By: James
‘'Mac" White
Introduction
When Joe Mac
asked me to interview Jr. Timms, I said to him that it would be an honor and a
pleasure. Jr. has been a friend to me for about 16 or 17 years. He came with
the late Tommy Harvey who wrote many fine articles under to pen name “Longscore”.
For those of you who don’t know Jr., you should, and for those who never knew
Tommy (Longscore) Harvey, it is your
loss as he was one of the finest gentlemen to ever in our sport.
The Interview
Mac. Jr. how ure you?
Jr. Oh. Mac, I can’t complain, good to hear from you
Mac. Jr. Old Joe Mac want me to interview you ls that
okay with you?
Jr. Well. I’m honored, but don’t know why anybody would
want lo hear what I’ve got to say, but yeah, I’d be glad to.
Mac. how long have you had game fowl?
Jr. All my life, Mac, I'm 82 1/2 years old and I got my first
roster from my granmother when I was 6 or 7. She had some Old warhorse chickens
running around the barn and each year would give her a dollar a piece for two
or three. I fell in love with chickens and still do to this day.
Mac. Who helped you out the most when you were starting
out?
Jr. Grit and Steed helped me more than
anyone because I learned a lot about feeding and breeding and also about the
real good men.
Mac. Any famous men around you back then?
Jr. Yes, a man named Tobe Hester. He had a pit on Hester
Island and had some big fights there and some famous men like Andy O’Connor
came there, and believe it or not. Poncho Villa came there. There was a man named Mark Colbert who was at the
famous Main in New Orleans when Madigin fought Allen and Shelton. He got to be friends with Madigin and started
walking rooster for him. Madigin sent the fowl in by rail depot and he would
tie a red string around the leg of a special one and say “put him on a special
walk, I have to have him back”, i wound up with some from Mr. Colbert but don't
remember what I did with them. You know how we are, we let fowl slip away that
later we wished we had them back.
Mac. I guess we’re all guilty of that. What are the best
chickens that you’ve had?
Jr. Oh, I’ve had lots of good chickens because I’ve had
lots of good friends. I got some good Whitehackle blood from Pennsylvania
that’s been real good. I still have the little Gleezen Whitehaekles that you
gave to Tommy Harvey just before he died. They have been wonderful fowl. That’s
one in the picture with me. In 1958 Mr. Jack Teams gave me some Murphy blood
that Tom Murphy let him have. Did you ever hear of Jack Teams.
Mac. Yes, he was a famous referee at Orlando and St. Augustine.
Jr. That’s exactly right and he could get anything he wanted
from the men who fought there in the forties and the fifties. Anyway, Mr. Jack
told me that when the northern cockers like Dan O’Connor, Hatch, Marsh. Murphy,
etc., etc. started coming down, that a whole new ball gome started. Mr. Teams
said that if the shotgun cocks from the south didn't win quick that the
northern power cocks would start hitting those hard smashing blows and then it
was a matter of time before the fight was over. Mr. Teams asked Murphy for a
brood cock and Murphy said he’d send him one when he got back to New York.
Well, he sent a green leg cock down and said a lot of that blood was in the cocks
they were using. Mr. Teams thanked him but said he would much prefer a yellow
leg cock Mr. Murphy told Mr. Teams to send the green leg cock to the Mitchell
Brothers (Emmitt and fondren) and he would send him a yellow leg cock, which he
did. Mr Teams said Murphy sent a low stationed straight combed yellow leg cock
but no hens. He (Teams) said I bred the Murphy cock to some Boston Roundhead
blood I had (Teams) and bred back seven times to the Murphy cock. Mr. Teams let
me have them in 1958 and I still have them to day.
Mac. You say you still have them.
