The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-04-27
VICTORY FOR LUZERNE
Its Feathered Representatives Won
Fights at Priceburg.
THEY MADE 1T FIVE STRAIGHT
It Was the Greatest Cooking Main Seen
In This Part Of tho State for
Many Years and Attracted a
Great Crowd of Sports.

All the sports who pinned their faith
In the gameness Of UP the valley chick
ems We're sadly and sdrely disappointed
in the outcome of the big cooking main
between Luzerne and Lackawanna
birds, which was held in Priceburg yes
terday. The Pittston men won and
carried away the purse of $500 and an
amount in bets aggregating more than
$500. Altogether It was figured out by
the disgusted losers that the Luzerne
crowd carried home with them at least
$1,000
Early yesterday morning all roads
coming into Priceburg converged to-
gether near James Twiss' Grove House,
on the Olyphant road, and these paths
led to building In the rear of the es-
tablishment. The purpose that drew
them together was the cooking tourna-
ment that had been arranged.
Birds from Pittston and Wilkes
Rarre were pitted against fowls from
Carbondale, Olyphant, and Jermyn.
The size of the purse contested for was
$3.50 side. Nine battles had been
agreed upon and whichever side won a
majority of these would be entitled to
the purse. In the middle of the hall
was erected the sand pit, eight feet in
diameter. and there the spurred roost-
ers fought to win.
Fakir Was on the Ground.
The fakir was there, one on each side
Of the room. There was the device
known as the Wirld's fair game, a table
with three revolving forks on it. The
numbers at which the prongs pointed
when stopped would earn for the in
vester double his money. The other ap-
paratus was fashioned after the nickle-
in-the-slot machine and caught many
suckers. The games were worked in
the interim between the acts in the
sand pit.
1t would be impossible to attempt to
describe the appearances of the men
who were present. In the shape of
headgear, the yachting cap preponder-
ated. A majority had on neither collar
nor tie, and in the absence of any func-
tionaries to maintain something like
order, at times the widest confusion
prevailed. The clink of silver showed
that a single gold standard was not
yet the motto of the crowd
At 1855 a scrap battle, which means
one just arranged on the spot, was
fought between two Carbondale birds,
black and red. The round lasted
five minutes and ended in favor Of the
black.
Heaviest Birds First.
Here Is the point where the main
started. 1t was agreed on both sides to
select the heaviest birds first and pit
them against each other. Two black
and red birds, each Weighing five
pounds six ounces, went at each other
and in three minutes the Pittston bird
won. The cheering that greeted this
victory started the peaceful and law
abiding residents Of the Ridge over the
hills.
The second fight was in the 4-pound-
6-ounce class, and was won by Pittston
in four minutes. Two black and reds
were entered. The people from Lu-
aerne won the third also, which was
between a white pyle from Carbondale
and brown red from down the creek.
This fight lasted seven minutes. Each
bird weighed five pounds two ounces.
A black red from Pittston and cotton
ball from Jermyn contested for suprem-
acy in the fourth fight, each weighing
four pounds and eight ounces. The
Jermyn bird lost and there was such
rumpus that the residents imagined
powder mill had exploded.
Here was four consecutive victories
for the Luzerne crowd and another
meant the winning of all the stakes.
Plttston had five chances in which to
scratch out a victory and 1t was in
cumbent on the people from Rainbow
county to win all or lose the day.
Hardest Battle Of the Day.
The fifth battle was the hardest one
of the day; 1t was between two reds,
each weighing five pounds and one
ounce. The first victory for the Jermyn
sports was here scored; their bird won
in five minutes. The sixth battle was
the last of the main because 1t was won
by the Pittston bird and that was five
victories out Of nine, which ended the
necessity of proceeding further
Two scrap battles between local birds
were fought in the afternoon, but the
most of the crowd had gone and there
was no interest taken; the Pittston
people went home rejoicing, and the de-
feated sports had lost their money and
had no further ambition to haunt the
place where the willows bloomed for
them. The betting at the beginning of
the contest was even.