The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-07
H $50,
SIS.
This indicates that the next battle will
come off at 1920 o'clock and the stakes will
From The Philadelphia Press.

This indicates that the next battle will
be SIS.
The spectators are men of all classes
with twelve or fourteen boys. One little
fellow in knickerbockers is not over s
years of age. Men in high silk hats and
spotless linen, and poems, or laborers' with
nothing on but an undershirt a Jacket
and pair of trousers, bet and chatter
and, gesticulate side by side. The hand
ers" are two good looking men, one with
black curling hair, wearing carpet Slip
pers, while diamond ring flashes on his
LETT hand. Over the center of the pit
is suspended a fortnight chandelier, and
from it in turn is suspended a pair of
old fashioned balances. The pit is of hard
earth, sprinkled with blood and feath-
about to take place.
From one side of the ring very decent
looking man hands a bingham bag with
draw string to one Of the handlers. The
dandy who came in a carriage hands a
similar bag to the other handler Each
bag contains a bird, and as they are
suspended from the balances IL is seen
that they are of even weight A murmur
of satisfaction Is heard. The fowls are
now taken from the bags. One is a pref
" bronze BIRD with neck: nearly destitute
of feathers while the other Is a beau
tiful Spanish game. The latter is the
property of our friend the dandy The
stakes are deposited and the preliminaries
begin. While the owner of the bird holds
him, the handler with a penknife scrapes
and cuts his spurs to a needle-like point
Then the handler fills his mouth with
water from the beer bottle, and Just as
a Chinaman sprinkles clothes, blows a
stream of water into each eye, and under
each wing and on the head. He waves
the bird around and backward and for
ward, drops him on his feet picks him up
with one hand, and with a common dung
hill fowl used for the purpose, in the
other tantalizes the bird until he is fu-
rious to fight. Then the clerk at the desk
jingles little bell, the birds are dropped
and the fight is on.
In the second battle, which was for SO
two silver back game birds fought for
thirty-fve minutes, with one break af-
birds We're handled and sprayed. One
which was subsequently defeated was op-
Grated on with scissors; a piece of flesh
which had been pecked loose over the
right eye was clipped off. When it finally
succumbed, and lay dying in the pit, the
clerk with the bell jumped on the pit
railing TO look at the clock, for If the
bird did not renew the fight after a GER
tain time his defeat is declared The
little fellow apparently did not wait long
enough. but tinkled his bell some seconds
too soon.
Instantly the pit was filed with a vo-
ciferating and angry crowd The dead
game sports" who had their money on
the loser were fairly wild. Tremulous
fingers. were madly vibrated under the
nose of the clerk, fists We're shaken and
one sport in a snuff-colored suit nearly
flung himself off his feet with the VIC
lence with which he waved his hands
and arms allow and aloft.
If that sort of thing had happened in
the states said an American OF the par
ty, there wouldn't have been half so
much talk and gesticulation, but a first
class fighty, with maybe gun or two
thrown in"