Rooster and Bulldog Fights in East Hannibal - A Trophy
Payson - Sports from the southern part of this county, the north part of Pike County and from Hannibal enjoyed the sport incident to a cock and bulldog fight in East Hannibal last Saturday. There were twelve cocking battles, six of which were won by roosters owned by a store keeper at East Hannibal, who is credited with pocketing $120 from the sport.
A bulldog owned by a Payson man chewed a leg off a Hannibal bulldog and otherwise mangled it past recognition. The Payson man is in the city today showing the dead dog's $15 collar, the prize for which the battle was fought against its value in cash. The dead dog was weighed in at 23¾ pounds; the victor tipped the beams at exactly 23 pounds. The fight is said to have been disgustingly brutal.
The Quincy Herald, Quincy, IL, December 12, 1894, p.1
