The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-11-21
A SHADOW OF DEATH.
A Weird and Pathetic Tale Of the
"Corrida de Toros."

Il am native of Leon. My father
was a 'contrabandista,' and Struggled
mules into France over remote and
secret passes of the Pyrenees. We
were very proud of our sleek, handsome,
smooth mules. We made large sums
of money, but we also ran great risks
of detection and Imprisonment. | hated
the business, so once when we were
crossing one of the passes | ran away.
For days / wandered about, until l
reached a large city full of white, clean
buildings, which they told me was San
Sebastian. asked if there was a cor
rida dc toros' (bull ring) there, and on
being told there was / made my way
to the place, saw the manager, and
told him my story and my desire to be
a bull-fghter.
Eat one time there used to be good
school there for training bull-fghters.
After various preliminaries was adj
mitted, and found some twenty or
thirty other young men who were
going through their training for
'chulos. The great favorite of the
school was young 'espada' named
rgFernando Nunez, aS handsome and as
graceful creature as the dear God
ever made. He was also pleasant, al
WAYS kindly, and had a cheerful greet
ing and smile for each one of us, and
was the idol of the whole school. He
was very young, perhaps the youngest
'espada' that was ever seen in the
arena.
The bull ring of San Sebastiano
stands-or used to stand-on long,
sandy stretch of plain on the other side
of the railway line. 1t was a large
wooden amphitheater, and the pens for
the bulls were quite apart, but con-
nected with the arena by long, dark
passage, through which the bulls were
driven into the ring. For three
or four hours every day we practiced
jumping and vaulting in the arena,
playing with the lasso and bulls with
tipped horns.
There was to be a great bull-fght
On the feast of San Sebastiano, and
Nunez was to try his skill there for the
third time in his capacity of espada.
He was considered by the authorities
the rising star as bull-fghter, and
almost equal to Monies in point OF
courage, daring and dexterity. He
was always very kind to me, and rather
picked me out from my comrades to
be his constant companion. was
much flattered of course, by his dis.
tinction. Perhaps showed my citation
too much, for an old bull-fghter (whC
had served many years in the arena
and had retired from public life only
to be master in the school at San Sc
bastiano, with a pension from the Gov
ernment) said to me one day:
"Mi hijo, you will not misunder
stand me if l give you a word of warn
ing, will youP
al shall only be too grateful to you,
replied, wondering what | had beer
doing to incura censure in my work.
"'Do not 90 so much with Nunez
He is fascinating and very charming
and, so far as l know, as good as he il
handsome. But his absence is bette
than his company. You remember tn,
old proverb: "Ninas y who's son ma
guarder," and he is as enticing a
wine
''But he is so good and pleasan
that he can not have sold himself to tn
devil, l said. OF what are you accus
ing bimP'
~ am not accusing him of any
NtbiHg,' replied the old man, crossing
5mself devoutly, 'but'-and here h
Sut his mouth closely to my ear-'he i
tdoomed man
- "a doomed man, cried. but why
Who could wish the poor fellow an
i'll? He is so good and kind and gay,
"'No one on earth wishes him i'll,
am sure, said the old man, eagerly
But the ghost of the arena follow
him like a shadow by day and b
night and 1 am sure that he is
doomed man. l have been in TIL
business for years-long before 20
were born. have had my triumph
as 'espada, but l have never know
one to live who was followed by th
ghost. Monies was doomed by it, S