A brave lady

International News Photos (New York, N.Y.) · April 10, 1956

Palmira colombia... Pretty 26-year-old bertha trujillo is shown in photo left before going into the bull ring to face a ton of savage fury in a contest as old as civilization--man against animal. For six years during the season, bertha has been appearing in little cattle towns and in her own town of armenia, in the heart of colombia's coffee growing area. In all this time she has never known a month without pain or broken bones. These dramatic photos were taken on two successive sundays in palmira and manizales. In photo second from left bertha is pinned down by the bull after failing at a try for the kill in the arena at manizales. Her attendant rushes in with a cape to divert the bull. In photo second from right bertha rams the sword into the bull's shoulder during her appearance in the arena at palmira. In photo right bertha walks from the ring blood spattered and exhausted after the bull got the best of her at manizales. During one fight she was knocked down seven times in 15 minutes, but wouldn't quit. Knocked against the fence and dragged across the ring she was finally taken out by her attendants to a thundering ovation from the crowd. After these photos were taken she was hospitalized for two weeks and later returned to win three successive fights.