The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1879-07-13
A PENNSYLVANIA SPECTACLE.
a Fight Between Ii Bull and Bear
Witnessed by Five Hundred
Spectators.

! Witnessed by Five HHHaIsA
j Spectators.
/ A siekening Sight The Bear Leaps Into
the Crowd.
i People In the new oil region Of Mexican
county, Pennsyl yaflia. are excited over most
/ disgraGeful exhibition gotten up by q man
l named Marsh. He built a pit eleven Ieet
deep and thirty-eight feet long by twenty SIX
feet wide, drove d bear and q bull into 1t, ana
| goaded the animals on until the bear was
nearly gored to death. Several other peopiee
Witnessed the brutal spectacle. Ihe Hght
took place on Tuesday ut Custer. City, about
| four miles from Bradford. The local papers
are full Of 1t, and the Bradford HrH's account
j shows the affair to have been q most disgust
! ing one Music was furnished by the Ran
/ lolph corflst band. When the train arrived
at Custer 1t was found that thers were eleven
/ rows OF seats ranging around the Pill, alter
| the fashion OF those used Ia @ circus, pof-
tion OF the space was shaded by the branches
| of some young oaks that were allowed TO
stand when the inclosure was built, At 2:30
| o'clock there were about five hundred persons
occupying seats. Among the spectators we're
d dozen women and eight or ten little girls.
Two men In shirt sleeves nestled themselves
costly la d shady spot, each with o baby ON
/ his knee. The bear was stumbling about la-
lilly Iii the bit, diverting himself with paving
cigar stubs thrown IN by the spectators. The
impatience OF the crowd found vent by stamp.
Ing the seats and yelling 'sBring In the bull"
| long time ensued before the fight began.
For some reason Marsh, the Inanagel' utter
/ he had taken up all the tickets, was In no
hurry to proceed, but finally, after good
1 deal Of noise, the door into the pit was thrown
| open, Taurus sent into the pit with @ rush,
and the door quickly closed. AT the corners
y,
clubs to prevent the bear from leaping out Of
| the pit TN two sides were others with long
sharp poles to goad the brutes to action
should they be backward In their movements.
weighing. 300 pounds, stood looking, toward
the top Of the pit wistfuly for liberty. The
bull was trltn-limbed. with stout sharp horns,
and weighed 100 pounds In his nose was q
bright red ribbon. A. the bull jumped into
the arena every voice was ht1shed and every
eye fixed on the brutes. Duke the bulls
name, stopped suddenly IN the centre Of the
pit and gazed fiercely ut aCuff,' the name
given by its master to bruin. Cuff, after an
interval of u few moments turned his head
slowly around and glared wildly at his antag-
onist. The bear, sprlnging quickly around
30 face the BULL melted that animal to action. |
Duke moving slowly toward him. Cuff stood
up on his hind legs and growled savageIy. |
Quick as thought the bull sptAng on the bear
and sent him to the earth. Brnin scratched |
with all fOurs and Toared with madness as
Duke gored him In the sides. Getting d !
chance, he regained his feet and dashed into |
corner, the bull making no attempt to fol- |
low
Tho second round was begun when the
men with poles drove the bull into the bears
corner. The bull made a. desperate pass at
bruin with his horns. Duke sent the bear
four feet In the air. When fe fell with thud
at the bottom oil the pit, the bull made q dar-
ing charge. Brnin retaliated by sending his
fflf
and tore q thres-ineh slit In one OF his cars.
Beads OF blood stood out on the bulls neck
and gore dropped from his wounded ear.
Taurus withdrawing slightly. the bear bound
Of the pit and attem pied to Chamber out, but
was beaten back. Making d desperate rush,
the bear fastened his long claws in the top of
the pit. In endeavoring to push him buck,
his claws deeply into the flush. Then, like
lightning, the brute sprang out Of the pit into
theseats above. A yell of horror arose from
the panie-strieken spectators. Women and
the bear in fright. The animal bounded to-
ward the top seat, and sent his claws into the |
flesh OF q woman that was unable to get out |
OF his way quickly enough. Boards broke
and let many people down to the ground; |
The excitement was intense. The panic lasted |
for ten minutes. The bear was trying des |
perately TO get away from the crowd, viii II |
also was making the finest kind Of time in |
attempting to get away from the bear. FL |
naly Marsh captured the bear and put him |
into the pit again and the fight went on.
Several desperate rounds were fought be-
fore the crowd was satisfied. In the fourth |
the bear unsheathed his claws in the bulPs |
head and neck. Giving the bulls right horn |
trickteds from the wound. The bull gave the |
round to the bear and that animal ran from |
corner to corner OF the arena, bleeding at the |
mouth and his sides heayfng With exhaustion. |
Ia the next round the bear ew. at the bull |
and fell to the earth. Taurus rolling over him. |
jaded, and the spectators threw blocks and |
stones Once the bear was driven out of his |
corner. Getting his horns under bruins |
arms, the bull threw the poor bear through |
the air back over his head into the centre of |
the arena. The three last rounds were with |
out any interest. Konghs took complete com
troll. A rope was thrown over the bull $ horns |
and the poor brute dragged up to the bear.
The bear was too much exhausted to offer
any resistance to the goring received from
the bull. Once bruin almost made bis escape
through the bulls entrance door by taking |
q rope which fastened 1t in his mouth and
pulling the door partially open. On the last
round the bear fell In the corner aud was un-
able to rise. His sides heaved, he breathed
painfully and blood streaned from his mouth. |
Cheers were given for the bull by some. Some
more brutal ones wanted the fight to go on.
and for q few moments 1t looked favorable for
d general row as O finale to the disgraceful |
proceedings. The bull was removed. but the |
bear lay for fifteen minutes and was finally
dragged out OF the pit into his cage. The |
poor dumb animal Will in all probability die |
from his injuries. The crowd satisfied with |
the spectacle, returned to the depot. The
time OF the combat was one hour aud ten |
minutes.
Why He Didn't Go tn the Circus.
foil City Derrick.I
T1Ir, ltd