MURPHY WHITEHACKLE GAMEFOWL

The gamefowl that he bred exhibited an unprecedented level of consistency and uniformity in the New York main cocking events. While he did experience his fair share of losses, he emerged victorious in the majority of the mains he participated in, winning a remarkable forty-nine stag mains as confirmed by a fellow cocker who closely followed his gamefowl career.

Mr. Murphy, a partial owner of the prominent brokerage firm Schley and Company, hailed from Long Island, New York. At the tender age of 14, he began working in the vicinity of the harness horse track near his home. Over time, he developed a close camaraderie with the horse racers, who were actively involved in trading on the New York stock market. They generously shared investment tips with Mr. Murphy, enabling him to make substantial profits. During this period, many of the horsemen were fervent enthusiasts of cockfighting, and the sport was thriving in and around New York City.

At one point, Mr. Murphy jockeyed for three or four horse owners in Syracuse, New York, who collectively maintained a bank account with a balance of $100,000. This account served as a resource from which Mr. Murphy could withdraw funds whenever he identified a promising horse that could be bred with his patrons’ horses. Although Mr. Murphy had the opportunity to acquire any proven bloodline he desired to establish his gamefarm, his independent nature led him to develop his own bloodline. He was determined to keep the origins of his bloodlines a secret, and he preferred to purchase fowl of his choosing to initiate his breeding program.

Nick Downes, an elderly Irish man who faithfully served Mr. Murphy for three decades, asserted that the Murphy fowl were Lawman White hackles. John Hoy, a renowned cocker from the early 1900s until his demise in 1929, worked as a feeder for Mr. Murphy for seven years. Hoy had connections with Billy Lawman and possessed the Lawman White hackles and Muffs. He brought some of these fowl to Mr. Murphy’s establishment, and a significant number of them were subsequently bred, raised, and fought under Murphy’s ownership. Even after Hoy’s departure, some of these fowl remained, and they continued to be the focus of Mr. Murphy’s breeding and fighting endeavors.

The Murphy fowl exhibited remarkable uniformity in various aspects, including their appearance, fighting style, and tenacity. They possessed a distinctive rusty red color with white markings.