The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1850-11-30
Sham Hays and his BuIl-y Race.


Some forty years ago. the managers Of race
course near Brownsville, on the Monongahela, pnb.
llshed nonce Of race, one mile heas. on a par
tirular day, for a purse Of on hundred dollars
free for any thing Iclh f0ur legs and hair on -
rnan in the neighbOrhOld named Havs had a
bull that he was in the habit Of riding 10 mill with
his bag of corn, and he determined Ia enter him for
the race. He said nothing about it to any one ;
but he rode hun round the track a number of i'm 8
on several moonlight nights, until The bull had the
hang OF the ground pretty well, and would keep
the right course. He rode him with spurs, wEirh
the hull considered particularly dlsagreeabe ; 50
much so, that he always beloved when they were
applied to his sides
On the morning of the race, Hays came upon the
ground on hOrseb4ck'' On his bull Instead Cf a
saddle, he had dried OK hide, tn. head part of
which, with the horns sill on, he had placed on
the bulls rump He carried short rin horn m his
hand. He rode up to the judges stand aud offered
10 ter his bull for the race; bit the owners of
the horses that were entered, Objected. Hays ap-
pealed 10 The terms of notice, insisting that his bull
had " four legs and hair on" and that therefore he
had a right 10 enter him. After good deal of
. cussn' aud dlscu'sn'," !" the Judges declared
themselves compelled to decide that The bull had
the right to run, and vas entered accordingly.
When the time for starting arrived the bull and
the horses took their places. The horse. racers er.
out OF b NOR al being bothered with the bull and
at the burlesque which they supposed was intend
ed, but thought that would be over a7 soon as the
llpisth sldTicu w ilttl tnt signal was given thew
did start Hays gave blast with his horn and
sunk his spurs into the bulls side, who bounding
oil with terrible below, al no triltng speed, the
dried OK hide aOpping up and down. and rafting at
every jump, making combination Of noises that
had never heen heard on race course before.
The horses all f=w the track every one seeming to
be selZed with a sudden delerm narlOn to take The
shortest cut to get out of the R-dstune country and
moi one OF them could hs brought back in time TO
save their distance The purse was given to Hays,
under great deal of hard swearing on the part Of
the owners of the horses.
general row ensued, but the fun of the thing
pul tde crowd all on the side of the bull. The
hUrsemen commended that they were sNiadled ou
of The purse, and tha if it had not heen for HAYS
horn and the OK hide, which he ought not 10 have
been permitted to bring The ground; the thing
would not have turned Uut as 1t dd. Upon this
Hays told them his bull could beat any of their
horses any how and If they would put up a hun
dred dollars aga nst the purse which he had won,
he would take off the hide and eave his tin horn,
aud run fair race with them His Uff.r was ac-
cepted, aud The money saked. They again took
their places al the starting post, and the signal
given. Hays give the bull another touch with his
spurs, and The bull gave another tremendous bel
low. The horses remembered the horrible sound,
ard thought all the rest was coming as before
of their riders Will Hays Qalloped his bull around
the track again aud won the money. From that
time they nicknam-d him Sham Hays. He after
WARDS moved to Ohio, but his nickname stuck to
him as long as he lived. Esprit of the Times.