The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1888-09-12
BATTLE BETWEEN BULLS.
They Met on Precipice and Fought to til
Death.


Death.
Thomas s. Moore, of Garrard county,
Kentucky, tells a graphic story of a des-
perate encounter that occurred on the
crest of knob of his neighborhOod sew
eral days ago between a couple of enraged
bulls, in which both were killed. In
speaking OF the incident, Mr.. Moore said:
"When only few yards apart they sud-
denly leaped to the attack with fright
full noise, and began to gore each other
with hostile energy. Above the fierce
and noisy trampling could be heard the
grinding OF their interlocked horns and
the violent snorting OF brutal rage.
The breeze blew aside the dust
and revealed the tigerish character OF the
onset, as with wide-set limbs and tails
curling in the air they charged again and
again, stabbing with their pointed horns.
Tiny streams of blood shot down their
necks and sides, while their distended
nostrils emitted a reddish foam. One of
the bulls, following up a temporary adj
vantage, plunged his horns into the chest
OF his antagonist, and, with quick up
ward jerk OF the head, ripped open the
flesh to depth OF several inches, while
from this gaping wound Jets OF arterial
blood began 10 squirt. In a towering pas
sion. and with cleaning eyeballs, charg-
ing upon his adversary, the wounded bull
drove his horns into its abdomen, making
a horrible opening, through which the en-
trails gushed. The impetuous and stormy
nature OF the contest had carried the com
batants to the verge of the cliff, but blind
with deadly fury they saw no danger
Each MORALLY wounded and weakening
momentarily from continued profuse loss
of blood, waged the battle with that fend-
his desperation shown only in wounded
animals.
1T was evident, however, that n crisis
was near at hand. The situation had re-
solved itself into the grim condition of
the death struggle. With lowered heads
they backed away few wards, eager, de-
fiant, implacable, ana again collided with
a force that seemed to split their very
skulls. This terrific shock staggered the
bull with the chest wound and forced his
his eye-balls from their sockets. lie sud-
denly plunged forward TO his knees on the
brink OF the precipice and remained in a
quivering stupor, with his open mouth
burrOwing in the dust The other totter-
ing and covered with blood, but still ter
rible in his weakness, charged heavily
upon his kneehng and senseless foe,
struck him in the flank with the
force OF a ponderous projectile and hurled
him headlong over the precipice The
body executed a somersault in mid-air,
fell with a noisy crash through the tree
tops upon the rocks below, where it was
subsequently preyed upon by vultures.
The remaining bull seemed to realize
in a stupid way the danger to which
he himself was exposed. lie drew
back from the brink over which
his hideous muzzle had been momentarily
thrust, and with his entrails trailing on
the ground, staggered little distance off,
fell prone to the earth, rolled over on his
side, shivered a moment, and then lay
still in the embrace of death. The battle
lasted nearly an hour, and in point of
sanguinary details and tragic horror has
no parallel within the limits OF my recol-
l. ~