The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-03

old days when cockAghting was q sport
which gentlemen delighted In. and was
considered fully a. reputable as racing
horses. There nave been cocknghts
here ever of recent years. and the sport
Ia still carried on In some out-of-the-
way para Of the state. but with none Of
its former splendor. A single room Will
sufice to-day for all who care to see
the fight, whereas OF old the cockpits
were as large as the average theater
and built in amphitheater FORM There
were several rival concerns competing
for the large patronage which the sport
then commanded
Nor was this 80 very long ago. for
the building now being destroyed was
erected as late as 1870, wien there was
a revival OF cockfghting. IL fourished
for a few years, but sank daily In social
estimation. and collapsed.
Cocknghting came into Louisiana
with the Spaniards. n Its best pa
irons have always been people OF Span
ish race or descent or the mixed breeds
from the Spanish possessions. There
are a number of Filipinos in Louisiana;
the colony Ii more than half a century
old. and cockighting among them Is.
as Of yore. their national sport. Down
in St. Bernard, where they live and
where a majority Of the people are OF
Spanish descent, cockfightfng Is still
popular. II found favor among the ere
DleS anu nalI-OIctoS VI 81 iatAttinhss
where game cocks have always been
raised in abundance n of the best
breeds. Introduced by the Spaniards,
IL became popular among the creoles
in the early days of Louisiana, but the
Americans who poured N louisiana
never took to IL. and preferred the lights
between bulls and bears and other lare-
er animals bred of old In Congo Square.
The old Spanish cockpit was operated
by a Spaniard named Maurice Martin
ez. and was situated in Columbus street
between st. Claude and Rampant. 1t
was a popular place long before the
civil war, especially on Sunday, when
the biggest mains were fought. The
fighting-and probably the betting. for
betting was an important incident of
the f~ight-lasted all the afternoon. The
patrons of the sport were of all colors,
but the whites were, Of course. sepa-
rated from the negroes. The ron
seats were reserved for those anxious
to bet on the battles. and the betting
was kept up until the cock was oficial-
ly declared to be dead. Although the
social usage of the time required the
absolute separation OF the whites and
blacks. there was a very broad spirit
of fellowship. observed in the betting
arena. and a white man never hesitated
to bet with a negro. Bets were paid
with a great regard for honor. and any
welching would have had serious re-
suits for the la guilty of IL. OF
course. the spectators were all men.
In those days the best people in New
Orleans visited the cockpit, n IL was
one of the sights of the city to which
all strangers were treated. as showing
a side Of life not to be seen elsewhere.
The old Spanish cockpit, the pride of
ante-bellum days. fell into disfavor
mulatto and negro element in attend
ance grew larger and crowded out the
whites and the place sank into the So
cial scale. In 1870 a nan who was rec
ognized as the most devoted patron OF
the gamecock in Louisiana, who was
of the highest social standing n a
son OF the most illustrious governor of
Louisiana determined to establish a
new cockpit. He had expended thou
sands of dollars In improving the breed
Of gamecocks.
Cockfghting was a mania with him.
He was always on the lookout for fresh
breeds with which to improve his
chickens, and he was as careful of them
on his cock farm near Vaudeville as
a horse raiser would be of his horses.
The building erected by him. n
known as the new Louisiana cockpit.
Is the one now in the course OF demo-
lition. 1t was a large and handsome
building. with a bar-room. restaurant.
and oyster saloon attached. The rep
utation of thai restaurant for Spanish
dishes OF the old cuisine. especially
meat patties n oysters. extended not
over New Orleans alone, but through
out the South.
The Spanish cockpit. which was man.
aged by a Spaniard named Percay af-
ter the death of it's founder Martinez.
and the new Louisiana cockpit were
rival concerns for many years; and
there was patronage enough for both,
but the sport was decadent, and Per-
cay finally gave up the business. There
was a slight revival in the early 7os,
and many leading citizens OF New Or
leans. lawyers. merchants. and even
judges on the bench. could be seen reg
ularly of a Sunday watching a main
between Kentucky and Louisiana
chickens.
As the interest I'm cockhehts declined.
other sports We're introduced in the
arena-dog fights and finally wrestling
matches. Ten years the Louisi-
ana pit ceased to be an active one. 1t
was open occasionally for private
mains. but not as a public institution.
Latterly IL has been used altogether
for political meetings.
The days of cockfghting are over In
Louisiana. but many OF the patrons still
survive They have lost their relish
for the sport. 1t was the fashion OF the
slightest harm or improperly in IL. but
those who enjoyed u now see its bar
barity. II is an amusement left behind
with n progress OF public sentiment
in Louisiana. and II as impossible OF
revival to-day as the old bull fights of
Congo Square. As for the various kinds
Of game chickens that fourished in
Louisiana, they have all disappeared
or melted away into the general poui-
try.
The sport in Louisiana. as in the Phil
ippines and Cuba. was distinctively
Spanish. IN all the terms as to night
ing. the breeding and the cocks them
selves were Castilian. The cockpit wal
the last relic Of the IS years of Span.
ish dominion In Louisiana. II IL nov
gone, and the demolition OF the New
Louisiana arena removes the last yes
tige of it.-New Orleans Correspond
apra Naw Work Sun