The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-01-19
An Arizona Bull Fight.

a bull fight at Tucson, Arizona. re
Gently gathered crowd of about L..
200 or 1,400 people, among whom
might be seen representation of nearly
every trade and profession in cosrno.
politan Arizona. The bull fighters,
under the leadership of Colonel Yanez,
entered, made their bow and were re-
warded with applause. All were
dressed in proverbial costume, white
stockings, fancy coored and embroid-
cred knee breeches with jackets to
match and black skull caps. Yanez
in his hands held bright red flag,
while his two assistants were similarly
provided with short, purple blankets.
The bulls, four in number. were wildly
chafing undismayed in their separate
stalls. With one exception the pre-
cautionary measure of saving off the
tips of their horns had been wisely
taken. The first bull disappointed the
crowd and the second added to the
disappointment, both refusing to fight.
The last bull of the three, ''the toro
colorado" to be fought that day was
then let in. He was fine looking
specimen of his kind and built for a
fighter, from the ground up. He en-.
tered the ring with rush and lost no
time in getting down to business.
Wherever red flag was waved or a
man showed himself in the ring his
lordsbip was there also, and when they
as they always did, took refuge behind
the screens provided for their safety
he made an effort to butt them down
and follow in. When Colonel Yanez
attempted TO ornament the bulls fore
head with a rosette he missed it and
narrowly escaped being made into
rosette himself. After repeated efforts
the rosette was pinned on Now,
madder than ever, and foaming at the
mouth, he beloved with rage and
charged furously. Some of the es-
capes from his horns were marvellous.
To further show his skill as bull fight
er Colonel Yanez endeavored to plant
two gaudily colored arrangements of
paper and fire crackers in either shoul-
der, but in avoiding charge he stuck
both into one side of the bulls neck.
The exploding crackers drove the bull
wild with rage and pain and it looked
as though he was going to get even
up with his tormentors, for without
paying heed to the red flags he charged
the clown with such fierceness that it
was impossible to miss the shock, so
down he went and the bull over him,
and but for the presence of mind of the
other men in the ring, who ran up and
by Haunting their flags in the face of
the bull drew him away from the pros
trate man, he would doubtless have
been seriously injured.
The next move was to lasso and
throw the bull and then clinch rope
tightly around his body, which served
as hand-hold to one of the fighters,
who seated himself astride of the bulls
hips. The ropes were taken off and
the animal sprang to his feet. He
first tried to shake the man off his
back, but failing in that he rushed after
the others so furiously as to throw his
rider, and, quickly turning on him,
would have given him a ride in anoth.
er direction but for the others drawing
his attention with their flags. The
sport with him lasted about an hour
and was the most exciting of the
whole programme. Colonel Yanez,
when the bull was pretty we'll jaded,
acted little too familiar by stopping
him with his hand and was rewarded
by sharp kick that emptied his bel
lows of wind. That, together with a
strained wrist which made the clown
happy, were the only accidents of the
afternoon.