Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-15
SPAIN'S DARKER SIDE
Plainly Depicted by Wakeman, Who
Sees Its Chulos and Chulas.
DAGGEks BY DAY AND BY NIGHT
Among People Who Treat Woman Only AZ
Their Shaving Brute.
A PICTURE PILED WITH SHADOWS

tCoRREsPoNDENcE OF THE DIspATcB.1
MADRID, STAIN, January M.-lCopy-
right. 1.-The romantic and almost dramatic
outcome ofmy being robbed BY the Eretched
and ridiculous bandltti OF the Monies de
Torezos, in sight OF Simancas and Vallado-
lid, resulted In such q shower of pleas for
forgiveness and protestations of abject serv-
itude as had never before known from
Cuban or spaniard, either Of whom Is an
everlasting fountain OF protestations and
servile abnegations at will. It also caused
the return of the trifinR silver coin that
had been taken from me, which immedi-
ately divided equally between the uncanny
band, causing another shower of appeals to
heaven for safety and good fortune; it also
gave me guide into Valladoi1d in the per-
son of Eugenio, the brother of the pooy boy
soldier 1 had seen murdered in Havana. To
Eugenio, while on our way to the olden
Spanish capital, took occasion to give
some sensible advice concerning his present
mode Of life, and extofted from him, under
pressure Of his faucied great obligation to
me, the pledge that he would mend his
ways, till his patch of land, become again
an honest peasant of the province of Valla-
dolid, and die when his time came of some
good, Old-fashioned pulmonary disease, well
shriven, like all true Spaniards.
Upon the bridge at Val1adolid which
crosses the Pisuerga, q heavily-e1oaked
chulo or bully, with q wink at Eugenio,
asked my companion If he brought we'll
shorn goat to Valladolid. NO." answered
Eugenio, "a noble friend" Then, turning
me over to his care, of which was then ap-
prehensive, but which 1 afterwards found
was q surer protection than that of the
friendship of the alcalds himself, my bandit
friend, invoking anew countless blessings
upon me, and asserting again and again his
determination to renounce his evil ways.
parted from me as suddenly as had toul
hours previously turned to face his threat.
ening blunderbuss.
FROM BAD TO WORSE.
So found myself in the ancient capital
of Spain, transferred from the society of a
mountain out-throat to the attention
of an infinitely worse rufian, the
lowest, most treacherous and most
contemplate Of all human beings,
the staggering brute known az
the Spanish chulo. Almost too despicable
TO deserve attention in decent quarters and
from decent minds, he is still one of so great
a class and being of such detests6le type,
that his very wickedness and degradation
render him q necessary but nauseating
study There are perhaps half million
chulos in Spain. They exist upon the earn
ings, honest or otherwise, OF that many
chulas Of Spain-Women, girls, from among
the lowly, whose fatal affections and passion
are wrapped up in these abandoned human
male dogs. First and foremost of all, the
chulo, as with any other embodiment OF
masculine worthlessness, Is o dandy. Ny
new-found friend was type of them all.
Long black; curling hair, banged on his
forehead, fell back over his head and upon
his shoulders in wavy ringlets. A huge
mustachois had been twisted and
twirled until the ends Joined the
arch of the eyebrows. A great sombrero
sat upon the back of his head, the rim
edge resting upon his shoulders behind.
A silk shirt ptffed and laced, opening with
faring collars at the neck, exposed hairy
breast, one of his proddest possessions. A
velvet blouse with open and laced sleeves,
carried four rows Of crystal buttons from
neck TO pointed tabs or tips in 'front.'
Bteeches of loose and flowing velvet we're
gathered at the knees by leggings laced and
fastened with glittering steel buttons, which
spread at the ankles to show CATERS with
heels as high as boasted by any Spanish
BELLE His slender waist was encircled FIVE
times by crimson sash. In the latter, upon
the right ship, with point forward, rested a
long, sharp. curved, unshesthed knife with
a curiously-Wrought silver handle. Over
all, in which he draped himself in all man
ner of graceful attitudes, was a capa, huge
enough 10 have covered, and to spare, half
dozen vastly more useful donkeys. With a
sitting cigarette at all times, this gives the
outward picture of the Spanish chulo.
A eRAvEN's BRAvADo.
He is thief to degree requiring no risk
or danger; procurador of the lowest sort;
companion of bull-fghters and criminals;
bully at all times and places where gain
may come from it; and would gladly and
proudly be administered upon BY the hang
man rather than soil his delicate hands by
labor. He sleeps by day in the aleoba OF his
chula's providing, is served BY her with ab4
ject idolatrous humility; while by night he
prowls the streets ready for dissipation or
assassination, or frequents the gambling or
drinking cafes of the lowlY, where his pres
ence is a covert invitation to contribution of
money, viands or liquors, which, if not be-
slowed with alacrity and grace, usually pre-
clpitate contentious and disputes ending in
blood, drawn with wonderful skill by the
chulo's knife.
As sociological study this brute's mate,
the ehula, is a superior type OF animal. Ru-
perto Gonzales y Valdes was my companions s
pure Castilian name. my interest and curl
osity in his class became the very wine OF
f1attery to him. All this seemed to draw me
closer TO, rather than give rue release from,
these tolerated and feared pests of Spanish
society. We dined at the aristocratic Fonda
Francesca, covert scowls, under which L
trembled with shame, but which Ruperto
acknowledged in pride and with interest,
greeting us from landlord and guests. Then
Ell Americana must accept the chulo's hos
pitality among his kind. A fatality of mis-
adventure seemed upon me. I could be
robbed of little now, and became, that 1
might see the chulas themselves, ehulo's
guest. A short walk from the Fonda Fran
cesca brought us to No. Gale Colon,
where Ruperto in flowing orstory and with
flaming eulogiurl, let me know that at this
dolorous and sanctifed spot the great Co
lumbus died. Passing this, We shortly
turned into a dim and unlghted street, q
part of the old quarter OF Valladolid, and
in a moment more, entered still darker
and more gloomy entrada that led to a
patio or open court Of very great size, but
weird, dreary and terrible in its suggestive
ness Of human bondage of body and soul
and haunting intimstiohs of unrecorded
tragedies.
A GRUEsoME PICTURE.
could do no more nor less than follow