In the village of Pottsville, Pa., a few weeks since, a handbill, of which the following is a copy, was posted up for public perusal:
The Fox and the Coon! Grand Contest!
A grand contest between a little red Fox, and a real live Coon, the representative of Van Buren and Clay, will be had at the saloon of the Town Hall.
This Evening, [Saturday, March 23rd,] at 8 o’clock. The friends of the old Fox of Kinderhook, and also the adherents of “that same old Coon,” of Kentucky, are invited to attend and see that “fair play” is shown to their respective favorites. Admittance 12 cents. Pottsville, March 23rd, 1844.
The contest announced in the foregoing, grew out of a dispute, says the Miners’ Journal, about a woodcut representing a Coon with a Fox down.
At the time and place mentioned, a vast number of whigs and locos assembled to witness the fight, and, in the language of the handbill, only fair play shown to their respective favorites.
The Coon, continues the Journal, was only about six months old, and rather small. The Fox was old and, nearly twice the size of his Coonship, and looked quite as sly and cunning as Matty himself. The preparations were all made-bets ran high-Cooney walked deliberately to Foxey, and lick’d him in two minutes! Foxey ran and ensconsed himself in a bucket-Cooney followed, sprung upon the basket, placed his paw in a peculiar position-and a shout in favor of the “Coon of Kentucky,” fairly rant the Hall.
Post a Comment