Page 55 - Cockfighting: an Introduction

ISSUE : Issue 55

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1990/8/1

it's one of the oldest sports that was ever known. Fighting roosters. Just depends on how you fight them. Anna Wilson: Wasn't it that fellow out Missouri--his biggest supplier was the Philippines. Jim; One of his biggest sup? pliers. So was the guy in California. It's legal there. (It's legal?) Oh, yeah, it's legal in 11 states right now. It's legal in Missouri, it's le? gal in Tennessee, it's legal in New Mexico, it's legal in Arizona. They've got big clubs down there. They're as big as the Holiday Inn in Sydney. You can go in I'll tell you how big they are: your entrance fee--for to be en? tering birds in the place--your entrance fee is Oh, you can't teach them, no. They're born, bred. You get roosters--yeah, they raise them. Like, Cape Breton is one of the oldest rooster-fighting places around. And I think that's why I had so much suc? cess. A lot of the old guys that I remem? ber when I was a kid, that had really top- $10,000. This guy I used to buy off in California, he was a millionaire--he's dead now. And he sold me his private stock. He told me I was the only man alive that ever got his pri? vate stock. And he said "The only reason," he said, "is because you live so far away-- up in Nova Scotia," he said, "there's no chance we're ever going to fight." I started to laugh. I said, "No. By the looks of the bankbooks and the en? trance fees, I don't think there's any chance we'd ever fight here!..." Anna: Ah, God, what a place he had there. Jim: He had 800 birds ready to go, the last time I was there. (So it's not just a matter of, take a rooster that's born here in Cape Breton, and teach him how to fight?) Jr'viAAgef'of We plan it all for you. 794-7251 158 QUEEN ST., NORTH SYDNEY line birds around here, were after dying, and theiii sons were after taking over. And they couldn't seem to breed them like the old fellows could. They were getting too in-bred, or losing their lines. You know, there's a lot more to breeding than what the average guy thinks. A lot of them, they think if a rooster's a good Wi ARI THE ,C7' OP YOUR HOME Geatoto TURNING A DREAM INTO REALITY With 3 locations to serve you RAEMAR Kitchens SYDNEY, N.S. B1P5S4 NEW GLASGOW, N. S. B2H 5E7 Tel. 902-539-5044 Tel. 902-755-2455 And through B & J BUYRIGHT, ANTIGONISH, N. S. B2G 2G9 • Tel. 902-863-6444

Cape Breton's Magazine