Carol NeSmith, Sweater

Repost

– Gameness (til the End)

Sweater Strain
By Carol NeSmith, Blackwater Farms, Alabama

While complying with the request of my friends in the Philippines, Mexico and here at home, I would like to give some history of the Sweater strain of gamefowl since they came into my possession. The story starts about 49 years ago when I first fell in love with the game fowl. Now I am 60 years old and still, I love game fowl as much or more than I ever have. I have bred, fought, fed, bought, healed and handled cocks of many different strains and crosses and have done (probably) as much breeding experimenting as many man my age. It’s my opinion that there is no “one best strain fowl” and not one best feeder either. There are many of both in class “A” and when you go to a derby nowadays for real money, you are sure to meet both of them. The days of a monopoly in the cocking game has passed away because of money and brains in the cocking game.

I don’t claim to have originated the best strain of pit fowls in the world or even in Alabama, but the fact that Black Water fowl have won the majority of their fights in hard competition and have kept pace with the best of the cocking people for the last 15 – 20 years under all rules and lengths of gaffs and knives in the Philippines and Mexico is very gratifying. For the last six years I have been out of the game and breeding, but my son Chris has had the honor of carrying on the breeding and fighting the Black Water fowl, and may I say he has done a wonderful job. Our fowl passed the experimental stage and have characteristics bred into them. I fell that with our system of breeding we can hold them at their present standard for years to come. We have several breeds of game fowl at Black Water Farms, now I would like to tell you about the Sweater strain and how they came into my hands. For years I attended the fights at Clear Creek and Pumpkin Valley pits in Alabama and saw these Sweater cocks fought by man named Sonny Ware and anybody who is anybody in the cocking game, know this gentleman from Alabama.

Sonny and his father were in the game fowl business all of their lives and have had some of the best bloodlines of game fowl. Sonny and I fought against each other at these pits and I had to ask Sonny for some of these yellow leg Sweaters. Because of the fact that we competed against one another, he would not let me have a drop of Sweater blood.

Then one day several years later, a good friend called me and said he would sell me a trio of the Sweaters because he was getting out of the game fowl business and that Sonny had let him have an old Sweater cock and two hens to breed and he would sell me young trio of these chickens. The mans’ name was Odis Chapell, he said he had to return the cock and hens to Mr. Ware but he had several young chickens out of these and he would sell me a trio of my choice. So I bought a trio of young sweaters and that’s how I came into possession of my first Sweaters.

Odis had other friends that he let have or sold these young Sweaters to. Newton Wade and George Lay were two of them that I know of. Mr. Lay was already known for his Lacy Roundheads and Newton Wade was known for his Albany’s. Both of these people were good friends of mine and in later years I did use some of their Sweaters to infuse into my Sweaters, but let’s get back to the trio I got from Odis.

When I purchased the Sweaters from Odis, he said that Sonny thought that the Sweaters were bred out and could not longer compete in the tough competitions anymore, but the young trio matured into a wonderful looking fowl. The cock, a light red with white streamers in the tail, pea comb and yellow legged and very good station and good conformation with lots of plumage. The hens, a buff and straw color with black trail feathers looking a lot like a Roundhead but with better station and more plumage.

I didn’t want to breed brother and sister, so I sent the Sweater cock to Mr. Brown of Oak Grove Farms to breed to his yellow leg Hatch since at that time I was fighting with Mr. Brown and his son Gene in a partnership. I had the two hens left to breed at my farm and so I went to Mr. Jumper to get something to breed to these two hens. Everyone knows this wonderful gentleman and while I was there Johnny gave me some information about these Sweater chickens. Mr. Jumper said that Sweater McGinnis (from whom these chickens got their name) needed some cocks to fill a main at the pit in Hot Springs, AR. I forgot the year that Mr. Jumper said this main was fought but anyway, he said the late Mr. Harold Brown of Red Fox Farm let Mr. Sweater have or sold him cocks that were half Boston Roundhead and half Mclean Hatch. Some of these were yellow leg and some were green leg.

He said that Harold Brown liked the green legs better and that he let Sweater have the yellow leg ones to fight in the main. Johnny told me that the cocks were sensational when Mr. McGinnis fought them. At that time, all the big time cockers (Mr. Law, Mr. Kelso and Duke) bought one of these cocks for $500.00 each as Mr. Sweater would fight them and bring these cocks out of the pit. He also said the cock that Mr. Kelso had bought was sent to Mr. Cecil Davis to breed to his Kelso hens. At the time, Cecil was breeding a lot for Mr. Kelso and he did what Kelso had ask him to do, but each year he also bred the cock back to his daughters to get back as close as possible to the cock’s side.

That was the Sweater strain that I had got from Sonny. Johnny had some of the Sweaters from Cecil and having been friends with him for years, I got one of these Sweater cocks from him to breed to the hens that were part of the trio that I got from Odis. This was a very beautiful cock and the offspring were very good pit fowl.

I think that this cock from Mr. Jumper contained a little more of the Kelso blood because the offspring came with yellow and white legs. I discarded the white leg pullets and only bred the yellow leg ones.

After breeding the Sweater cock at Mr. Brown in Mississippi, I brought him home to breed the daughter of the Jumper cock. I would like to tell a story about the cock I got from Mr. Jumper. We had a flood in some bottom land where we kept about one hundred cocks. We only lost one as fate would have it; it was the cock from Johnny. I told Mr. Jumper and he knew how upset I was about losing the cock. Mr. Jumper is the closest friend that I have in this cocking game and he understood about how you can lose game fowl in strange ways (that was why I only got to breed that cock one year) After breeding the cock from Odis back to the daughters out of the Johnny cock (I did this each year until they were only 1/8 of the Jumper cock) this is the family of Sweater we call our right outs.

The Odis cock that we bred to the yellow leg Hatch of Mr. Brown was almost unbeatable. We fought these cocks in all the big pits in the circuit, Sunset, Texoma, Clear Creek and all the ones in between. I like the Sweater cock so much that I went back to Odis to find out if he knew which of the hens from Sonny the mother of the cock was so that I could breed this cock back to his mother. Unfortunately, he had not single mated the two hens so he didn’t know which one was the mother. He said that one of the hens had spurs and that he liked that one best. When I went to Sonny’s farm and asked for the spurred hen that Odis had told me about. Sonny already knows about how we were winning with the yellow leg and Sweater crosses. He saw them fight at Clear Creek and I had fought on that and had an impressive fight, he had asked for the cock and I let him have him. I also fought one of my Gilmore Hatch cocks and he won a wonderful battle after having titled, he also asked for this cock and I let him have him, out of friendship, no money involve. He knew he could not refuse me the spurred hen because he owed me a favor for my letting him have the two cocks. Besides I had told every body that the Sweaters I was fighting came from Sonny. Sonny let me have the hen and I bred the son back to his mother (or aunt) not knowing which one she really was. I do know one thing, she was the mother of the possum pullets of our Sweaters and everyone know how good these cock and hen are in the breeding of the Sweaters at Black Water Farm. If you don’t know the story about the possum, I am about to tell it.

When she as a pullet she was very beautiful. She had a high fan tail, very good station and body like a football. We let her run loose on free range at the farm and one day at feeding time, I missed her. Not wanting anything to happen to her, I started to look for her. Bruce Barnett was doing a lot of breeding at Black Water Farm at that time and had been for years. Bruce and I located the possum pullet under a root of a large oak tree. She had stolen a nest off under the root and was setting on her eggs. Not thinking anything would happen to her, we left her there and planned to catch her in a few days and put her in a pen. In a few days we returned to the place where she had been under the root setting. We only found feathers and all her eggs had been eaten by a possum and we thought we had lost her too. A few days later while we were feeding, she showed up with no tail feathers and very badly bitten in her back from the possum. After a little doctoring, she was ok and we put her in a pen. From that time on, the name just stuck we would say “go feed and water the possum hen” We bred her back to her father and the possum side of the Sweater.

I had been breeding these cocks for a few years and fighting them continuously each year. It gradually became apparent to me that they were being bred a bit too close to cope with the rough cocks they were having to meet. It was my experience from the past that because of the fast starting side stepping and phenomenal cutting abilities in the air and on the ground, these cocks could beat most of the cocks they met in the early stage of the battle. I think this was their greatest quality, but in the latter stage of the battle when it came down to give and take, I never thought that they excelled. I was convinced that to stay in the game and to fight down to a “tug of war” they had to have new blood. I made several unsuccessful attempts with this end in view.

I have a very good partner in the Philippines by the name of Nene Abello and Nene is one of the best in the Philippines. Nene and I had already won the World championship in the Philippines and lots of other big derbies with the Sweaters. I told him what I thought and that I was looking for some new blood to put in them. He said when he came to visit the next we would look for something that could help improves the Sweaters. Nene and I were always looking for new blood to improve our strains of gamer fowl. Nene always said that out of all the cockers he know I was the only one that he had met who was always looking for something to improve the stain of game fowl. He thought that I would always have great game fowl because of this. I never let them go to nothing before adding new blood.

On his next trip from the Philippines, we went to see Mr. Ray Hoskins of TX. If anyone has ever been to Ray’s farm they can tell you that he has some very impressive game fowl. He has green leg Hatch which is what I was interested in. All of the chickens at Ray’s farm were in very good health and uniform in every way. I know that Ray was a good breeder and that he never let too may people have any of his bloodlines. If not for Nene I would probable not have gotten any of the yellow leg Hatch, but with Nene being friends with Ray for many years, he agreed to sell me a cock for $500.00 and I bought it.

The yellow leg cock had good station and was black breasted with the same type and color as the Sweaters, but the plumage was longer and much improves. He consisted of very broad feathers and a quill of whale bone toughness. Such plumage enables a chicken to be fought several times during a season. The first crosses were strong, tough and desperately game. I bred back to the Sweater side, fighting and testing them. Each year’s breeding showed improvement over the year before. I kept this up until they were back to type, showing improvement over the year before, showing all the old fighting qualities of the Sweaters, but they were now back with strength and endurance making them more efficient cocks at any stage of the battle. Ray said he got this yellow leg Hatch from a very wealthy man from Chicago and that’s all he told me about them. That was the blood that put the Sweaters back on the map.

In my hands, as well as many of my friends such as: Dink Fair, Ronnie Justise, Jeff Hudspeth, Jerry Atkins, Ray Boles, Bruce Barnett, Charley Abley and many other people, who through friendship or for good money, they have been winning for the past 15 years and are still wining today.

Nene Abello and my son Chis have just won the Work Championship in the Philippines again this year. These Sweaters all come a light orange with pea comb and white streamers in their tails. They have good station and are very good to look at. The hen comes looking like an orange straw or straw and buff color. All have good station and conformation. Sometimes we get a green leg hen but never a green leg cock. For the past six years, my son and Nene have been doing all the honors in the cock house and pits, I consider Nene a fine judge of a cock. He is among the best feeders and I know he is one or the best breeders in the Philippines. He knows what to expect from a cock and if they were not right in every respect he would have found out several years ago and passed them up. He tests almost every loser and they have to be right for him or he has no use for them.

Nene as help Chris and I by selecting brood fowl from the pits that we have sent to him to fight. He lets us know from which mating we have sent him which is performing the best. He has conditioned and fought more of these Sweaters than any one man. He knows them through and through and I just want to say thanks to him for staying a true friend to Black Water Farms. For the last 15-20 years he has never looked for any other fowls. I hope that I have not hurt anyone’s feelings by mentioning their name in this article and I hope I have answered most of the questions about the strain of Sweaters we have at Blackwater Farms. I am very proud of having something to do with this strain of game fowl which has taken over the ads in the magazines and the pits around the world and in keeping them as good as or maybe even better than when I came into possession of the Sweaters.

Sweater Pedigree Table
by Gameness (til the End)
Based on the articles posted on this post

Sweater Crosses Carol NeSmith and Eugene Brown

Sweater Cock Odis Chappell Sweater Cock Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Sonny Ware Yellow Leg Hatch Hen Eugene Brown

NeSmith Sweater #1 (7/8 cock 1/4 hen or 1/8 of Johnny Cock) Carol NeSmith

Sweater Cock Odis Chappell Sweater Cock Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Carol NeSmith Sweater Cock Johnny Jumper Sweater Cock Cecil Davis Sweater Cock (also see below table and story) Harold Brown Boston Roundhead (probably the Sweater bloodline; see below) Harold Brown McLean Hatch (probably the Sweater bloodline; see below) Harold Brown Kelso Hen (infusion) Walter Kelso Sweater bloodline (probably infused; see below) Harold Brown Kelso Walter Kelso Sweater Hen Odis Chappell

NeSmith Sweater #2 Possum Carol NeSmith

Sweater Cock Odis Chappell Sweater Cock Sonny Ware Sweater Hen Sonny Ware Sweater Hen (Aunt / Mother) Sonny Ware

NeSmith Sweater #3 Carol NeSmith

NeSmith Sweater #1 and #2 Carol NeSmith Yellow Leg Hatch Cock (infusion) Ray Hoskins Sweater (infusion) Newton Wade Sweater Sonny Ware Albany (infusion) Newton Wade Sweater (infusion) George Lay Sweater Sonny Ware Lacy Roundhead (infusion) George Lay

Sweater bloodline Harold Brown

Sweater bloodline Sweater McGinnis Yellow Leg Hatch Mike Kearney Grey Claret Cross Sweater McGinnis Grey E.W. Law Claret John Madigin McLean Hatch (infusion) Harold Brown

Marvin Anderson and Sweater Bloodline
from Harold Brown

Marvin Anderson was born 1878 and died in 1976. While serving in the army he became acquainted with Mr. Sanford Hatch from New York. They both were cockers and became friends at this time. This was during WW1 he fought birds in Alabama and Georgia. During these times people that fought birds traveled by wagon trains to southern towns where cockfighting was a weeklong event. They fought their fowl and mains were on there way out. They decided to weigh and fight them in order until one fought his birds out, almost like ten cock hack fights. They served food and stayed all week in the towns and always had some one stay with there birds.

Mr. McGinnis had fowl as well, Harold Brown told me that he had a family of the left nose hatch, given to him by Mr. Mike Kearny, and he crossed them on 1/2 E.W. Law Grey, 1/2 Madigin Clarets, they was as good of fowl that he had. After meeting a young cocker from Alabama named Harold brown they became acquainted. He gave him some fowl none as his sweater left nose greys.

Harold said in the early 40s and early 30s they were greys and bred back to the brother and sister mating they became red, being 1/2 hatch blood 1/4 Claret blood and 1/4 grey the law birds was a dark legged grey blood to start with. I know for a fact I seen some in the early 70s that threw a grey every now and then. Harold also said he gave some of this blood to Mr. Walter Kelso for the Orlando tournament and to meet some persons in a derby at the Augusta tournament.

They where the Sweaters blood. In turn they won both tournaments. Mr. Gilbert Coutua was the feeder from Louisiana, a friend of Harold and Marvin. Marvin was breeding the yellow legged birds from Sanford and Harold kept the ones that was crossed on the Kearny blood and where green legged he got from Theodore McLean, the green legged fowl has more plumage and that’s the ones Harold could sell. Marvin and Harold decided to keep the yellow legged fowl in Alabama, only letting them out to just the local’s -runt camp Scott house-Barnett’s.

In the 60s Harold brown was beating a young cocker from Texas named Joe Goode and his brother. Then became acquainted with a young cocker named Johnny Jumper, he was fascinated with the fowl. Harold talked to Walter and told him to let this young man have some of them birds because he knew he was pretty much a up and coming cocker and Harold and Curtis liked him. They beat him a lot but he had a good show of birds and always took care of the ones that were fought.

Through the years breeding of this cross fowl they all became the color of red roosters light red in color with white in the tails, being a breeder and selecting fowl Harold sold some of these fowl, Carol Nesmith later obtained some of the yellow leg blood from his buddy Bruce Barnett’s older brother. Dink fair got some from Johnny Jumper, and some from Carol Nesmith.

Marvin Anderson told me the make up of those Sweaters were and I believe until this day are mostly the 1/2 yellow legged hatch, 1/4 Madigin Claret, 1/4 E.W. Law Dark Leg Grey. Bred back to the yellow side which would be dominant line and inbreeding like all the old timers done to keep their birds. Most sweaters being a battle cross are all mean unless handled at early stages of their life.

Walter Kelso, Left Out, Out and Out, Broke Wing

Repost

-Gameness (til the End)

The Out and Out Kelso Family
By Lou Elliott
November 1974

Walter A. Kelso, who died in 1964, fought his cocks under the entry name of Oleander – a type of flowering shrub that grows profusely in the semi-tropical climate of his home on Galveston Island, Texas.

In the heyday of the pure old-time strains Kelso was a maverick. His Oleander cocks were simply a succession of battle crosses. For example, when John Madigin died in 1942, Kelso and Bill Japhet inherited all of his Clarets, Madigin Grays, and Texas Rangers. Most any breeder would do anything in his power to keep the stock pure.

However, Kelso wrote, “I immediately began infusing new blood in the Madigin hens.” Kelso obtained his brood cocks from other breeders after he saw the cock fight. He was more interested in performance than he was the name of the strain. He would mate the new cock to a sister of his best pit cocks. If the cross was successful, he would add other sisters to the pen. More often than not, the pen produced worthless offspring and the cock was discarded.

At any rate, that was the method used to produce the Out-and-Out Kelso family that is still the foundation stock for many of the best winning cocks fought in the major pits today. The Out-and-Out Kelso family was so-called because they were marked in the outside web of both feet. The cocks are generally black-breasted reds (ranging from a deep mahogany to light reds) with their white or yellow legs and pea or straight comb.

About 1940, during the Orlando Tournament, Judge Ed Wilkins of San Antonio, Texas, fought a beautiful light blue Typewriter cock that won his first fight easily and was repeated to win a second fight on the same day. Kelso asked for and received this cock.

The typewriters are a great family of game fowl made by crossing a Marsh Butcher cock over two Irish Blue hens from James G.Oakley of Alabama.

The Butcher family is a cross of Grove Whitehackle (Lawman and Gilkerson) and the Marsh Gray Speeders, which are reported to be a combination of the old Santo Domingo Grays from the West Indies island of that name and Burnell Shelton’s old Knob comb Blues.

The Typewriter cocks were placed on a walk with some of Hill McClanahan’s Claret Roundhead hens. A blue cock from this mating was bred in 1942 to two straight comb hens from Tom Murphy of Long Island, New York.

Most of the cocks were Yankee Clippers that Bobby Schlesigner of Charlottesville, Virginia, had obtained from E.W. Law of Thomasville, Georgia. Duke offered to let Kelso have any of the Clipper cocks he liked. Kelso with Sweater McGinnis handling had met Schlesigner in his deciding fight at 1942 Orlando Tournament. Kelso won the fight and the Tournament but had been impressed with the quality of the Schlesinger cocks. Kelso passed up several of Duke’s easy winners and finally selected a cock that won against a Hatch cock after 58 fighting over an hour in the drag pit with the odds 100 to 40 against him.

E.W. Law started these Yankee Clippers by crossing his Clarets with Dan O’Connell’s Albany fowl. This Albany family was made by mating some hens that were Hatch, Foley’s Ginger, Roundhead, and maybe some Pine Whitehackle (Stryker, mostly), with a Hardy Mahogany cock (Jim Thompson Mahogany and Kearney cross). The Yankee Clipper cock was mated to two of the Left-Out Kelso hens to produce the original Out-and-Out cocks that won 85 percent of their fights in major competition over a six-year period (1947 to 1953). These cocks were 1/2 Yankee Clipper, 1/4 Murphy, 1/8 Typewriter, 1/8 McClanahan.

In 1951, Oleander won the Oaklawn Derby at Hot Springs, Arkansas, with a ten and two score. One of the Out-and-Out cocks won a quick battle and then was repeated to also win the deciding fight. In his second win, the cock broke the tip of his wing. This was the Broke wing cock that was mated back to three Murphy cross hens (probably from the Left-Out yards).

In 1955, cocks from this Broke wing yard were fought in the Oaklawn Derby and Oleander won ten, lost two to split first money.

At the Oaklawn Derby in 1956, Oleander won four lost four the first two days of fighting and then on the last, they had a full show of the pea-comb cocks from the Broke wing yard. They won four straight to tie for first money with the Van Horne entry of Kentucky. It just so happened that the Van Horne entry was using cocks bred by Curtis Blackwell out of a full brother to the four final Oleander winners.

In 1957 Kelso advertised all of his fowl for sale except the cock he needed for the events he had promised to enter. In the ad, his bloodlines are listed as Murphy, McClanahan, Claret and Albany. It was rumored that the Broke wing yard went to a major cocker for $ 500.00.

Kelso Pedigree Table
by Gameness (til the End)
Based on the articles posted on this post

Broke Wing Kelso Peacomb before 1951

Out and Out Kelso Hen before 1947 Yellow Leg, White Leg, Straight Comb, Peacomb Yankee Clipper Cock Duke Hulsey via Bobby Schlesigner via E.W. Law Claret Cock E.W. Law Albany Hen Dan O’Connell Hardy Mahoganny Cock Mohaganny Jim Thompson Kearney cross Whitehackle Kearney Brown Red Kearney Hatch, Foley’s Ginger, Roundhead, Pine Whitehackle (Stryker) Hen Left Out Kelso Hen 1942 Blue Cock Typewriter Cock Judge Ed Wilkins San Antonio TX 1940 Butcher Cock Phil Marsh 1869-1945 Grey Speeder Phil Marsh 1869-1945 Old Knob Comb Blue Burnell Shelton Santo Domingo Grey Whitehackle Groves Whitehackle Lawman Whitehackle Gilkerson Irish Blue Hen James G. Oakley McClanahan Hen Hill McClanahan Claret Hill McClanahan Roundhead Hill McClanahan Whitehackle Hen Straight Comb Thomas Murphy Left Out Kelso Hen or Whitehackle Hen Straight Comb Thomas Murphy

The Kelso Fowl
by Gus Frithiof Sr.

I have before me at this time letters from W. A. Kelso, Col. John Madigin, J.M. (Milo) Frost Jr., a letter from Gilbert Courtois, who fed the Kelso cocks for 25 years and many letter from my good friend John J. Liberto, Galveston, Texas, who made hundreds of single matings for Mr. Kelso; also helped him with brooders and incubators for 32 years. In writing this data on the Kelso fowl I am not drawing upon hearsay and my imagination for facts, but rather upon my long association with these great cockers and breeders.

Mr. Kelso was not the kind of man who went around telling everyone he came in contact with how he bred his chickens. The only reference I ever came across from him was a letter that was published in The Gamecock magazine for April, 1964. He had written this letter to a personal friend, who sent it in for publication a couple months after Mr. Kelso’s death, Febuary 1, 1964. It was in regards to the breeding of one family of his fowl, the Oleander Peacomb Fowl.

In the letter about the Oleander Peacomb Fowl he stated that he bred a Blue Judge Wilkins Typewriter – McClanahan cock to two Tom Murphy’s straight comb Whitehackle hens and produced the two red, “Left Out” marked hens that were later bred to a “Yankee Clipper” cock that Duke Hulsey gave him, which produced the original pea-comb fowl that won an average of 85% of their fights from 1947 to 1953.

The above mentioned Blue Judge Wilkins Typewriter – McClanahan cock was bred out of my two Typewriter hens, bred to the McClanahan cock I brought down to Mr. Kelso’s place, and bred there and NO OTHER Typewriter cock or hens were bred there, and NO OTHER McClanahan cock or hens were bred down there. When I left Galveston, Texas, I left Mr. Kelso a large number of stags, bred out of my Typewriter hens and the McClanahan cock I brought down there to breed to my hens. Kelso fought my fowl (young cocks) against Bobby Manziel, deceased, and they won a great main, fed by Turley Stalcup of Tennessee. Mr. Stalcup wrote me of the results of that main and asked me for hens bred the same way.

I have many letters here from John J. Liberto, who helped Mr. Kelso for 32 years with his fowl, in Galveston, Texas, and he assures me that the only Typewriter hens of and the McClanahan cock (Austin-Claret-Smith Roundhead) was ever bred at Mr. Kelso’s, or by him down there.

Hundreds of men have written me about the Kelso Clarets, some saying they have them, others wanting information on them. Although Kelso had many of Madigin’s fowl he never bred any of them pure, as he always wanted his own strain of fowl and bred towards this goal. I know this will surprise many, but there is no such fowl, as Kelso (Madigin) Clarets. However, some of his “Battle Cocks” contained some Claret blood.

I fed a 13-cock main for Mr. Kelso against Gilbert Courtois, New Iberia, LA, which was fought at the Club Belvedere, near Erath, LA, which ended in a draw. Gilbert Courtois had won many mians at that time and was rated the Champion of Louisiana. The Kelso cocks I trained were half E.H. Hulsey (Pumpkins), one quarter Smith Roundheads (DeJeans) and one quarter Madigin Claret.

Kelso made a main against Smutt Griffiths, Victoria, Texas; Jeff Lankard, Goliad, Texas, and others in their combination. It was a “show” of 21 and 17 pairs matched. Sam Bigham and Henry Wortham visited Kelso’s cock-house and he extended them the courtesy of examining his cocks. When Kelso asked them what they though the results would be they replied, after prompting – that they felt I had “Drawn” the cocks too much and that the cocks Kelso was meeting were absolutely perfect. After Wortham and Bingham left the cock-house we soon heard the bets of 100/60 and 1000/six hundred offered. Madigin drove up and asked why the big odds. I told him that the experts had felt of Kelso’s cocks and thought we had no chance. I then handed Madigin some of the cocks and he looked them over. As he was leaving the cock-house, Mr. Kelso asked him what he thought about them. He replied, “I am going to break these smart betters.” J.M. Frost had an interest in our main, but withdrew his support and went with the opposition. The final score was Frithiof-Kelso 11 and Griffith-Lankard 6. We won the only hack after the main and Kelso and Madigin won a great deal on the main as they were my only backers.

I used 3 of J.M. Frost’s Pipeliners in the main and the rest were E.H. Hulsey-Smith Roundhead-Madigin Claret crosses.

Sweater McGinnis teamed up with Tom Averyt (feeder for Hill McClanahan), J.M. Frost Jr., (Pipeliner and Frost Greys), Judge Ed Wilkins (Typewriters) and other backers and challenged Kelso to fight them for a thousand dollars on each battle. We fought at Austin, Texas. We defeated the combination 8 to 3. I used one Madigin Grey that won and the rest were E.H. Hulsey-Coutois-DeJean-Smith Roundhead-Claret crosses.

When Kelso fought a main against Madigin in New Orleans his cocks were Roundheads from Louisiana. Madigin won the main 11 to 6. The Madigin Clarets completely outclassed the LA Roundheads.

Kelso fought four E.H. Hulsey cocks and one Madigin Grey cock against Judge Edward Wilkins at Austin, Texas late one season. Wilkins used 5 cocks, one half Marsh Butcher and one half Typewriter. The Hulsey cocks were pumpkins (Yellow Birchen color), all lost, the Madigin Grey won.

In 11 mains and hacks after the mains, I fought Wilkins over 150 battles. He told me only 5 cocks of this sum were, or had any Butcher blood in them, and this should refute the allegation of two of the “self appointed experts,” who wrote articles for The Gamecock that stated that the Wilkins cocks were either 100% Marsh Butcher, or one half Butcher.

Appearing in August, 1946 Grit & Steel is a report of a 9 stag main, page 36, between Walter Kelso, Gilbert Courtois feeding, and Maurice Cohen, San Antonio, Texas, fought at Berg’s Mill San Antonio, Texas. Won by Kelso 6 to 3. Kelso used 5 stags bred by John Liberto, Galveston, Texas.

In the Febuary issue G&S, page 67, 1948, is a report of a main fought between Regels & Co., Alice, Texas, fed by Lee (pop) McGinnis, “Skeeter” Alford handling, against Walter Kelso, Gilbert Courtois feeding and handling for Kelso. Score 5 to 4 for Kelso. Kelso used 4 cocks bred by John Liberto, Galveston, texas.

The reason I mentioned the mains fed by myself and those fed by Gilbert Courtois for Mr. Kelso, was to show the readers that Mr. Kelso was NOT FIGHTING COL. JOHN H. MADIGIN CLARETS in any of his important mains.

Upon the death of Mr. Madigin, September 16, 1942, Mr. Kelso fell heir to his fowl, which surprised many, as all thought Mr. E.W. Law would inherit them. Madigin didn’t relish Mr. Law selling fowl and perhaps, this influenced his decision. Madigin’s instructions were that Frank Heiland, who fed his cocks for many years, was to be given a trio of Greys and Bill Japhet, son of his old time friend, Dan Japhet, was to be given some of the fowl if he wanted them.

Kelso had “Sweater” McGinnis with him at the time. McGinnis didn’t like the Madigin fowl and was busy killing them. He did fight some of them at Waco, Texas and most lost.

When I was with Mr. Kelso, Col. Madigin would bring down a dozen or more cocks and I would place them in big pens to “freshen them up.” After they had been on green grass for a month I would put them up and work them out and fight them in New Orleans Tournaments for Madigin. He would bring his green legged Regular Greys and Red and White Clarets, usually an equal number of each color. Madigin told me many times that his Red and White Clarets were the same identical fowl, bred exactly the same, contained the same blood-lines.

Madigin had a dozen hens down there in large pens (Kelso’s place) and we went after them while I was with Madigin. However, when I went with Kelso there were no pure Claret fowl down there and I doubt that Kelso bred from them.

Madigin believed that fowl bred in Canada, where he bred his fowl, and brought down to Texas, would improve them, because of the difference in climate, minerals in the ground and in the grass, would be beneficial to them.

Sweater McGinnis brought down to Kelso’s place a Peacomb red, yellow legged cock, heavy plumage, long wings and broad back. He was bred to Kelso’s “Out and Out” marked hens and single mated to the little bluff, straight comb, Murphy hens. This cock was called the “Sweater” cock.

McGinnis got a Regular Grey Madigin cock from Kelso. John Liberto, Galeston, Texas, had been breeding the cock to his Pipeline (Frost) hens for Mr. Kelso. A Perfection Grey cock was also bred to Pipeliner hens for Kelso’s use. The original Madigin Perfection Greys were out of a Madigin Regular Grey named “Perfection,” bred to Red Clarets hens.

When Walter Kelso (Oleander Club), Gilbert Courtois feeding, won the Sunset Derby in 1952, he fought 6 Yankee Clippers (Claret-Albany’s), 3 Claret crosses and 3 Griffin cocks. The Bob Angelle trophy was given to Gilbert Courtois. (May issue G&S, page 17, 1952.)

May 6, 1953, Kelso (Oleander Club), Courtois feeding, won a main against Mr. Halff, J.D. Perry feeding, at Nine Mile Club, 6 to 4. Kelso used some of his “Little Murphy” cocks and Oleander Reds, which were Typewriter-McClanahan. Old Murphy, Yankee Clipper and Claret blood. June issue, Gamecock, page 44.

Mr. Kelso obtained from Billy Ruble, a peacomb, Brown Red, dark legged cock, twice a winner at Hot Springs, same day, and he was bred to the dark legged hens Tommy Murphy sent Kelso. The cocks were very game but average fighters. Tommy Gillespie, editor of the Game Fowl Breeders Journal, had been trying to get some Kelso fowl from the caretaker on Kelso’s place. Kelso told his caretaker to sell them to Gillespie and keep the money.

The Ruble cock was then bred to Kelso’s best Buff, straight comb hens and the cocks were satisfactory. Best “Left Out” marked little hens.

John Liberto let Kelso breed his dark wine red, straight comb yellow Pipeliner (Frost cock to his buff, yellow legged, Murphy hens). Sweater McGinnis fought the cock twice. After Sweater left Kelso’s place to go into the army Gilbert Courtois bred him for Kelso for a few years. Kelso won mains and derbies with this mating. Later a son of the Pipeliner cock was bred the same way with excellent results. The blood of this line of fowl was in his later fowl, his very best fowl.

Mr. Griffin from Alabama was walking stags for Mr. Kelso and he sent Kelso a bright red, single comb cock, that was a sensation, a five-time winner, called the Trosclair cock, because Trosclair had walked him; he was also called the $1000 cock. Griffin also sent Kelso a dark red, peacomb, white legged cock, extra good. Some offspring from these cocks was raised and they were satisfactory.

A Hennie Mathesius Hatch cock was bred by John Liberto to his Pipeliner (Frost) hens and Kelso used many of them with good results.

Mr. Armand DeJean, Opelousas, LA, gave Kelso some of his Smith Roundheads and Kelso gave them to John Liberto. Later Kelso got some of them back again. I think some of the cocks I was fighting for Mr. Kelso carried this blood line.

One of the Grey cocks Kelso used for his Grey colored cocks was from Carl Van Wormer, Houston, Texas. He was a Shake and fought several times. Van Wormer rented Col. Madigin’s place in Houston, Texas, after Mr. Madigin’s death, from Madigin’s daughter. When I visited him there he had fowl from E.W. Law, Dave Ward, Frank Shy (Narragansett) and some Albany fowl (Old Albanys). Van Wormer joined me in 5 mains, all of which I won. I let him have a Madigin Grey cock, sire of 5 cocks I fought against E.H. Husley and Henry Wortham, at Arcola, Texas, in our $2000 main. Four of my Grey cocks won – the 5th cock met a 9 time winning Hulsey cock, they went up, came down flopping, dying and it was called a draw. Wortham said they were the best Grey cocks he ever saw fight in any pit. I don’t know for sure if that Grey cock Kelso got was out of my cock, or form E.W. Law stock.

This is the true way Kelso bred his fighting cocks and they were TOPS.

Cockfighting – Sports and Lifestyle

Cockfighting is a sports enjoyed by good honest men (masses and elites alike) from all over the world from pre-historic times, early ages, middle ages, industrial ages, and contemporary times.

Historic figures in cockfighting includes Alexander the Great, Themistocles, Julius Ceasar, Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, James I, William the 6th Earl of Derby, Charles II, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln.

Famous American breeders includes Sanford Hatch, John Madigin, Walter Kelso, Phil Marsh, Herman “Sweater” McGinnis, “Duke” Hulsey, and Will Allen.

Famous Filipino breeders includes Ramon Mitra.

There are different gamecock breeds and strains from different continents and countries. The most famous breed is the American game as it is being used in 5 continents and most regions including the Philippines (cocking capital of the world), Asia, Europe, Australia, South America, and North America (training testing facility only). Other notable gamecock breeds are Indian Aseel, Japanese Shamo, Malaysian Malays, Vietnamese Ga Noi, Indonesian Sumatra, Old English Game, English Modern Game, Spanish Game, Persian Rumpless Game, Cuban Cubalayas, French Nord Game, Belgian Flamand Game, Filipino Igon, and Filipino Parawakan.

Cockfighting Kabul Afghanistan 2003

Cockfight rules and weapons varies as well. the most famous weapon is the Filipino long knife. Malaysia uses long knife too. Other notable weapons are American Gaff, Mexican Short Knife, Puerto Rican Postiza, and naked heel or natural spur.

Banned in USA due to laws against liberty and freedom. Greedy lobbyist and ignorant law makers runs the animal cruelty band wagon to trample the rights of free men.

No one love these game fowls but the breeders, handlers, cockers, and aficionados. Day or night. Sleet or rain. From egg to brood years – multiple winners got to propagate their genes.

Cockfighting is a 365 days a year sports – breeding, caring, training, punctuated by 10 seconds, 10 minutes, or 2 hours of cockfight in the cockpit. It is the family way of life and sole livelihood to many gamecock breeder family – just like the beloved sports of horse racing.

Chickens are fought typically as stags, bullstags, and cocks. chicks may fight as early as a day old.

Most important lesson to take from cockfighting is gameness. (til the end.)

– Gameness (til the End)