Most of the cocks were Yankee Clippers that Bobby Schlesigner of Charolottesville, Virginia, had obtained from E.W. The first one a yellow legged, sky-blue pyle stag killed a 3-time winner brood cock that had won three fights in three pittings, in one pitting. You are getting it from the horses mouth as it was originated here on my two farms, one farm for breeding the other for experimenting. I could just say they are the result of a Dan Tracy Pyle/Long Island Roundhead cross, but it is not that simple, for the Long Island Roundheads are the net result of considerable crossing and blending, also the Tracys carry a wee bit of outside blood. I doubt very much if anyone could give you an authentic history on this great breed, named Hatch. Six generations of pure Chappell Doms. Major Rhett also got some hens from Tom (Fowl) Wilson and bred his great Stone cock over them, producing the famous Rhett fowl. The cock was a dark ginger in color with dark legs and had a straight single somb; one hen was a partrige color, the other a pyle. Just this past week I have had three phone calls seeking the same information so I have decided to set the record straight and write what will most likely be the last story about this great strain of black-brown red fowl that were in the eyes of many the greatest slasher cocks that were ever made. 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. These afterwards became famous under the name of Gailor Legs. It was of this family that Dr. Morgan got from Wilson and were afterwards known as Morgans. About ten years ago, Nick quit business and moved to Chicago, later moving to either Marion, Ohio or Indiana, I have forgotten which and finally came back to Streator where he died about three years age. 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. 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. After so many requests, and so much interest being shown I think you are entitled to it, so I have done my best. Many times this proved to be a handicap. This is interesting as both of these men are prominent cockers and both have worked for, or with Madigin. The offspring of this mating produced blues, black reds, brown red and one spangle stag, This new blood produced exceptional cutting fowl and a great improvement was noted in speed, disposition and feathering. Mahar won seven straight battles. By Spectator (Nov. 1973), The exact composition of the Murphy Whitehackles will never be known. 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. These 2 cocks were used over Racey Mug hens and in this way it is now possible for Racey to add desired pit qualities to his fowl without going out of the Mugwump family. The Tracys are about the 5th or 6th strain of Pyle colored chickens I have tried crossing on Roundheads in the past half century. I wanted a line of fowl I could call me own. I do not claim to have originated the best strain of the pit games in the world in my Alabama Roundheads, but the fact that they have won the majority of their fights and kept pace with the ever-increasing speed of the game for the past twenty years, under all rules and any length of gaff, is very gratifying. I always left that to the party who did the handling for me in fights that I have had. I selected several hens, (I believe 4) that were out of the Biloxi cock, and put them in that Aseels pen.
Mr. Hamilton said there were 3 hens, two went to Henry Wortham and one to Bobby Manziel, Sr. The sport was extremely popular in New York and vicinity and soon the new comer was in the midst of it.
He kept the family pure breeding his favorite cock to the whole flock on hens. He believed the tale Mr. Stones Irish agent told when he procured a trio of birds from a flock that had been carefully and zealously guarded for a century or over: that they were the best in Ireland and so far as known not a feather had ever gone out of the possession of the owners of this particular estate. in the past fifteen years we have at every opportunity questioned anyone we thought might have some information of this regard to either the Kearney or Duryea in the following we are going to tell you a few of the things we learned. After that day both of us bothered old Nick quite often. Well to face the facts, here is the same blood that Im sitting on that Dennis beat the big boys with so I was smart enough to ask the genetic experts how to breed them. Law, one of the best Examples? Carl Malls had brought the Mimms fowl to Austin and Jr. called them the greatest Hatch fowl in America. Allen bred the Warhorses pure and for the exclusive use of Hicks and himself. The 2 stags referred to were pea combed black breasted reds, with red eyes and white legs. Carter, and especially good cross from a cock that I went to Washington, D.C., and selected from the yards of George Smith, a Black and Tan. There came a time several years ago that I met Don Bundy and his wife Wanda of Apple, Oklahoma. He fought this stag against Sam Brazier in Chicago in 1919. vs. Philippines.
The judge was one of the greatest sportsmen of his time and in fighting a main in the Old Spanish pit, an English Earl of Derby lost by having a heel broken off in his back. Most of the leg color is green or dark legged, lots of them look like long legged Lacy Roundheads. M.J. had a heart bigger than all outdoors. They would continue the line-breeding, but infusing fowl for outside families, that had similar characteristics to the original chickens. Their temperament is nasty. Jim procured six full sister of the topknots and bred them to the same earl derby cock that he used on the Spanish hen.
At that time they made up pots, I doubled every time to cover the pots. Phil Marsh cocks (Grover Whitehackle ? Chappell got from a Mexican and he called this cock after a Mexican General Santa Ana. Source: Johnsons History of Game Strains By; W.T. He had it shipped to Manila. these smooth head Claibornes got into the handles of john stone in this way. Shy fought his cocks in Lexington and other places very sucessfully. A grey Claret cock bred to a Herrisford Brown Red Black and Tan hen in 1922 was the source of the dark legs in many of the greys. That was a picture of the old Finley cock, but it was not a picture of Mr. Long, but was a picture of one of Mr. Longs tenants. For instance, Law might say, I will take the cock, and J.D. They are medium to low-stationed, and are known for power and gameness. A classy pit fowl, being good cutters and great shufflers. 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 kelsoas up to the year 2000they 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 Even in the late 40s enough of the golden virtues remained to revive many a faltering family if you got hold of the right individual. I believe, but not sure, that it was through Bates that Cox became interested in cocking. I have tried to keep the same blood, as nearly as possible. However what is recorded is that he was on of the greatest sportsmen of his time. If we didnt win in the first few pittings, we usually didnt win period. 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. It was at this main that Sid Taylor, who later was affiliated with ONeal and Waddell was impressed by the almost inconvincible Heathwoods, and which blood finally went into the Sid Taylor breed of Doms. I raised 4 stags and 7 pullets.I then bred the old cock back to his daughter each season line breeding him until his offspring were 1/8 to 1/16 Grady and Balance Roundhead. In fact I could sell all of them I care to raise without a single line of advertising in any magazine. After Halff died, Perry went with Flato, another millionaire from Corpus Christi, Texas. Well, thank you for listening, as you can gather we are not done yet on the gamefowl front. He had one unusual characteristic; he walked with his legs bent, never straightening them out but always having a bend at the knees. 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. Ford got them through his brother who was a New York judge, he, in turn got them from John Madden of Kentucky, and Madden got them direct from Mike Kearney of long island, NY. this established their well-earned reputation Jim Sanford was also an admirer of the Baltimore to knots, a game and winning strain of bright reds which were originated in Maryland. All crosses have been a failure, with few exceptions. When I brought my chickens back to New York I brought back a few of the Pyle/R.H. One can see at a glance that the little Tacy cock is much smaller, also slimmer in his body and lower stationed, while the Pink Hatch is larger, taller, more robust in his body and a little more red in his coloring. J.W. Have mostly yellow and white legs and red eyes. His mother was obtained from Tom McCarthy, who raised her from fowl of Mr. All had yellow legs. And behold! I recently fought a pure Mike Kearney in the Eastern Pit few weeks after he had fought in Alaska in long heels, and he has several pure white feathers in his breast.
Chocolate Grey (HOLCOMB STRAIN) Part 2 by Frank Holcomb. This line of Lemons came from Mr. Emmanuel Massa, who in turn was a partner of Duke Hulsey. Col. Bacon brought of Marblehead, Massach. Smith, ordered a pen of pure Sledge and Hanna Arkansas Travelers direct from Mr. Sledge. by J. H. Madigan. While many showed true dominique color, some had a tendency to come speckled and even white. Most would fight a good, game battle, but occasionally one would let up, particularly the young stags. He also was the least communicative. O`Conor, who contended Herman Duryea with whom Kearney was for years associated in cocking was the greatest gamefowl breeder of all times. It is my opinion that there is no one best strain of fowl and no one best feeder, but there are many of both in class A and when you make a main nowadays for real money you are sure to meet them. Warhorse, therefore, not from the family of Stone Irish fowl that inherit the name. and I understand they were blend of Billy Anderson Tassel, Arch Ruports Kearney and perhaps other bloddlines of which I am not aware. Are medium, low station and the cocks run in weight from 4.06 to 6.08 and the hens from 3 to 5 pounds. At present they breed pure white, pale blue, mottled breast and hackle and saddle speckled. Howard there orignator. Another writer says an English Jockey known as II This strain of game fowl have been bred as a family and fairly true to color and type for at least 250 years, maybe longer. He crossed the two strains from Stone and later put Wellslaeger blood into them. After breeding these fowl strictly pure and breeding them very close for eight or ten years he found they needed an out-cross. the next winter, he took a main of ten stags to Boston and won ever fight, and fought four of them the second battle and won. In the five years that they fought this MASSA or SUNSHINE LEMONS they accumulated 49 trophies (champions). Then he said he could not catch them because they roosted in the tall trees near his house. (Hen 47-65, Cock 53, Cock 48-90) The next time Harry saw Sweater was January 1958 in Orlando. Bergs coops were enclosed with walls and doors separating the stags. So now it comes out that the Pink Hatch have exactly one eighth Sandy Hatch in them, which obviously comes thru the Long Island Roundhead side. ), (Editors Note: Our appreciation to the author for allowing us to produce his work on this site. One gentleman up north, a repeat customer, had had trouble beating a certain grey cock. I have some Vibrators, Joe Redmonds, and Harold Brown Greys. We walked and fought them, and they proved to be very successful. The Whithackles were DEAD game, had lots of cut, and were smart fighters. Uncle Ernest thought the world of Carl. C.. The Walton Hatch, if inbred over a long period will come spangle with pearl colored legs, red eyes, and large bones. 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. Mr. Kittridge sent to Wingate for a cock to breed over the pullets and purchased it a ginger breasted white legged cock sired by Wingates McDermott cock out of a white legged Gull hen bred by J.B. Squires.
Two of them were yellow legged and one a green leg. I have seen a letter written a few years ago to Mr. Based on his personal account, which I read in a book about Philippine cockers and breeders, this is his story. He was very close to 80 years of age, looked less than 70. Bruner (1924). He was the kind who would. Clarets) called ?My Choice? The light side and dark side, separated on each side of the yard and the birds looked completely different. They also knew that from time to time some whites would appear in the strain after Aldrich bred from s ason of the Baltimore cock. 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. The dark side were more uniform with a dark mahogany color, green and blue legs, and had a straight comb with the occasional lemon hackle around the bottom of the hackle. Of the subsequent history of the flock left in the hands of Mr. Butler, I have never known. Author?s Note: The Hardy Mahoney cock should be Hardy Mahogany, The Origin of the Clarets I liked him alright, said the young man. Description, Grey, dark eyes and legs, st. comb. The neighbors told Al what had happened. If you think this hot air, just sit down and figure out how much Amesbury Gray blood will remain after 9 years of continuous line breeding back to the old hen, or figure as some breeders are inclined to do, the hen will throw ninety percent of the blood of the offspring, which would reduce the percent of Gray blood down to astronomical figures. Wilson of Allendale, SC and mated to the six black hens, full sisters, from the original Earl Bigger stock. Grist bought his foundation stock of Shawlnecks from Charlie Brown. I hope that this helps clear up the pedigree of the Mugwumps and why some of them can throw back to the white color in them. Jim Sanford an ex- (bare knuckles) prizefighter. I fount him in a main at Hibernia Park, Charleston, S.C., where a number of fine cocks fought in the two days of a main and the concensus of opinion was that he outclassed any cock shown on either side. So this is were they was made up was in West Virginia.
Absolutely game, fast scorers and good cutters. By: Rick Albright. Kelso asked for and received this cock. Boston had forty of the best to be found to pick from. Some of the pure Tracys come almost pure white, but the Pinks invariably have deeper colors. Dudley was very keen on Huddlestons Cork Irish, especially a little cock Huddleston had over one of his brood yards. However, if a man can prove that I didnt make the Witch Doctors just as I say I bred them I will pay a $10,000 reward. In the early 30s I helped W.R. Hudlow run a pit south of Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is my opinion, from both experience and observation, that the old time Allen Roundheads with their smart side-stepping tactics and phenomenal sparring qualities and rapid straight hip blows while in the air, could best most cocks they met in the early stages of the battle. I would also bet that the first Pyle colored fowl probably came from Ireland. I got a setting of eggs and raised a stag and five pullets. Of interest, however, Dolan Owens of Booneville, Mississippi, acquired some of the early Sweaters and has bred them to come uniformly dark, wine red in color, straight comb and white legged. Presumably, he had made his mark has a harness driver and had money to do what hed please. Today the Log Cabin families are largely the blood of theis one cock. I liked him very much for this disposition. All of the original blood is gone now except for mere traces here and there, but it goes to show the genius of that master breeder, Thomas W. Murphy. Sam Bingham told me that Madigin had lots of Gray fowl with dark legs, and they came pearl legged, yellow legged and dark legged. Jim, Sanford got the broken heel out and bred him to a Spanish hen, as Jim could see the good points in this cock, this cross proven to be equal. Here is what was II said II to have happened. These two infusions of imported Irish blood into the Shy chickens made all the families of the Sid Taylors, except the Dom family, which has the addition of ONeal Dom blood about 1870. That pair was the foundation stock of the Goshen Muffs which were famous in that section for many years. Beautiful, well built fowl and they could still fight! At this time Baltimore cocks were great favorites in Charleston, S.C., and a great many of them were being fought very successfully. What happened to the rest of the original fowl I never learned. Men became frantic in their efforts to place large wagers on the issue, wildly offering their homes, their negroes, bank accounts, big plantations and favorite horses on one side or the other. Sam bred the cock over 9 Shelton Roundhead hens (some yellow legs and some white) and all the biddies came dark.
The hens are exceptionally mean when brooding chix. People were funny about theuir fowl 40 or 50 years ago.
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. Dudley lost the Mahoney Gull cock after breeding him the first year but later on used two of his sons as brood cocks over some of his older hens and from those crosses there came some wheaten colored pullets and some stags that were black-reds and looked very much like the old original Mahoney Gull cock. And, that blood was in some of the best cocks Pine ever fought, including the cock that Dan OConnell used on Old Albany hens to make the Pine Albany, THE MARSH FAMILY AND THEIR FOWL by Mr. Mark Marsh. My First Years of Breeding (1945-1952). Both entered into the winning although I recall that the Sids were used the majority of the times. Henry tied pieces of string on the cages of 12 double barrel aces. To these hens he bred a wonderful Shelto Roundhead cock that Henry Bradofrd, Junior had purchased for large sum. But the gray stag or two still coming along each season. A few years later Phil purchased a blue-grey rooster from Earl Walrath of Fort Plain. It happened that at that time I had customers to take every cock or stags that I could raise and would take light weights. From then on, Perry and his chicken operations presented a mystery no noe has ever figured out with any degree of accuracy. Around here there are many canning factories and they use many migrant workers of mostly Mexican birth and they are great on cock fighting. These were the fowl Bowen was selling everywhere during the 40s. Whenever Doc saw a bird in the pit that he liked, and thought could improve his he would buy it and take it home, and my father said upon stepping into Docs yard that he had two different hatches. So you see, they were intensely inbreed. He said Mahoney bred few fowl as he was more of a feeder than a breeder. Eldon Molish and Randy Wallace aided me in this slaughter. Both of these strains were terrific fighters 30 to 40 yearsa go.
The original Amesbury Gray cock, a 17 time winner, whose blood was infused inot the Dan Tracy Pyles when Frank Welsh, Daves uncle, lost every Dan Tracy he had except one pullet. ONeal was at one time ailed the Champion cocker of America, but so was Denny Mahoney, Chas. It was for one of these game cocks that Kearney named his race horse, Hard Brown Red. After several years of breeding the two strains seperately, he concluded to cross them, and it was from this nick which came heroric little 4.6 cock who then blind and bleeding, but with his head in the air, won the terrific battle at Albany of one hour and fourty minutes of steady fighting against his noble whitetailed opponent. The smooth head Claiborne got into the hands of John Stone in this way Stone and Saunders made a main to be fought in Richmond, Va. Stone took his Irish Brown Reds there to condition them. They were originally called Black Trotters, Trotter Roundheads and Nigger Trotters. A son to mother and aunt mating. 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 never saw at any time or place any cocks that were better fighters than the Bair brown-reds. I had one cock that had never quite gotten over the roup and my wife and I took him to **** Williams Pit, Kingburry, Texas, to get him whipped as I hated to kill him. I refused one hundred dollars for him and pulled his head off not wanting this blood to get out. The hens must have attention if the breeder succeeds in making his strain meet the demands of the cockers in the pit. Further, this is the true breeding of the Chets, anyone can take it from here.
The stag was a brown-red. In one respect, these black and tans reminded me of the old-time Georgis Shawlnecks. with many of them having white feathers in there wings and tails. I am not really sure of that, but neither is anyone else. When sparred or exerted in any way he turned blue in the face, hence the name blue face. He showed me two hens and told me they were the purest and only two of the pure. One of the steamers brought over from England a trio of game fowl. He was anxious to meet me when I got back. He was bred to the Slade Roundhead hens and a dozen or so stags were produced. Eventually they picked up the name Nigger Roundheads and this name stuck with them over the years. This line is said also to carry small amount of Radio blood.