The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-12
THEY SAW THE FIGHT
Wichita Horsemen Witness q Mexican Bul
Fight.

AS stated in another column the City
Of Mexico has been visited by party
! of f1orsemen with view of opening up
that market to the Kansas horse, and
while in the city witnessed genuine
| bull fight, which they describe as fol-
! lows:
A large circle amphitheater covered
with a large ring with dirt floor with
two entrances. one that leads to the
/ pen where the wild bulls are kept, await
ing the opportunity to be let into the
ring to do battle for their lives-a thing
they never accomplish. The procession
into the ring on the call of the master OF
ceremonies by bugle sound enters the
other gate first, four white mules with
red harness to drag off the dead bulls
and horses, followed by two Picador
men horseback with long spears, then
following the bull fighters dressed in
knee breeches, short coats, deliberately
decorated with gold and silver stitching
and SpangleS with bonnsts of black
that are made fast to the Spaniard's que
all bullfghters grow a small que OF
hair ITO which is attached a rosette
where the bonnet is fastened TO after
march around the ring. The mules leave
the ring and on call from the bugler the
fighters advance to a position in front
Of tn box where the president sits and
bows the signal of the bullfghters both
to conquer or die. Then the key to
the bull pen is thrown to the Picador
who unlocks the pen and the first buH
enters the ring. AS he comes through
the gate small barbed steel spear is
thrust into him at point on top of the
weathers with rosette attached to 1t
30 make him fight. The pain occas-
1@ryf 1,te cAte 1as xr-ff = I'LL
the first object in sight, which Is six
or seven men with red cloaks and two
men on horses who advance on the bull
and jab him with the spears. He rushes
at the 11orsemen. After the horses are
both gored down, which Is soon done,
the men on foot commence waving the
red cloaks in the face of the wild and
frantic beast who plunges and rushes
at every one near The bullf1ghters
dodge or jump the fence when too close
ly pursued and another takes his place
by waving a cloak in the face of the
bull. 1t is one continued chase of run
and dodge for a limited time when the
bugle is again sounded and the fighters
take a small shaft in each hand deco
rated with tissue paper representing
his colors. These shafts are made Of
wood covered with different colored pa
d
which is a barb similar to that on a
fishing hook that when once thrown
through the animals hide stays there
and the fighter has set his colors on the
bull they take a shaft in each hand.
The bull by this time has bayed, stand
ing at bay ready and waiting for anotf1-
err attack. The fighters rush at the
bull with both shafts and thrust them
into each shoulder of the now madden
ed bull and dodge the rushes he makes.
The bull chaSes the man that caused
him the pain till he is obliged to jump
the six-foot fence, then another and
another follow this till the six or seven
fighters have each placed a pair OF
shafts in his shoulders continually be-
ing PROCEED by the Picadors on horses.
When the man picked to kill the bull
advances to the stand takes off his bon
net, throws ii into the grand stand or
TO some admiring friend in the audi
ence and bows again, when he is hand
ed a sword. With the sword on one
hand he advances single handed to-
wards the bull with his red cloak in
his left hand. He tantalizes the bull
until he makes rush at the cloak when
the sword is driven to the filt between
the weathers of the bull. The bull be-
ing killed the bugle sounds and the four
white mules are driven into the pen and
the bull dragged out The bugle again
sounds and another bull comes dashing
IN to go through the same performance.
An entertainment generally consists OF
killing seven or eight bulls and two
or three horses and often a man. The
Wichitan saw one fight in which a small
Jersey bull killed four horses and one
man before he was killed. During the
fight the ladies throw bouquets to the
favorite fighters and cheer Justify when
some one is hurt.