REPORT:

The veteran runner, a regular participant in the running of the bulls since he was fourteen years old, received a severe knock from one of the Cebada Gago bulls on the stretch of Mercaderes which produced a severe cranial traumatism. He was immediately taken off to hospital. Three days later he underwent an operation after suffering arterial hypertension. From that time onwards he remained in the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital de Navarra in a permanent coma and with artificial respiration until nearly the end of September, when he was removed to a ward. The 24th of September he died at the San Juan de Dios Clinic in Iruñea-Pamplona, after been in the hospital for two months and a half.

REPORT:

"Matthew Peter Tasio, a young American from Illinois, stopped off to make a quick visit to the Sanfermines while he was doing his European tour that fateful summer. He came into Pamplona late on the night of the 12th on the coach from Barcelona accompanied by a friend of his. The two young men met up with some compatriots and were soon caught up in the party atmosphere of the long nights of the Festival. Matthew decided he would take part in the bull-running the following morning before taking a coach away the following morning so as to continue their European itinerary.

That ominous morning the streets were packed with runners. At eight in the morning the rocket went off to indicate the release of the bulls from the pen at the bottom of Santo Domingo street. The bulls charged out at an unusually fast pace and caused various runners to scurry and slide as they stumbled to evade the oncoming pack of bulls. “Castellano” was the name of the leading bull and it was leading the charge into the square of the Town Hall. Matthew Tasio was among the scurrying runners in front of the bull. The young man slipped to the ground and struggled to get up again. But no sooner did he get to his feet than he fell once more as other runners dashed past He began to lift himself once more to his feet when “Castellano” came charging up behind him and ripped into him with his terrible horns at full speed and with all the weight of its 575 kilograms. The goring was mortal from the first, the horns ripped into his stomach and cut through the aorta vein. The young man tried to crawl away to avoid the onrushing pack of bulls coming behind. He struggled as best he could towards the safety of the corral on the right, where a Red Cross unit was standing by. He was quickly rushed to hospital.

The goring had caused severe anemia and he lost 90% of his blood even before he reached the hospital. Eight minutes after the goring he was in the Hospital de Navarra - a remarkable fast time. But even so, he arrived unconscious and in a deplorable state. Despite the efforts made by the doctors to revive him, he passed away a few moments after his admission to the hospital".

Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA.

REPORT:

"Meanwhile in Estafeta street, the rest of the pack was getting separated from each other. At the entrance to the bull-ring one of the bulls ripped off the pullover from one of the runners and entered the ring with the garment hanging from his horn, creating an anxious cry of apprehension among the large crowd of spectators gathered inside the ring. Suddenly “Antioquio”, who had continued its solitary run, came charging into the ring. It turned towards the right and charged towards a young man, Vicente Risco, and caught him on its horns. The bull tossed him off and the young man was left kneeling in the ring holding his shocked hands to his gored stomach from which blood was pouring profusely. The crowd roared in consternation and some runners rushed towards Vicente to help him away. But the bull had time to turn and charge again and gored him repeatedly before leaving him mortally wounded. The bleeding runner was rushed away to the medical infirmary within the bull-ring, but to no avail. The severe goring meant that there was nothing the doctors could do to save him. That last bull to enter the ring continued to create panic within the ring as it charged around the ring, ignoring all attempts made by the drovers and runners to directed it towards the safety of its pen on the far side of the ring.

However, it finally entered the pen and the final rocket was set off to indicate that all the bulls were safely in their pens and that one of the most tragic bull-runs ever to take place was finally over".


Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

"One of the longest-lasting runnings in the whole history of the Sanfermines - it took 10minutes and 55 seconds and which resulted in the death of two runners, both of which were killed by the same bull, “Antioquio”. The first runner was caught at the square of the Town Hall while the second one was gored at the Bull Ring. This was not the first time that the same bull had taken two lives in the same morning; 33 years earlier, ”Semillero” had gored two runners to death on the fateful 10th of July, 1947.

On the deadly morning of the 13th of July, 1980 the whole length of the route was packed with runners and when the bulls were released from the pen they found a crowded mass of fleeing bodies in front of them. Once out of the pen the bulls charged in a pack up the slope of Santo Domingo street.

Just at the spot where the old Public Baths were to be found one of the bulls, “Antioquio” slipped and slid to the ground and got separated from the rest of the pack for the remainder of the run. Always an ominous augury in any of bull-runnings. The bull lifted itself and continued its charge forward although it was now a good distance behind the rest of the pack. Charging into the Town Hall square, just beside the Casa Seminario, the bull knocked one runner aside and charged straight at José Antonio Sánchez a young man running in front. It was a clean goring and the young man was dragged along by the horns for several meters almost to the entrance to Mercaderes. A friend of the young man also running later related how he had shouted to José Antonio to watch out as the bull had turned dangerously towards the right side on getting to its feet, and this is always a dangerous sign, but within seconds he saw how his friend was gored and dragged along the street by the bull. Once tossed off by the bull, the First-Aid Unit rushed in and got the badly-wounded man quickly into an ambulance and rushed to the hospital. But despite giving a blood transfusion of more than 15 liters of blood, his heart stopped beating and the runner passed away at 10.30 in the morning".


Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

"At the level of Espoz and Mina street the shouts and cries of anguish could be heard coming from the bullring. It was a particularly sharp sound for those runners who were leading the bulls into the narrow passageway leading to the ring at the final stage of the run. The cries, which were more like terrified screams, were coming from the spectators inside the bull-ring. And the reason was clear, they were watching an authentic pile-up of bodies at the entrance to the ring which was getting bigger as each second passed.

A human blockade had formed right across the entrance. And it was caused by all those who don’t seem to have the guts to run in front of the bull’s horns and who start running pell-mell towards the ring practically before the rocket has gone off. The herd was confronted with a human wall blocking their way and the bulls, as if themselves terrified, struck out with their powerful horns and tried to clear a space through the crushing mass of bodies. The uproar was beyond description, the clamor deafening and the sensation astonishing.

The bulls turned about wildly, angry and excited. One of them, “Silletero” by name, who bore the number 12 on his back, the number branded onto his skin when he was a young bull, turned back towards the way he had come. Shouts and cries to close the wooden gate to the ring amid the general upheaval. Some felt that the bulls shouldn’t be allowed turn back and others thought that the bulls and piled-up bodies couldn’t be left like that in the narrow space of the entrance, all mixed together. Three times the main gate was opened and closed where two of the bulls and some of the bell-oxen come back out to the fences.”

It all happened in six minutes, but which seemed like an eternity, from the moment that the herd came up against the human wall of bodies until finally the rocket was heard with profound relief for it signified that the bulls had finally been led into the safety of their pens. The toll was one of the bloodiest ever in the long history of the bull-running, but for in most cases everyone recovered from their wounds without leaving any permanent traces. All except José Joaquin Esparza, a young man of 17 years, who was left dead on the spot.”


Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

“The bulls were too loose and in the square of the Town Hall the custodians couldn’t manage to get the bell-oxen in tight with the bulls. And then in Mercaderes street just in front a crowd of runners carelessly slipped and started piling up on top of one another. However, the pile was cleared without any mishap, but this undoubtedly helped cause a further detaching of the group of bulls. When they started to run up Estafeta street it could be sensed that trouble was on the way. Half-way up the street two of the unattached bulls slowed up and didn’t seem inclined to try to catch up with the others. They charged left and right into the crowd of runners catching some of them with their horns. Meanwhile at the entrance to the ring there was another pile-up and instead of loosening, the pile-up grew tighter and tighter. The bell-oxen gingerly stepped over the sprawling bodies and entered the ring leaving many of the runners with bruises from their heavy hoofs. The bulls, seeing their passage blocked by the spread-eagled bodies, turned back and charged into everyone or anything in front of them. The runners finally managed to turn the bulls and lead them towards the entrance. The bulls headed for the right side where the biggest pile-up was found. One of the bulls entered close to the side wall on the right before suddenly turning to its left. There he found Gregorio Gorriz and he charged at him and gave him a mortal goring."


Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

“Juan Ignacio Eraso had run the final stage of the bull-running from the end of Estafeta street, at the level of the Bar Fitero, He was aware of two bulls which had become separated from the others, but was unaware that there was a third bull further behind which had also become separated. After running almost to the entrance of the ring, and seeing the two bulls safely enter the ring, he decided to try to get up onto the fence. But the packed crowd meant that there was no free space and so he turned to walk back up the passageway. Suddenly he found himself face to face with “Palmello” the remaining bull which he had not reckoned with. Despite the fact that other runners tried to distract it, Palmello had his sights set on Juan Ignacio Eraso, and the youth froze in his place, only covering his face with his arms, instead of trying to slip through the fence or attempt some other means of getting out of the way. He was gored against the right fence and lifted by the bull and tossed onto the left side of the fence.”

Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

"The bull-run turned dangerous from the first moment as one of the bulls unexpectedly charged forward and outpaced the rest of the pack and was at the heels of the runners who were struggling to get away from it. Many of them pinned themselves against the long wall of the Military Hospital or, having lost their balance, lay stretched-out immobile on the pavement where they had fallen. Many of the runners turned to the right where there was some space available at the slope leading towards the Museum of Navarra. “Reprochado” - for that was the name of the bull - followed those runners to the right and gored one, Gregorio Z.J., in the stomach with a tremendous butt of its horns. This runner would eventually recover from his wound, but a second runner was then immediately charged by the bull and this time it was a fatal charge for the runner had fallen to the ground - a man called Hilario Pardo- and he was caught in a fatal zig-zag attack where the bull swung first with his right horn and followed up with a blow from his left horn, which left the corpse gushing blood all over the pavement The subsequent photos revealed that the wounded man received the first goring and that the mortal victim was then attacked - contrary to what the crowd thought at the time where they thought the dead man had been attacked first."


Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

“Vicente Urrizola Isturiz was once more standing at the ready that morning at the initial stage of the bull-running as he was usually wont to do. He was at the level of the City Market building, in Santo Domingo street, just beside the Military Hospital (What is now the City Museum). The rocket went off and amid the rushing crowd, the mortal goring he received went unnoticed by the crowd and it was only when he died in hospital some thirty hours later from his wounds, that the full significance of the event was appreciated by the people of Pamplona.”



Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

"….When, for whatever reason it might be, the bull becomes separated from the group, the potential dangerous increases a hundredfold. The bull, finding itself alone, reveals its temperament and base instincts and is not softened by the general law of psychology of the masses. It is a wild beast, crazy with fear, who responds to the least provocation with all the instinct of his breeding, with its strong and sharp horns at the ready like two upraised fists, ready to cause tragedy at any moment.”

“Casimiro Heredia was standing inside the corral talking to some friends at the doorway of their house when the crowd came charging up the street leading the bulls. His last words to the couple were, “ You’d better get back inside…I’ll see you later.” He ran for some yards in front of the bulls, unaware that one of the bulls, “Semillero”, had become separated from the others some distance back. We’ll never know if he was caught by surprise or if he had time to see the bull. The fact is the bull was striding up the street, clearing space left and right, threatening all in front of him with his pointed horns. Casmiro was caught cleanly by the big horns and lifted by the bull from the middle of the street and tossed like a ragdoll to the right side of the pavement. The crowd immediately sensed the seriousness of the wound. The mortally wounded man was doubled up on the ground a few yards from the menacing bull when the bull noticed him again and once more charged into him. The bull lifted him up with his horns from the floor and tossed him against the wall of the street. The unfortunate man was already dead as the bull continued to toss him from side to side.”

The same bull then continued his run and caught another young man, Julián Zabalza, just at the entrance to the bullring, and gave him a mortal goring which caused his death".



Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

“The six bulls bred by Doña Carmen de Federico were just about to enter the final passageway leading to the ring when, suddenly, some reckless youths taunting the bulls caused the biggest of the pack to separate from the others as it turned back to confront the taunting youths. One of the youths boldly stepped in front of the bull waving his outstretched jacket in front of the bull’s face. The young man had no idea of what he was doing - the very act of appalling risk would be enough to make that clear- if it had not been subsequently confirmed by many witnesses who related that the person had earlier been seen well out of his head from drinking even some hours before the bull-running started. The bull charged forward and the young man tried to effect a toreador’s cape with his jacket before falling to the ground. The bull gored him with a mortal blow to the rips, tearing into him with a deep stab of his horns to his armpit. The gushing blood which quickly stained the bright yellow shirt of Gonzalo Bustinduy augured ill for his future and the worst fears of the onlookers were to be confirmed despite the bravery of the custodians and one “Chico de Olite” who teased the bull away from the mortally wounded man".


Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

“ The docile oxen were leading the bulls into the ring tamely and comfortably when, no sooner past the entrance, suddenly one of the bulls turned violently to the right away from the others, in pursuit of a man who was teasing him with a rod. The bull rushed towards one of the protective board fences at the side of the ring, in pursuit of his quarry, where, losing sight of his initial victim, he charged blindly at a man who happened to be in front of the wooden fence. The bull gored Santiago Martinez, the unfortunate bystander, deeply and violently, lifting him up by the horns and only tossing him off when it bent its head to the ground, so deep was the goring. The hapless man struggled to his feet but only to fall mortally wounded into the arms of some men who had rushed to his aid.”

Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

“And the crowd, oblivious to the fact that the safest spot is to head towards the left side of the corral when caught in a predicament, piled up on the right side where the bull only had to make a blind charge through them to butt and gore a victim. The unfortunate youth who was gored had no chance to avoid the headlong thrust of the bull as the tight crowd prevented him from jumping onto the fence and he was caught standing up with a clean mortal stab to his rigid body. It was clear from the first that the wound was serious as the youth dropped to the ground, rigid and intensely pale from the blow."

Esteban Domeño Laborra was the name of the young man who was to die the following day at 1.30 in the afternoon of the 14th of July at the early age of 22, having only managed to survive the mortal goring for some 30 hours.”

Luis del CAMPO “The tragic chronicle of the “encierro”of PAMPLONA"

REPORT:

Until the year 2002 it was thought that the first person to be killed as a consequence of being gored during the running of the bulls in Pamplona was the young man from Sangüesa Esteban Domeño, but that year Unai Alduán Colmenares reported the identity of the first known runner who died in the running of the bulls until to date; Francisco García Gurrea.

Unai Alduán Colmenares found, by chance, a news article included in the El Pensamiento Navarro newspaper on the 18th of January 1911, in which the following was said: " Francisco García Gurrea, 21 years old, died in this city, as a consequence of the injuries suffered in one the running of the bulls of the latest San Fermin fiestas. May he rest in peace". Being interested in this, Unai checked whether said name was included in the list of the 13 dead people that was known until that moment, and he was surprised when he found out that it was not. He began to research and verify the information appeared in various local newspapers of the time. The already mentioned Pensamiento Navarro, El Eco de Navarra and La Tradición Navarra, and he was able to confirm that, indeed, on the 7th of July 1910 the young man Francisco García Gurrea had been injured in the spectacular heap of people –of more than one hundred runners- just at the entrance of the former bullring which is now the Gayarre Theatre. In accordance with those newspapers, the young man was trampled by the people and as a consequence received two stitches in his ear. Apparently, those injuries resulted in tuberculosis that finally caused Francisco García’s death on the 18th of January 1911.

The fact that he died months later and the subsequent fire in the former bullring (in August 1922), in which there may have been a document explaining the medical progress of this runner, may have been two reasons for which this discovery has remained hidden for so long.