About: Carleton Bass

Ernest Carleton Bass, best-known as Carleton Bass, born 1876 in Ireland, was a notorious bullfighter who billed himself in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as the "first North American bullfighter." In reality, he was an Irish immigrant who never became an American citizen, and his anemic bullfighting skill led to him being booed from bullfighting rings in Mexico. Though he had learned some swordfighting and bullfighting skills in Spain before his arrival in the United States, he was a poor fighter. In 1903, he suffered an attack of nerves before a fight in Mexico and failed to fight. In 1904, he was a key figure in the St. Louis bullfight riot, which led to the destruction of a 14,000-seat arena by fire. Three days after the riot, he shot and killed fellow matador after the other m