Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-17
THE BULL-FIGHTERS.
DETAILS CONCERNING THE SPAN
ARo'S TRADITIONAL AMUSEMENT.

Selection of the Bulls for Sport-Choice
Made with Much Csre-A Religious
Ceremony The Home Life of the
Esp ldAs.
Most people have read descriptions Of
the bull fight itself but few are acquainted
with all the thousand and one details
which precede and follow Shis traditional
amusement of the Spaniards The bulls,
which cost 800 apiece delivered at Madrid,
are most carefully bred on the immense
stock farms or ganaderia of the duke of
Veragua, Count Patilla. and other great
landed proprietOrs, who make large
amount of money thereby. Under the
sole charge of the pastor" kind of supe-
rior cowboy, the bulls are allowed TO run
almost wild on the vast and tOrrid plains,
where they constitute a source Of great
danger to everybody. When the time
comes for sending them up TO the capital,
the selection is left entirely in the hands
of the pastor He begins by placing
series of wooden stalls, Joined one to An
other, so as to form long corridor. One
OF the gentle and patient oxen which have
been raised with the bulls is then driven
through whereupon the latter follow Of
their own accord, and as soon as inside the
eight or ten bulls are easily Gagged in an
afternoon and are placed on an express
train so timed as to reach Madrid during
the night.
MUCH DANGER AND DIFFICULTY.
The Decentralization on arrival at the
railway terminus Is always attended with
much danger and difficulty. The stalls
are opened on the square in front of the
nd ha h,l f.a1 hy ha
long railway journey. dash about the
place in the widest manner. Finally the
pastor, assisted by his well-trained oxen,
gets his cavalcade into something like
order and the whole troop dashes off at a
gallOp, headed by the oxen, the rear
brought up by the mounted pastor armed
with lance Nothing can be more pictu
rescue than these cavalcades by torch
light. On reaching the circus. the ami
mails dash into the arena, whereupOn the
doors are closed and the bulls secured in
great iron cages until to morrow. or
course, sometimes a bull manages to es-
cape on his way from the depot, and ca
reering through the streets produces a
regular panic among all those who should
have been at home and in bed earlier.
On the following morning the apartado
or selection takes place. The various es-
padas assemble and then, according to
seniority, each selects the particular bull
which he is to fight in the afternoon. The
choice is made with much care, for as the
espada risks his life, he wishes TO know
as much as possible about the animal he
is to encounter, which is thereupon deco
rated with cockades of his colors. By
midday the apsrtado is finished, and the
espadas return to the city to dine and
dress for the ceremony, which invariably
takes place at o'clock.
About an hour before that time they
reappear at the circus, accompanied by
their attendants and by two priests carry
ing with them hidden away in bag the
viaticum and extreme JUNCTION. Making
their way to the little underground chapel
adjoining the cages and stables, they all
kneel in prayer, addressing kind Of
morituri te salutant to the Almighty,
while overhead the vast building is being
quickly filed by q joyous, noisy crowd,
numbering over 10000 persons.
BEGINNING OF THE PERFORMANCE.
Sharp at o'clock bugle call an
nounces that the performance is about to
commence and the first espada, accom-
panied by his banderillos, his picadores,
and his puntillero, all devoted to him, en-
ter the arena, while the bull is let loose at
the same moment. Before attacking the
bull the espada always makes a short
speech SO the principal pers onage present,
who, be he king or merely the mayor, is
bound to listen to il, standing with un-
covered head. Twenty minutes are al
lowed for each fight. II the espada does
not succeed in killing the bull within the
stated time, the life of the latter is spared,
and the unfortunate man is hooted out of
the arena.
By O'Clock all Is over, and half an hour
later The Bullfight Gazette, with a most
amusing and csustic account Of the per-
fermance, is being sold to the extent of
10000 TO +0.0OO copies in the Madrid
streets. During the remainder Of the
evening the cafes and restaurants are full
of holiday crowds excitedly discussing
the events Of the day, and overwhelming
with all kinds Of attentions the heroes Of
their performance.
Although so courted, so fiattered, these
espadas are, as rule, good fellows, gen
erous to the last degree, and notwith-
standing all that has been said to the con
trary. rather moral than otherwise, as far
as their home is concerned. Almost all
Of them are married; as a rule, to very
pretty women. Lucky fellowsI They
have only to pick and choose, for the
Spanish woman admires nothing more
than courage, and raves about the man
who daily carries his life in his hand. As
a rule, when once married, the wives do
not attend the performance, but remain
at home burning wax candles before the
image of the Holy Virgin during the
whole time the bullfight lasts.-New York
Mail and Express.