Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 April 1860 — Race with n Bull. [ARTICLE]

Race with n Bull.

Some forty years ago the managers of a race cource near Brownsville, on the Monongahela, published a notice of a race, one mile heats, on a particular day, for a puree of SIOO, “free for anything with four legs and hair on.” A man in the neighborhood, named Hays, had a bull that he was in the habit of riding to mill with his bag of corn, and he determined to enter him for the race. He said nothing about it to any one, but he rode him around the track a number of times, on several moonlight nights, until the bull had the hang of the ground pretty well, and~would keep the right course. He rode with spurs, which the bull considered particularly disagreable; so much so that he always bellowed when they were applied to his sides. On the morning of the race, Hays came upon the ground on horse-back—on his bull. Instead of a saddle he had dried an ox hide, the head part of which, with horns still on, he had placed on the bull’s rump. He carried a short tin horn in his handr -He rode to the judge’s stand, and offered to enter his bull for the race; but the owners of the horses that were entered objected. Hays appealed to the terms of the notice; insisting that his bull had “four legs and hair on,” and that, therefore, he had a right to enter him. After a good deal of swearing, the judges declared themselves compelled to decide that the bull had the right to run; and was entered accordingly. When the time for starting arrived, the bull and the horses took their places. The horseracers were out of humor at being bothered with the bull, ar.d at the burlesque which they supposed was intended, but thought that it would be over as soon as the horses started. When the signal was given they did start. Hays gave a blast with his horn, and sunk his spurs into the side of the bull, who bounded off with a terrible bawl at no trifling speed, the dried ox-hide flapping up and down, and rattling at every jump, making a combination of noise, that had never been heard on a race course before. The horses all flew the track, every one seemed to be seized with a sudden determination to take the shortest cut to get out of Redstone county, and none of them could be brought back in time to save their distance. The purse was given to Hays. A general row ensued; but the fun of the the thing put the crowd all on the side of the bull. The horsemen {Contended that they were swindled out of the purse, and if it had not been for Hays* horn and ox-hide, which he ought not to have been permitted to bring upon the ground, the thing would not have turned out as it did. Upon this, Hays told them that his bull could beat any of their horses anyhow, and if they would put up SIOO against the purse he had won, he would take off" the ox-hide, and leave his tin horn, and run a fair race with them. His offer was accepted and the money staked. They again took their places at the Start-

ing post, and the signal was given. Hays gave the bull another touch with his spurs, and the bull gave a tremendous bellow. The horse remembering the dreadful sound, and thought all the rest was coming as before. Away they went again, in spite of al) the exertions of their riders, while Hays galloped his bull around the track again, and won the money.