Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1850-05-17
SHAM HAYS AND HIS BULLY RACE.

SHAM HAYS AND HIS BULLY RACE.
Some forty years ago, the managers of
race course near Brownsville on the
Monongahcla, published notice of a race,
one m le heats, ona particular day, for a
purse of one hundred dollars, free for arg
Thing acith four legs and hair on A man
in tire neighborhood, named Hays, had Il
bull that he was in the habit Of riding to
mill with his bag Of Corn, and he deter
mined to enter him for the race. He
sal, nothing about it to any one, but he
rode him around the tracks number of
times on several moonlight nights, until
the bull had the hang of the grouad pret-
ty well and would keep the right course.
He rode with spurs, which the bull con-
sidered particularly disagrceable; so 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 horseback on his
bull. Instead ofa saddle, he hada dried
ox-hidc, the head part Of which, with the
horns still on, he had placed on the bulls
lump. He carried ashort tin horn in his
hand. lie rode to the judges stand and
offered to enter his bull for the race; but
the owners of the horses that were enter
ed objected. Hays appealed to the
terms of tho notice insisting that his bull
had your legs and ha;r on, and that there
fore he had Alright to enter him. After
good dca! of 'cussin' and discussin',' the
judges declared themselves compelled to
decide that the bull had the right to run
and was entered accordingly.
When the time for starting arrived, the
bull and the horses took their places.
The horse "acers were out of humor at
being bothered with the bull and at the
burlesqe which they supposed was in,en-
dcd. but thought that would all be over
as soon as the horses started. When the
signal was given they did start. Hays
gave blast with his horn and sunk his
spurs into the bulls sides, who bounded
off with terrible bawl, at no tnfling
speed, the dried OK hide tapping up and
down, and rafting at every jump, ma
king a combination of noises that had ncv
cr been heard on race course before.
The horses all flew the track, every one
seeming to be seized with sudhen deter
mination to take the shortest cut to get
out of the Rcdstonc country. and not one
Of them could be 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. A general row cnsued, but the
fun of the thing put the crowd all on the
side of the bull. The horsemcn contended
they were swindled out Of the purse, and
that if it had not been for Hays's horn
and the OK hide, which he ought not to
have been permitted to bring on the
ground, the thing would not have turned
out as it did Upon this, Hays told them
that his bull could beat any of their hor-
ses any how, an if they would put up q
hundred dollars against the purse which
he had won, he would take off the on
hide and leave his tin horn, and run a fail
race with them. His offer was accepted
and the money stakcd. They again tool
their places at the starting post, and tn,
signal was given. Hays gave the bul
another touch with his spur, and the bul
gave another tremendous below. Thc
horses remembered the horrible sound
and thought all the rest was coming a
before. Away they went again, in spit
ofall the excrtions of their riders, Will,
Hays galloped his bull around the tract
again and won the money. From tha
time they nicknamcd him Sham HAYS
He afterwards removed to Ohio, but his
nickname stuck TO him as long as he llycc
~. Y. Spirit Of the Times.
,Supershtions ofMe HighlanderS -Th
Highlanders have some opinions and be