The herald., 1896-04-26
pire. in silks and satins, added to the

diversified picture.
There was no regular parade of the
maskers, but Spring street between
Fifth and Sixth for over two hours, pre-
Sented living panorama that was in
some respects one of the best features
Of the Fiesta, and it is doubtful if such
another scene could be witnessed in the
union. This feature alone of La Fiesta
was worth coming miles to see, and that
it was appreciated was shown from the
attention it received.
There We're many features that were
worthy of special mention, among
which were the band of Zulus, who fur
nished amusement for the crowd by
their wild antics and war dances.
Some of the costumes were artistically
correct and really handome, but these
were few and far between. For the
most part it seemed as though the old
clothes closets and rag bags had been
ransacked for the most outlandish rigs
that can be conceived of. Womens
clothes of bygone date, with the small
sleeves and rufiled skirts, were sported
by men three sizes too big for them,
and who looked to have gotten into the
garments with the aid of shoe horn.
Along with such an attired parsonage
would be his wife or best girl arrayed
in his cast off garments, the coat falling
in folds around her person, sleeves and
trousers legs rolled UP tn the limit to
give feet and hands a chance
Clowns and pantaloons seemed to be
favorite characters. the next being dar-
kies. Negroes of all Sizes big and small
-at and lean, bucks and wenches strolleG
up and down arm in arm with devils,
rotund Dutchmen, overgroWn girls.
whose feet belied their blonde wigs and
painted faces and suspiciously shapely
male characters
A number of wagons surmounted by
hayracks were brought out and loaded
to their full capacity by merry maskers
lowed by another crowd waiting for
some unlucky wight to be pulled from
his place that they might secure it, only
to lose it in their turn.
One lumber wagon was driven by
white shrouded figure wearing a deaths
mead. and contained a crew of jolly
ghosts, who all did their share toward
adding to the general din. A number
of horsemen and bicycl4sts also appear
ed, but stood little chance among the
pressing throng that filled the streets
from building to building. The small
boy was strictly in his element and i'm
proved his opportunity to jump upon
each passing car and franticaliy blow
ms norm in the ears of passengers,
jumping off again with reckless disre-
gard for life and limb
upon one car was a maSker Outfitted
as a conductor with huge
gong upon his breast upon which sup
posititious fares were rung up. Passing
along the street among the maskers was
one gotten up as Simon Legree, who led
by a rope around the neck huge negro
with shackled hands, being dragged like
a lamb to the slaughter
one or TWO attempts We're made by the
rougher element to use bladders upon
the heads Of the passers- by, but this was
quickly suppressed by the police. Occa-
sionally a buXom wench would embrace
some daintily attired dude, but these
pleasantries were taken in a good spirit.
There was one party early in the even
ing attired in tattered rags, who evil
IDENTIFY represented a crazy man, and
acted like one. that created considerable
disturbance. He tore through the crowd,
crushing his way by main force, swing
ing tin bucket in one hand and inflict-
ing bruises upon several ladies by his
mad actions. His career was quickly cut
short by the police, who gathered him
in out of the wet streets, where he might
have caught cold.
Costumes and get-ups of every imag-
Unable description were to be seen in
the crowd. There was band of six
Iulus attired in black tights with loin
cloths of skins and armed with shields
and assegis. Where the yells were loud
est there the Zulus were sure to be found
executing a war dance to the accom-
paniment of rattles, horns whistles and
the beating of tin cans
The various instruments of torture
carried by the crowd, each seemingly de-
signed to make IL viler noise than the
other, were of many kinds, shapes and
sizes. There were tin honrs of all diam
eters and lengths, from dmnutive six
inch trumpet to some fully ten feet long,
and others with a mouth as big as the
head of a barrel; but the volume of noise
was not always to be gauged by the
size of the horn. One species of instru-
ment made of wood, looking like sec
tions of a string of wienerwurst, when
blown into gave forth a noise much like
the last believing wheeze of an asth-
matte calf. Then there were tin cans
with hole bored in the bottom, into
which was inserted a waxed string.
When this string was pulled through the
fingers it sounded not unlike an extra
large bull fiddle.
OF the devilines' or Fiesta whistles.
with their unearthly din, there was no
end, but the majority of the crowd could
not make enough noise on them so they
sought something bigger or more devil
ish. Some of the maskers carried five
gallon oil cans. containing lot of rocks.
and thumped them vigorously upon the
pavement as they went along. OF the
pushcart or wheelbarrow rattles there
were no end; also those worked Nv