Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1890-01-25
SHE SAW A BULL FIGHT.
A Baltimore Girl Tells How the Spectacle
Impressed Her.

A Baltimore girl, who faints mt the
sight of a caterpillar, turns green al
the flow of blood, and is in every way
OF y most gentle and kindly nature,
thus writes about her visit to ca bull
hght--the occasion being the farewell
to Paris of the prince Of matadors,
Louis Mazzantini:
EAT last / have seen my first bull
fight, and / trust my last. You could
not have borne it five minutes and /
scarcely know how l did.
Imagine an immense arena, with
~, 900 people packed in circles. while
above Innocent little white clouds float
ed over an intensely blue sky. At
times tho tcnder-hearted clouds shut
the sky entirely of from all view of
what was going on beneath in the
arena, while frequent short April-hke
showers OF tears CD fell from them,
and it is to be hoped soothed the
wounds of the six enraged bulls that
succeeded each other TO death. The
occasion was A~azzantini's farewell to
his Partisan public. wkich has made
such a hero OF him. Not only had fat
ted calves been killed in his honor in
appreciation Of the fatted bulls which
biazzantini had killed with such glory,
but hats and handkerchiefs waved,
presents Of silver, of gold, and Jewels
were thrown to him after his little
speech of farewell anf flowers, in
forms Of wreaths, boquets, and hearts,
soon W. I'd the &C e-stained ground.
OF all these gifts the only one this Span
ish grandee noticed at all was a sim
pie bunch of yiolets This he stopped
to pick DIP, and kissed in the direction
Of the fair dame who had thrown it.
His two Wallets raised the more valu-
able gifts from the dust, while MAJ
zantini himself never deigned to even
glance at the rich jewels scattered at
his feet.
1T was > wonderful sight, exciting
past belief. am glad to have seen
it, for learned something. but the one
lesson completes the course. I'll see
no more bull fights. The orchestra
played the music of Carmen as we came
out, and | stopped to study the faces of
the audience that but "A few minutes be-
fore were in such extremes of excite
ment, shouting and Kissing when the
poor bull, terrified and smarting, tried
to save himself instead Of showing the
proper amount of fight, and I remem-
her that / too, at that moment had
risen TO my feet and rejoiced when =
well-pianted lance, which I thought was
costing the picador his life, as he stood
directly in front OF the bulls horns.
pierced the bulls shoulder just as he
lowered his head to strike. Then the
marvellous Mszzantini leaped over the
head and stood quietly waiting until
the now maddeDed creature turaed on
him with sufficient ferocity to satisfy
the most exacting hisser.
Nothing can express to you the IT,
tense artistic aspect of the perform
ance. One has TO 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, not mt any
haphazard moment TO AVE their own
lives, but only at the signal given by
the President. In Paris they do not
kill the bull in the arena, but wien the
signal to kill is given, the matador's
personal danger is all the greater for
not killing, rs 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 go
ing through the form, after which the
bull is taken out by oxe and killed
out of sight. Each bull, which is OF q
very high breed, belongs to some we'll
known Spanish senior, and is worth a
many hundred dollars. But they say it
cannot fight twice, as it must be put al
end to; the honor OF the. family 10
whom it belongs is at stake by the way
it fights.
"a wonderful sight. and always
shall 1t live in my memory how the
artistic superseded the human side OK
it in my eyes. l had to grasp the
smelling salts in one hand. for you
know how / turn sick at the sight of
blood, and to see those poor blind
folded horses raised on the horns of the
maddened bulls made me urn faint for
the moment, while the next l was
fascinated by the wonderful science that
turned life into a playthiag. The cos
tunes and all the mise en- scene are
the most picturesque things imagin-
able. In fact. everything is done to
make it endurable. Fierce feelings
that / eve imagined l had rose up
and took possession Of nae, and could
scarcely realize my own lack Of heart.
For once aud the last time | have seen