The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-17
SPORT IN THE ARENA.
MatadorS Twice Placed at the
Mercy of the Furious
Beasts.
sHoRN OF VICIOUS HORNS.
Toreador Exercises That Lacked
the Cruelty of the Mexican
Sport.

SAN BERNARDINO, CAL. Sept 16.-
Between 5000 and 1000 people saw the first
days bull-fghting of the fiesta. Dramatis
persona-One bull, one clown, five mata-
doris. Properties-Five banderos colorados,
or pieces of red cloth; eight burladeros, or
shields, at the edge of the arena for the
escape of the matadors. These constituted
the personnel and the paraphernalia OF the
arena at the amphitheater.
Let it be said on a subject that has occu-
pied the public mind for month or more
that there was no cruelty to the dumb
animals engaged. That is to say, no
physical pain was inflicted, nor even an
attempt in that direction. The bull-fght-
ers were entirely unarmed and had to
depend for safety upon their dexterity
and the feetness of their lower limbs.
At different times two bull-ighters were
PROSTATE on the ground and bull charg-
ing on them, but they escaped injury. In
all the events the toreadors were bull
provokers and bull-dodgers, not bull
fighters.
The sport began at $3.50 o'clock. Men
with children in their arms, women with
young babes, professional gentlemen with
their wives and thousands of strangers
jammed the entrance for half an hour and
iostled each other crowding their way in.
The 50-cent side was densely packed and
sunny. The 81 side was comfortable and
shady, and contained just such crowd OF
local people as can be found at the theater
at some first-class performance. Among
them were ladies prominent in charitable
works inside and outside of churches,
Judges, ex-Judges and business men of
high standing. Two bands kept up con-
cert with short intermissions.
The first animal let in was 1200-pound
brown bull from the Yuma desert. All
the toreadors are young active men, a tritie
under medium size, the heaviest weighing
40 pounds. The captain made the first
advance toward the bull, fanting the ban
dero. The bull retreated. The next in
turn repeated the performance until the
animals rage was aroused and he began
charging.
The toreador allows the bull to get
within two feet of him, makes spring to
one side, at the same time dragging the
bandero across the bulls face and thus
binding him. In no case did toreador
retreat until the bull had recovered from
the first charge and entered upon the
second. The rule was to give the bull two
chances at The matador. About half the
time, after the second charge, the matador
escapes behind the shield.
Once the bull caught the PROSTATE man
and started to gore him; but before the
animal had been let in his horns were
sawed off about half way up, and he could
not raise the PROSTATE man.
The second contest was far more spir-
tied. This time the bull was powerful
black animal weighing about 1900 pounds,
and a natural fighter, full of pluck.
He kept the company of matadors busy
every moment of the time for more than
quarter OF an hour. Then he was lassoed
head and foot, thrown and rope cinch
tied about him. A Mexican mounted and
rode the animal, the toreadors keeping up
the former exercises.
After five minutes of this sport the bull
bucked the rider and then started for Ley
land, captain of the toreadors. The latter
tried to escape behind shield, but the
bull beat him and butted him to the
ground. Fortunately he fell at the foot of
the wall around the arena, and when the
trate position, he struck it on the nose
with his fist. The other matadors hurried
to his assistance and diverted the bulls
attention. The animalwas again lassoed
and pulled out of the arena.
The closing feature was an attempt to
climb creased pole and get the SIS at the
top and the meantime to keep an eye on a
very risky heifer which had been brought
into the ring. The animal had more fight
in her than either of the bulls and charged
every time venturesome Mexican at
tempted to climb the pole.
By forming a combine three of the mata-
doris kept the heifer's attention, while
another managed to get within several feet
of the prize, but the cow made line for
the pole, and the money is still IN
claimed.
The big events for tomorrow are a
bicycle meeting in the afternoon and fire
dance in the evening by 200 Coahuila
Indians