Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-13
THE IDOL OF HAVANA
THIS BULL FlGHTER A GREATER NAN
THAN OLD BLkNCO.

A Spectacle to Cause Ono Who is Not n De-
v"tee of the Nntiornl Sport of Spain to
Rub His Eyes-Nhe, tho Great niazzan-
zine Dimes.
-Four p%rivates of The Ordcn Pltlico
t"rDs, armed with sword and revolver,
reinforced the solitaiy little policeman
who usually Moons up and down in
front of the Hotel InSlaterra, in Ha-
vana, Cuba, a few rights ago. writes q
war correspondent. and the American
colony began to whisper that trouble
was brewing among the volunteers.
The wisdom of this prccaution became
apparent when, during the dinner
hour, it was seen that the gcndarmcs
were only able by the most heroic ex-
eftlons to save the hotel from being
carried by storm by a mob, whose OBJ
iect, however. was so obviously OF a
pacific character as to quite disarm the
a~pprehensions of even the most nerv-
GUS of the guests.
BY the time the British Consul, who
Is invariably the first man at the table,
had taken his seat, all the wide doors
and windows of the restaurant opening
on the street were choked with an eX-
clted throng, in which soldiers. sailors,
volunteers, smart young clerks, respec-
table elderly citizens and professional
ulcHdIcants struggled on terms of per-
tect equality for front places.
The attention CT sill these was rivet-
ed on a table in a remote corner Of the
! restaurant. and it was noticeable that
The attitude of the crowd was not that
or mere vulgar curiosity, but rather of
deep, rcverential awe. l noticed III the
front rank at the door two blind beg
CARS from Obispo street. who. on yield
ing their places to the pressure of the
crowd behind. vanished with faces il
lumined with 4 nov lettcst Thou thy
servant depart in peace express
sion.
some OF the more ~enterprising en-
thuslasts lodged through the cafe and
gained he rear of the restaurant,
whence they enjoyed an unobstructed
view, but these were Speedily discover
ed and hustled out by the police. Now
Il then the Scndarmes would clear
the sidewalk with a sudden charge,
after which the whole squad Invariably
tined up i'll the doorway and quite lost
themselves in r~everential gazing until
rudely aroused to action by the surg
ing of the crowd.
Inc cause of all this OmmotiOn was
j tall, powerfully built. m~idde-aged
uan, with a smoothly shaven face, a
laughing eye and a queer little wisp Of
d hair Snrn1ltinu from, ,t,, J,,i. - ~.
head, and tlattened down in a black
coil that stood out in startling relief
against the shiny white xpanse of Il
Oald pate. At his table sat a ring of
spanish officers in full uniform, and
without that a second and a third ring.
all OF whom kept silence, with ewes
reverentially fixed Oh the great a
When he smiled, which he occasional
ly condescendcd TO do. they all smiled,
and when he spoke, which he USUALLY
aid with his mouth full, they all OBJ
sequlously nodded assent. In the cir
Gle were generals, cOlonels, majors and
captains, bedizened with flaming or
ders and medals. INC showing, every
man Of them, that the occasion was
one OF the %proudest of his
hle. 1t was perfectly apparent that in
he eyes of all the big man with a fun.
ny little wlsp of hair was a per
ionage Of Infinitely greater Importance
man the Captain General.
On his part the great man accepted
all this adulation with the air of the
most dcliciously allable condcsccnsinn.
occasionally he even dcigncd TO be-
stow a word on the proprietor of the
hotel, who stood humDly behind his
chalr TO receive and present with his
own hands the various dishes brought
by the walters.
One officer, evidently an old ac-
quaintance, was honored above his
brothers, for, as he entered the room,
he hero saw him, IL spring.
Ing up and striding dramatic
ally forward, claspcd him in his
arms with such fervor as to sadly dis
arrange his little wisp OF hair, where
upon. on his attention having been
called to the fact by half a dozen adj
mirers, he wet his fingers and carefully
plastered it upon his pate before re-
Stunning his seat.
"i"' Ne!lliS WHO inc man could be
who commanded the obeisance of the
highest officers in the Spanish army,
| demanded Information from nv wait
or. The fellow gave me a look of nm
disguised contempt for my Ignorance.
and then, with a smile of pity, whis-
pered, behind his hand in awestruck
accents, "MazZantiri, the bull fight
er!"
"A great MANI" I asked.
The greatest in the world"