The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-05-10
I'm GRADUALLY FORCED THE BULL sAcx

HI GRADUALLY FORCED THE BULL BACK.
stored rescue of the Christian maid,
en- Lygia by the slave Ursus. who
strangied the bull on the bloody sands
of a Roman arena and saved the girl
from the horns of the brute. ...-..
1t was a schoolboy prank that made
Nick Oberting a hero aud nearly cost
the trio of lads their lives. , s.E-a-'r-
John Williams. Henry Frontsmann
and Karl Wolff, aged fourteen. twelve
and nine years respectively. passed
through a pasture OF the Obsrting
farm, IN which Satan, a valuable but
vicious prize Durham bull was run,
ming loose. nnpelled by a spirit of
mischief and ignorant of the danger,
they provoked the animal with stones
anWsticks. 3 y
Eiiraged at this indignity and in
furiated by the sight of red toboggsn
cap u by the youngest OF the lads.
thd bull emitted frIghtful below
and. with lowered horns. charged upon
the defenseless boys.
Instantly they realized that their
only safety was In flight. but In this
the chances were decidedly against
them. They were In the middle OF an
open field extending over many acres,
with dense thicket, the nearest avail
able shelter. Llore than 600 feet dis
tant. The believing bull was charg-
Ing upon them and was only Atty feet
away before the boys could take a
step In their flight.
Just as the boys reached the .thicket
John Wilson, who had permitted the
other two lads to precede him into the
shelter, tripped over a protruding root
and was hurled to the ground with
such force that he was rendered I'M
conscious. In an instant the bull was
upon him. a-
1t was Mt this critical moment that
Nick Obertlng, who from window In
his homo had witnessed the desperate
flight of the lads across the pasture
arrived upon the scene. -...
Satan lifted his head and glared de-
family ut his owner. That movement
gave Oberting the opening be sought.
Rushing at the head of the bull, he
grasped the maddened animal by the
horns and. bracing his feet In the soft
his command. The terrible contest be-
tween man and brute was on. Shout
ing to the other two terrified lads to
drag the body of their unconscious
companion to a place of safety, Ober-
ting gradually forced the bull back.
The strain to which oberting was
subjected was fearful. His face, neck
and hands turned purple, his body
grew tense and rigid. aud his muscles
were stretched to the bursting point
Five minutes man and beast strug-
gled for supremacy. The underground
was trampled down. and the earth was
thrashed into a morass.
Thrice the bull tore away from
Oberting, and thrice the intrepid man
regained his hold upon the wicked
looking horns. oberting's hands and
: face We're torn and bleeding. and his
breath came In labored gasps.
Then came the turning point In the
mad conflict. The man and the bull
We're locked together In one fnal, furi-
Gus effort for supremacy. With q bel
low that ended In groan the enor-
nous head Of the bull slowly began to
turn under the power of Oberting's
grip. Suddenly the parched and blood
stained tongue iolled from the foaming
jaws. and then the bull staggered to
bis knees an the sickening crunch Of
rending bones was heard. and the anil
NAL toppled over dead.
Oberting staggered erect, his face
turning from purple to the pallor Of
death and his arms hanging limp at his
side. Then he fell unconscious upon
he body OF the bull.