The Washington herald., 1914-04-19
VILLA DEVOTED
TO COCK fights
General Has Many Battles in
the Presence of His
Soldiers.
BUYS 1000 EACH YEAR
Search Through Writings of Ancients
Shows the Pastime Is an
Old One.
BUYS 1000 EACH YEAR
By ANDREW r. o.CoNoR.

81 will fight cocks in the City Of Mex
ico on July fourth. while you American!
are celebrating the birth Of your inde
pendence." remarked Gen. Villa to Mar
Cassidy. the famous starter of race
horses. who has handled the barrier a
the Juarez race track more than 100 days
each season since its organization five
years ago.
The game cock in question had just
won his twenty-first battle. armed with
the double edged ''slasher'' with which
those Of the Latin race are Won't to arm
their fighting cocks in battle This cock
was one that came in a shipment Of for
ty-eight, which Gen. Villa had received
from Col. Samuel J. Hester. of Hester
Abbeyville County. s c., who has been
supplying the Mexican military leader
with his feather gladiators for several
years.
Gen Villa continued Mr.. Cassidy.
lis the most remarkable man l have
ever known. I have. during the last five
years. met every revolutionary leader in
Northern Mexico. many of whom were
highly accomplished gentlemen. and
many of whom have made Mexican his
tory since the trouble commenced below
the Rio Grande. but Villa Is a man who
has never had the opportunity to acquire
even the rudiments of educatiOn-a fact
of which he is extremely sensitive-yet
he is. according to the hundreds OF mill
tary men with whom I have cOnversed,
the most wonderful organizer. the great
est fighter, the bestowed and worst
feared man in the Mexican republic. His
followers idolize him.
NinEIcs with His Men.
While attending the races or the cock
81.
while he was Juarez, he mingled freely
with his officers and men: he would ac-
cept or offer his cigarettes TO his ragged
followers or officers with the same cour-
tesv: he would lend or borrow money
from them when the occasion arose: he
made absolutely no distinction OF the
field. but in camp. he is the strictest
his officers and soldiers
have ever known. several of whom have
been in the service for years. No one
ever has seen him angry; under any and
all conditions his smile is visible. / have
seen him win and lose as much as Sl0-
90 on cock fights in a single night, but
his natural good humor never was dis
turbed.
81 have won enough on this cock, FL
Coronel. TO defray the expenses Of the
army for two months remarked Gen.
Villa. as he handed me the picture of
the South Carolina cock. which he de-
clared was the greatest fighter he had
ever seen.
"T have a contract with Col Hester
continued Gen. Villa. to buy loo game
cocks annually. II is the best investment
for the army, as fight them in the pres
ence of my soldiers, as did warriors Of
old. and l find that they are thereby in
spired with courage. which teaches men
to do as soldiers should in the line of
battle, still fighting, and unyielding to
the last expiring breath. which is char
acteristic of the rightly bred fighting
cocks"
In fighting cocks before his soldiers.
Gen. Villa is only following the example
which was set in the dim past by the
greatest general known to ancient his
tory, for We find that Themistocles. who
introduced cockfghting into Athens. aft
er the Persian war, was so impressed