Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-11-06
A BULL FIGHT.
BRUTAL PAsTIME IN THE CITY
OF MEXICO.
How the Contests are Conducted
and the Participants-Torturing
the Poor Brutes.

and the Participants-Torturing
the Poor Brutes.
1t was a bright, warm day in the City
of Mexico. The people came to the
gates of the Plaza del Paseo in crowds,
as we see them at a circus-on foot, in
the street cars and in carriages The
prices Of admission were SIS for boxes
Seating eight persons; $S for smaller
boxes holding eight persons; $3.50 for
general admission "a sombra, or on the
shady side; seventy-five cents forreserved
seats in the barrera, on benches contigu-
Gus to the ring or ''paleo," on the shady
side-abOut the best place except in mo-
ments of excitement one may be jostled
or otherwise inconvenienced by over
wrought Mexican neighbors- and lastly,
twenty-five cents for general admission
"a sol, F" or in the sun. This portion is
rather more than half the expanse of the
arena. 1t has benches like the grand
stand of race course, but is unsheltered
from the sun, and the benches are there
fore comparable to the ''bleaching
boards" in base ball park.
The attractions of this particular bull
fight were said to exceed that Of any
previous eorrida for long time. 1t was
TO be "a ''grandiosa corrida, in which six
magnificent bulls of the ganaderia del
Venadero were to be killed. That much
was promised; furthermore, six bulls
were held in reserve, to be substituted in
case any of those first entering should
show poltroonery. 1t was to be
a genuine fight with enraged bulls. For
the information of the dilletanti it was
made known that the bulls would be un-
der inspection the Friday and Saturday
before the fight, having been freshly re-
ceived from the Hacienda del Medic,
owned by Senor Mora.
The company of bull fighters were of
exceptional merit. The espadas. or
swordsmen, the captains-those who
finish the bull by an adroit and courage
Gus blow of their long, straight swords,
sheathing the blade by one sure thrust,
ito the hilt if possible, in the animals
body, just at the junction of the neck
and the spine-these espadas were
Gabriel Lopez, whose pet name was
."Mateito," Cayetano Leal (''Pepe-
Hillo'D, and Raimundo Rodriguez, the
latter Of Valladolid in Spain. He was
the representative of the Spanish school
of bull fighting, which differs somewhat
from the Mexican, as the method of at
tack by the bulls of this country is not
the same as those of Spain. An espado
is the chief parsonage in the combat, and
Is sometimes called the matador or the
toreador, though the latter appellation
may stand for any one of the principals
who take part in the bull fight.
There were seven banderilleros, or
dartsmen, whose place it is to aggravate
and torture the bull by throwing darts
int his back and fore shoulders. The
darts are about the size of walking canes,
covered with tissue paper or ribbons
finished in rosettes and armed at one end
with barbed spear. When it has
penetrated the hide of the bull the barb
keeps it from falling out. 1t may remain
upright, though every movement of the
animal will cause the long handle Of the
dart to sway.
The banderilleros are bound to throw
the darts or banderilleros when the bull
is charging, for which purpose they must
face him. No sneaking or hurting
unawares is allowed. Those banderilleros
who have acquired fame or exhibit some
peculiarity of action are honored with
pet names. The seven engaged for our
''grandiosa corrida" were Jose Cortes,
Francisco Carvajal, "The Chicken" Z"
Francisco Pardo, 1.-THE Leveler," Satur-
nina Sanchez, "The Locksmith,n Vim
Cente Ferrer, said to be the most
courageous and alert in all Mexico, and
Louis Leal.
Lastly--or rather firstly, for it develops
upon them to begin the combat-we had
four picadores or horsemen- be exact,
lancers. They ride upon decrepit horses,
jades whose labors upon garbage trucks
is ended, animals purposely intended for
destruction by the gorirg of the bull.
Being bllndfolded over the left eye they
can be made to approach their fate on
that side with but little squirting. As
for the picadores their left legs are pro-
,tected by sheet iron armor, impervious
to the horns of the bull. The lances
carried by them are ten feet long with
stubbed blades, intended only to wound
and worry the bull, not kill him Our
brave picadores were Francisco Parente,
'the Arsilleryman:" Gregorio Cortes,
"the Orange-Seller;" Martin Fernandez,
t'the Portuguese, and Gervasio Perez,
f'Three Calashes."
There was also another official, pun
tillero, whose duties l could not exactly
make out. Those who have attained
the degree of banderilleros lct as capea-
dores, that is swing in front of the bull
long capes of red leather, to worry him
and distract his attention.
A bull fight is tragedy that ends in
the death of the bull. He is foredoomed
to destruction; but first his adversaries,
not less than eight or ten men, properly
armed, play with him. To that end the
combat is arranged in three acts. The
first act opens with disappearance of the
bull in the arena, where the horsemen,
the picadores, encounter him. A bull
must make three implements upon the
horses otherwise it is no fight. 1t hap
pens occasionally that bull, perhaps
from association on the farm, declines to
look upon the horses as enemies. The
capeadores then try to excite him by
waving their crimson capes in front and
the picadores trot lamely beside the ami
NAL and punish him with their lances.
If he refuses to charge the horses, and
moves off, perhaps, toward the door as
not inclined to show fight, he is con-
demned for cowardice, upbraided with