Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-17
Cock Fighting in Days of Long Ago
Made Sharp Rivalry Among Cities

because public sentiment against it
was growing even then. In order to
revive an interest in 1t a big cock
fight. North Carolina against the Ma
tional Capital. was arranged TO be
fought in Norfolk, Va. The terms
were two thousand dollars the main
and a hundred dollars the fight, the
main to be II cocks the side. The
North Carolinians intended. if they
won, TO hold big ball to celebrate
their victory and invite half the
people in the county.
= = = :;
GIN the early seventies of the last
century came a young man into
North Carolina, plausible, handsome,
dashing, and worked at school teach
ing and novitiate preaching. In those
days, when communication was not so
easy as now, living % or 80 miles
from a railroad. without telegraphs,
made isolation more complete than
living three or four times that distance
today: and, not infrequently, men
with past sought out one of these
isolated communities in which to live
and try to come back as the saying
goes.
Life has many unfulfilled dreams
of coming back The dream still
goes on. Many try; few succeed.
There is an old saying, "A cat can run,
but il cannot outrun its tail; and, Mr..
Utterson, the lawyer in DR.. Jekyll
and Mr.. Hyde said. There is no
statute of limitation to the laws of
God Sometimes. it is the tale which
follows and wrecks the hope Of coming
back; sometimes it is old habits that
rise again.
THE sermons of this chap who went
into North Carolina were burrlingly
eloquent and he had following from
the start that grew rapidly. But he
was not content with the success
which came too easy. He undertook
reforming and began a crusade against
cock fighting. He drew up a bill TO
ing cock fighting a States prison Of
Tense, and he began stamping the
counties where cock-fighting prevailed,
advocating his bill.
He complicated his cause by fall
ing in love with the daughter of the
chief breeder of game chickens in the
whole South-a man named Gid Har-
rington. The girl wanted to be loyal
to her father and his friends, but 1
think the chap was too experienced in
ovemaking for her TO spurn him out
right, once and for all. as she should
have done.
I'm bravado, think, she named one
Of her fathers game-cocks ID. D., to
ridicule the young preacher. This
pleased all the sport followers might
lily, and one of them, Judge Turnboll.
sent her a pair of silver gaffs for
d. d. to wear.
"Of course, the fellows attentions
were not open. Her father would not
have permitted that. He used to see
her clandestinely. Thus things were
looking black for the cock fighters;
sentiment against their sport and the
popularity of the leader of the opposi-
ton to 1t were growing hourly Some
thing had to be done and done quickly.
Accordingly, the fight and ball were
planned.
x i i *
"GID HARRINGTON took 20 fight
ers from North Carolina to Nor.
folk, and I a like number from here,
and from these the main was made up.
The fight was held at Lamberts
Point on the Elizabeth River. Lam
berts Point is now only the name for
a locality in the borough of Norfolk.
but then IT was probably seven miles
away and had its own identity It
was the scene of many q cock fight,
riding tournament and of sporting
and gaming bouts of all kinds.
Virginia rules were agreed upon
since these prevailed in most of the
contests In the South. The choice of
weighing first fell to us and, accord
ingly. showing first went to our op-
ponents who, also, had the right to
match any one of our fighters they
might select against their choice from
dnons Their own.