The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-12-26
EXCITING BULLFIGHT.
Strange Scene Following the Wreck
ing Of a Train.
Two Bulls Angered by Being Dumped
From . Cattle Car.


Rio Grande railroad, close to the little
town Of Granite, about 2 o'clock the other
morning. Perhaps nowhere and at no
time In the history Of sport did another
bull fight occur under such peculiar con-
ditions and among such extraordinary sur
roundings. 1t was an incident Of cattle
train wreck, which delayed for period Of
over seven hours the Leadville passenger
train that ought to have reached Denver
early that morning
At a little before midnight train of IS
cars loaded with cattle, left Leadville for
Denver. Less than an hour later the regu-
lar passenger train pulled out in its wake
On board the Pullman OF the latter train
were Adjutant General Moses, Artillery
man Ably and other officers and members
Of the Colorado national guard. Soon aft
er the second train started all its Pullman
passengers retired to their berths, and most
Of them were sleeping soundly before Gran,
tie, 10 miles this side of Leadyille, was
reached. Nearing Granite, the locomotive
Of the passenger train was only a short dis
tanoe behind the rear car of the cattle
train. IL was putting along at a subdued
rate of speed, when suddenly the engineer
heard tremendous humping and tearing
over the ties and rails ahead Of him. He
looked out of his cab, and behold, the cat
tie cars for the entire length Of the train
were telescoping into one another, flying
of tho track or describing parabolas
through the atmosphere above the rails.
A wheel on one Of the forward cars had
become broken, throwing the whole train
awry, spilling live cattle In every djrec-
tion and crushing a number Of the ami
mails within the cars.
Brakes were applied at once on the pas
senger train, and 1t came to a stop almost
In the midst of the bovine eobris
There followed such "a racket OF below
ing, cracking of horns and stamping Of
soofs that everybody on board the passen-
ger train was awake on the instant. The
din made most of the passengers think
their train had by some strange misad-
venture come into collision with corral
or an abattoir In active operation. Timid
ones clung to their borths in fear and
trembling, while their ilraver companions
rushed to the platforms, braving the frosty
morning air In robes do mutt in order TO
find out what strange thing had befallen
them.
1t was clear moonlight outside, and the
spectacle that greeted the blinking eyes Of
those who found places on the car plat
forms was certainly a remarkable one.
Cattle were scampering away over the
prairie from the smashed and overturned
oars; other cattle, with dropping tails,
staggered and limped about the tracks,
while whole cattle dead and portions of
dismcmbered cattle could be seen on every
side Of the wreck. The crew of the pas
senger train had already learned from the
men In charge of the cattle train some
thing of what had occurred and commu-
nieated 1t to the passengers. No human
being had been seriously injured by the
broken wheel.
While questions and answers were pass
ting back and forth the attention Of every
body was suddenly diverted to a dramatic
scene which opened directly In front of the
passenger train locomotive. Two largo
range bulls. one noarly dull red all over
and the other brinaied, had extricated
themselves almost uninjured from the
mess Of wreckage and came into collision
in the middle of the railroad bed. Each
Immediately hacked away from the Other,
paving the frozen ground and swaying his
tail from side to side In a way that indi-
GATED anger and a disposition to fight.
Plainly the bulls blamed each other for
the toss they had been given out Of their
comfortable quarters.
Having secured dozen or so feet Of lee-
way for a charge, the horned monsters
lowered their heads simultaneously, mooed
low but fierce and went together with
rush. There followed sharp crack and
loud thump as the horns and foreheads of
the beasts came into contact; momentary
tussle and then kind of recoil. The bulls
wore evidently dazed, but still full of the
spirit of battle
They mooed once more, eyed each other
furiously and backed away a second time.
Nobody dared inter fere with them. This
charge was more vicious, ii anything, than
the first, and also more destructive. At
tho moment OF impact the fascinated speo-
tators heard loud snap, and when the
fighting bovines parted, as If by mutual
consent, the stout horn of ono of them lay
upon the roadbed broken off almost at the
butt The brindlo bull had lost one of his
weapons In the fray; but was not beaten
yet.
In the charge that cnsuod, however, be
was not quite so forceful as in the two
previous encounters, while the strength of
tho red bull seemed In no wise diminished.
The brindle went back upon his launches
when the red butted him this time, and d.
rectly afterward tho sharp horns of the
triumphant bull were goring his entrails.
A feeling of pity prompted one Of tho by
ISLANDERS TO attempt tn drive the red bull
away from his vanquishod foe, which
caused that belligerent beast TO evince
desire Co fight anything in the neighbor-
hood, bipod or quadruncd. This spirit of
arrogance drew upon Vim bullet from
the rifle of militlainan, who had armed
and partially clothed himself, and with "A
louder moo than ever the rcd bull fell by
the side OF his dying antagonist.
Tho end of the singular bull fight caused
tho passengers generally 10 clotho them
solves and render what assistance they
could TO tho train crews In clearing live
cattle out of tho wreck Seven hours
elapsed before the railroad was again in
shape for resumption of traffic, and in
tho meantime n great many of the live
cattlo escaped. The dead ones have since
furnished oxtail soup and other edible del
icaoies to tho gloating Inhabitants Of
C,rauite --Denver Republican