Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-10-13
A sorrD oocA-rie HrEH.

-
MiiiionHiro's Palace OVERLOOKING Lipceia
PARK ana Lake View Avenue.
Chicago Times Herald.
Who would ever think Of looking for
a chicken roast in one OF Chicago's
costliest residenoesY
Who would ever suspect that chicken
fights took pace regularly in the mag
nificent and pretentious home which
stands surrounded by spacious grounds
of ITS own at the northwest corner OF
Lincoln Park and at the very head OF
the great Sheridan road, along the
Lake Michigan shore? The great stone
structure might give an architect
chills, but he could not deny that it
was a costly and imposing pile.
1t is the home Of John Mackin, mil
lionaire and cock fighter.
These are the two distinguishing
marks of man who is a sport of a
peculiarly interesting type. Not only
is he a fighter Of cocks, but he keeps
his feathered friends sometimes sew
eral hundred cocks and hens-in his
palatial residence. This high and
mighty roostins place for his game
fowl, 1t is safe to say, makes the most
expensive hennery in the world.
And what is more, this capitalist,
who Is so distinctively "up TO the
scratch, 2" once in while converts the
cellar Of his magnificent home into a
cockpit, invites in few Of the "boys,"
and, notwithstanding the sport is
against the law, gives these fighting
fowl few CORY rounds with their spurs.
"Oh, we have a select crowd at the
cock fights, you know, I said John
Mackin the other day, with his good
V.ta H., ,taI n MI MI al q
other eye, land the boys, bless 'em.
aldermen, police captains, bankers,
Board Of Trade men and the like
| what you might call cosmopolitan
outfit-to see the sport We give the
| birds few chances to draw o little
blood, and maybe a little money
changes hands. Everybody who knows
John Maclin knows he fights cocks,
and he is not going to deny it, Only
don't forget that he is never caught at
his little game -
This man for % years has gone about
/ with his pugnacious pets and won most
of the fights he has entered over birds
| with brilliant records in the pits. His
last big victory was January 18th of
| this year, when he broke the fighting
cock record of Casey, the Boston sport,
and incidentally pulled in 5000 in
| prize money.
Say, but that was great fight, :"
declared the Chicago millionaire cock
! fighter. SIT was q seven-minutes'
| fight, with one and one-half-inch
spurs. The Humane Society was after
us that time-I don't mind telling you
now-so we had to get up at o'clock
in the morning, instead of s, and travel
outside of Boston for this little affair.
Until that time Casey hadn't been
beaten in IA years.
The story Of John Mackin's fortune,
which makes it possible to live in q
great graystone mansion, surrounded
by every appointment of luxury-in-
Guiding his Growing hens and pugna-
cious cocks--reads like a romance
His father was Thomas MaclSin, who
as an untutored boy hailed from tho
Emerald Isle without penny in his
pantaloons. AS luck would have it, no
amassed q pile of money, about s., 900, :
900 all told,a a contractor and builder.
Six years ago he erected at tho corner
of Lake View and Divorsoy avenues,
one of the most picturesque sites in
the city, tho elegant editioe which
John Mackin inherited at tho timo OF
his fathers death, four years ago Tho
remainder Of the estate was divided
between John MaclSin's sister aud his
stepmother.
Simply as man, John Mackin is an
interesting study. To begin with. he
Is six-footer Of the athletic type-fat,
fair and forty. His head, which is as
round as bullet, resembles that of u
small boy who seldom comes in contact
with comb, or when he does it is only
to give the hair few strokes straight
over his forehead. His head Is like
heaven, in that there is no parting
there. His clothes are common look
ing; the necktie that adorns the sof
shirt may have cost 25 cents once upon
a time; his shoes are stiff and heavy
and his whole makeup, in short, be.
|, speaks the man who cares infinitei,
more for something other than apparel
At the same time, though bi
, brusque in his conversation, he is a.
good-hearted as the day is long. shrewt
in business, man who would with i,
glad hand give some of his cock fighting
proceeds to the first charity that cam,
along, and, in short, an all-arount
| "good fellow
The house, which is also the hennery
, cost precisely S250,000. It's "a hand
somely furnished rooms are made i'm
, maculate by retinue OF servants.
is o three-story building of strikin,
architecture, partly covered with vine
! and made more picturesque with fiowe
boxes at every curve. The surrounding
} lawn is brilliant with artistic fowe
beds. 1t is one of the most delightfull
, located homes in the city, facing. a
: 1t does, Lincoln Park and the blu
) waters of Lake Michigan.
1t is on the third floor Of this stated
, pile of stone that Mr.. Mackin has a
S great expense fitted up place TO
some of his cocks. II is a sight fanil
I lar to the fashionable residenter
( roundabout to see light at night i
o the upper story. The ball room is no
filled with gay dancers, as might b
0 imagined, but tho liege lord and a fey
4 of the fellows are looking at som
Of the prize pets in the hennery.
8 John Mackin defends the snort G
Y cock fighting from first to fnis. 9TH
fighting OF birds" he declared, wit
tho enthusiasm of man talking {
his hobby, ''has been the amusemer
of nearly every nation from th
Romans, who used to fight quails, [
i, the Chinese, who still fight sparrows
. Cock fighting is not as cruel a
. racing for this reason: A horse is lashe
. when he is doing his best, the bird
I in frenzy when fighting and doesn
n feel the punishment. If it is cared fc
y properly afterward, provided it is nc
u killed outright, as sometimes happen:
' | the bird suffers no injury.