The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-03-26
MARCH 26, 1898.
A large share Of the Yankee element

Il A large share of the Yankee element
that has come to make homes in south
.ern California does not even now know
the difference between baile and a
lfandango. "A grand bale is like any
rdinary grand ball, and is attended
Ionly by respectable guests, each Of
||sWhom received a personal invitation.
These balls were very scarce in the
.early days, for the reason that the
right sort Of guests were difficult to
obtain. Fandangoes were we'll patron
lqzed by the Spanish dons and persons
sof select society, who attended them
sclandestinely because they thought it
q fine thing to go to entertainments
that were not respectable The word
Ifandango came to be employed in con-
snection with these dances from the fact
that the best young woman dancer of
sthe crowd was called upon during the
sevening to perform genuine fandango
Sto the music of the clapping of thou
sands of horny hands, shrill whistling,
wild shouting and the occasional desul-
tory popping of a pistol.
& In the years Immediately after the
civil war, when the Spanish ranchmen
gall over. southern California got i'm:
Hmense profits from the sale of their
sbeeves, hides, tallow, horses and wine,
Ethe quaint old pueblo cf Los Angeles
Twas filled with adventures from all
|SoVer the globe, and whenever fan.
N Mo ho
Las a matter of course Everybody
dressed extravagantly. Senocitas, who
Sat other times dressed as If they had
|fEarely enough money 10 1--we en-, wore
elaborate silks and satins and were
Edherwise decorated in a costly man
|sner. The men also spent a good deal
LOT money on their clothes. The usual
IsHell Mexican costume consisted of
|t,ousers of black velvet, laced on the
Eouter seams from the hips down, little
Ijngling bell-buttons being interspersed
Eat intervals of about an inch. The
Ijacket was of black or blue, braided
with gold. There was red flaming
Isash around the waist, patent leather
IAoes, the usual red Vicuna hat, revol-
lSsers encased in patent leather scab-
Ihrds, and perhaps there were silver
Espurs. In fact, fine dressing seemed
It, be the only thing that the curious
EuoWd had in common. The dancers
every age, every degree of
lsssciety and wealth and every national
Iiy except the Chinese. %'
& The fandango was held in long, low
Isdobe-house fronting the piazza in
What is know known as Sonoratown of
4 Los "A pgelns had one grand room
RUrs the dance, hanked by two other
rooms, which made up the front of the
house. Two large wings extended to
the rear, containing rooms usually used
as dressing-rooms and private wine
rooms. There was twenty-foot wall
in the rear, which formed an interior
court or square, with wide verandas
inside with brick tiles. There were also
tile floors in the reception rooms The
sala, or dancing room, was provided
with an extra strong pine floor to with
stand the strain to which a fandango
subjected it. The adobe walls were
whitewashed. There were very few
windows, small and high, and supplied
with iron gratings, making the build
ing lock from the outside like Jail.
The writer remembers distinctly the
first fandango he attended in this
adobe-house. 1t was twenty-five years
ago. From the descriptions of the af-
fair he had heard carelessly given by
various persons in the town, he con-
cluded to carry two more than the u.s.
ual number, of revolvers, and to wear,
in addition to his stiletto, long sword.
This was encased in a patent leather
scabbard, giving the wearer fine mar