Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-01-28
NO.to.
Mexican Bull Fights!


11l-l r1y9hJ sjagj
When our friend, Mr.. Geo. f. Pen
nebaker, left for Ell Paso, Texas,
few weeks ago, he promised to send
ussomething ofinterest to the STAND
ARD readers from that section. THE
following clipping from the Elo Paso
Evening Tribune is his first contri-
button. 1t is description of a bull
fight which hed attended i'm Paso
del Norte, the Mexican town just
across the river from FL Paso, on the
first Sunday after his arrival. These
entertainments are given partially for
the benefit of the church, and are
considered quite proper and religious
among the Mexicans. The Tribune
thus describes the sport:
ABULL FIGHT.
Bull fighting stillexists every where
in the Republic outside of the limits
of the City of Mexico. 1t is typical
|
of the low tastes of the people OF
Mexico. The performances at Paso
del Norte begins at 3 80 O'clock, as
did to-day's, and are fashioned after
the ancient Spanish model. The
sport is cruel, brutal, inhuman, but
the bull does not submit to death
without taking part in the numbering
himself.
The bull fighters enter the ring gor-
geOusly arrayed. Two are mounted
and hold long spears in their right
hands. Around their right legs are
leather and wood encasings and the
horses wear leather armors, protect
ing all but their bellies. The other
bull fighters are on foot, and hand
some, athletic men they are. iaufi
They shake crimson cloths in front
of the bull to anger him and then
dodge his furious charges. Goaded
and prodded in the pen until enraged,
the gate is opened and the bull dash
es into the arena ready for blood.
The arena is a round pit and the
audience sits in a circle around and
ten feet above it. Places for the
fighters to retreat in case ofgreat dan
ger are stationed in several parts Of
the enclosure. The bull charges saw
, agely about with increasing rage as
the big, red cloths are thrown in his
face. He rushes into the mounted
, sportsman and gets the cruel steel in
his back every time. Then his mad
ness knows no bounds. He pitches
horse and rider into the air against
the barricade and continues goring
the horse until his entrails drag upon
the ground. Here the audience
cheer.
: Then another horse is disembow-
| eled and both are shot. Several mat
| adors are caught and narrowly escape
with their lives, when brave mat
g adOr plants himself in the middle OF
' the arena, bandarillas, Ornamented
e with colored papers, in either hand
for the perilous work of facing a
= charge and planting the arrows in the
back or shoulders. He must have
$ wonderful skill and undoubted nerve
It for it looks as if the rushing, raging
d bull will surely crush the matadol
G out of existence; but, instead, hi
V plants the arrows where he aims
jumps aside, and the animal stung tt
s madness pitches by. This is kept III
! until the animal is completely decora
IS ted with cruel, gaudy arrows planted
e deep in his quivering flesh. ~
l. Now the espada meets the bull face
g to face with glittering sword in hand
Y He is master Of his semibarbaric art
IS A model Of grace and quickness, he
faces what seems to be certain death
The bull charges upon him and a mo
ment Of thrilling excitement fills tn
onlooker, but he sinks the steel dee
into the animals shoulder, steps asid
d and wipes the flowing blood from hi
IS sword with a cloth. The bull has re
IS cieved its death wound and the spor
&c is over until another bull is pu
u through the same performance. ~
l. In case Il Mexican is caught tn
d American portion Of the audienc
d will yell itself hoarse.
Sparta EXpositor Judge Story say
that rabbits are doing much damaged
IL his fine orchard, Rabbits are increas