The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1879-03-06
A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.

A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY.
Graphic Description of a Mexican Bull Fight
Five Persons GOred to Death.
from the San Francisco Chroniclel
It was splendid animal, well knit.
strong and powerful It seemed to
comprehend the situation at once. for
with loud tone it beloved forth it's
defiance to it's antagonist, and then.
with head lowered to the ground, com
.menced paving the earth and giving
demonstrations Of speedily commencing
the combat. The attendants waved
their red flags beforeit and irritated it
still more by prodding it with their
sharp pointed lances. Our hero closely
watched it's every movement with keen
and intense interest, evidently aware
that it might make sudden rush at
any moment. With a roar that ap-
peared to shake the very earth, and that
certainly threw terror into every heart
in that audience, it sprung forward,
lowering it's head with the design of
tossing the Mexican into the air; but
the attempt was failure, for he sprung
quickly to one side, and, goading with
his staff the now-incensed animal into
state Of fury as it passed him, nerved
himself for the more serious part of the
conflict. I admired his fearlessness
and saw that he was man of daring
courage that would never falter in any
emergency.
Two or three times the bull renewed
the attack with no better result, and,
every time he escaped the lunge Of the
animal, the audience shouted and
cheered loudly, appearing to have over
come the presentiment of evil, and hav-
ing full confidence in his ability to win
the victory whenever he chose to do so.
It would hardly be credited that the
countenance of bull could vary in it's
expression, but it certainly appeared as
if intense rage and demoniacal hate
stood out upon every hair on it's face,
and, the more it was bafhed in it's at
tempts to gore it's intended victim, the
deeper and wilder became that express
sion of vicious propensity. One of the
attendants gave the bull a more severe
thrust than he intended to do, when it
turned so suddenly upon him that, be-
fore he could evade the attack, the ami
NAL had him upon it's horns, and, rip
ping the body open with the exertion,
tossed him high in the air, while his
blood spouted out upon it's face. The
man fell with a heavy thud upon the
soil, and in an instant the bull was gor-
ing him again. In vain the others tried
to divert it's attention from the man, or
endeavored to rescue their fallen com
panion from his terrible fate. In less
time than it requires to narrate the cpl
sode the poor fellow was ifeless
corpse. . ,.... -
It was soul-sickening sight. Some
of the women tainted at once, while the
others screamed in terror and hor-
ror at the scene. All this com
motion, combined with the scent of
fresh blood, wrought the bull into a
state of frenzy, and it swept around and
across the inclosure with such violence
and rapidity that the men could with
difficulty escape from it's rushing at
tacks. The Cry was given to open the
gate and let the bull pass out into the
stab in which it had been kept, but the
gate-keeper had become too terrifedFo
understand the order Or to perform his
duty, and the gate remained closed.
The nerve of my guide never faltered
for an instant, but, seeing the terror of
the others, and witnessing the fury of
the animal, he drew his long knife and
calmly awaited the next rush to make
the fatal thrust that should terminate
the existence of the bull and the scene
tf excitement. Once more the bull
swooped down toward him, and he
stood ready to strike the knife into its
neck, but, as he attempted to spring
back and let the bull pass by him before
doing SO, his foot slipped, and he was at
once impaled upon the horns of the
beast, and in moment his lifeless body
fell within few feet of his dead com
rade. l
The excitement of the crowd now
reached the most intense point; 1T
amounted to actual agony. For a mo-
ment they were spell-bound by terror
and gave utterance to piercing shrieks
and cries. Then several shots were
fired at the bull, none of which took
serious effect, but only appeared to in
crease its madness and it's ire. Suddenly
the bull, now blinded with rage and
maddened by the wounds it had re-
ceived, dashed against the thorny bar
rier Of the pitahaya, and, breaking
through it, rushed among the terrified
multitude upon the outside of the in
closure. The crowd scattered in all di-
rections, and the bull tossed or tram
pied upon all who were in it's way as it
rushed toward the open plain. There
were three others killed outright, and
several seriously wounded. Heart-sick
with the horrible scene, blended with
the people that were seeking their
homes. When drawing near group
that surrounded one of those killed upon
the outside, above the wailings of the
crowd there rose upon the air the shrill,
agonized cry of heart-broken woman,
and. as the group made way, I saw lying
11non tho orro1nd ono of tho o,;,,,l,,