The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-08-18
Man Finally the Victor, Though
Terribly Wounded in a Forty
Five Minute Struggle.
HAD TO REMAIN AND FIGHT.
To Attempt a Retreat Meant Ger
tain Death-Graphic Ac-
count of the Terrific
Contest.

Boston. Mass. Aug. T..-Charles II. Bum
ford, superintendent of the bingham Town
Farm, is slowly recovering from the in
juries he received in what was perhaps the
most desperate fight with a mad bull thai
a nan ever had and lived to tell OF.
For forty-five minutes he struggled with
the Infatuated brute. His clothes were torn
into shreds. his face. arms and legs were
covered with blood. and his body was pur-
pie with bruises.
But finally he mastered the bull. walked
! stag yeringly to the house and fell from
exhaustion and loss of blood In the door
way. A physician was hastily summoned
! and has been in attendance ever since. Mr..
Bumford thus graphically describes the
fight:
This animal. which Is now about ) years
old. was a gift to the town by Frank
Jersey breed. We have had him several
years. and he had always been as gentle
as a kitten and was easily handled. never
giving me any trouble. l had been in the
habit of putting him out in the held. and
usually attached a stan with a snap on
the end to the ring in his nose In leading
him to and from the field. In the field he
was tied with a rope attached to the ring
and then passed around his horns. He had
not been out for several days. and Tues
day the flies bothered him SO in his stall
that at noon i took him out as usual and
tied him in the field. 1t was about AS in
the afternoon when / went out to get him.
and. as the stafr that / usually used was
not handy. ! took a chain with a snap
on 1t to lead him In to the stable. about
seventy-ive yards distant.
Beginning o. the Battle.
Il noticed that he seemed uneasy and
was shaking his head and paving up the
ground as annYnorhoI h,-, ha in
hitched the rope and had my finger through
the ring in his nose to snap the hook, when
ne made a rush for me-. knocking me down.
my feet In an instant. Ny first impulse was
to release my hold and run, but like a
nash the thought came to ms that II I did
or anything that l could reach before he
would be upon me and gore me to death.
I saw that my only safety lay In fighting
There was no one near to afford me
assistance. and my only hope. was to
conquer him unaided / therefore put
goring me. with my grip on the ring. / |
sxerted my entire strength In keeping his
nead away from me. He knocked me down
repeatedly, how many times l don't know,
but, 1t must have been at least ten times.
perhaps more.
Every time he got me down he would
me- All this time he was striking me
with his horns and hoofs. and finally
came to the conclusion that he would
get the best OF me. and that my strength
would at last give out.
Caught the Brute's TonGse
last the sight of his tongue gave
ne an Inspiration. and in desperation I
Seized seized 6 my t SanS into his nu,, mouth : and
from me. but after several attempts 1 +
managed to force my hand far enough
mt n MS throat to seize his tongue at
This gave me an advantage over him. !
end although he struggled fiercely 10
get away; l hung on to that tongue like
MEANWHILE. I shouted for help. Al
though felt sure hat there was no
one within the sound Of my voice that
heard my cries. and came TO see what waa
the trouble. l shouted TO him to 20 and |
get the rifle, with the intention Of havins |
me brute shot He brought instead ths |
shotgun. As l did not want to have hin. |
ufe that for fear that it would only wounu |
Inc animal and make him SO wild with
lold the boy to get behind the bull. and
beat him with the gun.
The Bull Finally vanauished.
B HIS beating him and my pulling on
tongue and the ring got him into the
gave him a kick. drove him In. and
Slammed the door on him.. He was furious
after being confined. and for a time l
! took a pitchfork, caught hold of the
chain hanging to his nose. drew his head ]
through the stanchion and fastened lin.
II then managed to get to the house and |
Tell to the floor. Although I never tainted |
IN my life, 1 came very near Ii that time. |
Il was about -three-Quarters of an hour l
from the time the battle started until I
reached the house. and ! should judge that |
was fighting with the animal for at least |
a half an hour. When I reached the house |
| was streaming with blood. and my cloth
lng was stripped from my body. The doc |
tor was summoned. and when he came I |
was so weak that they had to carry me to |
bed upstairs" |
The brute with which Superintendent |
Bumford had his fight for life IL q splendid |
specimen and weighs LOO pounds.
Superintendent Bumford Is no mean ath- |
He is a man Of fine physique. and |
200 pounds in his stockings He says |
he does not want to boast. but he used |
to put on the gloves in his younger days |
and has stood up before some pretty good
men. He has been accustomed to handling |
stock all his life, and but once before did |
he ever have an experience anything like |
this. In his younger days he had q fight
with a vicious stallion. during which he |
used a club freely and got the better Of the
ugly brute.
81 am a switchman." writes A. J. Jen-
0a