Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1880-08-11
A SPANISH BULL FIGHT

HSut Ill IhduTlu Hc duipultucduC IL
filled fully three hours before the fight
Seats command the highest prices
Persons without money borrow money
to go to the fight. Men and women fill
the seats and boxes. Everybody
drinks, eats and shouts. Spicy jests
tickle the ears of the most noble young
ladies. The sun shines and burns
There is an uproar worthy of pande.
monium The spectators hiss, applaud,
slap each others faces, and drawn
knives flash in the air At last the
President OF the Fete enters the box.
Frequently the King is honored by the
office. He is accompanied by the
Queen. He waves his handkerchief
There is tremendous outburst of ap-
plause. The trumpet sounds. An officer
in the costume of Philip ~, astride a
prancing steed, rides to the Presidents
box, who drops into his plumed hat
the key to the toril, or pen where the
bulls are confined He gallops away
and tosses the key to the chief of the
band of bull fighters. This ceremony
concluded, a dazzling, romantic, and
living panorama is presented. 1t is
called the despeio. All the terreros, en-
snares of death, salute the President
The chief is termed pespada. Each es-
pada has his assistant or cuadrilla.
They move slowly and gracefully,
their costumes shining in the sunlight.
The chulilos, whose duty is to distract
and tire the the bull by the incessant
movement of their cloaks, and the BAN
derilleros, who throw darts into his
skin, follow Frascuelo, La Gartijo,
Machio, Arizona, and old SAM, the
great matadors who are favored by the
women and saluted by the men. The
picadors, in yellow leather, stiff
brimmed gray felt hats, and iron-en-
cased legs, follow those on foot. They
are invariably too heavy for their poor
bony $40 horses The menial cachetero,
whose sharp knife gives wounded
bull the coup de grace, comes next.
The procession is closed by the NULL
las, or mules covered with parti-colored
blankets and laden with noisy little
bell. They drag the dead bulls and
horses from the ground.
The King is saluted The mulillas
are trotted from the arena. The plea.
dors range themselves close to the
toril, with lance in rest. The chulillos
throw into the outer inclosure theiI
silk caps. and take up their capas de
combat, all torn and in rags. The
trumpets again sounds. The applause
is redoubled. A massive door at the
end of narrow and dark passage is
opened, and the bull comes out. Tc
make him furious, he has been kept
in dark prison without food or water
and has been tormented by thrusts
from lances. Blinded by the torrent O
light, astonished by the shouts witt
which he is greeted, undecided as tt
his first attack, he stops, angrily paw;
the sand, lowers his head, and glares
at his enemies. Like flash he may
dart upon a picador. The horse re
ceives the terrible shock, and wounded
or killed, he is thrown upon his bach
against the barrier The picador is
usually buried beneath the pool
animal Then, again, the bull may Sc
lect chulillo for his first attack The
expert either drags his cape behint
him or throws it aside, to distract the
infuriated animals attention, and or
reaching the barrier vaults over it like
lightning, a bird without wings.
The fun now begins in earnest. The
crowd becomes enthusiastic, maddens
the bull, insults the toreros, and clam
ors for the killing of other unfortunate
horses When picador falls the chu
lillos provoke the bull to prevent him
from goring the man. They surround
the animal with their capes, and finally
at the sound of the trumpet, the worl
of the horses is finished and that O
the banderilleros begins. The chulllos
encouraged by the cries of the crowd
advances upon the bull. They shake
before him wands on which pieces O
bright-colored paper are pasted. Theil
futterng sounds like the rustling o.
silk. Darts at the end of the wands
are shot into the neck of the bull. A
times bandcrillero stations himsel
almost between the horns of the mad
dened beast, with the animals nose a.
his feet, and filings darts into its quiv
ering flesh. The bull roars and bellows
He charges, backs, stands still
charges and recharges, and finally
moves about the arena, his great shoul
der covered with the plumes of tht
darts that are fastened in his neck.
More horses must be killed. AL
though the BULBS feeble legs can barely
sustain him, although streams o
blood are flowing from his body, ant
although he fills the plaza with Iii
roars of pain, fiery bandarilla i:
driven into his neck AS the darts en-
ters the flesh the fire in the baquette Ii
ignited. The odor of burning flesh fill.
the air, and q black smoke rises il
curves from the bleeding neck. Tht
believing of the unfortunate anima
becomes frightful. Sometimes the bul
throws himself on the ground and re
fuses to fight any longer. Then a maj
comes forward, carrying a pole at
tached to a sharp reaping hook. and
amid the applauses of the crowd, cut.
at the knees and legs of the animal
Tears are forced from the bloodsho
eyes. The fallen bull endeavors to rise
He drags himself upon the ground
He still wants to live, but they fnsf
| him with knives
The matador generally follows th'
banderilleros. In this red muletd h'
hides his sword. In his right hand h'
carries his montera, handsome roun'
cap, and walks gracefully toward tn
Presidents box, in front of which h
offers up his victim. "At Re! a u
Reina! Il las .jembras andalusas =
In this toast the most original and ex
travigant things are said. He throw
his cap in the air. The crowd give
vent to hollow murmer. The mata