New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-12-26
A Spanish Horse Race.

A lady correspondent writes from Cali.
fornia:
never will forget my sight Of horse race
and guess You might like to hear if. az #
was a singular one. 1t was in 1862. on The
DAY OF the FIESTA di San Rafael, day held IN
the highest reverence by the Spanish people.
VINO testify their reverence by drinking, Gam,
bling, and horse racing. The festivities are
kept on for three days, and booths are erect
ed, and camps are formed and the whole
spanish population congreg ate-men, women,
and chi!dren-and the old priest of the near.
est mission lends the saving grace of his pros
ehcc 70 the occasion. Formerly they added
bull hight TO the list of anusements on that
day, but the Americans made so many oh,
Jectlons, that this part was left off. The
place this year selected for the festivities was
doWn near San Lorenzo, and large booths
were ON every side, filled with people, mostly
Spanish, though many Americans were pres.
ent.
AT noon herald rode up and down. pro.
claiming that the races for the afternoon
were about to begin, and in a trice the booths
were deserted, and the track was lined with
the eXpectant crowd. The race-track was
merely level road, mile in length. and
straight, not in circle, as We have ours.
The horses were all California and Mexican
mustangs. Some of them were magnificent.
and the riders were Respondent with silver
Jlngling ornaments down their pantaloons
and bordering their jackets and their crimson
sashes, which, with jewcled handled knives
showing through their folds, gave them the
appearance of the handsome, dark pirates we
read OF. The men merely rode up without
preliminary, and dashed down the track. no
effort being made to time the horses, The
one who reached the goal first took the
prize. They all run their horses-neyer trot
them.
1t is astonishing to see the feats of agility
the men perform while their horses are at full
speed, for they will reach down and pick up
a hall dollar from the ground, and never
miss. Chickens are buried in the ground.
leaving only their heads sticking out, and
men will rush past like the wind. and snatch
the head off every time This is looked uDon
as the funny part. At last the ladies' races
were to take place, and several rode I'D and
rode their races without any mishap, which
was wonderful, considering that thew rode
barebacked, and at full speed.
After several races had taken place, won
repeatedly by a large, handsome senorita. on
a cinnamon-colored mustang, another girl
made her appearance on the ground on a
black mustang, whose delicate, springv stem.
arched neck and flashing eve showed its
blood and fire. The girl herself was per-
feet apparition of beauty. Her eyes were
large and brilliantly black; her mouth ripe,
with full, intensely red lips, and her rich
black hair hung far below her waist. She
was very small, and exquisitely proportioned,
with tiny, arching Spanish feet, and she was
dressed in white, and wore no hat, but had
quaint silver chain around her head to bind
back her hair
Dolores was most beautiful at any time.
but here on her magnificent horse, every mo-
ton grace unequaled, and with the hot blood
flushing in her cheeks, she certainly was as
near what might be called radiantly beautiful
as possible for any one. Riding up to the
pole, she flung out her challenge to the vic
toious rider, who smiled contemptuously at
her and her horse, and accepted it disdain-
fully, and in moment both horses were fly
ing over the course. They were both we'll
matched in point of speed; but Dolores had
the finest horse, and it was delirium.pro-
ducing sight too SEQ him gather for the great
leapsswhich carried them to tho end of the
goal before write it, Dolores ahead.
Then they turned and came back to the
starting point, Dolores still in advance, look
ing wildly triumphant, with two spots of fire
on her checks, at the loud plaudits, when her
horse stepped into a gopher hole, slightly
and lost the race by half length.
Dolores rode slowly up to the pole, jumped
from her horse like flash, and drew her dag
ger before any one had the slightest idea Of
her intention, and plunged it up to the hilt
in her horses neck. He shiyered little,
looked mournfully at her moment. then fell
at her feet dead, the blood staining her white
dress. That broke up the ''peste." Dolores
rode off Immediately, and somehow the Span
iards did not care to stay longer, and that was
my first horse race.