The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-05
COLLAR SAVED TOWN.
GnmecOck Twas Bet ON Won wOOn-
socket Back from Westport.


Woonsocket, r. 1.-The old sport
was sad as he sat in Steve walters
barnyard and watched a pair of UNI
spurred game chickens peck at each
other. Finally he gave vent to his pes
simism.
Look at them two chickens" he
nurmured. as if in pain; they don't
know no more about fightin' than
Plymouth hen. They don't raise no
game chickens as is game chickens in
these days Materially, cause they amt
no use for 'em. Cock fights is dead an
gone They have went tn way for
most of the sports of our ANCESTORS.
OF course, there is a cock fight now
an then but it's small fry; no count
bizness with mebby four pairs of birds
an a passle of three card monte
an shell game workers lookin' on an
maxim piker pets of a dollar on tn
hull main. In tn old days a cock fight
was wuth goin' far to see. OF course
there was supposed to be agin the
law, an they want held at meetin
time on Sunday in front of TIL church,
but you ginrally found all the consta-
bles at the pit without their badges.
Why, there used to be jest as much
civic pride ant patriotism in seem
which town, country or State could
raise birds that'd wallop tn birds of
any other town, country or State as
there wuz when Abe Linkum set the
niggers free. Whey, they used to post
pone meetins' of tn selectmen' and
school committee when there wuz
cock fight due to come off.
"A gamecock was a bird to valyer in
them days, an tn fellers that bred
each particular strain did as much hard
thinkn' as Ike Newton did when he
had that gravitation business in the
works I've seen 'em sit up night after
night watchin a gamecock that was
ailin', an tn only heir to a ancient an
honored name didn't receive no more
tender care than them game chickens
did. They fuss now a lot roun,, trott tin (
horses an thorerbreds, but faint
marker to the care them chickens used
to git.
WELL you kin jest bet on tn day
set for a main there want much else
doin' in town. AS l said. they wasn't
advertised by posters on trees or emmy
thin like that. but tn time an place
was pretty ginerally disseminated, an
there wasn't no need of guides to pint
out tn way. They wus ginrally held
in barn, an in the crowd that had
paid their money, just for pot to
make it interestin' you most alters saw
about all tn people that cut any finger
in that deestrict. 1t wasn't no dollar
bet proposition then. When things got
warmed up an each side won a main
or two there wuz sum pretty lively
speculation. Fellers yuzed to bet all
the cash in sight, an then gamble
their bosses an farms. One time a fell
Ter wanted to bet his wife, but there
wasn't no takers, which wasn't emmy
partickeller compliment to her.
reckerllect one main tween Woon-
socket birds an sum ROSTERS bred by
Teller down Fall River way, West
port, seems to me, twas, in which the
null two towns changed hands twice.
twas erbout tn queerest main l
ever see. Erbout every property owner
IN both places was there. First along
the Woonsockit birds TUX every fight.
Them Westport fellers was as game
as their chickens, an tn more they lost
IN harder they bet. We took all their
cash, an then they begun bettin' their
cattle and crop. We win them, an
they bet their carriages an farms
TOOLS an farms. We win them, an they
De their houses an furniture, an we
WIN them, too. Finally, them West
porters didn't own a thing but their
clothes an tn shooes they stood in.
OHHCQ lQGlT nun TOWN.,
scnoolheuses, graveyards an all.
Well, they bet their clothes, an by
al the loaded dice, if their birds didn't
WIN tn next main. The things begin to
went their way with a hum. They won
pdek tn schoolhouses. church an
graveyard on tn next main, an keep
~ II up, won back their cattle their
ARMS their houses an their entire
possessions. Then they begin to win on
s"oonsocklt. 1t took about four mains
nor Woonsockit to be wiped off the
W wa an an Westport to own it.. I tell you,
We Wu1 in desperit fix We didn't
even own our dogs. We bet our clothes
IW our shoes an our hats, an them
"estporters won them. 1t looked like
- Just have to give up an begin to
tooh Tor jobs in Westport tendn' our
iNH hogs. The Westporters wuz CIV
~ US the laff an askin' us if we had
ttiytnlng left to bet when 1 happened
~ w onlnk that tn only thing l hadn't
I ost was the paper dude collar 1 was
mearin. My wife had insisted on my
~ e% rim IT, cause I told her 1 wuz goin'
10 town meetin.'"
WeI,' 1 seq, all woonsocket has
sIr Ielt ts this ere paper dude collar Of
,mlie; II You want to bet Woonsocket
"Iich you have first won, against my
collar, why, it's a 60
wen, they wuz so cocksure of win
ing ing that they took the bet. We had
neIa our best birds for TIL time when
NJ he could do tn most good, an we Put
wv. YIN IN tn pit. Well, now, tell you
mere wuz some excitin' few minus
tisht then. The tail of my collar rest
~ win the long legged red Hackle. and
ne null of Woonsocket was attach
W.. 10 that collar. The westport bird
LUZ little cuss an a woful jumper
al, the way he dug his ticklers into
NJ, Dlrd made me feel as 1 did once
S %neh went to Block islam on a ruff
80; we thought our Teller was down
W., out, an wuz tryin' to figger how
wv tell our wives, when he jumped
~ an spiked that Westport bird to
81 PIT like as If a Carpenter had nail
~ MIN there. Well that one bird won
ne ne next four mains, am all the cash
u nae Westport crowd had stayed with
vo,,.i ~ you go into Jacks parlor there
te,dd Il see the bird. stuffed, on the man
ho,II,he last big main that was with
Tss., called a cock fight was up to
In place, just over the Scituate
-A44sst IN 1894 Naota,s, t,t~5- ~,..,,, ,,fttad