The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1860-11-14
Race With a BulI.

some forty years ago, the members of n
race course near Brownsville, on the Monon-
gahela, published notice of a race, one mile
heats, on particular day, for a purse of one
hundred dollars, Stree for anything with four
legs and hair on"
A man In the neighborhood named Hays
had 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. lie said
nothing about it to any one, but he rode him
around the track number of times on sew
eral moonlight nights, until the bull had the
hang of the ground pretty well, and would
keep the right course. lie rode with spurs,
which the bull considered particularly dsa-
greeable, so much so that he always below
ed when they we're applied to his sides.
On the morning of the race Hays came
upon the ground on horse-back-on his bull.
Instead of a saddle, he had dried an ox-hidc,
the head part of which, with the horns still
on, he had placed on the bulls rump. lie
carried a short tin horn in his hand. lie
rode to the judges stand, and offered to en-
ter his bull for the race but the owners of
the horses objected. Hays appealed to the
terms of the notice, insisting that his bull
had ''four legs and hair on and that there
fore he had a right to enter him. After
good deal of swearing, the judges declared
themselves compelled to decide that the bull
had the right to run, and he was entered ac-
cordingly.
When the time for starting arrived, the
bull and the horses took their places. The
horse-racers were out of humor at being both
cred by the bull, and at the burlcsque which
they supposed was intended, but thought
that it would 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 side of the bull, who
bounded off with terrible bawl at no trifing
speed, the dried ox-hide tapping up and
down, and rattling at every jump, making a
combination of noises that had never been
heard on a race course before. The horses
all flew the track, every one seeming to be
seized with a sudden determination to take
the shortest cut to get out of the Redstone
country, and none of them could be brought
back in time to save their distance. The
purse was given to Hays.
A general row ensucd, but the fun of the
thing put the crowd all on the side of the
bull. The horsemen contended that they
were swindled out of the purse, and if it had
not been for Hays horn and ox-hide, which
he ought not to have been permitted to bring
on the groun', the thing would not have
turned out as it did.
Upon this Hays told them that his bull
could beat any of their horses anyhow, and
if they would put up one hundred dollars
against the purse he had won, he would take
off the ox-hide and leave the tin horn, and |
run fair race with them. His cffer was ac- |
cepted and the money staked. They again
took their places at the starting post, and the
signal was given. Hays gave the bull anoth-
er touch with his spur, and the bull gave
below. The horses remember
ing the dreadful sound, thought all the rest
was coming as before. Away they went
again in spite of all the exertions of their
riders, while Hays galloped his bull around
he track again and won the money.