The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-27
A WILD ROUT.
One Hundred and Fifty Chicken
Fighting Sports
Chased Out of the Woods Near
the Asylum
BY SHERIFF. KEPLEY.
Several Are Caught, and Several
More VIII Be.
Sunday Fights Have Been Going
On for Weeks.

In a coy little corner of the insane
asylum grounds a hundred and fifty
sports We're gathered yesterday after
noon crowding around little pit
where two game cocks were fighting
The fights were getting to be most
exciting about 3 o'clock and the crowd
was pushing and jostling about the
ring. and each man trying to get closer
to the birds. There was more excite
ment than at a crap game. The pit
was in among the trees near the asy-
lum ice house, and close to the river
Either the ring was too excited over
the sport or few of them know 5heFlfL
Bob Kepley for he and A. Bunker. city
marshal of POtwin, drove TO within lU9
feet Of the crowd before they We're no
ticed- Suddenly there was cry OF
Great heavens, boys, there's the sher-
iff' and Immediately there was the
greatest kind of scrambling and run
ming.
Sheriff Kepley bore down on the
crowd at his best gait.
KepIey is not built for speed. but he
got there before Frank Tucker and
tsXaller' Miller of 202 Berwick street,
could get their birds and get away
Tucker had his coat off and his sleeves
were rolled up to the elbow
The rest of the sports made one of
the most inglorious retreats on record
No two ran the same way, but they all
started off at breakneck speed through
the timber. Those who had birds
grabbed them by the neck and ram
Coats were caught up and thrown over
the chickens in some instances, and
their crows and sQueaSs were drowned
underneath this covering as their own
ers hurdled over bitches and tore their
clothes on barbed wire fences.
Drop those chick-~s yelled Sher-
iff Kepley. But they didn't drop
them. They only ran faster They ran
over sapHngs and broke them down in
their haste to answer the voice which
they imagined was calling them
A few minutes later Auburndale pe0-
pie were surprised to see men and boys
coming from the woods in a swarm
and lodging here and there a half
hour afterward men without hat or
/ coat were seen skating the alleys i'm
North Topeka and other parts of the
town completely worn out by their long
I Meanwhile the officers were making
/ merry at the scene of the fight The
/ sheriff took the two prisoners he had
I caught and drove away with them. AS
/ was anticipated, the men who had car
/ riages there began coming back, and
Marshal Bunker began gobbling them
He arrested G. @. Trimmer. the con-
1 tractor, 'Icelander Jack Larney, the
I prize fighter, a son of O. A. Goodwin of
/ 260 Stephens street, a game cock and
I beer keg and glasses. The Beg did not
resist. as it was empty and weak Not
a dead bird was found. A North To-
/ pela man left his carriage and coat all
today
Those arrested were taken before
/ Judge BOlmar, of Topeka township. He
/ let Trimmer, Miller and Goodwin go on
their own recOgnizance. and held Lar
ney and Tucker under 5000 bond for ap-
/ pearance next Saturday morning at Q
/ O'Clock. The two men gave bond and
/ We're released last night.
More arrests are to follow. The Off
1 GERS know who many of them are, and
4 they win find out the names of the
1 papers in it Identifying him. and other
clues are at hand.
These chicken fights have been reg
I uIar Sunday occurrences this spring at
/ the asylum ice house A great deal of
fighting has been going on quietly and
undisturbed all winter. Night cooking
/ mains have been held at The ice house
] and other places Not long ago it was
/ an occurrence of at least twice a week
] TO see North Topeka sports slipping
/ down to the Rock Island railroad
! bridge with their fowls They We're met
/ at the south side of the bridge by bug
/ gies, and the fowls were taken to the
+ barn where the fight was to occur
/ The next night the fight took place.
! The complaint yesterday was made
! before Justice BOlmar by Marshal
I Bunker who was informed of the af-
I fair by Elmer Wilson. The Warran
/ was issued for Myers and all others %
I The warrant is still out
The sheriff did not know there was
/ such crowd of the men, or ne would
44e1 FE leAfcAA cL11leLctllN ne says ne q
/ poets to take enough deputies to COB
bic them all on the spot if any more
/ fights take place
1t was rumored today that when
/ Jack Larney got out last sight he act
ed as one of the principals in prize
| fight east of town. number of hack
loads Of men were driven out east last
night, and this gave color to the ru-
NOR.
Larney was looking all right today.
/ however, and the rumOr proved to be
/ grOundless. Sheriff Kepley said Lar
| ney was not released at O'Clock last
evening, and sporting men say there
! was no fight.