Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1858-11-03
GQmorOns.
A VOLUNTEER BULL FIGHT.

A VOLUNTEER BULL FIGHT,
remember once seeing, when q lad at
school, q fight between two bulls. AL
though couldnot have bean more than
eight Years of aye, ! shall never forget the
spectacle. 1t happened in this wise -
Close by the school house--a very unpre-
/ tending tdIhco ii was ran o deep and
"apid RIVER. SAcro s it had been thrown a
! nigh wooden bridge, the handwriting of
which time, and the winds, and the wealth
er, had entirely destroyed The land on
/ the opposite sides OF the stream was owned
/ by different persons and larmod by them
respectively. One bright summer day--I
remember II as il were yesterday-thc
hour otnoon had arrived, and a frolicsome,
4 'tuu--eeklng troop Of school-boys were let
loose or an hours recreation.
All at at once the roaring and believing
OF two bulls, that had broken out of their
enclosure on each side Of the river, attract.
ed our attention. The animals were not
yet IN sight Of each other but were ap-
proaching along the highway ut rate of
speed which would cause them to meet
near tuc centre of the high bridge which
! have described, and beneath which. at
some thirty eer, ran the river, between
steep banks The more daring Of US gath.
cred along the bridge, lining it, TO see the
anticipated fight. We were not disap.
pointed. Nearer and nearer they AZ.
preached, the proud paving cambatants.
Baslan never produced two brUtcs of finer
aspect. They .ashed their sides with their
tal.., they tore the ground with their feet.
Occasionally they melt down, trying to
gore the earth with their horns. And a5
yet they were concealed, each from the
other, by the alcemt of the bridge at either
end.
Presently as they simultaneously rs.
cended the respective abutments, they
came in full sight OF each other. The
rolrs was mutual and dactually tremendous.
Every urchin OF us sprang into the fields
and ran. Finding, however, that we were
not pursued, "e hastily retraced our steps.
There they We're, the terocious duelists,
quite as -eu-ibly employed rs some OF
their hu nan !ml,ators. Front to front,
their horn, locked, every muscle strained,
tney were lighting as onlysbul!s can fight.
II seemed 10 be an even match. Now one
wOuId press his antagonist few PAGES, and
presently you would hear quick, sharp,
short s,eps,-and presently his adversary
would he pressed back in return. The
struggling was hard, was long, was saw
age For while neither obtained an ad.
vantage.
Hitherto they had been pushing each
other lgugthwise of the bridge; suddenly
they began to wheel, and in moment
were facing each other crosswise. They
We're at right angles with the length of the
bridge, which shook, and creaked, and
rocked again with their tramping and
their terrible strife II was the work of A
single moment; one OF the beasts
could not oll whiCh-one OF them, how
ever, as il COnCious Of his position, made a
violent, desperate plunge forward and
pressed Lisantagonist back-back back
Till there WAS but another stepofthe plank
behind Alm-belween him and nothing
The moment was one ofintensc interest to
us juvenile spectators. Never was the
amphithcatre Of Rome the scene ola more
exciting combat. Another step back
wark--yes, the unfortunate bull was for
ced to take it Back he is pressed, and
over he goes
Such a sight | never saw--G probably
shall never see again. Imagine bull
pitched backed over bridge and falling
at least thirty feet, owe and over. He
turned once or twice, probably thought
ne turned fifty times, there seemed such
confusion OF horns and feet re diving,
flying through the air. Bat down he
went; the water was deep, and he dsap-
( pelrod, leuyinga whirlpool Of foam be-
hind him, and making the river undula,e, e,
far and wide with the conclusion Of his
pouderous bulk.
/ The other bull did not laugh merely
because bulls as supposed, could not
But We laughed and shouted our applause.
There stood the victor, looking directly
down into the abyss below, into which he
had hurried his unlucky foe He stood,
however but a moment, and then, as if
frightened at the prospect, he began to
snort and step backwards. Back, back,
he retreated, with his head in the same
pugnacous attitude, rs when in combat
back-still another step back-and over
he, too, went, on the opposite side Of the
bridge, performing just so many ludricous
somersets as his adversary mad done a
minute before.
1t was a scene TO remember; and the
performance called forth immense ap.
piause from the group of juvenile anna
teurs who witnessed it. In about five
minutes both bulls might be seen, well
sobered 10y their ducking, dripping wet,
scratching up the steep, gravely banks,
each on his own side of the river. Those
bulls will never fight any more,' said a
boy behind me. His predition turned out
correct: two more peaceably disposed bulls
than they were, nver afterwards, could not
have been found.
REAL WAKE.-An lrihman in Cincin.
patti died apparpntlv a short tit,,e sinro