DOMS

The Dominiques

Game Fowl News November 1926

It has been written that the Dominiques as we have them today were originated in this way: In the 1830s there was being bred on Rabbit Island, near New Orleans, La., some imported English-Spanish hens and a cock of the same. From this breeding came a stag that was different color markings from any that had ever before came from this mating. The owner took especial care of this stag, walked him well and when he was old enough took him to New Orleans and fought him.

When he was pitted the crowd laughed and called him a barn yard dung-hill. He was speckled yellow, blue and white, rose comb, yellow legs and beak. He walked in and made mince meat out of his opponent but everyone thought it was an accident. He was matched again and did the same work as before. His owner fought him time and again, always winning nicely. He was 3 years old and had never been bred from on account of his color.

Captain Warthall, an old river an, purchased him and brought him to Louisville, Ky., and gave him to two known well known cockers of that day. They saved him and bred him to some English hens. They saved all the pullets that came the color of the cock and bred the old cock back to them, and in this way in a few years they had a strain that was known all over the country as the Kentucky Dominiques.

The originals were yellow and blue Dominiques, yellow legs and beak, with the cocks generally having white tails, speckled with blue or yellow. The hens were either solid blue with dark eyes or mottled like a Plymouth Rock or pale blue or nearly white. In later years White Pyle was crossed on them and the rose comb bred off. At present they breed pure white, pale blue, mottled breast and hackle and saddle speckled. Some come pyle colors and some the regular Dominique color.

Tom O’Neal secured some of these fowl around 1886, and began to fight all comers.

In the early 80s [1880s] we never thought of a Dominique game fowl unless we thought of Tom O’Neal at the same time. As he was never an advertiser, and too as our country at that time had no game papers, you could readily imagine that their popularity was discovered through mains and the process of word of mouth and anxious ear.

When in the 80s [1880s] the first journal devoted wholly to pit games made its appearance Dr. J. B. Frymire was the leading advertiser of the Dominiques. It was not long before other men began taking up the advertising of other breeds, but Ohio, the Virginias and other states near Kentucky were hotbeds of Dominique breeders. In Kentucky the restraint concerning cock-fighting was synonymous with the sport of horse racing and fox hunting. Little or no opposition appeared, therefore the native sport state became the center of the Dominique breed, and its greatest activity. When Tom O’Neal began with the Dominiques he did not strive to breed them to the Dominique color. He was a cocker with a large following who had had his defeats and bore them gamely. O’Neal and James Waddell were at this time partners, and were taking on all the big ones of those days and annexing the receipts with ease. They fought the Doms up and down the Ohio river, made more than one trip down the Mississippi and took a whole main of Doms to New Orleans and won there. Afterwards O’Neal lost the oua tournament in New Orleans).

Wingate won 20 out of 21 battles. In those days they fought for sport as well as for money and it was no uncommon thing to continue the fighting after one side had won a majority. It was at this main that Sid Taylor, who later was affiliated with O’Neal and Waddell was impressed by the almost inconvincible Heathwoods, and which blood finally went into the Sid Taylor breed of Doms.

Something else surely went into the O’Neal fowl later on, as they bred many shades of dom colors and had yellow, white and even white legs with dark spots on them. I have seen pure O’Neal Doms that were white as any Leghorn, with clear yellow legs and red eyes. I have seen others white in both hens and cocks whose only variation in color was a few pencil stripes of red, black or yellow in hackles. Others were exact duplicates of the domestic American Dominique. Some with black neck hackles; some with brown and some with golden hackles.

O’Neal was at one time ailed the Champion cocker of America, but so was Denny Mahoney, Chas. Brown, William Morgan, Michael Kearney and Anthony Greene. Championships in these days rests but lightly with the laurelled brow – too many better ones in better fix than they were before are appearing and a championship that holds more than a year or two is one not often obtained, so let us only say that the Doms were champions of their day.

Some of us see the tournaments, but the majority have to content ourselves with reading about them. In these events a certain breed may win, but more often there are several bloods and colors in the winning entry, so that it is unfair to say that John Smith’s ?Bear Cats? won the tournament, when in truth John used three Bear Cats and more of other breeds whose breeding was not known to John himself. Mr. J. D. Gays breeding won two or three Orlando tournaments, and there as not the slightest hesitancy on his part to say that not all were Sid Taylors or not all were Doms. Both entered into the winning although I recall that the Sids were used the majority of the times. That Mr. Law chose the side Taylors does not detract from the rating of the good old O’Neal blood which can show more gameness. Fancier or better cutters than the Taylors were difficult to locate. So it remained a dark horse breed to run in under the Madigan entry at the next tournament, and the next tournament, and the next also which was won by the same blood under another name, and they were far from a uniform lot of cocks. They had condition and won, and they were exclusively short heel cocks bred in a short heel country and had no right to win according to the controversial disturbances among the long and short gaff enthusiasts.

I believe it was the Doms who by their steady work held both events for Law at Orlando; those old O’Neal Dom bloods sent this end of the U.S. by Mr. Gay are about as near one-style performers as cocks get to be. They will step in and show as pretty a bit of sparring as is rarely seen. They can get out of a tight corner with a wicked shuffle and go as high in a break as is necessary. I am not writing to uphold the merits of individual fowl, but rather the species.

Chappell Doms

The Chappells of S.C. crossed a black strain and a white strain to produce their Doms. While many showed true dominique color, some had a tendency to come speckled and even white. Merrill H. Smith closely inbred some of them and about 30 % came slate-legged, low stationed, pea combed black fowl with broad, flat-iron bodies. About 30 % came yellow legged, high stationed, round bodied white fowl with large tassels. The other 40% came all shades from speckled to dominique.

The Chappell Doms

It is a great honor that I be given the privilege of presenting to the public for the first time, a written history of a Grand old strain of game fowl affectionately known as the “The Chappell Doms.” The Chappell Doms were born of an importation of a single pair from England by one W. R. Smith of Lawrence, S.C. near Cross Hill. In the year 1855 all of Mr. W.R. Smith’s Doms were acquired by J.W. Chappell who bred them in their purity along with his brothers Henry and Jim. The brothers Chappell, with J.W. leading the way built quite a reputation for breeding and fighting cocks of exceptional quality by taking on all comers near or far and fighting every year for 50 Years in and around Columbia, S.C. The Chappells and their Doms migrated to Alabama and settled in the town of Falkville just north of present day Cullman. The Chappells along with their strain of Doms have remained on the same farm for numerous generations while maintaining the Doms as a strain with minimal outside influence. There are 4 documented infusions of outside blood used to maintain this family. A Spanish Cock called Santa Ana used by J.W. Chappell, an Arlington cock used by J.W. Chappell, a Mingus Dom cock in the 1970’s used by Jerry Chappell and turning them over to his son Kris, the 6th generation to carry on the family has added the blood of the Sureshot Dom from Mr. Scott Gay in 1991. Kris has maintained them as is from that time to present day. It is of interest to note that Mr. F.D Mingus used the Chappell Dom blood in maintaining his famous strain of Doms as well. After Nearly 150 years this Grand old strain of fowl still maintain the winning traditions of their originator. J.W. Chappell of South Carolina. In 1998 Kris won a prominent 5 cock gaff derby showing pure Dom nest brothers. In the year 2000 he won another prominent 6 cock knife derby. In 2001 Kris partnered with Brian Corkren and won the Jerry Ellard Tribute at Hickory along with several other derbies which culminated with winning the Cocker of the Year Award at Hickory fighting Chappell Doms and Corkren Sweaters respectively. 2002 was a repeat success for the Chappell/Corkren team winning Cocker of the Year for the second consecutive year at Hickory. Kris has recently returned from the Philippines where he and his partner scored a 3-1 record with the Doms in the Cavite Int. Long Knife Derby. Mr. J.B. Chappell compiled a record of the Chappell Doms to be submitted to Grit and Steel for publication yet it was never submitted. I have included a complete transcription of his original history and have forwarded a copy for of the original to Grit and Steel for filing and hopefully publishing. I have also transcribed several letters from customers and friends of the Chappell family which will give some insight into the family and fowl. There will be highlighted links throughout the history that will allow viewing of the original documents as written in Mr. J.B. Chappell’s hand and I will do the same for the letters that I have included. I am truly honored to have been given the opportunity to associate with the Chappell family and find them to be of unquestionable character and true lovers of game fowl just as their ancestors were. They have protected the sanctity of this family for generations and feel it is time to honor the one that started it all. Kris, I am truly grateful.

You’re Friend

Brent R. Scott (tnerb)

The Chappell Doms

Grit and Steel: As I have been called on several times to write the history of my Chappell Doms, I will endeavor to tell you all I know about them. In 1855 my honored old father J.W. Chappell (1st) got them from W.R. Smith of Lawrence, S.C. near Cross Hill S.C. W.R. Smith was an old bachelor and very rich; also a true lover of a game cock. This W.R. Smith went to England to a horse race and cocking main. There he saw those Doms fight and was so impressed with their fighting and true gameness he paid a fancy price for one cock and one hen. He brought them home with him and found they were exceedingly fast and dead game. J.W. Chappell, my father, bought every Dom chicken W.R. Smith had; and Smith never fighting anymore. Two years after my father got these chickens he fought them and almost every one won their fights. Later on J.W. Chappell and his brothers Henry and Jim Chappell fought a fifteen cock main with one Rob Franklin of Columbia, S.C. whipping Franklin every fight in the main. Mr. Franklin saw that they were the best fighters he ever went up against and he insisted on my father fighting a main with one Mr. Liverman, of Augusta, Ga. My father fought the main with Liverman and won for a big amount. I don’t recall how much, anyway, they matched eighteen cocks, the Chappells winning every fight also the main. Afterwards, father fought a Mr. Ben Brazzle near Columbia, S.C. and made a clean sweep of the Sandy Hill Boys.

The Chappells of South Carolina fought those Doms every year for fifty years in Columbia, S. C. The hardest fighting J.W. Chappell ever did was against Nickerton of North Carolina; Mr. Phil Joiner of Columbia, S.C. made a main with Arlington of N.C. showing eighteen Chappell Dom cocks and Nickerton cocks were the hardest cocks to whip the writer ever saw. Now as to the color of the old pure Chappell Doms. At first they were white almost. They are known all over the South as the Chappell Doms. The old white Doms all have Tassells or Top Knots. As to the Rosecomb cross in them, this came from a Spanish cock that J.W. Chappell got from a Mexican and he called this cock after a Mexican General Santa Ana. This rose comb cock was a dangerous cock winning eleven battles in J.W. Chappells hands.

J.W. Chappell bred one of those Arlington cocks over some of his Dom hens and that cross proved to be the best cross that we Chappells ever made. The Arlington cock killed a Chappell Dom lying on his back, Mr. Pom? Floyd of Newberry, S.C. paid $50.00 for this Arlington cock and gave him to me and I bred him over five of my fathers Chappell Dom hens; and some of our Doms have some of that blood in their veins now. J.W. Chappell was the first Chappell that brought those Doms to the front. J.W. Chappell had those Doms before the Civil War between the north and the South. Just before my father went to the war he left his Dom chickens with Mr. Ben Wells, in Lawrence, S.C. Ben Wells was a true lover of a game cock, and kept my fathers Doms in their purity. Mr. Wells was a fine gentleman. In 1891 at Atlanta, Ga. Fought Tennessee a main; eleven matched. Chappell of Alabama furnished Tennessee the cocks to fight in this main. Tennessee whipped Atlanta ten out of eleven fights with J.B. Chappell Doms and crosses.

J.W. Chappell, my father, died about twenty one years ago.

Signed

J. B. Chappell

Falkville, Ala.

J.W. Chappell the founder of the strain in S. C.

J.B. Chappell son of J.W. migrated to Ala.

O.B. Chappell son of J.B. Falkville, Ala.

J.W. Chappell son of O.B. Falkville, Ala.

Jerry Chappell son of J.W. Falkville, Ala.

Kris Chappell son of Jerry Falkville, Ala.

Six generations of pure Chappell Doms.

O’Neal Doms

Tom O’Neal of Louisville, KY., said that he gave an old Irishman $40 for a trio of dominique chickens many years ago, and they are what were later, and are today, known as the O’Neal Doms. They have been very successful strain. The come light and dark doms and some are almost white. Have yellow or white legs and usually red eyes. Run in weight from 4:08 to 6:00 and are said to be good cutters in any style heels.

Gee Doms

Dr. James T. Gee, who originated this noble strain of game fighting fowl, was born at South Hampton, Va. , March 8, 1821 and died at Burnsville, Alabama, February 19, 1891. For forty years Dr. Gee stood the undisputed champion cocker of the south. The Gee Doms are also known as the Georgia Doms. The first Dom was the result of a cross of a Black Sumatra cock on a White Pyle hen, the results of this cross which came in light and dark blues were then crossed on a strain called the heatherwoods–a cross of the Earl Derby and a Red Pyle hen imported by Ed Heatherwood. This cross ws in color a dirty white similar to the Dusty Millers. This cross was then bred back on the original cross and produced a beautiful fowl of light and dark blue color with typical Dom markings, which were known as the Blue Champions of the South. Dr. Gee and “Dad” Gleezen fought them together. “Dad” Gleezen then suggested a cross of the Doms with one of his best Whitehackles which turned out to be a wonderful success. The Dr. Gee Dominiques are the oldest strain of Dominiques in the country today, as they had been going strong for more than 20 years when Dr. J.W. Cooper described them in his Standard Edition of “Game Fowls” published in 1869. They run in weight from 4:08 to 6:08 in condition. In color they come all shades of the Dominique, guinea, red or orange dom and quite frequently one comes pure white. Have very red eyes and yellow legs, extra fine feathers and stong tail and wings, and aside from their pit qualities, are a very handsome fowl. The Dr. Gee dominiques have qualified in both long and short heels, and competent cockers say they fail to see where they do any better in long heels than in short ones, for they seem to be at home in either style. As long as the sport of cocking lasts, the name of Dr. Gee will be heard, and so long , also will the birds be bred that the Doctor originated, for they are too grand a strain to ever fall into decay. Mr. J.E. McLaurin, of Salida, Colorado, is perhaps the foremost breeder of this strain, he having bred them pure for more than forty years at the present time.

Cassidy Doms

This strain of Doms, was originated by R. Cassidy, of Sioux City, Iowa, in 1913, by blending the bloods of the Minton, Chappell and Harvey doms. They come all colors of the dom family, and run in weight 4:12 to 7:00. Have mostly yellow and white legs and red eyes. They are good in any length heels, and are considered extra good finishers on a down cock. Absolutely game, fast scorers and good cutters. Mr. Cassidy is one of the formest of present-day breeders, backed by many years experience.

Giant White Doms

This is a large strain that was originated by George Hathaway, of Independence, Iowa in 1920. To Dom hens he bred a buff colored cock that was 5-8 Dom and 3-8 Jap, and weighed 8:08. The cocks come white with a few dom feathers throughout the body. Have yellow legs and red eyes and both straight and peacomb. They come about 80 % shakes, and are said to be very fast for large birds.

Sure Shot Doms

This strain was originated by the late Quinn E. Robb, of Springfield, Mo.We have been informed by parties who were closely associated with Mr. Robb that he used the old Minton Dom, White Tails and Grist Champion in their making. They come all shades of dom, with yellow and white legs, red eyes, straight and peacomb, and run in weight 4:06 to 6:00. A classy pit fowl, being good cutters and great shufflers.

Pittsburgh Dominiques

These were originated around 1800 in York County, Pa., by breeding a 7 pound Pittsburgh cock over a Virginia hen. Along hten a dominique colored cock was considered a rank dunghill and often he was given weight and odds bet against him, sometimes as much as 2 to 1. Many raised them especially for this purpose. Their fame soon spread over Pa. , Md, and W.VA, and were still fought in their purity around 1850. About the same time Gad of Fayette, Pa., was getting odds the same way with his Muff fowl as they too were considered dunghills at that time.

School House Doms

Osa Lentz and Lewis A. Lentz of Kentucky originated these about 50 years ago by breeding an Irish cock raised at an old school house in Browns Lane near Barbourville, Ky., over Dom hens from Tom O’Neal of Louisville, Kentucky. Lewis was still fighting and selling these in 1951 when a tornado and thieves wiped his stock out twice in succession.

Harveys Shuffling Doms

This strain was originated by W.L. Harvey, of South Carolina, about twenty years ago, and are well favorably known all over the Southern states. They contain the bloods of G. Perk Huddleston Doms, an old strain of Cuban Doms, Thompson Whites, Pea Soup Pyle, Arkansas Traveller and dom blood from O’Neal, Dr. Frymire and H.B. Spencer. Theyare medium to high station; mostly straight combs with yellow legs and come in all shades of dominiquer color. Cocks are very aggressive and good finishers.

Chet

The actual originator of the Chets was the late Al Ashton. He had Joe Wolfe feeding his cocks; they fought a little cock several times and proved a sensation. In breeding, this bird was an even 4way cross of OK Roundhead, Red Quill, Butcher Boy and Mortgage Lifter.

Ashton had two cocks half Tuzo Jap and half Rood Brownred, they were several time winners. After fighting these particular birds. Chet Robinson, a policeman who never fought a cock but a convivial companion was present. Ashton asked Robinson to take a sister to his half Jap, half Brownred and the 4way cross cock and breed them in his backyard.

Chet Robinson did this and raised two clutches of chicks, more than half stags, approximately fifteen. When big enough to pick up, all were brought to Ashton. These stags won from four to 21 fights each and were mated for several years. All looked alike and fought alike?just about whipped everyone in the far west for years. Ashton was a good breeder and feeder, one of the best in pen walking cocks.

All Chets were uniform; green-legged, peacomb and whippoorwill color for a period of years. They were bred and inbred for several generations and occasionally a straight comb appeared.

Ashton fought hundreds of cocks each season and won his share. Very few people ever received a pure Chet from him. The first man to ever secure any Chets was the late Bill Stevenson?in turn he let Bill Hentges have some and the latter won a grand majority for several years. Later on Hentges infused a trace of Nigger Roundhead in his and they turn were good for a few years. It was evident the yard of the latter had a race of donkey in them and it started to show up.

I imagine the most exciting main ever fought on the west coast was between Ashton and the Reno (Nevada) Cockers. Twenty-one were shown and fought, and as I recall Ashton won seventeen—Don Carse handled for the winner.

The writer paid an even hundred for a Chet cock he was handling for Al in a fight won with one leg. Carse secured an old hen, sister to Peanut, a Chet winner of 21 battles. Carse and myself bred the pair and started our Chet. Later on, after Al knew we had the real McCoy he would exchange pure ones with us. As has been stated, very few men ever got a hen and a cock from Ashton.

I know of one fellow, here on the East Coast, who advertised for some long time, offering pure Chets?he never had over three quarter Chet blood. Just one time, lasting but a day, he entered Ashton?s yard when the latter was away and ?appropriated? a hen. The neighbors told Al what had happened. It so happened he had a cocker friend who was a highway patrolman and he made a quick trip and brought the hen back.

The incident is mentioned to illustrate how difficult it was to obtain a pure Chet.

Very few cockers know how good a cocker was Al Ashton?few can say they ever beat him. I did defeat him in his last main which was fought at the age of 83. He was as sharp then as most cockers are at 25. He passed away several years ago at the age of 86 and to the time of death fought his cocks. At one main, he told me he had no more pure Chets left. Ashton was a friend of the writer and I acquired much chicken knowledge in our association. It was on his place I saw pen walked cocks for the first time.

A closing tale on the Chet origination?Ashton and Robinson visited me one day. Chet had been struck by a car receiving a broken leg. He was using a walking stick. I asked where they had been and Ashton replied, we have been looking for Chet?s cane. Seems they had been imbibing and he had thrown it away. Further, this is the true breeding of the Chets, anyone can take it from here

Black Mcraes

By Bluff Creek

William McRae

The black mcraes were bred from jack wactor of nigger trotter and calvin hux kelso..they come several; different collors from black reds to black,to light reds to dark light reds with red or black eyes…..william has known the wactor family for almost 1/2 a century.,and got 100 baby stags every other year..william started buyin them from Sam and later JACK and sold them soley to fight in the philipines,after the vietnam controversy he started sellin to the hawaiian islands and all acrosss the us because of the popularity of the long knife…….William McRae also had put some griffen clarret in his blacks at one time along with some democrat from blondy……..the black macraes are strongly infused of nigger round head and hux kelso…as up to the year 2000……they can fight and born to boogie ..William macrae was on one of the 1st long knife men to ship from the states to the philipines and was around about the korean war to my knowledge… AND started sending the blacks after the vietnam contoversy….he has been a supplier well over 3 0r 4 decades….. A very nice gentlemen indeed-he also stated that the lk birds had to be deep game to compete in compitition,not like you hear today that they dont……..i agree with william,game chickens that can fight like hell ,and fly in a fight can deliver and get out of the way is best for this type of fighting….he was one

of the first legends to supply and dominate the long knife in the 60s , 70s and early 80s…then he became a supplier…but he had an eye for chickens if that makes any sense…

William was a breeder and produced fowl that he had acquired… to my understanding he had got some clarrets from griffen along with some round heads from blondy roland along time back…they were pretty decent fowl and macrae fought them and i cant say how he bred them..but i do know its true about his black fowl that made him a reputable breeder for long k fanciers..an to be honest -i believe the yellow legged p comb democrats from the paytons to be bred similar to the red macres that they inherited-or recieved from blondy while he was in the hospital of the last round head infusion- blondy liked the green legged st comb ones best…. mcraes reds were very reputable fowl…and looked like the democrats of the paytons…..mcrae got em from blondy and griffen long before bobby and buddy payton had em…. hope ya can find more about them red mcraes……

Albany

By: E.T.Piper (August 1965)

Every time we read in a game journal or hear someone arguing about how a famous strain was bred, it used to make us smile. Now, after a lot of developing into the history of present day families of fowl, it makes us laugh right out loud. If any man ever hit the nail on the head, it was Henry Ford when he said, much to the disgust of our scholarly element, “History is the bunk!” Much of the history taught in our schools is just that, or at its best inaccurate reporting of past events, and all game fowl history is absolutely bunk. Ninety-five percent of us gamefowl breeders don’t know how our own fowl are bred further than two or three generations back. A whole hell of a lot of us are not positive how last season’s chicks were bred, and them right on our own yard at that. Sounds silly, but it’s true.

Let’s take the Allen Roundheads as a well-known example. We know they were good. I can show you a man who claims to have letters from Allen in which he claims his strain was kept good by careful inbreeding. I can show you another who says he has letters to prove the best cocks Allen ever showed were crosses of Green’s Japs; and still another who contends the best Allen ever fought, and this over a period of years, were not bred by Allen at all, but sent him each year by a New England saloon keeper. And, all three of these men claim to have positive proof of their contentions. What’s the difference how they are or aren’t bred, or who bred them? If they are good today, that’s what you want and need. If they aren’t good, a silly pedigree of long, pure breeding isn’t going to improve them a particle. Recently, we talked to a well-known cocker and a competent man. We asked him about some fowl he had tried out for three years. He said, “I had to get rid of every drop of the blood. All the damned things would do is stand there like fence posts and take whatever the other cock handed them.” Now, we happen to know a considerable amount of those fowl and their owner. He can write out the pedigree of any chicken on his yard and trace it right back to 1865 or ’70; not another drop of outside blood in all those years. They are famous today among paper fighters. Yet, compared with today’s best cocks, they are positively jokes. Keeping pedigrees of animals and birds was begun simply because it furnished (for future reference) a record in writing of how outstanding individuals were bred, who their fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, and the proper place for their pedigrees is in the trash can.

In two different issues of the Warrior some time last summer, we gave you the history of the Albany fowl; one of today’s winning strains of fowl. We had been much interested in these fowl for the past 9 or 10 years, or longer, ever since we saw some of them back in 1930 or ’31. Since then, at every opportunity, we have tried to get a line on how they were originated and bred, up to today. Finally, we thought we had it right and gave in to you. On a recent trip to Troy, we found out it was only approximately correct, so, here it is again. If you are tired of reading our stuff on these fowl, we don’t’ blame you a bit, and promise this is our last word on the Albanys. Back years ago or more, Mr. hatch of Long Island, N.Y., fought a main in Eastern New York. When we arrived home, he found someone had stolen three cocks from his shipping coops, the ones he had taken along for the main. Two of them were yellow legged and one a green leg.

While the men who have us our information said they would take their oaths they didn’t know who stole these cocks, they did know who eventually got them. The two yellow legs were bred and produced nothing worthwhile. “Army” Fox of Utica, N.Y. got the green leg. He was a large, straight comb, broad backed, dark red, with green legs. Army later talked with Mr. Hatch about having the cock, and he told him what he was, that all of that family were straight combs, etc. Army said he would send and get him. His friend told him the cock had died, and that he wasn’t his type of chicken anyway. However, he had raised two or three stags form him , and a hen that was in breeding, Pogmore Whitehackle and Henny, and offered to send Army one of the stags. When he arrived, he was a beautiful, long feathered, large stag, black and red in color. He was bred to the Slade Roundhead hens and a dozen or so stags were produced. About half of them looked like Hennies, and while game, better than the Hennies, and that’s about all that could be said of them.

About this time and for some years previous, Tom Foley of Troy, N.Y., had a strain of extras good ginger colored fowl, and Army Fox sent to him and asked for a good cock to breed. Just about this time, and Albany crowd one of his Gingers, a spangle (and the only one out of 50 or so to come that color), to fight in the main. He was a big cock and didn’t fall in (but in a hack after the main won a very classy battle), and was sent on to Army Fox for a brood cock. Army bred him to the pullets, or perhaps hens by then, that were sisters to the Henny stags that were out of the Hatch Pogmore Henny cock and Slade hens. This mating, for some unknown reason, produced all very small fowl, 4.0, 4.04, 4.06, etc., too small for practical purposes although they were exceptional fighters and very game. Practically all of them were given away. Shortly after this, Army met a friend of his in Albany, whom we must refer to as Mr. X. He had always had gamefowl, but a few years before had gotten into politics. At that time, he gave up the fowl. Army suggested he get back in the game again, that new blood was needed among the big shots, and especially new blood with a bankroll. He laughed and said perhaps he would, but where would he get good fowl? To make a long story short, he took the pullets or hens Army had that were bred from the Foley Ginger cock and hens that were ½ Slade Roundhead, ½ hatch-Pogmore Henny. He got, form the Hardy Bros. Of Niagara Falls, one of their Mahogany cocks known as “The Sneak” (due to a habit he had of ducking under his opponent) and bred them together. This mating produced what were known as the strait Albanys; very uniform, awfully game cocks, but not good enough to compete with the topnotchers. From here on, our previous writings on these fowl are correct. A Pine Spangle was bred tot he Albany hens and produced cocks that were invincible for five or six years.

When he died, a Claret cock bred to the same hens and other Clarets down to Mr. X’s “Caseys” of today were what he had. Offshoots of the family have proven awfully good. The Bradford fowl, Laws Clippers, Hard, Cox fowl, Keefer, and many more all contain the blood. In spite of the numerous and varied crosses that have been made, these fowl today are surprisingly uniform in looks and in action and winning qualities. We know of nothing better, not few as good.

ED PINE, FRANK STRYKER AND THE ALBANY COMBINE

By: E.T. Piper

Ed Pine was born and lived all his life at south Cairo, New York in the foothills of the catskill mountains. It was also home of Frank Stryker, another cocker, don’t get Frank Stryker and Jack Stryker mixed up. Jack lived in New Jersey and had fowl of various kinds, including greys. they were not related and it `s doubtful if they were acquainted with one another. Frank Stryker eventually became a member of what some refereed to as the “Albany combine” that is Billy Lawman, John Hoy and others who controlled the Lawman white hackles and muffs : considered by men living today, who saw them in their prime, as the greasiest fowl ever to land on these shores. they came to Billy lawman at Schenectady, new York from his father in the north of England near the Scottish border, hence the name “north brittions” which, I believe, was first applied to them in this country, in the early 1900 `s, frank Stryker was fighting a family of Charley Brown Shawlnecks that were very good fowl.

This was in what cockers have always referred to as “eastern ‘New York State and the vicinity, which included south Cairo. Stryker was very successful with his Shawlnecks and was considered quite a cocker. along about this time, john hoy moved to Albany, N.Y. from Brooklyn/NJ, in short order, he became associated with Billy lawman with his muffs and white hackles. hoy was an outstanding cocker and feeder, and he and lawman soon began going to town with their fowl, one of their early victims was frank Stryker and his shawls. friend `s of frank tried to console him by saying he got some tough breaks, but he was too smart a cocker to swallow that. he said the cocks that beat him were the best he ever saw, that he would not only never try to beat them again, he was going to try to and get in with hoy and lawman and get some. that is exactly what he did, he crossed them over his charley brown shawls and began going to town with the cross. they where outstanding fowl in every way Lawman and Hoy fought some of them and did equally well with them. they { the cross} became known as Stryker whitehackles.

Shawlnecks and white hackles have always been almost identical in appearance and the cross made a family outstanding, typical whitehackles. in referring to these fowl , i say the cross made the stryker whitehackes,but i may be and probaly am, in error there for this reason,after stryker got in with Hoy and Lawman, he could get anything from them he wanted.exactly how he bred from then on no one would know for sure.all that is known for certain is that the stryker white hackle were a combination of blood of Lawman whitehackle and Charley Brown shawl. probaly, if the lawman blood was as outstanding as it was claimed, he leaned in that direction with his breeding and put in more lawman blood,cutting down on the shawl. the combine went to town to beating everyone as Billy lawman said, from new York City to buffalo, NY it has been said they beat Kearney and Duryea five times out of six and Dennis mahoney and many others old-timers. mahoney died in 1907, so many of these mains must have been between 1902 and 1907 when mahoney died. i believe John Hoy fed most of their mains. there were no tournaments or derbies in those days.

somewhere between 1902 and 1915 which is closer to the time Stryker died, Ed Pine, was a tall,gamgly young fellow and helped Stryker work his cocks and also walked them, Stryker had been a butcher and it was said his wife was an Indian, or part Indian, who knew nothing about and cared less about her husband `s chickens. so when Stryker died suddenly, Ed Pine fell heir to all of the Stryker fowl. from then on, they were known as Ed Pine `s strykers.lawman dided somewhere between 1911 and 1920, and Hoy went along with his lawman fowl and pine with his Stryker fowl. both did exceptionally well. hoy died in 1929 but had been inactive several years previous due to old age. Pine, between 1915 and 1935 when for practical purposes quit the game. probably fought more mains and won a larger majority than any cocker who ever lived in this county.

Thomas W. Murphy, Murphy Whitehackles

Posted by GAMENESS TIL THE END on 2012/07/01

Thomas W. Murphy

Early Stags By (Frank Shy) Narragansett

Forty or fifty years ago Thomas W. Murphy was invincible in stag competition. He won 49 stag mains without a loss against top competition. In cock mains he won a good majority, but with his stags he was unbeatable.

In time, competition got wise to his method of superiority. What Tom was doing was to hatch out his stags in his basement in March or early April, make his stag mains in late February or early March when his own stags were approximately a year old and his opponent’s stags were only 10 months, or less. Tom would not make a stag main after May 1. He had lost all his advantage by that time.

After a while “the boys” got onto the system and started to hatch out their stags earlier and earlier. Today I notice a tendency to hatch out stags in January or February, or even in December. This is not so good. Like all other developments, we are apt to carry a good thing too far. The advantage comes in fighting a year old stag against a 10 month old stag, but not necessarily by merely having an older stag.

I learned this the hard way some twenty five years ago when I was fighting in a big stag derby in Scranton, Pennsylvania in mid-June. My prize stag was a little 4-04 hatched in March which I thought was invincible. To my great disappointment I could not use him in the derby because he was too small. No other stag entered was smaller than 4-08 and I was not willing to concede that much weight with so small a bird. After the two day event was concluded in which I did not win much, if anything, I found a fellow who had a little 4-02 which I could match and hope to recover some of my entry fee. But the fellow would not fight for much; said his stag was only 10 1/2 months old, so I gave him odds to get the match which I was sure would be a walk-over. To my astonishment he licked the daylights out of my 15 month old stag!

Years later I learned the reason. After a stag has been cooped for over seven months he becomes coop stale and starts a pre-mature moult, although such moult may not be apparent. He is not nearly as good in the pit as he was two or three months previously.

So you fellows with the early hatched stags plan to fight them early when they are eleven, twelve, thirteen months old. Don’t wait until they get fourteen or fifteen months old. They are going down hill by that time.

More-or-less, the same thing applies to fighting stags against cocks. If you have some real early hatched stags, say December or January, you can fight them against cocks in November or December and do pretty well because at such time the cocks are not yet fully recovered from their moult and you have an advantage. But don’t try to do it after January 15, by which time the cocks are at full strength and much stronger than stags.

Date of Death: March 20, 1967

Murphy Whitehackle

by Full drop {October 1969}

Unfortunately Mr. Murphy was a reticent man, not only about chicken his chickens but everything in his life. He considered his affairs his own business and saw no reason to discuss them with any others, particularly acquaintances. Had he been willing to discuss his experiences with game chickens, he could have passed on some information to fraternity that should have been and, I believe, would have been of tremendous value to all of us, particularly in regarding to breeding.

From the time I first saw him at Troy, NY , fighting a main, in late 1920’s until 1942 , he showed consistently the most uniform fowl I have ever seen show. Don’t misunderstand me, he could be and was whipped quite often. but, he won a big majority of his mains and win or lose, his fowl looked and fought alike. As I recall, he won, during his career in cocking, forty-nine stag mains and lost none.

But let’s go back to the beginning, and please remember much of what I write is hear say.

I was not around ninety years ago when he was born, but I am beginning to feel I was. In spite of the fact he was part owner of Schley and Company. A large brokerage firm.

He was born only Long Island, NY. And at the age of 14 he began working around the harness horse track near his home. The owner of the horses and the trainer to a liking to him helped him in many ways. After he got to driving, some of the owners, who were in one-way or another interested in the stock market, gave him tips on the market, helped him financially.

Many of the Horsemen were interested in cockfighting. And, at the time, when Murphy descended two get into it on his own, cocking was in full swing the in and around you New York City.

Presumably, he had made his mark has a harness driver and had money to do what he’d please. It was said at one time three or four horses owners he drove for had deposit in Syracuse, New York bank $100,000 which he could draw on at any time for he saw a horse that, in his opinion, would do them some good. Eventually, of course, he became one of the greatest harness horse drivers of all times. As far as I know, he bred no horses at any time. He bought what he thought were good ones in broke records with a great many of them can.

When he got ready to go into cocking in a big way, he, of course, needed good fowl to go began thus began, what some have called, the quest internal. He could have gotten fowl from most anyone he desired the beginning of the independent nature he wanted his own and didn’t want anyone to know what they were, or where they came from. He’d begin buying fowl here and there and got exactly nowhere. From the little I knew of Murphy, I am convinced no one ever knew, or ever will no, exactly what his fowl where or where he got them.

There are two stories about it. Nick Downes, an old Irish man who worked for him for 30 , claimed the Murphy fowl were Lawman Whitehackles. John Hoy, a great cocker around 1900 until his death in 1929, work for Murphy for seven years as a feeder and, Hoy was associated with Billy lawman and had the Lawman Whitehackles and muffs. He took some of the fowl to Murphy’s place and a great many of the a more breed, raised and fought by and for Murphy. And, after hoy left Murphy, some of the fowl remained. They were the fowl Murphy continued to raise and fight.

Another version of the a Murphy fowl is this; a horse men visited Murphy onetime and went to a main he was fighting. This was before Hoy which to work for Murphy. He lost the main, and the Horsemen who knew something of cocking told Murphy his fowl were no good, and if he intended to continue main fighting he would have to get something better. Murphy told him he knew that, but did not want to get him from Friends or men he would be fighting against, and he didn’t know where else to get them. The Horsemen asked him if he was willing to pay a good price for fowl and he told him he would. Then promised to get him some good ones. Not long after that, 15 chickens arrived, either five Cocks and team hens or ten Cocks and five hens, from Long John Murphy of Ontario, Canada. A bill came with them for $1,500. I know that Murphy did get out from Long John Murphy on several occasions, because his son is still very much alive and knows about it. At the time in Canada, there was a family of Whitehackles fowl that were saved to have been some of the best fowl to land there. They came to Canada from Ireland, and long John had some of them, although he wasn’t the man who imported them. Long John Murphy also had some Duryea fowl. As I recall, Long John Murphy’s son said he sent Murphy, at one time, 12 Cocks that were half the Whitehackles blood and half the Duryea blood.

So, the readers can take their choice as to have the T.W. Murphy fowl were bred and where they came from. It is not only possible, but probably, that Murphy combined the blend of the Long John Murphy and Lawman Whitehackles was to make his own family.

As stated above, the Murphy fowl were very uniform in every way, looks, fighting style and gameness. They were sort of a rusty red with white in wings and tail, call straight comb and all yellow legs and beaks. I have heard that some of his fowl came with white legs, and that he killed them. It was also said when fowl was shipped to him from anywhere he removed the shipping labels so no one would know where they came from. I can believe that as he was one of the most secretive men I have to ever know.

One time, he was fighting Marsh a main at Troy and to be surprised if everyone came in with a main of stags that looked as though they might be red quills or crosses of red quills. They whipped Marsh six straight fights and won the main. No one ever knew what they were or where they came from, or if Murphy raised them, or got them from some else. no one ever saw him again with fowl that looked anything like them.

Murphy Whitehackle

By Frank Shy (Narragansett)

The exact composition of the Murphy Whitehackles will never be known. Tom Murphy undoubtedly was the greatest short heel cocker in the history of American cocking. During one span of years he won 49 consecutive stag mains without a loss against the finest cockers the country could produCe.He also was the least communicative. He followed to the letter the old Biblical admonition “let not your right hand know what your left hand doeth.”

Nick Downes, his long time cocker trainer, may have known more or less of the Murphy Whitehacle bloodlines but Nick has been dead for many years, and he was never much of a talker in his lifetime either. All of Nicks successors, and they were numerous, were kept in complete ignorance of the Murphy bloodlines and breeding practices. One such man complained,” I never know what is going on around here. He switches the cocks and hens around in the brood pens so often I can’t keep track of them, and I no idea of which eggs he keeps and which ones he destroys.

One time Mr. Murphys telephoned me requesting a certain cock to breed. I had given the cock to another friend, but recalled him for Mr.Murphys use. A few weeks later I spent the night at Mr. Murphys home where we spent considerable time looking over his numerous cocks, stags and brood pens.Notonce did he mention the cock I had sent to him, nor did I see him. Then Mr. Murphys was called to the house to answer the telephone. At that same time I heard a cock crow behind a high solid board fence. I lifted myself up the fence in order to see over it, and there was my cock in with two beautiful hens. He never referred to the mating, nor did I. That’s how we got along together.

“When I was a boy (which would have been in the 1880) there was an old Irishman who lived about 10 miles from my home on Long Island who had two old Whitehacle hens which I had my heart set upon. I used to walk over there at every opportunity to look at them. But the old man would not let them go: said he would not part with them for less than $50. The only way I had to earn any money was to shoot quail which I could sell for 25c a pair. It took me a long time to save $50 but I finally made it and went over there to claim my two hens. The old man was reluctant to with them even then. Said I should take two take two young hens or pullets, but I said no, that I wanted those two particular hens. Then he said he could not catch them because they roosted in the tall trees near his house. I said I could clime trees. So I climbed the tree and got the two hens under each arm, and they were the foundation of my fowl.

Mr. Murphy never told me to what cock he bred the two hens, or how the breeding operation was conducted during the succeeding years. Just that and nothing more. But when I first knew him in 1920s he had a strain established of uniform black red fowl which were well high invincible. Terrific fighters and cutters with gameness to spare. Nick Downes was his cocker at that time, and as I look back upon it, much of the success properly should be attributed to Nicks superb conditioning procedure.

Mr. Murphy was a master breeder. One of the greatest in the annals of American cocking. Unfortunately he divulged few of his breeding secrets to anyone. Least of all did he divulge them to the men who worked for him: Jimmy Chipps, Andy Thomason, Hohnnie Monin, Hienie Mathesius. He quarreled with all of them to the end of his days. And did everything in his power to keep them ignorant of his methods.

One time, twenty odd years ago, he sent me one of his choicest stags to breed. He crated and shipped the stag himself, and requested me when returning his shipping crate to send it from a different location in order that his help would not know where the stag had gone. So I drove 50 MILES to another express office in order to keep MR. MURPHYS employees in the dark as to the stag whereabouts.

Incidentally, the stag was a great disappointment to me; He had a tremendous body, but short hackle and a short tail with great long curved bill like some of those seashore birds you see.I called his “The Curlew” after one of them. He lived only one year before he developed a huge canker on his neck and died. But before he checked out, I bred him in late August to a fine spangled Whitehackle hen which belonged to a friend of mine. Only four chicks same from the mating, two stags and two pullets, which on the day hatched I placed in a coal hod and took over to my friend, since I did not want to bothered with late hatched chicks. But these four little “Curlew” made history. All four were bred extensively for years. One pullet when mated to a Blondy Rollan cock produced stags which won the Lally for Joe Morgan over Sweater McGinnis when Sweater was at his peak. Other offspring from these Curlews won many matches in the Claymore for me, and more offspring were big winners throughout New England for years.

All of the original blood is gone now except for mere traces here and there, but it goes to show of that master breeder. Thomas W. Murphy.

J.H. “Duke” Hulsey, Lemon

Posted by GAMENESS TIL THE END on 2012/03/26

Repost

Quick facts from the articles below.

Duke Hulsey’s employers:

• Joe Bolin, Fort Worth, TX
• H.H. Moore
• John Madigin
• Jorge “Nene” Araneta

Duke Hulsey’s buddies:

• Henry Wortham
• George Herman “Sweater” McGinnis
• Dee Cox

– Gameness til the End

Interview of Duke Hulsey

Joe Mac: Mr. Hulsey, this is Joe Mac from Grit and Steel, how are you?

Duke: Pretty good. I know I have slowed up somehow. My wife and I are moving to Florida. Carlos Mendez is going to do the farm now. I’m going to help him with the brood pens and everything though.

Joe Mac: I guess you are like everybody else, you need to retire too?

Duke: Yes, everything is winding down now.

Joe Mac: First of all, I would like to tell you what an honor it is to talk to you and tell you how much I appreciate what all you have done for me and for the game rooster and I just want to let you know I really appreciate you.

Duke: Well, it has been fun to me, too.

Joe Mac: Mr Hulsey, when was the first time you saw a rooster fight, or how did you get started with it?

Duke: I got started with it while living in Fort Worth and a fellow across the alley from me was a chicken fighter and one day I saw some cars over there and I knew what they were doing. I went over there and right away they were going to run me away. I told them that if I was going to leave, I was going to call the police so I was a member right away then. So from then on, when he went to the fights, he took me with him.

Joe Mac: Well, who was this?

Duke: His name was Essie Green.

Joe Mac: How old were you at the time when you saw your fight rooster fight?

Duke: About 9 or 10 years old.

Joe Mac: Did you train with Mr. Green or who did you start training with?

Duke: The first person I went with was Joe Bolin in Fort Worth and from there I went with H. H. Moore.

Joe Mac: Which chicken did Mr. Moore have?

Duke: He had Clarets and odds and ends, not too much of anything, but he fought chickens a long tiime. I stayed there for about 8 weeks. He was really though. I went up to him at a fight, he had fought a main and lost it and I said the next time you are going to put a main, I’d like to come and help you. He said you would be like all the rest, you wouldn’t be there a week until you would be telling me what to do. I told him no. I wouldn’t be like that.

He let me know when to be there and I helped him for about 8 weeks. After this time, I wanted to leave and show somebody else what I have learned. He didn’t like it but he gave me about 6 or 8 roosters and I loaded them in the Ford Roadster and I tooke those rooster back to Fort Worth and trained them and got them ready. I was working different shifts and Saturday was pay day and everybody would always gather up and go to fights. This one man wanted to fight one of his and I told him that I could whipped him easy. I did and ended up whipping about everthing he had. On his walk ropes and pens. I fought the second rooster and he got rattled and come back and beat him easy and he looked at me and said “you son of a bitch, you got trained roosters”. I told him I didn’t know what training was. So that Monday when I went to work, I had a pink slip in my box saying I was through. See, he was my boss. That was the best break I got. Then I went with Jack Walden for about a year and we made pretty good money.

Then I went to Madigin and asked if he would let me come and work for him. He said he would give me a call. Back then, you didn’t give a call, it was always a letter. He wrote me this letter and when he started the letter, he would always give you some type of title. I went and fought with him for 3 years. When I quit , he walked me to the gate and told me I shouldn’t quit him in the middle of the season. When he got real mad, his jaws would start poping, and his teeth would pop. So, we went to the backgate to go through and he says “Duke” you are the best man I have ever seen when you go up stairs ( that was where his cockhouse was) but when you come down, you are the sorriest one I have ever seen”. He was wanting me to do carpenter work and other things and I wouldn’t do it.

Joe Mac: You were there to train roosters.

Duke: Yes, I am a rooster trainer. I wasn’t going to fool with anything else.

Joe Mac: Why did he have his cockhouse upstairs?

Duke: His garage was downstairs. He had a big two car garage. Then, he had stairs on the side and you’ld go up there and that was the cockhouse. I would put up as many as 60 roosters up there.

Joe Mac: I guess he just had stalls for them up there?

Duke: Yes, the coops were all made up there and he would come up there all the time and he would watch us work. One day he was up there and he says that boy that is helping you, can he count? I told him yes. He said he was supposed to give that cock 60 runs and he only gave him 58. I said get out of here and leave me alone That was the first time I had ever said cuss words like that in front of him and he had never cussed in his life I don’t believe. Well, he went down those stairs and I heard him say “Damn”, then he took about 2 more steps and said “Damn”. Well, he never came back up those steps again and he left me alone.

Joe Mac: What type of person was he? Was he a pretty nice fellow or not?

Duke: Real nice. He was a small fellow, but had a world of money. If he told you something, it would be just that way, but if he didn’t, he wasn’t going to give an inch. I was there about 3 years and I didn’t get a rooster or a pullet, not even a feather and he never told me he would let me have one either. He would always say, you want one of those right outs over there and I knew they were dunghills. He would always say you can have one of those over there.

Joe Mac: Well, you mentioned Sweater, how did you meet him?

Duke: We had known each other since we were boys. He was fighting a stag main in Oklahoma and he was fighting Henry Wortham and I ran around with Henry all the time. Henry whipped him the main, but me and Sweater got to be big buddies there and we were always real close. Every week, I would go to Dallas to see his chickens and see him fool with those chickens. It was 30 miles from Fort Worth and I would ride a bicycle over there. I would stay all day and then ride back that afternoon.

Joe Mac: What type of fellow was Henry Wortham?

Duke: He was the greatest man that ever lived. There couldn’t be a better man. Right at the last of it, in St. Augustine, he had that fight and I won it and he just had tears in his eyes and he said my boy has done it again. If you didn’t think that made me feel good!

Then when he was in the Memphis hospital and on his way out, me and my wife went to see him and they let us take him home with us. Everyday he would watch me work the roosters and finally after about a month, he didn’t have an appetite and you couldn’t get him to eat. My wife, Deanna would tell him, if he didn’t eat he couldn’t go out and watch me work the roosters. He’d go ahead and eat. He was the greatest chicken fighter that ever was.

Joe Mac: Did you ever train with him?

Duke: No, I didn’t.

Joe Mac: Curtis said he was the greatest rooster man that ever lived so he mus thave been something else.

Duke: Yes, he was something . There is no way to describe how good he was. He was a good judge of a fighting rooster and knew exactly what the rooster would do and didn’t work a rooster hardly any.

Joe Mac: Lane Arrington told me the same thing.

Duke: No. He didn’t work them at all. He would get them out of the stall and take them to the work bench and take them by the legs and fly over there, rub them down a little bit, fly them 5-6 times and put them back.

Joe Mac: Did he ever run one?

Duke: No, he didn’t fool with that. It was really fun to know him and to get to be that close to him.

Joe Mac: Who do you think helped you the most in training cocks for battle.

Duke: I would say Madigin. He made sure that I was in that cockhouse every morning at 5:00. Everything had to be exactly right on the money, it couldn’t be 5-10 minutes late. If you were suppose to go up and scratch all of them at noon, that didn’t mean 12:30, it meant noon and you’d better be there to throw them out.

Joe Mac: He was a man that was on time, huh?

Duke: Yes, everything had to be precise. As far as training the rooster, he never trained one and actually didn’t know that much about it, but he knew the other part good. He would always tease me about great chicken men up North and I would say let them come down here and get some of these and they will find out how good it is. He would agitate me all the time.

Joe Mac: I know you fought all over the world, but which place do you think was the toughest place to fight?

Duke: Well when I went to the Philippines it was the easiest. They didn’t know anything about feeding a chicken or anything, but by the time I left there (I was there 17 years) they had gotten smart and it was hard to whip them.

Joe Mac: When you first went there, you didn’t hardly lose a fight did you?

Duke: No, I didn’t. The deal was that when I first went there, I would get $100.00 per fight for every one that I won and of course he bought all the chickens. Jorge Araneta was the man that I was with and he was fighting them for $5,000-$10,000 each. At the time, we matched mains over there and would fight anybody and everybody in the Philippines if they would bet $10,000 on the roosters. You can believe that they come with the cream of the crops too!

Joe Mac: You got them ready to fight and I guess he had somebody else to tie the knfe?

Duke: Yes, I couldn’t do any of that. I did later but to start with for the longest time I didn’t do any of that.

Mrs. Hulsey: Joe Mac, Duke had to train just chickens to meet whoever wanted to fight him at their weight in the Philippines.

Joe Mac: We were talking about fighting $10,000 a rooster but that’s not counting what the main would fight for is it?

Duke: No. Well, actually everybody is there and I was fighting all of them for the main. Whenever I won enough to win the main, say we were fighting 15, and I won 8 then I won the main.

When it came time to fight the BIG mains, I would always be the winner. So they wound up getting Joe Goode over there and Speck McGloclin.

Jorge Araneta called me and said Duke if there is enough good rooster in the United States, I want you to bring them over here and fight them and I don’t want anyone to know you are here. I picked up every rooster I could find that was an ACE cock. I flew them in there and wasn’t going to let nobody know I was there. When the main was fought, we had the radios and TV hooked up for me to see it The first fight was fighting Joe and he walked over to Jorge and said where is Duke? He said, “Well he must be home”. He said “there isn’t any way he his at home. He is here somewhere because nobody in the world has chickens like that except for him”. So of course I went ahead and whipped him pretty bad. Joe was a tough chickenman. He was as good a chicken man on earth. The only mark against him was that he brought that poison to this country and it really hurt cockfighting.

Joe Mac: Yes, that was a bad part of the sport.

Duke: He just actually ruined the sport by doing that.

Joe Mac: Which Derby or Main was your most memorable?

Duke: The best one was when I fought the 3 mains I told you about awhile ago. I fought Henry Wortham first, then Bobby Manziel, then I fought Judge Wilkins.

Joe Mac: Did you win all 3 of them?

Duke: No, I didn’t whip Henry. Me and Madigin got into a real bad argument that morning and I always pick the roosters to fight. He would always say well that little grey one would be good and he might not be worth a damn and he would always put that on me, but anyway, we had to hauled a lot of roosters over there to that main. My wife and boys even hauled a bunch of them. When you get ready to go in, he tells me that I am going to have to pay for your wife and boys to get in. I exploded and I wouldn’t fight for him. After a while, Sam Bigham and Henry Wortham kept talking to me and told me to go out there and get this over with and lets go ahead and fight. We did, but when we fought, the first thing he did, he says how about that little grey and I knew the little grey couldn’t whoop nobody. Well, I said yeah, that’s fine so I went ahead and heeled him up and got him whipped. So, the next one I heeled up something else he wanted to fight. By this time I have already lost 2 fights so I started picking them. We sent all the way to the deciding fight and I had a big grey rooster and Madigin got up on the side of the pit (there were lots of millionaires there) and said “I’ll bet all the money anybody wants to bet on my rooster”. Of course, nobody bet him. I had already tried to lay $100 to $80 myself on him. He got crowded up against the wall and Henry killed him. Then we fought Sweater a main and just demolished him. Then we fought Judge Wilkins, I think it was about a 13 cock main and we beat him in straight fights. His roosters’ head were twice as big as they were when they went in there. Mine really worked on his.

Joe Mac: If there is one thing you could help a beginner with about training roosters, what would that be?

Duke: That’s one thing I have done. The best thing I could tell them is what Madigin taught me and that is to be punctual about going into the cockhouse and taking care of the chickens.

Joe Mac: Do you think some people are working them too much?

Duke: Yes, sure I do. They are working them like I did back then. I worked hard. Now days, people don’t work that hard. I gave a fellow a show of roosters last year to fight and when we got to the fight, his wife was changing the roosters and doing everything with them and he wasn’t doing anything.

Joe Mac: Well, maybe he was going to pick them.

Duke: That cured me of that, I said I’ve had enough of this.

Joe Mac: What do you think about selecting brood fowl? I have had a lot of people call me and want me to tell them who to get them from and I tell them to go watch them fight.

Duke: I think they should watch them fight or get them from somebody that is responsible and does fight every week to know that he is good enough to keep fighting. You can’t just go out and get chickens from anybody.

Joe Mac: In March of 1993, when I won at Sunset, the thing that helped me the most was something that I got out of your keep. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate that.

Duke: I was always glad we were as close as we were and I thought you were going to bring your boy down there but he never made it.

Joe Mac: I never could get him squared away. Now he is chasing these little girls around.

Duke: I can’t knock that.

Joe Mac: How can they get your keep? Do you still sell it?

Duke: Yes.

Joe Mac: You sold your farm to Carlos Mendez, didn’t you?

Duke: Yes, Carlos Mendez. That is who I sold the farm to. He is a real high class fellow.

Joe Mac: Are you going to help him with keeping the brood pens and everything?

Duke: Yes, I am going to help with the brood yards every year for a few years and talk to him enough to let him know which ones are the ones to breed. I have some In and In left noses there that I sold for $1,000.00 a piece for a while but I had to quit selling them. I think there is 8 of them there. I told him that all 8 of them was going to be bred every year and all their sisters. The fellow that I told you about awhile ago who I sold a show of roosters and his wife trained them, well, we are still friends, but he came down and he wanted to buy some brood cocks from me, but I had already made a deal with Mendez that he would be tending to that. I told him I couldn’t sell him one and he would have to come deal with Carlos. Well, Carlos came down and I told him every rooster that was good and he goes around and says he wants 2 of the red cocks, 2 hatch cocks and he wanted a grey that I mooched off Dee Cox. I have give Dee chickens from time to time and we have always been good friends. This one grey rooster was a hell of a rooster, I saw him fight in January in a Main on the border, so I just thought he was the damndest rooster I had ever seen but I didn’t say anything about it because he didn’t get hurt. Later, Dewey came to me and he said Duke, this is the cock that you like so good down in south Texas and he is going to be the next rooster in here and I don’t know what he is going to do because he has won 2 fights since then. I said, he will still be alright. Sure enough, he won again but he got hurt a little bit. When he got hurt any at all, I went to him and said Dee, I would like to have that rooster and he said, he’s yours.

Joe Mac: Where was this, in Texoma or where?

Duke: It was at Sunset.

Joe Mac: Well, now that might have been when they won the 10 cock in March 1994.

Duke: I don’t know. I just remember about that cock. I just know that rooster.

Joe Mac: Where can people get your keep?

Duke: Just call the place and ask Carlos to send it to them.

Joe Mac: It has been great talking to you. You have always been real special to me and I have heard about you ever since I knew what a rooster was.

Duke: Well, we will be back together in a year or two after I rest up.

Joe Mac: That sounds good. We’ll get to go to Sunset or wherever you can go. Maybe we can go out for dinner again, how about that?

Duke: Yeah, that will be real nice.

Joe Mac: You have a good day and take care Mr. Duke.

Duke: You too and thank you partner.