Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-14

cellar where tDe 0OSS are 10 me0l-ioL tHo
Staten Island cops do make an effort to
stop this sort OF thing, and frequent
changes of location are often necessary
when the police get on the trail Of the
dog handlers.
The animals are generally "forty pound
erS' Of the bull-terrier species. trained.
to the hour by fellows who understand
the art OF expanding the innate fighting
savagery of CANNES of that species. In
all cases one of the dogs leaves the other
one dead in the pit, and Ii not infrequently
happens that the victorious dog dies. too.
after achieving the death Of the vanquish-
ed one. The fights between the dogs often
last for hours and when the animals get
through with each other they do not look
handlers Of the animals Is simply beyond
words. Not long ago a dog that was out
weighted and palpahiy toutclassed by the
animal he was matched against let out a
whine after he had been horribly mangled
for fifteen or twenty minutes by his too
powerful antagonist and made an effort TO
retreat His handler beat him to death
with a club. That spectacle made even
the men who surrounded the pit. not
few OF them, protest aloud. and inwardiy
declare that they would visit no more such
foul exhibitions. One hates to write or
microscopic picture of life as it goes
on over-this way 'ss 1s
Rat-Baiting Becoming Popular.
1t would seem as IL all of the features Of
the Bells Life period OF the brutalized Lon
don Of the early years of the nineteenth
century have been or are being revived in
and about New York at the present time.
Rat-baiting is a game that Is coming to
the front here now. It had its beginning
In Brooklyn few months ago, and it has
already crossed to this island. Not quite
the same class of spectators attend these
vile affairs as habitua1ly take In the pri-
vate mills, and the dog fights. neyerthe-
less they are men of some appearance and
address One of the rat-baitings happened
In an East Side livery stable about month
ago. Some 300 rats were turned loose by the
professional warehouse rat-catchers who
manage these affairs. to be shaken to death
by the terriers trained to that kind of
work. The "sport" of the game consists
in the betting on the terrier which sue
ceeds in killing the greatest number or
rats in the smallest space OF time. The
rats, of course, have no chance Whatever
the dogs simply break their spines with
shake as soon they are turned loose.
and that sort of thing, besides the betting
of it. is supposed to be sport" Absurdly
one-sded as Spanish bull-fght always Is.
1t is a dead even thing when compared with
these hopelessly disgusting rat-baitings. It
may be argued that, inasmuch as rats are
Euisances, it is all right to get them out OF
the way. But there are modern methods OF
getting rid of rats, particularly in New
York. without having them slaughtered in
the view of men who are charged so much
per head for the privilege of witnessing
Revival Of Cock-Fighting.
A few months ago the authorities of
Westchester county got after a number OF
prominent young men living up that way
most of them members of famous yacht
club-for engaging in the ancient and al
ways nauseating sport of cock-fighting.
The cock-fights of Westchester county were
becoming too largely attended by visitors
from New York, and the thing had to be
shut down upon. But 1t shows signs of re-
viving again, and it is already being tipped
that several big mains are going to take
place in the neighborhood Of White Plains
some time next month. Let 1t not be i'm
agined that these cock-fghting mains are
managed by the class Of "spohts" of ebony
skins who manage such affairs down in
Virginia and Maryland for the money there
Is in it. They are. on the contrary invita-
ton affairs exclusively. and they are par
ticipated in by so-called gentlemen who
own beautiful estates UP In Westchester
county. They fight their Chickens" purely
Tor gambling purposes and only their
friends are permitted to watch the con-
tests. The main that caused the investiga-
ton of the game a few months ago was at
tended by hundreds of New York club men
who actually went up to the place In West
chester county In which 1t was held in a
special train. Large sums of money al
ways change hands-as the sporting writer's
put ton these battles between the fight
ing chickens and the New York guests
their Westchester friends while the mains
are in progress The cock-fghting game
hasn't yet actually broken out on Manhat-
tan Island. but 1t is about due.
Question of "Wide Open" Town.
In connection with all this one who OBJ
serves the habits and trend of mind of that
very large element of New Yorks populace
which is called the sporting class" and
which includes representatives of every
station In life. is often. tempted to believe
that, after all, the wide OPEN New York
Is really better New York than the half
closed town. If, for example. there was a
workable boxing law, which permitted
clean contests and frowned upon pugilistic
fakirs to the extent of shutting them out
ness, the private mills" would no longer
be possible and the men Of position who
permit themselves to be tempted into at
tending the secret goes" only en- account
of the fact that they know that they are
protected by the very secrecy of the affairs.
would not degrade themselves by being seen
at the public affairs. which would be left
to the class of low foreheads who enjoy
that sort Of thing. 1t is to be understood
that all of these vicious kinds of contests
that have been described as taking place
on Manhattan Island and near by-private
scraps, dog fights rat-baitings and SO on
have sprung into existence since the activ-
fty, or at least the show of activity, of the
police against pool room betting began. and
since the boxing game was shut down upon.
The 'clearest minds over here have come
to the conclusion that the sporting ele-
ment" of New York is going to bet upon
something, no matter how the laws are
made nor how, they are enforced. II the
sports can't bet on the horses in the pool
rooms their "superfuous deviitry," as the
Rev. DR.. Parkhurst once called 1t, is going
to cause them to bet on dog fights and rat
baitings and smuggling matches between
plumbers apprentices
But, no matter how the situation is re-
garded 1t is certain that New York was
never before quite so vicious or so brutal
as 1t has been since the reformers informed
the sports" that they weren't going to
allow them to sport any more. C. L. C.
Mississippi Whitecappers Cowed.
"The 'whitecapper' element in Mississippi
has been thoroughly cowed by the deter
mined opposition shown by the courts and
officers Of the law, and the combined ag-