The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-25

fore an admring audience. Some Of
the aristOcracy Of the old regime de-
plOre the existence of the woman bull
fighter but the middle classes adore
her, and every year marks an increase
In the ranks OF the feminine dabblers
in blood.
HOW 1T USED TO BE.
In the old days the bull fighter was
gentleman of the bluest blood, who rode
into the ring on an Arabian charger.
worth almost his weight in gold. 1t
was great accomplishment In the old
days, and the young gentleman who
ranked as the cleverest bull aghter OF
his time was man Of vast social dis
tinction. He was the pet Of all the fine
ladies Of the land and the envy of all
the men. Kings, queens and princes
smiled upon him and there was no favor
too great to be heaped upon him. He
was the idol of the people. He did not
fight In the manner Of today. He car
ried simple javelln, four feet long.
and slew the bull unaided, at the same
time putting his spirited mount through
a series of intricate evolutions to show
off the PAGES of the animal and his own
horsemanship.
These were brave days for the young
men of Spain. They were supplanted
by the bull fighters who entered the
arena for hire. These men at first took
more desperate chances than the 9TH
ers and. moreover. rode poor, broken
down horses, which were 50 slow and
nerveless that they could not avoid the
cumbersome charges of the enraged
bull. The horses We're gored. and this
added to the pleasure OF the populace.
The more blood that Is spilled and spat-
tap t..a aut tsf 20 I. tp,,
of the audience. If some poor picadOr
is laid low their delight is supreme. If
the matador is hasty and kills the bull
early in the fight without giving the
beast a chance to gore some one the au-
dience Is angry. 1t has been cheated
of its share of blood.
THE NEXT STEP.
The next step in the degeneracy OF
the bull ring, according to Spanish au-
thorities. came with the appearance of
the woman fighter. From the ranks of
the Barcelona mill hands. girls with
agile bodies, handsome in face and form.
come the women bull fighters. AS mill
hands they are virtually slaves, earn
ing only enough to keep body and soul
together. AS bull fighters they are the
idols Of the people, the recipients of
showers of adulation. with fine clothes
and plenty of money. to spend. They
live under halo of happiness and pros
perity. No wonder 1t Is the dream by
day and night Of all the pretty dark
eyed girls shaving away in the mills
that they. too. will enter the arena
some day and kill bulls amid the wild
enthusiasm OF the best people of the
city.
1t is almost needless to say that
the most popular of these Amazons are
the prettiest and the shapeliest. They
wear the same garb as men bull fight
ers, and they ride the horse astride.
If they rode with the side saddle it
would be a most dangerous proceed
ing, for firm seat Is essential to safety
Of life and limb.
In the ring at some little distance 1t
is quite impossible to distinguish the
sexes. The girls are quite as tall as
the men, and almost as heavily built
There is nothing feminine about them,
either, when the fight really begins
They do not sicken to gain ferocity
by 1t, and they are happy in a scene
which would cause the average Amer
lean woman to faint in short order.
The horses which the women ride are
the same broken down wrecks which
the men use. In fact, the management
finds that women are more reckless in
exposing the horses than the sterner
sex. This has led to practice which
the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals would kill off In
no time in any city in this country. 1t
Is this When a horse has been hor-
ribly gored and staggers about the ring
with his entrails hanging out. he Is
not killed to end his misery. but Is led
into one of the stalls. where his en-
trails are thrust back and the wound in
the stomach sewn up Sometimes he