Evening star., 1896-03-30
r ia HIT TO A FINISH
Two Buffalo at the Zoo Engage in q Battle
Royal.
Only q Single Round, but Th9t Lasted
Until One of the Contestants
Fell Never to Rise.

One of the liveliest and bloodiest fights
that ever took place within the District
was put through to finish out at the Zoo
last Saturday afternoon. When the dust of
battle cleared away a monarch of the plains
lay dead and a portion Of the inclosure
looked as though cyclone had struck it.
The fight was between two Of the finest
and largest buffalo belonging to the collec-
ton. The older one was about the first of
the species to come into the hands Of the
authorities Of the Zoo, and he used to be
kept in confinement down back of the
Smithsonian before the new park was ac-
quired and laid out. For long he was the
kingpin Of the whole outfit and his reign
there was none to dispute until about a
year ago, when he ran foul Of one of the
younger bulls in the herd. The latter had
bit the advantage of him in years, and
the fight ended in Knockout to the credit
of the younger applicant for popular favor.
Ever since then the defeated champion
has been kept away from the rest Of the
herd, but in the pen IN which he was con
fined was another young fellow, who has
always shown himself 20 be peaceably in
nclined toward the world in general. Sat
urday afternoon the old bull began to get
gay with his young friend, and tried to
poke him all around the PEN He meant
well, and when the young one resented the
familiarity he rendered an apology AID in
sisted that it was all in fun. The crawl did
not go, however, for The seven-year-old
got mad and didn't do thing to his az
gressor 1t was too late for the latter to
make an escape then, and there was moth
ing to do but put up the best fight he
could. Back and forth they went. and
round and round. There was no twenty
foot ring to hinder their efforts. They bad
room enough for all their gyrauons and
buffetings. The two huge beasts came to-
gether again and again with crash that
shook the earth. The ground was torn up
for yards around. The fence that sur
rounds the inclosure was built to meet just
such an emergency, but 1t was not bit
too strong and when the trouble was ever
it looked as if a railroad train hac struck
it's head on 1t in a dozen places.
ragged All the keepers were summoned to
the spot and every possible means was
used to separate the beasts. but it was as
much as q mans life was worth to venture
into the pen, and there was really little to
do but let them fight it out. Finally, when
both parties were so Winded and tired that
they could scarcely stand, the young bull
was driven off and the old one was care
fully drawn into the buffalo house, where
DR. Baker and his assistants ]abored over
him in an attempt to save his hte Iheir
efforts were unavailing, and he survived the
last blow only a few minutes The post
mortem sno wed it was no wonder he died,
for he was battered and broken out OF ali
resemblance to his old familiar self. Dr.
Baker says he was the worst used-up huf-
falo he ever saw. He is greatly distressed
over the loss which the Zoo has met with,
for the herd is now reduced to five, ana IL
Is no easy thing to fill vacancy in the
ranks,