Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-11-07
Slain By An Elk.

| mere TeldJ6u.-lOL. LOUIS uCOO6-DeHtO
crdt, I9th.
Slain By An Elk.
A messenger rode with mud-bespat
tered boots and painting horse intC
Downs City this morning and drew ur
with jerk of rein before the office ol
DIR. Martin, of High street. 1t was moi
long before a crowd had gathered
around him, and in ten minutes it be,
came noised abroad that Gen. II, g.
Bull, the old veteran, had died q
strangely violent death. In brief, the
messengers story was that General Bull
had been killed in his park, at Bull's
City, by his pet elk. Farmer couriers
were at once sent to the scene and gath.
| cred, in time for this extra, the follow
ing details of the saddest calamity that
bas befallen Osborne County for many
years. 1t is well known all over Kan
sas that General Bull, several years
ago, enclosed and fitted up at great ex-
pense, a magnificent park, through
which hundreds of visitors have walked
during the last summer. The General
was in the habit of strolling about the
enclosure before breakfast every morn
ing. About half-past eight o clock this
forenoon he went in as usual and at
tended to the feeding of the wild ami
mails, of which there are q number.
Among the animals are three elk, one a
large, antlered male, royGi specimen
of the moose family, and the General !
particular pet, This elk never before
exhibited any hostile signs, and the
writer, as well as numberless others,
has time and again patted him on The
nose and rubbed his glossy coat. But
when, at nine o'clock this morning.
Robert Bricknell, one of the hi-;,G1 mon =
was standing. near ~ the main gateway
ne nearu urios for help in a voice
which he at once recognized as
that of his employer. Bricknell
ran forward. AS he approached
he saw that the elk was endeavoring to
paw the General dowu-whether in play
or not he failed at the first glance to
see. General Bull evidently was on his
guard, however, and so seizing two
clubs Bricknell was at the General s
side in twinkling. Both men grasped
their clubs, the General saying, "Now,
Robert, I'll soon test his mettle. "
Without sign of warning the now in
furiated beast made charge at the
men, striking General Bull and knock
ing him down with great force. The
elk then drew back and made second
attack on General Bull, this time with
increased force, using his antlers with
terrible effect, piercing the PROSTATE
body of the General through the breast
until the prong protruded, then tossing
his form high into the air and throwing
him over his head. The elk then re-
sumed his attack on Bricknell, inflict-
ing terrible injuries, whilst doing which
George Nicholas, another employe,
who had witnessed the occurrence, ran
to the rescue with heavy club of hard
wood four and one-half feet long and
about two inches in diameter, with
which he expected to so disable the an
imal as to compel it to desist. With
redoubled fury and madness, however,
the elk caught his club in it's antlers,
making indentures in it and rolling him
upon the ground with great force. At
this time there were two bodies lying
PROSTATE, and with equal heroism and
courage William Sherman, a third en-
plOye, fastened to the combat. The
elk served Sherman the same as the
other men, catching him in his i'm
mense antlers and throwing him over
the fence. George Nicholas was tossed
upon the fence. Mrs. Bull was mean
while Mortified spectator of the terri
BILE tragedy, and wild with grief and
terror ran to the village crying for help.
A number of men made haste to reach
the scene of the disaster, but arrived
too late to be of any service. They found
General Bull terribly mangled and quite
dead. Again and again did the beast
charge the rescuers, but he was stoned
off and finally driven to the extreme
end of the park. There he was lassoed
and tied to a tree by means of a stout
cable rope. In captivity he still paws
and stamps the ground with unabated
fury. Poor Bricknell died before the
elk had been corraled. Nicholas
breathed his last about eleven o'clock.
A surgical examination showed that
General Bulls wounds numbered forty
four. The wound that caused his death
was from the antler, which entered the
chest at the right nipple, passing dia-
gonally through the body and coming
out on the left side about the fifth rib.
The heart itself was torn and both lungs
pierced. Bricknell received thirty-two
wounds-one under the right arm, pene-
trating the cavity of the chest, and one
in the groin, ripping open the bladder.
Nicholas was wounded in sixty-four
places-one being over the stomach,
penetrating the abdominal cavity, and
one in the right side, opening into the
chest.
General Bull was one of the most able
and popular men in the State. He was
born in Wisconsin, and at the breaking
out of the late war was member of the
Wisconsin Legislature. He went into
the army, served gallantly in a number
of engagements, and at the battle of
Pea Ridge had his thigh broken, which
misfortune terminated his career as a
soldier, but left him Brevet Brigadier
General. After he had attained an age
when men usually retire from business,
he came to Kansas, and after some
changes finally went into the new coun-
ty of Osborne and established himself
He selected naturally beautiful spot.
On the north side of the river the wide
bottom is shut in by low line of hills;
on the south side high bluffs, rising al
most from the waters edge, shut in the
prospect; up and down the valley may
be seen the fringe of timber which
marks the windings of the south fork of
the Solomon. In this beautiful but
lonely spot the old General and his
noble-hearted wife selected their home.
Osborne Kan. Farmer, Oct. -.
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