The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-02-13
DUEL BETWEEN A LION AND BULL

A Bloody Combat In Spain, Which Ex-
cited Spaniards to Fever Heat.
The Cologne Gdzette's correspondent at
Madrid relates a terrible story of tauro-
machy-a duel which has Just taken place
between an African lion and tive-year-
old bull. High bets were made, and moth
ing else was talked of for days; it seemed
as If the national honor depended on it.
The tickets were sold in mo time" and
those who were not able to procure them
in good time mad to pay ten and twenty
times the original price tor one.
At in the afternoon a regular migra-
ton took place across the Alcala street to
the Plaza del Ioros, and this was soon
filed to the last place. Several thousand
persons could not gain adnIittance, but in
consequence of the crush the barriers
yielded and about 800 were jammed in
without tickets, and the gendarmes had
to make free use of the butt ends Of their
rifles to keep order at the entrance. The
aerOnaut Enrich and MalIeu, the lion
tanner the proprietor of the lion which
was captured in Senegam bia in 1888. were
scarcely noticed Every body awaited
with Impotence the great moment when
the two animals should try their strength
with one another III the gigantic iron
cage, thirty-nine feet IN diameter, which
was put up in the center OF the arena.
With a tremendous spring and loud
roar, the lion entered hrst--a splendid
animal, and so savage that Mallen could
do nothing with him and could not make
use Of him in mis- performances, Only
last year he nearly fell victim TO his
own foOlhardiness, being dragged out Of
the beasts claws almost torn TO bits the
lion having just before killed a hyeua
The lion paced round the cage several
times and then lay down opposite the
door of the BULBS cage. A second bell
ktDi, l.. a.,
lndescribabIe motion went through the
crowd. Like lightning the bull started
up and went straight at the lion, which
now raised Itself and lifted it's great paws
For one moment the two animals
seemed to be one moving mass, then the
monarch of the desert seemed to flv
through the air. laundering applause
from the thousands and cheers for Spain
filled the air, for they evidently consId-
cred the Bulls victory as q symbol OF the
national destiny. The bull now took 2
few steps backward toward the center Of
the cage and awaited a new attack, But
as this did not come, he rushed forward
and rolled his enemy about in the sand
like ball till, by a sudden turn, the lion
tried to get at him behind and had al
ready struck his claws into the bulls
hind quarter, when he was driven off by
several very powerful kicks, and was
finally again tossed. The lion now gave
in, and amid the misses of the public tried
to escape till he was allowed to Slip into
his cage.
The result was. therefore, quite differ
ent from what the large bills posted up
everywhere had predicted by an ilIustra-
ton of the lion finally devouring his
opponent. 1t is true, most people had
not expected such an issue, but were from
the beginning convinced that the bull
would be victorious. They based their
convictions on the results of similar
fights during the last forty years in which
the bull has triumphed over lions, BEN
gal tigers and ice bears. He was. how
ever, not equal to the elephant, for his
horns could not pierce the thick hide. and
tremendous blow from the trunk suf-
feed to lay him in the dust