Sharp County record., 1881-07-14
A Mexican Bull.lght.

ant enough to induce the railroad COM
pany to issue round-trip tickets at re-
duced rates, the distance was too great
to draw the genuine metropolitan crowd.
Last week, however, handbllS and
posters announced that on Sunday there
would be a grand L" Corida di Toros''
at the hacienda of Morales, Just outside
of the Federal District. In the Federal
District local legislation forbdS bull
fighting, and none has been witnessed
since the close of the Austrian inter-
vention, but as the line is only four or
five miles from the city, with easy COM
munication, there is not much gained
by the sacrifice made to decency and
humanity.
Our party of three took a carriage at
the market stand, and in an hour from
the hotel we were at the scene of the
sport.
As four o'clock and the band struck
simultaneously, the crowd, which had
been yelling itself hoarse and whistling
and kicking, arose in an outburSt of en-
thusiasm such as | supposed Mexico in
capable of, and the amphitheater pre-
sented very brilliant appearance. The
Mexican is more picturesque than the
Yankee and there was every hue and
shade in the Kaleidoscope mass that
futtered and gittered in the blazing
sun and sombre shadow. The adver-
tisements had announced that the
cuadrilla, or company of toreadorS, was
complete in every spect-eSpadaS,
picadores, banderilleroS, capas, locOs
and matadOres --twenty,siX in all they
were, and very attractive sight they
presented as they defiled into the arena
amid the huzzas of the spectators. The
footmen had stepped out of the opera of
Carmen in jackets and knee-breeches
of satin. scarlet and green, and blue
and black, all laced and slashed with
silver, and with white stockings and
pumps, and the black astrachan caps
with tapping wings OF the opera. Two
aaSsadOres were mounted on handsome
studs, but the picadores! Their mounts
were veritabe crow bats, shielded with
.armor of leather cut like a coat of mail
The heavy gate of the bull-pen was
swung open and a cupa waving his red
cloak in front of it stepped nimbly out
of the way as huge, black bull dashed
in at full speed, but not fast enough to
escape two banderillos, which were
planted M his shoulders from above as
he dashed in. He was very mad at this
reception and made straight for the
crowd, who were waving their cloaks at
him in the center of the ring. When
he had reached the spot they had scat
tered and he fixed an ugly look on the
blear-eyed, leather-coated ROsnante of
the nearest picador. He walked delib-
erately towards his victim, but was
mich surprised at finding himself pinned
down by blunt lance thrust into his
shoulder just as he was ready to charge;
he kicked up behind and tossed his
horns, but the firm arm of the picador
held him at bay, while the blood
streamed from his wound. He turned
away, trotted angrHy towards another
picador. charged into him and banged
The horse and rider head over heels on
the ground ten feet away. But he didn't
want to hurt anybody. He hugged the
barrier, tried to jump it, tried to get
out of the gate; the whole qpaarille-
'corhmenced to chivy him; they lodged
around him, Haunted their banners over
his rhorns, and he turned and charged
and chased, stupidity directing his rage
against the banners and not the men
who nimbly capered out of his reach.
Just as this sport commenced to grow
tame bluff old Confederate Major
from Texas who was one of our party
blurted out. "Great heavens! That's
horribler' What was itP A horse
and rider lifted bodily in the air
and thrown over backwards with
the brute's poor belly ripped wide
open and his bleeding entrails bursting
out over the sharp horn that had done
its work. Horse and rider pick them
selves up, lassador throws hisdasso
deity over the neck of the death strick-
en- beast and leads him out. The bull
has got his work in now; he charges an
other picador and no lance can hold
him back; he stands under the horse,
plunges his horns again and again with
an angry toss into the helpless belly OF
the horse, and when the footmen tempt
him away the whole assortment of the
horse's insides is trailing and stringing
on the ground, so that he steps on his
own entrails and tears them asunder as
he is led away. This is bull fighting,
but the ladies all look away; the crowd
hurrah and cheer.
The picadores have furnished sport
enough, and the first act ends as they
retire.
The second act is played by the band
erilleros. The banderillo is a barbed |
dart decked with tinsel and paper flow
ers and streamers. The banderllero |
takes one in each hand, and as the bull |
charges him he escapes the angry horns |
by about six inches, leaning over as he
jumps away to plant the darts one on /
each side of the bulls neck He takes /.
two more and at the next charge plants |
them and two more, until the bull !
wears collar of tinsel torture which he |
cannot shake of. He dashes right and |
left at everybody and everything, but
he is tired and losing strength; he
is bleeding from dozen wounds, white
SLAYER hangs from his mouth, he pants
and stands STILL He is ready to give up
the fight and 90 home, but he must
not leave the arena alive.
Tho lact aot nndo rho horbo rio troor