Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-06-14
BRUTALITY OF BULL-FICHTINC.
This Barbarous Sport a Common Amuse-
ment in Sister Republic.


..Did YOU really think that the prac-
tice of bull-fghting had fallen into in
nocuous desuetude? Well, YOU were
mistaken. Some time in the fore part
of February was in the City of Mexi-
co and | saw q bull-fight there and
then which was as savage and success
full, | fancy. as any that was ever held.
Why, the bull-fight in that city is the
common amusement-therei is one on
every Sunday and every holiday when
the weather is pleasant.
1.-The bull-fight which I witnessed
was one of three in full blast the dav I
attended. At the rink our party visit
ed, around which was an amphitheatre
capable of seating between 5000 and
10000 people. Mezzentini, the great
Spanish Matadore, was advertised to
appear. Mezzenti2i is to bull-fghting
IN Spain and Mexico what Edwin Booth
IS to the drama in this country. In the
second rink the great Mexican Malta
dore, Diaz, was to perform, and IN the
third matadOre Of some lOcalrenOWn.
The capacity Of the three amphlthea-
tres was, ] should think, in the neigh
bOrhood of 10000, and each was crowd
ed. General admission to the first was
81, to the second 81, and to the third
fifty cents, the seats yaryingIrOm these
prices upward to $40, according to To-
cation. You may Judge from this the
great popularity of the entertainment.
Of course the proprietor Of the show
pays a heavy license to the authorities
everything is taxed in Mexico-but
i1c &c Il Of
the government than the proprietor of
a theatre in this country.
The first thing in bull-fight is the
grand march, which reminds one of the
grand entree at circus. MatadOres
and peccadores, the former on foot and
the latter on horseback, travel round
the ring to the music of brass band.
The number Of peccadores is usually
two, and they are all gaudily dressed,
and the blindfolded horses which they
ride are gaily caparisoned. During
the opening ceremonies an officer OF
the city rides into the ring and in q
formal manner presents the chief mat
adore with the license. After he has
ridden out the gate is opened and the
first bull enters the ring.
In every bull-fght about six bulls
are killed. The time given to each
bull is u half hour, 50 that the enter
taiument lasts three hours. The pee
cadores devote the first ten minutes to
each bull, riding around him, prodding
him with their spears and aggravating
him as much rs possible. Sometimes Il
peccadore is killed. but the poor horses
whose eyes are securely bandaped run
Ma FMS ~ T.tCl 10
came into the ring on the day that I
attended made direct and vicious
charge ut q horse, and, catching him
back OF the fore legs, ripped him open.
The sight of that horse crafty escap-
ing from the ring by IN available gate,
with his entrails draggingOn the ground
and Tapping about his hind LEGS, hang
mo 50 low that he even stepped on
them in his mad flight, was more than
enough for me, but it seemed to please
the MeNicans, who aPplauded wildly.
The natadoreS to the number Of eight
or ten succeed the peccadores and eX-
pend ten minutes in batting the bull
into still greater insanity. They wear
q variety Of brilliant costumes, carry
red banners, and few of them are
armed with Il sort Of barbcd dart called
Il bandarilla which thev stick into the
shoulders of the bull over his horns
The bull-fighter always attacks the bull
directly in front, over the animals
head-to do otherwise would be as
much against the rule us for prize
fighter TO hit his antagonist below the
belt. The GOODNESS and activity of the
matadore in standing in front of the
charging beast and, when his horns
are within few inches of the mata-
dore's person, throwing the bandarilla
into his neck or shoulder is marvellous.
The last ten minutes of the bulls
life are given to the head matadore-
the hero of the occasion. This mata-
dOre has Il sword or dagger two feet
and half in length and, catching the
bull at the right moment of his charge,
he plunges the weapon between the
animals shoulders and so reaches the
vital organs. The promptness, eXacti-
tude, strength, courage, skill and OK
perience required for the successful
performance OF this feat are, / believe,
matched in no other custom of human
life. | saw Mezzentini kill three bulls,
and while the spectacle was necessarily
revolving there was something of the
heroic something inspiring some
thing artistic something superhuman
in the way he did it. 1t seemed =
bagatelle to him; he appeared absolute
~ obliyious Of danger, absolutely sure
Of the contamination Of his purpose.
Mezzentini is over six feet tall, bril-
lantly handsome, wonderfully strong
aud 4 cultivated all round athlete.
'.The week before the bull-fghtwhich
| attended. favorite Mexican mata-
dore was killed. He had 4 fashion of
sticking bandarilla in the bull and
then vaultin@ over him, using a long
pole. The matadore followed this
fashion once too often. The last bull
caught him in the air and impaled him
on both horns so firmly that the other
matadores had to pull him off. OF the
six bulls which | saw killed, five were
magnificent animals that began to fight
the instant they came into the ring and
continued with growing desperation to
the end. The exception among them
seemed to be 4 trifie cowardly and when
pressed leaped over the fence seven
feet high, landed in a narrow area and
made an almost successful attempt to
scale another fence eight feet high,
which separated him from the amphi-
theatre y S. Haljert, IN Omaha
Daily IForld.
They love Americans