Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-05-27
.THEsPANIsH BuLL-FIGHTs. pa

{ THESPANISH BULL-FIGHTS:: Il
The bull-ight is the national sport
of Spain. 1t is what cricket and
races are to the English, lotteries to
the Italians, music to tle Germans.
In every principal city there is an
arena lor the purpose, and in many
OF them, on Sundays and saints
days, the fight in the arena takes
place after mass in the cathedral.
The circus is packed with specta-
tors, munching oranges and cakes.
The performers troop IN and make
their salutations and retire. When
all is ready, the presiding officer
waves his handkerchief, and bull,
!oosned from a narrow stall, and
startled by the sudden sound of
trumpets, rushes into the arena.
There stands before him perhaps a
single athlete. The animal regards
him, then throws clouds of dust into
theair, lowers his head, ana rushes
at him. The man stoops, lodges,
plunges beneath the ball, and es
capes like flash between his legs.
The astonished bull believes AMIDST
.he huzzas of the admiring specta
tors, and turns to follow his advef-
sary. when he confronts horseman
mounted on thorough bred steed
and armed wi b short lance. .a.
This new tormentor wheels around
the poor beast, raps him on the
nose, pricks him in the fianks, ard
worries him into rage. At last
ne bowels of the horse are .rippe,
,ut by the horns of the bull, and h.
falls. The dexterous caballero mar
rowly escapes the same fate by the
aid of crowd of footmen, who
rush into the arena and distract the
bulls attention with their red ban
uers.
| Again, a man appears on stills
which rase him half yard from the
ground. They are lashed strongly
to his legs, and one mistep would
settle his fate; but he runs about the
weary and unwieldy animal, dances
before him, waves the red flag in his
eyes, and finally kills him with q
thrust of a sword. s
| When an unusually vigorous beast
seems to be getting the better of his
b.ped fellowc c ea.ures, the ASST. t.
ints bring out long pole armed
with sickle, and standing at safe
distance, cut his ham strings; and
IN his bleeding stumps he fights on
until he is fairly, chivalrously kill
ii by a legitimate blow on the head
Every time bull is killed the
carcass is dragged out by mules
and the arena is freshly sprinkled .tc
conceal the bloody traces of the
struggle, while the brilliantly dress
ID throng of spectators buzz will
applause and impatience. 1t is as i
che ladies and gentlemen of Murray
Hill resorted to the precincts of th'
slaughter houses to see the blooe
iow. H{f-
The sport begins again A fresl
bull enters the arena aud finds .
crowd of unhappy negroes in fantas
tic dres ses seated on a row of chair.
directly across his path. He plunge'
1T them. and they defend tllemselve:
with lances but they are tosset
about in the air with their chairs
,'reating a scene of infinite amuse
ment to the spectators. When an,
one is thrown to the ground he rolf
himself UP like a hedge hog, know
ing that though he may get SOM
terrible thrusts, the bull will sool
cave a motionless object to purus'
the livelier advcrsaries around him
Another company of men, eigh
or ten in number, are trained t.
rush into the arena and fall upol
: the bull, and hold him almost i'm
movable, merely by the grasp o
their hanfs while one of their mum
Der, seizing his horns, lifts himsel
into the air, feet uppermost, upol
Dhe animals head. Sometimes fire
works are fastened to the animal
md he is rigned and scorched int
requisite fury.
Christian Spain adopted this spor
from the Moors, and it will be seel
that, after having diligently practic
ed it for hundreds OF years, it ha
+ been brought to a high degree 0
artistic refinement.
Il What is to be the future of a peo
, pie who find their national prid
i and pleasure in such spectacles?
An American republican ma
e hope. but can hardly predict, tina
their suffrages will soon administe
: a neaceful liberty -H0rner WeekLz