too, have been thrown perhaps
a half bushel of cigar butts"
1t is Thanksgiving eve and a New York
party has just driven in cabs across the
ferry and landed at the door of a famous
cockpit in Long Island City. Up one
flight of stairs We so, are inspected by two
critical guards at surprisingly secure
looking door, then pass into q large room
which has fancy bar at the street end. 1t
is q lighting night" that is, professional
and amateur breeders for miles around,
even from other cities, have come on with
their best chickens to match them at weight
against any other that may be shown.
There is no need for fearing one must go
away with his bird without match, for
the "house" will take all matches that
visitors do not make up between them
selves. Perhaps not more than five or six
battles, possible twenty. will be fought,
between now-l0 o'clock at highland 8
o'clock tomorrow morning. There are
some 200 intending inspectors in the hall.
The pit is upstairs and the training rooms
are on this floor, in the rear.
What is the training room2
Shall we go in and look at one Of them?
knocki knock The man in the train
ing room knows the guide, and admits him
at once with his friends.
Mr.. Ms training room is about 20x30
feet and has accommodations for some
sixty fighting cocks. What an outburst of
savage, defiant crows What a chorus of
exuitant. gIeeful chuckIings, ANY man
who thinks that cockfighting is cruel, or
that the birds don't like it, sh ould be pres
ent to hear the joyous, mettlesome, bully
ing noises the birds make as the hour for
battle draws near; he should see the hardy.
nery-eyed heads with rocky beaks and
scarlet throats thrust out through the
opening in the front OF each coop. In
front OF many of the coopS are the tin
feeding cups and the defiant chickens rap
sayagely in these with their horny beaks,
in their challenging way, and the sounds
are like those of manly knuckle knock
ing on board.
do YOU want 10 see one?' asks old
"Barbee." the feeder" as he opens the
door of one of the coops and reaches in for
ret fighter.
did you ever see a fighting cock
handled2" Its as different from catching
an ordinary chicken as possible COM
mon chicken, you know, will generally try
to get away. The only thing lighting
cock handler has 10 be careful of is that the
game creature doesn't get hold of his hand
aud peek II TO the bone. or sink his spurs in
IT. | know Of more than one instance
where lighting cock. on the pit, hiss land
mp his handler for weeks and months hv
turning Oh him and sinking the steel gals