Typewriters by Lunchmoney My first introduction to the Wilkens Typewriters was in April 1946, when the Judge fought a main against Ford & Luster, as memory has it, at the Berg’s Mill Pit, San Antonio, Texas. This was a three-day event with the main being fought the first day followed by a tournament. The tournament included the Walton-Wortham entry, Hale Brothers, Judge Ed Wilkens, and aobut four or five other entries. Having always been an admirer of blue game fowl, dating back to the old cock my grandfather had on the yard – a blue-red, yellow legged cock, and having a little more money than normally, I found the odds laid on the Ford & Luster fowl to be irresistible when they were 10-8 and 10-7 on every fight. The Judge won the main rather handily 7-4 as I recall and it should have been 8-3 since one fight was won by a seemingly unfair handle by Mr. Luster, but that is water under the bridge. At that time, most of the cocks that the Judge showed in the main were lemon-hackled, blue-reds with yellow legs mostly, some pyle colored cocks with white legs, and nearly all of the fowl shown during the main and tournament, as memory serves me, were straight comb. My life-long frined Edward Bently took me out to the Judge’s home and we had a short visit there, seeing the quarters where the Judge conditioned his fowl and also a few othe fowl on the yard. I made more than my expense money on the trip, thanks to the Judge’s cocks, and the Walton-Wortham fowl and came home a winner. I could not resist the temptation to obtain some of these fowl. Edward located a pyle colored, pea-comb, white legged Typewriter cock for me and I purchased a hen from the Judge. I remember her this day almost as well as the day I received her. She was a blue-red hen, with large blue fan tail, red eyes, white legs, straight combed. During the period after her mormal laying season had ended, she would act almost like a cock. She would fly upon a pile of wood, or a post or pen and crow, popping her wings just like a cock. The remarkable thing about this hen is that the cock which she was mated with, an old ham-strung cock, produced nearly all shakes. The first two were fought when they were about 13 or 14 months old against fuly matured cocks. 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. His brother, a dark blue-red with yellow legs and peacomb won his fight but slipped his spur. I believe that we fought the sky-blue cock when he was two for $100, Ernest Trochta doing the feeding and pitting, and he won an uphill fight, coming from behind. From that Typewriter hen and the old Pyle cock, we fought about six stags amd cocks and all won. Several Thaggard Grey-Typewriter stags and cocks were fought also and the records kept up through the first 21 fights were 20 wins and 1 loss. The loss was with a Grey-Typewriter stag that fought a long hard fight and losing but being thoroughly game. I lost track of them after that they must have all eventually lost, but 20 of the first 21 fought won their first fight or more. I often wondered why these fowl have not been more prominent in the game fowl journals. They could fight; they could cut; they had bottom and they deserve a better place in the history of game fowl than they seem to have received. I recall that the Judge had at about that time two great cocks that he had fought a number of times – One Round Hogan, a Pyle cock, and Pay-Day a dark blue-red cock. I’m sure that there must be a lot of people in and arround San Antonio, Texas that would remember these cocks. I always found the Judge to be quite honorable in his dealings with me and I also found him to be quite an understanding gentleman. MINER BLUES: Perpetuator, Loyd Miner, Ill. Bloodlines: Nick Vipond Blues. Description: Blue red, light reds, dark blue, white, yellow, and darks legs. BLUE BOONES: Originator, Alva Campbell, Ky. Description: Blue red and Dom. BLUE JEWS: Originator, Capt. Mayberry, Ala. Description: Blue shades; dark and red eyes, dark and yellow legs, st. and pea comb. CAROLINA BLUES: Originator, W. S. Church, N. C. Description: Blue, blue red, pyle. KNOB COMB BLUES: Originator, B. Shelton, Miss. Bloodlines: Cripple Tony R. H., Sledge and Hanna Traveler. Description: Blue, pea comb, yellow legs. TYPEWRITER BLUES: Originator, Judge Wilkins, Texas. Description: Blue shades. DARCY BLUES: Originator, B. F. Anderson, Ohio. Bloodlines: Blue Jews, Koopman Tassel Blues, Filipino Tassels. Description: Blue red, pyle; red eyes, slate and willow legs. WILD CAT BLUES: Originator, C. C. Lundy, Ga. Bloodlines: English Blue Cock X Knobcomb blue hens; possibly Lundy R. H. blood. Description: Blues, pyles, green and yellow legs, red eyes.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 17:07:26 +0000
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