America's 1st championship dog fight 1881

When Cockney Charlie Lloyd of New York pitted Pilot,his white brindle,against Crib,owned by Louis Kreiger of Louisville,this was dog fighting de luxe. This was a fair "scratch in turn" match for a side bet of $1000 & the American championship.
The sport had come a long way since the 1860's & 1870's,when the notorious & evil Kit Burns had his infamous dog fighting pit at 273 Water Street,New York & where prostitution was merely a side line in this notorious "den of entiquity".
The challenge for the championship match had been closed in the offices of the "Police Gazette",which then gave space to both blue ribbon & fighting dogs. It's publisher Richard K Fox had accepted the post of stakeholder.
The articles of agreement signed in the "Police Gazette" offices on September 1st 1881 stipulated,"Charles Lloyd hereby agrees to fight his brindle & white dog,Pilot,ears cut & tail on,against Louis Kreiger's white dog,Crib,ears cut & tail on,at 28lb weight for $1000 a side. The said fight to take place the 19th day of October 1881,at or within a point of 7 miles of Pittsburg,Ky. The dogs to be weighed in at 7am on the day of the fight & to fight between 7am & 8pm.
It was further agreed that the handlers shall each taste the others dog & sponge them with wet sponge. The sponge used shall then be squeezed into each others dogs mouth in order to prove there is no poisionous or pernicious drugs placed on them. After the dogs have been tasted,neither of the sponges must be changed.
Some idea of the importance the match assumed may be grasped in the fact that the Ohio & Mississippi railroad issued special tickets to the scene of the dog fight at excursion rates & that the sporting delegations who trekked to the battle ground were met at the Louisville Hotel,Louisville,by Alderman Gifford of the Louisville Board Of Alderman & by Chief Of Police,Adam Bly & other Louisville notables.
The match drew sporting delegations from New York,Chicago,St Louis,Cincinnati,New Orleans & many other important points. Mr Fox assigned his sports editor,William E Harding,who was to be selected to the important post of referee,to cover the championship match. Mr Harding had no soft assignment.
5am on the morning of the contest,the roads were heavy with horse drawn vehicles of every variety. The assembly point was at the Garr Farm,6 mile out of Louisville,where a fighting pit,13ft x 16ft,had been constructed in one end of a dillapiated building & where the gathering of eager sports,became a crowd by 6.30. They were taxed 1 dollar per person for the privilege of looking on at the contest.
It was a few minutes after 7am when the dogs were weighed. Pilot weighed 27lb & was 1/4lb heavier than his opponent. After the weigh in the contestants were taken to the kitchen of the Garr domicile for the official washing,in the presence of the referee. Each dog was scrubbed in a tub of warm water & them tubbed in warm milk.
After the scrubbing,each owner tasted the others animal to make sure no red pepper had been placed on either dog. Each dogs owner conceded the others animal tasted satisfactory & the doge were then thouroughly dried & blanketed,then brought to the pit.
On the arrival at the pit,Chief Of The Louisville Fire Department,Hughes,announced it was the desire of referee,Harding,that both handlers of the contesting animals be searched. This was complied with & each handler then searched one another,with both announcing after search of the others clothing & person,that nothing that might be injurious to each others dog had been discovered. After which the blankets were removed from the dogs & the fight was on.
Both animals uttered low growls & then with one savage bound,Crib sprang to Pilots corner & attacked his antagonist. He caught Pilot by the nose,but the brindle shook him off & grasped Crib by the right leg. Pilot then loosened his hold upon Crbs leg,to get a better one on his throat. Crib succeeded in freeing himself & once more caught Pilot by the nose,only to loosen it almost instantly & seize Pilot by the back of the neck & ear,throwing him down.
While down,Pilot got Crib by the breast & had a terrible hold,but unable to retain his hold to any good advantage,let go & grasped Crib by the left ear. Then in turn,Pilot loosened the ear hold & got Cribs left front leg between his molars. As he pressed his jaws together,the bones in Cribs leg fairly cracked. This terrible punishment only seemed to enrage the Louisville dog the more,for with one great effort,he threw Pilot 5 times in succession with ear holds.
Crib seized Pilot by the nose,which by the way,seemed to be his favourite hold & once more he downed the New York dog. As quick as a flash he let go of Pilots nose & went to chewing his front leg. With the fight that Crib was now doing,the Louisville people thought him a sure winner of the fight.
But it was now Pilots turn to do some fighting & the manner in which he viciously chewed Cribs left leg was terrible to behold. Crib,with a growl,broke loose,only to be caught again in the same manner. With another effort,Crib once more gained his freedom & for fully 5min the dogs fought with ear holds,until finally,Pilot downed Crib & while holding him by the ear,pounded his head on the pit floor.
Crib secured a hold on Pilots throat & although fighting on only 3 legs,succeeded in throwing his antagonist.
This seemed to incense Pilot to such a degree,he threw Crib with a throat hold & again with a leg hold. Crib returned with a leg hold,at which point a bet of $100 was ofered that Crib would win the fight. This bet was promptly taken by Cockney Charlie Lloyd,the owner of Pilot. The fight had now lasted 42min.
As the hour approached,Crib started to fade badly & his defeat seemed a foregone conclusion,as the Louisville dog was brought down with another throat hold.
Crib turned to the side of the pit & was in the act of leaping out,when he was grabbed by the brindle & dragged back into the field of battle. Crib was a whipped dog at this moment,but Pilot,not content with the victory already achieved,was hell bent on killing his opponent.
Crib once more turned to the side of the pit & this time succeeded in getting outside,followed by Pilot,who seized his opponent by the under jaw & held onto him,refusing to release his hold,necessitating the picking up of the dogs together & placing them back in the pit. Pilot threw Crib in the corner,with an ear hold & held him there. Kreiger fanned his dog vigourisly,but it did the dog no good,for he was fast failing.
From this time on,Pilot endeavoured to shake the little life out of Crib that still remained. The fight lasted 1hr 25min,with Pilot becoming the dog fighting champion.

 

Great read...very detailed

 

you're still here? why?

 

"Super moderator" hehehe.
"Super grass" is a more definate & correct term for you & your team.
No info of use to ya'll in that report..........

 

funny, you cry and moan about how awful this place is-yet you just cant stay away. pretty amusing, at least you are good for a laugh