, 1889-12-22
SHE SAW A BULL FIGHT.
A BaItimoee Girl Tells How the Spectacle
Impressed Her.

Impressed Her.
A Baltimore girl, who faints at the
sight of a caterpillar, turns green at
the flow of blood, and is in every way
of a most gentle and kindly nature,
thus writes home about her visit to a
bull fght-the occasion being the
farewell to Paris of the prince OF mat
adors, Louis Mazzantini:
AT last l have seen my first bull
fight, and l trust, my last. You could
not have borne it five minutes, and l
scarcely know how l did.
Imagine an immense arena, with
1000 people packed in circles, while
innocent little white clouds hoated
yer al intensely blue sky. AT times
the tender hearted clouds shut the sky
entirely off from all view of what was
going on beneath in the arena, while
frequent short April like showers of
tears % fell from them, and il is to
be hoped soothed the wounds of the
six enraged bulls that succeeded each
other to death. The occasion was MAJ
zantini's farewell to the Partisan pub
lie, which has made such a hero of
him. Not only had fatted calls been
killed in his honor in appreciation of
the fatted bulls which Mazzantini had
killed with such glory, but hats and
handkerchiefs waved, presents of sill
yer, of gold and jewels We're thrown
to him after his little speech of fare
well, and flowers in forms of wreaths,
bouquets and hearts soon covered
the gore stained ground. OF all these
gifts the only II the Spanish grandee
noticed at all was a simple bunch of
violets. This he stopped to pick up,
me kissed in the direction of the fair
dame who had thrown it. His two
Wallets raised the more valuable gifts
from the dust, while Mazzantini him
self never deigned to even glance at
the rich jewels scattered at his feet.
1T was a wonderful sight. exciting
past belief. | am glad to have seen it,
for l learned something, but the one
lesson completes the course. I'll see
no more bull fights. The orches-
ira played the music of Carmen as
we came out, and | stopped to study
the faces of the audience that but a
few minutes before We're in such ex-
tremes of excitement, shouting and
kissing when the poor bull, terrified
and smarting, tried to save himself in
stead of showing the proper amount of
fight, and | remembered that /, too,
at the moment had arisen TO my feet
and rejoiced when "a well planted
lance, which l thought was costing
the picador his life, as he stood direct
ly in front of the bulls horns, pierced
the bulls shoulder just as he lowered
his head to strike. Then the marvel
u Mazzantini leaped over the head
and stood quietly waiting until the
now maddeped creature turned on him
with sufficient ferocity to satisfy the
most exacting hisser.
Nothing can express to you the in
tense artistic aspect of the perform
ance. One has u see it to understand
the science of these superb men. They
walk with the dignity that princes are
supposed to have in and out of the
jaws of death-a leap not any higher
or less calm than Just enough to keep
them this side of eternity. The little
scarlet cloak, their only defensive
weapon, and with this alone, they lead
the Infatuated animal TO the exact spot
where they wish TO kill him. and then
kill him, not at any haphazard mo-
ment TO save their own lives, but only
at the signal given by the president.
In Paris they do not kill the bull in
the arena, but when the signal to kill
is given, the matador's personal dan
ger is all the greater for not killing,
as he must touch the bull in the vital
spot above the head between the
shoulders, just as the bull lowers his
head to gore him, thus going through
the form, after which the bull is taken
out by oXen and killed out of sight.
Each bull, which is of a very high
breed, belongs to some well known
Spanish senior. and is worth a good
many hundred dollars. But they say
it cannot fight twice, as it must be put
an end to; the honor of the family to
whom it belongs is at stake by the way
it fights.
"A wonderful sight, and always
shall it live in my memory how the
artistic superseded the human side of
it in my eyes. l had TO grasp the
smelling salts in one hand, for you
know how l turn sick at the sight of
blood, and to see those poor blind fold
ed horses raised on the horns of the
maddened bulls made me turn faint
for the moment, while the next L was
fascinated by a wonderful science that
turned life into a plaything. The cos
tunes and all the mise en- scene are
the most picturesque things magma
BILE. In fact, everything is done to
make it endurable. Fierce feelings
that L never imagined | had took pos.
session of me, and l could scarcely
realize my own lack of heart. For once
and the last time l have seen this relic
of a past barbarism, and l am glad to
have had the experience. Baltimore
Sun.