Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-24
IN oTMRR LANDS.

HN OTHER LANDS.
Rull Fighting in Havana-8eme ga
nous Mataders-The Fighting Place
The Exciting Contest and Hts bloody
End.
HAVANA, Cuba, March 10.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
It is hardly fair thing to say that the
Spanish people are as a race a brutal people
because they will not forego bull-fghting.
They would be quite as correct in prenoun-
oing all English speaking people brutal be-
cause pugilism, horse-racing, baseball, cock
ing mains and dog Sighting are pretty com
mon among the latter. 1t is no more brutal
to kill bull artistically for money than it is
to artistically pound mans head to jelly
for money. Spanish wit, gossip, journalism,
are no more busted with the details, the for~
tunes and mishaps of the arena, than is
American wit, gossip, journalism WITH Sui
livanism. In recent issues of a leading Bos-
ton journal many columns were filled with
eommendatory remarks on pugilism by
statesmen, editors and clergymen! You
same class of men either in Spain CT Cuba.
Nor do the best classes in either country Wis
it bull-fghts. You will see at some great
American ball contest ten thousand all
around people-people who are not very par
ticular about their associations occasionally;
few well-meaning ladies who are out of
their place; and some other kinds of women.
A bullfght in any large American city
would attract precisely the same classes. Sc
they do here and in Spain. And that is all
there is in the sociology of the bull-fght. 1t
may be called a Spanish national amuse-
ment; but only that because it is enc exclu-
sively indulged in by Spanish people; will
draw the largest mixed assemblages; and
yield the most money.
MATADoRs.
The greatest living matador, the espada
primero of the world, is Francisco Sanchez
(alias Lagartije.) Undoubtedly he is the
most daring, brilliant and ski1lful bull-fght-
er that ever lived. His handling of the wild
and savage bulls of Jarama is something
marvellous. He now seldom appears in
Spain, ten thousand dollars being his price
for each appearance. He is q great pet of
the Spanish aristocracy; is very rich; and
panion of the late King Alfonso. Other ia
nous fighters of our day are Rafael Molina,
Angel Pastor, Jose Gomez, Juan Sanchez,
Hermesilla and Luis Mazzantini-now win
ming an enormous fortune in Mexico. The
life of the latter has been full of romance
and adventure. He was destined for the
priesthood. He possesses poetic nature;
ha T1riv or MoIr Ri
joined band of strelling gypsy musicians
and wandered many years through the Span
ish provinces, breaking many a fair lady's
heart, and at last having his own heart bro.
ken by peasant girl of Aranjuez. His
friends finally discovered him; secured him
position in the postal service at Madrid
but he deserted this; wrote poetry, which
was printed but would not sell; and sang in
opera, but failed. Finally he publicly an
| nounced that he would become the most no
ted of Spanish matadors. At this all Spair
| laughed, which gave him note. But Mazzan
TIM laughed back and gave the people thi.
| saying: ''Not king, but a tenor or a bull
| fighter only, can enslave Spainl" That CAV.
him fame. He is Young, rich and the onl,
rival to-day in the affections of the masses o.
| Francisco Sanchez.
THE BULL-FIGHTs.
| But Cuba has her great men of this sor
| and her great bull-fghts too. These fun
| cions occur both in Regla, on the eastern
side of the harbor, and at the grand plaza d.
.Toros in the outskirts of Havana proper
They are always held on, Sunday, the great
| bright, brilliant day of the week in Cuba
also remarkable for it's innumerab1e funera
/ corteyes Everything in Sunday street life
| and action concentrates at Campo Mario
| From thence Paseo de Tacon sweeps to th
| colossal statue of Carlos III. At that poin
Calzada del Reina joins it, leading to the foo
of the mountain crowned by Castillo de
Principe. They form splendid paseo near
ly two miles long, three hundred feet broat
and frequented on all evenings and Sunday
by brilliant throngs. Yesterday, as I has
been many time before, became a part @
an interesting crowd on it's way to the bull
fight along this sceneful way. The note
Colon or Columbus cemetery is reached b,
thea same avenue. So hundreds of ga,
equipages scores of caballeros on horseback
may be a dozen funeral corteges with statel
! mourning mutes in black at the heads o
pure black or pure white horses, fully iv
hundred Spanish infantry with a corps o
trumpeters and the fine military band fror
Moro castle, one Thousand people afoot an
ten thousand more in the porticos and balco
MES along the way, provided an interestin
study en- route to the scene of slaughter.
The Havana Plaza de Toros is built upo
the same model as those in all large 3panis
cities. Imagine circus-ring about two hun
dred feet in diameter, with floor of hard
smooth clay. encircled by a stout wood o
iron wall six feet high called barrera primer
| or first barrier, and q second one el barrer
segundo, few feet distant, slightly higher
with circling seats rising in tiers like step
: fifty feet above, and terminating in row c
private boxes around the entire circus, th
latter only being protected by a roof; an
picture of this one and all At one side
: the richly furnished palco del presidente, {
, private box of the presiding officer, usual
the govsrnor-g general here, located opposi
the music pavilion. Below, and half wa
between on the one side, are the chiqueros
stalls, where the bulls are shut in darkne