Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-07-18
A Race With a Bull.

Some forty years ago the managers OF
race course near Brownsville, ON the
Mononpnela, published a notice of a race
one mile heats, on particular day, for q
purse Of 500, "Free f'r anything with
t;mr legs and hair on a man in the
neighborhood named Hayes, had bull
that he was in the habit Of riding to mill
with his bag of corn, and he was deter.
mined to enter him for the race.
He said nothing about it to any one,
but he rode him around the track num-
Der of times, on several moonlight nights,
| ulnil the bull had the hang of the ground
pretty well, and would keep the right
course. lie rode with spurs, which the
bull considered disagreeable; so much so
that he always beloved when they were
applied to his tanks.
On the morning of the race, Hayes
came upon the ground on horseback-on
his bull. Instead Of saddle, he had a
dried ox-hide; the head part of which,
with the horns still on, he had placed on
the BULLS rump. He carriedn short tin
horn in his hand. He rode to the judges
stand, and offered to enter his bull for the
race; but the owners Of the horses that
were entered objected.
Hayes appealed to the terms Of the no.
tice, insisting that his bull had " four legs
and hair on and that he had right to
enter him. After good deal of swear
ing, the Judges declared themselves com.
PEELED to decide that the bull had the
right to run, and was entered accordingly.
When the time for starting arrived, the
bull and horses took their places. The
horse.racers were out of humor ut heing
bothered with bull, andat the burlesque
which they supposed was intended, but
thought it would be over as soon as the
horses started.
When the signal was given they did
start. Hayes gave a blast of his horn
and sank his spurs into the sides Of the
bull, which bounded off with terrible
bawl,7 Tat no trifing speed, the dried OK
hide tapping up and down and rafting at
every jump, making combination of
sounds that had never been heard on
race-course' before. The horses all flew
from the track, one seeming to be seized
with sudden determination to take the
shortest cut to get out Of the Redstone
country and not one Of them could be
brought back in time to save their dis
tance. The purse was given to Hayes.
A general row ensued, but the fun of
the thing put the crowd on the side Of the
BULL. The horsemen commended that they
were swindled out of their purse, and
had it not been for Hayes's horn and on
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 Hayes told them his bull
could beat their horses anyhow, and if
they would put up a hundred dollars
against the purse he had won he would
take off the oxhide and leave the tin horn,
and run a fair race with them.
His offer was accepted and tho money
staked, they again took their. places at
the starting, post, and the signal was given.
Hayes gave the bull another touch with
the spur,.aud the bull gave q tremendous
below.
e The horses, remembering the dreadful
sound, thought all the rest was coming as
before. Away they went again in spite
of the exertions Of their riders, while
Hayes galloped his bull around the track,
and won the money.