Year: 1879

A cruel Bull and Bear fight recently tool


place at Custer City, Penna. The even


had received pretty liberal advertising an,


those who came had done 80 to do bettin,
and sec something that had never befor


been witnessed in this section of the State
The seats were arranged over small spac,
OF ground, and raised at slight elevation
| commanding full view of the pit, whicl
was 36X38 feet and feet deep. In thi


lay the bear, a shaggy brown fellow weigh


ing three hundred pounds. The entrance
to the pit was by a large iron door at on,
END, which was approached by II trench
| At two O'Clock there were no signs of tn,
| fight beginning, and the crowd began tC
! yell at such rate and demand tnat the
| fight 90 on that the management, fearful


they might imagine the whole thing Il hum
bug and wreak vengeance upon him,
ordered the band to strike up, which it did.
AS soon as the last notes died away, there
was demand from every throat for the
bull to be brought in. The door was then
opened and the bull entered the arena with
rush. At the corners Of the pit above
were men with strong oakcn clubs, to pre-
vent the animals from lcaping out of the
pit, and near by were two men with long
poles to goad the brutcs to action. The
bull was trim-limbcd, with sharp horns,
and weighed about 1,70O pounds. He
stopped suddenly in the centre of the pit
and glared upon the bear, who was stand
ing with his back that way. Neither seemed
disposed to commence the fight, but the
bear, turning and facing his antagonist so
as to he on the defensive, excited the bull


who commenced advancing, and the bear
reared up to receive him. The bull rushed
madly forward and sent him rolling over
and over, at the same time goring him in
the sides. The bear gladly escaped to his
corner, where the bull made no attempt to
go. In the second round the men with the
poles goadcd the bull into the bears corner.
lie took bruin upon his horns, threw him
four feet into the Dir, and he fell with a
thud, several feet away. The bull then


made another daring charge, when Bruin
fastened his claws in the neck of his antag-
onist, Sitting ono car in two and drawing
the blood freely. This dazcd Taurus, when
he gave yell and withdrew few feet,
believing with all the power of his lungs.
Bruin saw chance for liberty and at
tempted to leap out of the pit, but was
beaten back by the men with clubs. Max
ing another desperate effort he got one of
his claws fastened in the top of the pit, and
one of the men, cndcavoring to push him
back, had his arm laceratcd by the brute.


With lightning-likerapidity the bear sprang
from the pit into the seats above, and q
scene of indescriblc confusion cnsucd. He
bounded to the top scat and sent his claws
into the flesh of II woman. He had the
field almost to himself, as the audience was
flying from him in the widest confusion,
and reaching the topmost scat, distance
of forty feet from the ground, he looked
over, but would not jump. Terrible fight
ing. After the greatest difficulty the bear
audience returned and riouind NO. %hs
begun by tho bull making terrific charge,
when he received badly lacerated neck
and cracked horn. Both animals were
badly trcsted in this round, and the fifth
round Bruin sprang at his enemy but fe,l
short and was rolled over and over and
badly gorged in the sides. He groancd with
pain. In the sixth round the bull was
again badly torn about the neck and was
subdued. 1t was then the betting turned
III the bears favor. In the seventh round
the bull was badly used up and attempted
to get out of the pit and ran around COM
pletely cowed There were cries for the
fight to end in favor of the bull, but the
majority ruled, and in the eighth round
Br,lin was hurled back to his corner. The
ninth round was tame, both animals fight
ing shy. The men with the poles goaded
the animals on, and Brun was caught on
the bulls horns and thrown high in the air,
landing on his back. The rest of the
rounds were without interest, and the con-
test was decided in favor of the bull.