Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-08-12

Of cock fights 20 on every week out
side the public pit.
The people see nothing brutal In It,
| Thcy grow very angry " you accuse
them Of bull hghtlng. a young lady I
met In Ponce was Indignant because
had among my curloa Tan. on one
side OF which was the picture OF bull
! night ana on the other the words
souvenir de Porto Rico" 'She said
aud that truly. that the Porto Ricuns
do not hight bulls. and she told me that
] was incorporating the people when
l carried back such "a fan al that u my
home In another part OF the United
States.
IA to cock fighting. however. nothing
cvil II thought OF II. II IL SO common
that all Idea 81 IT. being wrong or
brutal has long since passed away. The
only chickens on the island are game
chickens. Some Of them are most care
fully cared FOR They are OF choice
breeds, ana cocks which have proved
themselves good lighters are OF consld-
cradle value The chickens are small,
not more than hair the size OF the aver
age Plymouth Rocks, They have long
necks, strong legs ana long. sharp
spurs a good fighting cock IL worth
all the way from s. up 60 $500
There is wealthy old Porto Rican
ln Ponce who has hundred game
cocks, each worth from 81 20 $500. For
one OF his cocks he has refused $500.
and he has others which he ~ ready 10
back nguinst AN Corners. This man
has his own cock pit where he holds
cock lights every sunday and Thurs
day.
Some OF the best cocks ~ the island
are owned by priest az Aibonito. His
blcsscdnoHs has charge Of the cathedral
at that town and lights cocks between
prayers, He iH 80 successful that the
people are afraid TO fight against his
chickens, lie IN n bold gambler and
IN always ready to bet high. At Arul-
dllln, Just north OF Maynguea. one
family owns 400 birds. whose values
are said to aggregate 5000 and there
are single cocks scattered here and
there over Porto Rico which could casl-
~ be sold almost any day for $50.
THE BOYS FOUGHT THEM.
An American lady recently bought
two Porto Nlcan game cocks. intending
to present them TO sporting friend ~
hers IN the United States. They were
ordinary birds. FOR thay cost only so
apiece, She had Thorn put In two
cages and took them with hcr when she
left. A. soon as she came on the ship
she gave the cocks over to the steward
with the charge that he feed and water
them carefully, Some ~ the cabin
boys, however, cast covetou1 eyes upon
wv NlNNN anu AlNf NNNNNNk AilNN NINnNNu
the cages ANA took out the cocks. They
formed q ring on the lower deck think
iug To separate tho cocks after one
round The cocks, however. Were not
IN training ana they We're 20 gnmey
that thrv battered each other To such
am vNtcnt that the boys feared 10 put
them back So they wrung their nccks
and threw them overheard, telling the
woman they had gotten away.
TRAINING COCKS FOR FIGHTING.
our ordinary ROSTERS are FAR different
10 appearance from one OF tho Porto
l,lcun cocks when ready FOR the ring,
The game cock has been IN the hands
~ his truing- for weeks, and has been
dcnuicd ot his feathers. lie has like
o. prize fighter been stripped NJ his
clothes fur the battle. lie has had
the feathers picked from his back,
neck legs and from .uudrr the wings
ON the body Yu that he looks pltiably
cold, His neck and head are red ana
hiH rcd ears shine out ~ his badness.
u costs from $40 90 $50 Co trim and
train a cmcl,6n properly for a fight.
Tho feathers ugr picked out one by one
from time 20 time, 80 nH not 10 IN
Jure the cocb and go that IN the end
the cock has only his tail feathers and
wing feathers len. This is because
tho cocks, when hghtlur, catch hold NJ
each others feathers with their bills,
and So drug them 10 the ground, whore
they spur them 90 death.
After taking out the feathers the flesh
OF tile chicken n toughrnvd by the
massage system. the flesh ana skin
being squeezed and piuched many
times q day until al last they are only
muscle ana rristle. Indeed fitzsin-
mons and Corbett when trained Tor u
prize night are not In better condition