In the 1860s, it became the infamous Sportsmen’s Hall, run by Irish gang the Dead Rabbits lieutenant Kit Burns, known for its bar, gambling, prostitution, and a notorious rat-baiting pit. Not named for any manner of athleticism, it referred to the “sporting life” that centered on gambling, women, and drink. The main draw was the “rat pit,” an amphitheater on the first floor where fox terriers would fight starving rats and audiences would bet on the winner. The amphitheater was on the first floor, a dirt floor surrounded by zinc-lined wooden walls 4.5 feet high and 8 feet long. The arena could fit “250 decent people and 400 indecent ones” during a match.
“The performance is greeted with shouts, oaths, and other frantic demonstrations of delight,” wrote a contemporary observer. “Some of the men will catch up the dog in their arms, and press it to their bosom in a frenzy of joy, or kiss it as if it were a human being, unmindful or careless of the fact that all this while the animal is smeared with the blood of its victims. The scene is disgusting beyond description.”
Rat baiting was one the most lucrative forms of gambling on the waterfront. The average purse was around $125. More than boxing (50 cents) or cockfighting ($2), a buy-in for a good ratbaiting match could rise as high as $5 depending on the number of rats. Only bearbaiting was more lucrative, but that brutal sport had mostly died out by the 1840s. With such a high demand for prey, some would earn money just by collecting rats, being paid 5 to 12 cents for each rat.
