The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-23
Fighting in Mexico.
MATAMoRos, August 4.

have just witnessed q bull fight in
this city-a singular scene within mile
or two of the United States boundary
line. The fight was so different in many
respects from similar scenes in South
America and old Spain that I describe it
for our readers: The seats around the
arena are filled with the elite of Tanau.
lipas, including many women, some
beautiful, some pretty and a good many
The bull is driven into the arena,
thin, gaunt animal, pale yellow or cream
color, long pointed horns, short head and
fiery eye, but young, not evidently more
than q three year old, and sadly weakened
by long fasting. He snorts and takes a
hurried survey of the scene. A picador,
in red tights, runs past him and faunts
a red rag in his face.,. The bull snorts,
runs his long horn, with quick flashing
motion, through the red cloth, and tears
it from the mans hand. Other picadors
repeat the same thing, the brute becomes
excited and charges wildly at his tormen-
tors they spring lightly to one side binding
the bull with the cloth, or bound up the
side of the high fence, beyond the reach
of his sharp horns. The crowd hoot and
veil for the bandarias (arrows with
strong, barbed iron points, winged with
profusion of colored paper cut in strips.)
The picador most skillfully seizes one in
each hand, and when the now thoroug hly
aroused and maddened animal rushes
savagely at him, plants the two bandarias
in the two sides of the animals neck,
who pitches roars and charges around the
arena, blood flowing freely, the colored
paper streamers flying, and the crowd
yelling and hooting like demons.
When the bull, worried and bleeding,
shows an inclination to make his escape
from his torturers, the crowd yell q pruid,is
los tuegos light him with fire. Then
another brings what looks like two short
rockets, with huge barbed iron points,
each containing several loaded rockets, so
arranged that when struck into the bull
they will at each discharge and drive the
point in deeper. The match is touched
to the rocket, and they are hurled or driv-
en- into the neck or back of the brute.
He bellows. The fuse Kisses. The rock
ets explode one after another in rapid
succession, enveloping the animal in
smoke. The hair is burned from the
skin, and the skin parched and burned
by the fearful explosions, resembling
small cannon. The sharp irons are driv.
en- further into the quiyering flesh at
every discharge. The blood streams
from his wounds until, as it happened to
one of the bulls on this occasion, he falls
to the ground as though dead, overcome
by torture and loss Of blood. Now the
clown announces, after three animals,
almost precisely alike in size, action, and
color, had been thus bated and worried,
finally lassoed, thrown down and the iron
barbs pulled out of their flesh, and turned
out of the arena in turn, that they were
most profoundly grateful in tusn, &c,
and would announce the close of the
performance, and that another would
take. place on some future day. His
voice is drowned by fierce roar from the
crowd of "Traigen una pos mantaS to-"
Bring in another and kill him.) The
clown answers: "This is sovereign
city, and permission must first be OBJ
tained." He bounds up the fence in
front of the officials of the city and asks
permission with hat in hand. It is, of
course, granted. He announces the re-
suit. The crowd cheer yociferously.
The Bull enters, is bated and worried
as before described. A picador seizes a
short, straight, double-edged sword,
makes a lunge at the bull, inaicts an ugly
flesh wound in the neck. He circles
around and again drives the blade down
the side of the neck into his vitals. The
dark blood spurts out. The clown e1-
ecutes the movement of the staggering,
dying animal. The bull does not fall,
but looks so appealingly with his great
brown liquid eyes at his executioners, as
if asking what they would do next. He
is only terribly wounded. A rope is
thrown over his horns, his head is drawn
down to the ground, and the sword
forced into the back of his neck. The
dying means, the screams of terror and
agony uttered by the poor creature are
heartrending to those having heart.