Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-07-19

there are double rings where two
fights can be seen at the same time for
one admission fee, on the plan of the
big American circuses. Troupes of
bull fighters travel from one city to
another, just the same as circuses,
playing engagements of several weeks
in each city and receiving stipulated
sum for each performance.
Bull fights are held on Sundays and
feast days 1t was to the Plaza de
Toros bull ring that the writer made
his way. This ring is shaped like an
amphitheatre, open to the sky. The
arena is inclosed by a plank fence four
feet high, with rail foot wide,
eighteen inches from the ground on
the inside, on which performers step
and vault over the fence when too
hotly pursued by an angry bull, land
ing i'll narrow alley that separates
the fence from the first row of seats.
The arena is 200 feet in diameter, and
the floor is of sand, packed hard.
Back of the alley twenty tires of plank
seats rise up. Above these are the
boxes, furnished with chairs, crowded
closely together. Facing the arena ON
the first tier of seats is the private box
of the referee and his bugler, and near
by is the band stand. The amphithe-
atre will seat 10000 people. The ad-
mission ranges from twenty-five cents
to 50, seats, on the sunny side of the
ring costing just one-half as much as
those in the shade. A box costs from
So to 500, and will hold from four to
ten people.
The fights begin at 3 o'clock and
end at 6, but the crowd begins to
arrive an hour before the sport begins
Mexican poems are poor, but none of
them is so poor that he cannot dig up
money enough at least every other Sun
day to buy ticket for the bull fight.
They sit so close together on the
sunny side that their broad -brim, high
crown straw hats resemble circles of
toad-stools. The well-to-do and
fashionables occupy the boxes. and
there is always a liberal sprinkling of
foreignersin the crowd.
Twenty minutes before 3 o'clock
the band arrived and was welcomed
with prolonged cheer from the
bleachers. The leader arose and
bowed his acknowledgements, and
then the band struck up quickstep.
Then came the referee, and he was
cheered, too. The referee is Gov
ernment or State official, and has
charge of the performance. 1t is his
duty to see that the bulls have fair
show, to impose fines if members of
the troupe do not put up good fight,
and to act as master of ceremonies.
The sport is governed by as stringent
rules as prize fighting. One rule is
that the bull must always be attacked
from the front, never from the rear or
side. To violate this rule means q
fine and an unmerciful scoring from the
bleachers, who are as sharp critics as
those who sit in an opera house gal
lery.
The referee no sooner takes his
seat than an indescribable yell goes
up from the impatient bleachers. The
referee mods to his bugler, who blows
the signal blast. The band strikes
up. The gates opposite the referees
box swing open and the troupe of bull
fighters enters the arena, advancing
to the referees stand and bowing low.
The matador heads the procession.
He is the star performer, who finally
kills the bull, considered the most ex-
citing and perilous feat performed.
He is followed by the capeadors, who
fiaunt gaudily colored capes at the
bull to anger him. Then come the
banderilleros, who, when the bull is
sufficiently stirred up, thrust sharp
barbs on each side of his vertebrm
that make him wild with rage. The
picadors follow ON horseback, and the
procession ends up with three white
mules, harnessed abreast, with bright
colored ribbons flying from the harness
and strings of tiny bells jingling. The
mules draw out the dead bull at the end
of each act
Your first thought is that bull fight
is tame affair. The little procession
is pleasing to the eye, and the feeling
of horror that possesses you when you
SdI uOWn udS WORN away. lue men are
picturesquely dressed in knee breeches,
short velvet jackets, trimmed with gold
lace and silver braid, and silk hose.
They might be French playactors, and
they step about and bow in as courtly
manner as prince might. The
bleachers applaud the paraders long
and loudly. The horses are gaily ca
parisoned, and the trappings hide the
fact that they are poor, old, wornout
hacks that have been doped and
fed up for the killing The mules
are driven out, and the troupe arrange
themselves about the arena.
The music of the band ceases and o
hush comes over the 5000 people who
have gathered to see the sport. The
referee mods to his bugler. Before the
blast has died away the low gates
opposite the band stand fly open and
the bnll enters the arena from the dark
pen where be has been confined for