The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-03-06
THE MEXICAN BULL FIGHT.
Michigan Editors and Ladies Miss Sun
day School to Attend.

to be massueradng as an editor.
We came by special train from New Orleans
| to San Antonio-went spinning along over the
bayous and by the sugar, cotton and rice plan
| tations OF Louisiana, catching just glim pse OF
| those famous old southern homes-the large
house of the planter with negro huts arranged
like little village at one side,great stretches OF
cultivated fields extending in all directions from
IT, some with cane stalks scattered about for burn
ing some with the cotton stalks still standing,
but showing only here and there fragment OF
cotton unga thered We passed "gin mill
that was the innocent cause OF the usual num-
ber of threadbare jokes, and saw great piles
of cotton seed ready for shipment. San Antonio
is very interesting city. over two hundred ana
6fty wears old though its start did not give
promise of its ever becoming the thrifty city IL
is today Everybody goes to the Alamo VINO
goes to San Antonio, and If it is possible to find
| a school boy in the United States who does not
know of "Doly'' Crockett, Colonel Bowie and
Colonel Travis, he will here learn lesson OF
beroism and patriotic devotion that will make |
him proud to have been born an American
In this old mission in 1886, these heroes ana
one hundred and eighty others fought TWO
thousand Mexicans for ten days. When IL pe-
came evident there was no hope OF renei' Ooi.
Travis drew line in the sand on the floor and
country to step over it-all but one crossed the
line. That one made his escape that night
Every one of the one hundred and eighty'three
were killed in the assault that followed but
not till many more Mexicans had gone to death
before They say that when the slaughter enu-
ed the floor OF the Alamo was ankle deep IN
blood.
The old building stands today much as 1t did
then, has become state property and represents
one of the few nobest examples of devotion to
home and native land that history holds.
There are series OF old missions, now In RUNS
built by the Monks who came from Spain They
are all interesting but none can compare Win
the Alamo.
We crossed the Rio Grande at night' ana py
daylight were passing through the barren table
lands of northern Mexico, nothing TO be seen
hut sand, some scrubby trees, few varieties oil
the palm that grow unwatered, century plants,
whose tall stalks, is to 20 feet high, now dried
up attest to their vigor Of growth; and mum
Der of varieties Of the Cactus. There are occas
ional little villages full OF poverty stricken, un
: washed Mexicans and in the distance on eithei
side the mountain ranges. There Is good rea
son for these Mexicans being dirty. They brint
all the water they use from three to six miles
In carts So you see bath means something
in this locality.
Al Torreon we switched onto the MeAlcal
Central line and kept our pace southwark al
night, and the next morning were pushed on
o. special and reached the city OF Mexico at b
~ m-just week and three hours from Chlcag'
- Our first day here was Sunday. 1t is goo
- advice TO bear in mind when travelling, "Whe
in Rome do as Romans do" That is what W
have done. In the morning we attended serv
ces, or rather two or three services, In IN
Cathedral, the most imposing church on tn
continent built upon the spot where stood IN
Oztec temple with all its abOmination OF huma
g sacrifice. Its affairs gorgeous, but the Il
- terror of the church is bare, and stained gia'
windows are the exceptions WhateV'
else the Mexican may be he Is ueVo'
when in his church. He may steal your pur
on the way in or out, but when at his prayers
is q saint and nothing dsturbs his devotions
You may sit down in your study and ref
| g Prescott or Wallaces Fair God" and IL seen
. like a fairy tale,-much of 1T is-you can y
Cortez and Alvarado and Sandoval ana fath
Olmedo, fighting and killing and praying but
is vastly better to be on the spot, trace OUT u
streets through which they charged, the site
palaces where they fought, and walk or dri
over the dry streets that we're then causewa
r leading to the city. But more OF that lat
when we have seen more of the city ourselv'
| q What else did we do that Mexicans dor
went to see the bull fight OF course. No NAL
believe short-horned, humanitarian exhibitit
but one OF the genuine kind, where bulls o
horses and sometimes men are killed L 81
. pose most OF the readers of THE TINES ha
some idea of what bull fight is, but am su
-Hz that only those who have seen one realize I
~ skill of the professional fighters, who, togeti
n with the bull, furnish the exhibition.
NJ We found ourselves seated in q vast amp
n theatre built of wood, capable OF seating th
sands of people, the ring in the centre at lei
300 feet in diameter, enclosed by close boz
d fence six or seven feet high and just outside
A this a second fence of the same height, leav
81 an allev about five feet wide between. FIR
81 this second fence the seats rise tier on tier I
81 height of thirty feet. The last platform is {
N feet wide and is divided into sections by n
ines. each section holding ten people, Th
are the "boxes" and are the best seats.
crowd filled four boxes. Just as we entered,
crowd was bowling with delight and look
down upon the arena we saw the infuriated
D. poring an unfortunate horse to death, not "
81 pleasing introduction to the national sport
n looked away till the bull should find some n
~ object Of attack
N bull Bght opens with grand procession
~ all the performers except the bull The b'
n plays q spirited march, the doors swing b;
n and in they come gaudly dressed and mac
y fcent company, respondent in gold and sill
d ornaments. They march to the Presidents
d and salute, then the bugle blows. a second
N swings open and the bull rushes into the ar
81 from his dark cell under the raised benches
n ne passes the gate an attendant thrusts b
N into his shoulder carrying ribbons that 81
N the breeders coors. The bull pauses q
ment, looks over the arena, paws the ca
n. lou Fnn
p head charges at the first object that attracts
attention. The capeadores haunt their
D. coaks before him and when he rushes at u
- 81 skillfully slip to one side and the puii' 0
M catching the cloak on his horns, passes by.
IA the poor horses who get the worst Of The d