Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-15
BULL DEFEATS A LION:
FIERCE FIGHT WITNESSED

quiz ring, across the blo Grande and
on the Mexican side of the border
from El Paso, a monster Numidian
lion and ferocious Samalayuca bull,
from the interior of Mexico, ought
each other almost to the death. The
lion will probably die.
No such exhibition has been given
in Christendom since the bloody DAYS
of Rome, when lion-bull fighting and
other similar contests were in flow
er, and no other like it probably will
be given at Juarez if the quaint and
picturesque old border town stands
100 years. The fight lasted nearly an
hour and was then stopped by the
/ Mexican authorities, who admitte
that their own natural sport of bull
! fighting had been outclassed in point
of brutality.
The rarity and uniqueness of the
encounter attracted many spectators
from dozens of states and from all
over the Mexican republic. The
greater part of the audience i'm the
great amphitheater surrounding the
ring was from New Mexico, west
Texas, Chihuahua and vicinity. Gray
haired MeXicans walked four days
from the interior of chihuahua to
witness the exhibition. All roads
lead To the city across the border.
Trolley ears loaded until not an
other passenger could hang on, car
riagcs and pedestrians crossed the in
ternational bridge.
Men and women who had not suf-
ficient money to obtain admittance
to the Plaza dc Toros were attracted
to Juarez as the morbidly curious are
wont to congregate around the scene
of 4 hanging, even though the eXhi-
bition is not public.
The slaughter was not wholesale.
as in the conventional bull fight, but
death was on the installment plan,
sufficiently slow, eXcruciating, tor
menting and entirely destitute of
sympathetic kindness and duty TO
please the most fastidious in all that
is inhuman and savage. In the grew
some, the sickening, the bloodshed,
the agony and torture of an unoffcnd-
ing beast. mingled with groans and
classic and captivating music, the
fight was an undisputed success.
The fight was held in an octagop
cage ninety-siX feet in circumference.
The cage was securely fastened in
center of the bull ring. The bull was
first dccoyed into the cage and di-
rectly adjacent to this was placed a
smaller cage containing the lion. At
a blast of the trumpet the lion was
admitted from the smaller to the
larger cage. the doors of the larger
cage being automatically closed.
Then followed the roaring and bel
lowing, the crouching and charging.
the spring of the lion, the mad plunge
of the bull. the decorating of the
bulls flesh and the animals terrible
injury from the biting and clawing of
the monarch of the fields.
When the bull first entered and saw
the lion crouching TO await his com
ing he was seized with great fear
and shivered from head to foot, but
this was only memcntary. In an i'm
slant he realized his danger and be-
gan terrible fight for his life.
The lion roared and dashed his tail,
and when the bull charged avoided
his horns with deXterity. He crouch
ed close to the floor. crept round his
prey in circle and watched his OPP
portunity. Then came the magnifi-
cent spring into the air, and. falling
like an eagle from the cliff. the lion
leaped with all his weight upon the
bulls back and TANKS, his claws
burving themselves in the bovine
sides and his long fangs closing on
his throat.
The vast crowd of spectators
thought il was all over and the lion
had won. but while they were still
shouting for the lion the bull leapcd
into the air and threw himself ON
his back. shaking off the lion and
crushing him SO that for moment
he was unable to rise.
That moment decided the battle.
The bull charged furiously, his fear
full pains making him fearless and
every whit as savage as his foe The
lion gathered his strength for a
spring. He leaped. but just too late.
Hardly had his body left the floor of
the arena when the bulls long sharp
horns met his ascending body, pierced
it and crushed the king of the desert
to earth. The vast crowd roared
with delight. The fight was ended.
Attendants drove the bull out of
the arena reel<ing with blood and the |
fire of battle still in his eyes. The
lion, unable to rise. wounded to
death. was hauled to his den. where
he is being carefully tended |
nv his owner, 4. J. Morrison. in the |
forlorn hope of saving him. Mr.
Morrison's beast is , years old and a
specimen, which he rails
ed from a cub.