The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-07
TALKS ON LIVE TOPICS
COCK FIGHTS IN CUBA DESCRIBED
By F. j. CUNNINGHAM.
Christ Church Appeals to Visitors to
the City-A Lottery Agent Talks
of Human Foibles.

Nothing that I saw while in Cuba ex-
cited my interest and wonderment more
than the everlasting cock fights" said F.
]. Cunningham. Chicago man, who was
in Indianapolis for a few days last week.
81 spent the spring months in the island
and became pretty well acquainted with the
conditions and the ways of the people down
there, but 1 never got through being sur
prised at the enthusiasm shown by all
classes of Cubans in battles between game
cocks Cuba seemed to me to be one big
poultry yard. They like cock fighting well
enough In Havana, but it's out in the
provinces that you see the real thing. In
the villages L veterans of the cock
pit-a strong-legged race, with their combs
cropped smooth to the head, like the prize
fighters they were, the feathers plucked
from every part of the body except the
wings. and the tail locked like that of a
coach horse-picking up their food in the
lanes among the common chickens.
Every family seemed to own at least
one bird that had distinguished himself in
many bloody battles for some sort of cham
pionship. One old cripple / remember to
have seen in the little town Of Guines.
stiff with wounds received in combat, who
had probably received a furlough for life,
and who, while limping about among his
| female companions, maintained a sort Of
| strut in his gait, now and then stopping
| to crow in defiance of the whole wide
world. The peasants breed game cocks and
bring them to market; amateurs In the
town train them for their private amuse-
1 emf In
mon as horse jockeys with us, and every
village, no matter how small, has its cock
pit.
THE most pretentious game cock tourna-
ment that I attended took place near
Havana. In a spacious Enclosure were two
| amphitheaters of benches, rooted, but
without walls, with a circular area In the
midst. Each was crowded with people
mounted one Of the outer benches and saw
| one of the birds laid out dead by the other
! in few minutes. Then was heard the chink
of money as the bettors stepped into the
| area and paid their wagers; the slain bird
was carried out and thrown on the ground
| and the victor, taken into the hands of it's
proud owner, crowed to beat the band. Two
| other birds were brought in and the cries
| of those offering wagers were to be heard
| on all sides. They ceased at last and the
cocks were put down to begin the combat.
| They fought rather warily at first, but at
| length began to so at each other in ham,
| mer-and-tongs fashion, the blood flowed
| and the spectators yelled Ali, estan pele
| ando!-mata, mata! natal (now they are
| fghting!-kill! kill! hllD gesticulating at
the same time with great violence; and new
| bets were laid as the interest in the battle
| increased. In ten minutes one of the birds
was a corpse. for the fight never ends until
one of 'em has his death wound.
| In the meantime several other combats
had begun in smaller pits which lay in the
| enclosure but which were not surrounded
with circles of benches. I've seen cock
| fights in Chicago many a time, and I've
seen them in San Antonio, Tex, the home
of the so-called sport in the United States.
! but these Cuban spectacular affairs go
away ahead Of anything of the kind L
ever ran up against before. And the worst
of it is that the people of the island love
the cock fights to such an extent that you
could as well abolish baseball here in In
dianapolis as you could put stop to the
| brutal sport down there in Cuba
| There is one spot in Indianapolis that
| appeals to every discerning actor and stage
| manager that visits the city, remarked
| one of the members of the 1.-TWO Little
| Waits Company which played at the Park
| Theater during the last half of the week.
1T is really quite fascinating to me. and
I never come TO this city that don't call
| around to feast my eyes on what 1 con-
slider the prettiest setting for play that
| could be found anywhere in the country,
| and the wonder of it is that as yet this
artistic picture in real life has never been
utilized by a dramatist or stage director.
| / refer to Christ Church--the view you get
/ of it you stand on Monument Place, OPP
posite English's Hotel. The architecture of
| the building is beautiful, reminding one of
| the church scene in Faust and the little
| green lawn lends a rare effect to the pic
| ture. Whenever view that scene find
| my imagination running away with me, as
| L see in my minds eye the same setting
| behind the footlights, with a pretty play
| being enacted. / was urprised to know how
many theatrical people have been charmed
with that corner of Indianapolis. Until
recently 1 was under the impression that 1
had been the only actor TO fall under the
magic spell of the picture, but of late /
have learned that 1 am only one of many
that have been admiring it for years."
| XXX
An employe in local brewery recently
received a prize of $500 resulting from the
purchase of a 25-cent lottery ticket, and
two weeks ago a clerk in one of the largest
banks on Washington street drew a prize
of $50 from a similar investment Human
beings are like sheep" complained a WELL
known lottery agent yesterday II have
sold more miserable little 25-cent tickets
during the last month or so than ever be-
fore since I've been in the business. Just
because two prizes have come this way
| through quarter investments everybody
seems TO think that the chances of strik-
ing a winner with a low-priced ticket are
better than with dollar one. 1t seems To
| be a game of follow the Henderson win
ners. rather-in this lottery business
Il often run up against some queer expe-
riences in going my rounds, but 1 never be-
fore have had such a raking over the Goals
as received few days ago from a board
| ing house landady on the South Side. She
had been investing in 25-cent ticket each
month for over a year. and, although she
had never won cent she always appeared
to take the matter philosophicalIy until the
i lact ffrx0a n Had