The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1894-06-02
Man and Stallion Fight.


| er racing " - SHet~'i
| ed out in bed too weak almost TO talk. One arm
was done up in splints from the elbow down and so
was his right leg from the knee down. These were
the most conspicuous evidences ofthe fight.
| Farmer Garside is about 40 years old. He is
lover of good horsehesh and has always owned One
| or more stations with his other stock. He owns
two at the present time Both are blood horses
though the hard work that they have had to do has
made them look like rather ordinary beasts. Foun-
tain, the smaller of the two, was a running horse
and took part in many races hereabouts five or six
years ago. He broke down then as a race horse and
the farmer bought him four years ago. He is eight
years old.
Benefit, the second stallion, is only years old
He met with an accident when a colt, and he is
somewhat crippled in his forelegs but he is more
than able to do the work required of him on farm.
Farmer Garside has owned him only year.
. On Friday morning the farmer had some plough
ing TO do in the lot In front of his house, and he
hitched the two stations together. He had always
driven them together without trouble. He plough
ed with them until II o'clock:
Then" said he, 81 noticed that Fountain began
to get mad He didn't take to the work. Every
row he'd plough he'd get madden. He showed it
by swapping at Benefit and kicking now and then,
Benefit went right along with his work, as gentle as
could be- 1t was about five minutes before II
o'clock and we were just turning for the last fur
row, when Benefit stumbled, and in recovering him
self he jerked the harness of Fountain a bit That
drove the brute crazy.
"He turned on Benefit like shot, and rose up
and came down on him like fash. Benefit fell
under him. Fountain reached down and began to
tear him. Benefit fought back with his feet was
so startled that couldn't think for minute, and in
that minute the two beasts were rolling and tumbl-
| ing over each other, kicking and tearing. Blood
B.. I,1
| torn his flesh. He was at disadvantage because
he had fallen first. and because his forelegs were
crippled but he hit out like steam engine. When
1 got my senses back Benefit pretty near licked.
Fountain was up, and was lifting himself and fall
| ing on him. biting and tearing every time he came
down. l grabbed stone big as your head and
ran at him. got him by the bride and began to
pound him between the eyes, hoping TO knock him
senseless, but might well have hit stone wall
In minute he turned me and caught me by
the calf of the leg. He back his launches at
the time held on and beat him with the stone.
He tore the flesh from my leg. guess this part of
the fight lasted five minutes. was nearly dead
with pain but ! kept pounding him and trying to
get away. He kept tearing and biting. lie had torn
my trousers leg off. and the flesh my leg was off
TO the bone. His eyes were big and staring, and
sparks seemed TO come from them. pounded and
pounded but the brute was made of iron. was
Just going to give up when he got up on his hind
legs. / made grab for his bit. He made grab at
the same time and he was too quick for me-
thought had him, but he got my whole hand in
his mouth; and his jaws came together with snap.
They broke every bone in my hand.
Now l want to tell you something that I've
heard tell of but knew was true. That is that
when horse gets crazy and gets its teeth shut on
anything it can't open them. There isn't any doubt
Ia LINT
open his jaws"
The farmer went on and told of the struggle that
followed the sezing of his hand 1t lasted anothe
five minutes He knew the bones were crushed TO
bits and that the hand gone, but he didn't have
the nerve to pull it off. He had dropped the stone
his only weapon, when he had made the grab for
the bit, and now he was unarmed. He seized the
bit with his left hand and forced the big brute back
! on his launches. He tried to kick him in some
tender spot, but his wounded leg powerless. He
tried to get grip on the animals under jaw back
of the teeth He is a man of great strength and he
thought that if he could get the grip he might break
the jaw if he couldn't force it open. But he could
MT get his fingers in the mouth. The horse all the
time was trying to rise up on his hind feet, that
he might strike with his fore feet but Garside was
too heavy for that Though he couldn't lift the
farmer. Fountain could bob his head up and DOWN
and every time it went up Garside said he thought
his last moment had come. Garside hung on with
almost death grip. He got the two reins of the
bride and worked his unimprisoned hand down
until he managed get the rings either side of
the bit in his fingers. Then he gripped them tight
He thought the iron must be cutting the horses
jaw in two, but it seemed to have effect. The big
brute kept his head going up and down and from
side to side all the time trying to free himself from
the grip of Garsde's left hand. Just above each
Tho tI,ara 10
about three inches long, and at last the farmer
thought of using these. He let go one ring, and
seizing the other, and the erosspiece he tried to
force it into the horses mouth. Again and again
he failed but at last he got the point between the
jaws back of the teeth where he had at first tried
to get grip with his fingers With all his strength
he drove the sharp steel in and up the roof of the
brute's mouth.
de pulled it back and drove it up again, still there
was no sign of the teeth parting He drove it a
third time and fourth time. Now his strength
was almost gone and he was on the point of giving
up the fight, but he gathered himself again and
drove the steel upward fifth time. He held it
there and gouged with it and twisted and turned it
He threw all his strength into his He hoped
on his one leg to give the blow more force
The muscles in his hand almost gave out and he
couldn't hold the bit of steel upright. 1t wabbled
back and FORTH but he kept pressure on it. Some
way, in the twisting, the steel finally got fast be-
tween the teeth of the brute Garsde could use it
as pry Possibly that was what saved his life for
he succeeded in pryng the teeth apart fraction of
an inch. He says the moment that he had succeed
ed in that the horse opened his jaws.
The fight had been carried on almost in silence
1t was not until the very end that the farmer had
called Help" His son heard that call and ran to
his aid. Though only 16 years old, the boy has got
the grit of q man and he doesn't know what fear is
at least when horses are concerned.
He had driven the stallion Fountain ever since
his father had purchased him. and the big animal
age of two whips a week 10 keep him in subsection
When young Garside up now and seized the
bride Fountain got over his temper in moment
and was docile
Mr. Garside had fallen over when the horse let go
his hand. Young Garside called for his mother
and leaping the stations back, he rode to the
house and hitched the horse up to a light wagon.
In less than fifteen minutes he had his father in the
wagon and was driving at breakneek speed to Pat
erson, where he could get medical attendance.
ON the way there Mr.. Garside became crazy from
the pain of his wounds. He raved and screamed
but he could not move sufficiently to do any harm.
He Gained down when he reached the Doctors
and he sat quiet while his wounds were being
The doctor said he didn't understand how he had
lived, the loss of blood had been so great. When
the wounds were dressed the boy drove him back
home. lie has been there since suffering intense
pain all the while He said he would go to a hos
pital today.
The Doctor says he will get well if blood poison
ing doesn't set in from the wounds and he thinks
he has taken sufficient precaution to avoid that.
OF course the mangled hand will have to be ampu
tated and probably the wounded leg will always
be stiff.
From the moment that Fountain turned on Gar
side in the field, Benefit. the other stallion, lay
quiet on the ground. He stayed there during all
the light and for time after it was over. Mrs Gar
side thought he was so badly injured that he could
MT get up, but she finally got him on his feet. and
she dressed his wounds and put him in the stable
While Fountain had become docile so quickly
after young Garside reached him, he bore grudge
against Benefit and treasured it up until the next
morning. His stall is next to that of Benefit
When no one was around he broke his halter, and,
prancing into Benefits STALL he fell upon him with