The evening times., 1898-05-09
WOODFORD ESCAPED A MOB.
Joining a Toreador's Funeral Prob
ably Saved His Lffe.s


New York. May s.-General Stewart L.
Woodford's accidental attendance at the
funeral of famous Spanish ~buH- -fghter
/ in Madrid a few weeks ago undoubtedly
| saved him and his family from being mob
I bed at the United States legation just be-
I fore the general left Madrid to come
I home. The story, as told by General
Woodford. is as follows:
1T would hardly be worth-the while TO.
tell the stsory but for the fact that a
! wrong impression may have been created
by garbled story sent by cable to the
United States at the time of the funeral.
One day there was a funeral of one OF
the best-known bull fighters in Madrid.
In Spain the bull fighters are popular
idols among a certain class. just as our
prize fighters at home, you know. i do
not believe would exaggerate It to say
that there were fully 1900 people in line.
To satisfy my daughter, who. like all
American girls. is interested in process
sions. ! ordered out the carriage We got
in back of the line at first. In order to
reach vantage point, where We could
see the line pass, told the driver to make
a short cut and come in ahead of the line
at some point. We had driven, perhaps.
half mile, when We suddenly came right
up to the procession. There was no room
10 turn. and / saw in an instant that it
might look to the crowd though the
American minister was showing disre-
spect to a Spanish funeral by attempting
to drive through il. v..ss..,
l motioned to the driver TO drop in with
the funeral coaches. This he did. II WAS
my intention TO get out of the procession
again as soon as an open space offered
opportunity But no opportunity came.
and We rode along. a part of the line,
for the three miles to the cemetery.
There We alighted from our carriage,
and. driving up to the gate. | asked for
the superintendent The official came
out and / inquired If We would be al
lowed TO go through the grounds
" May l ask who You are? he said
The American minister I-replied.
Then of course You may go into the
grounds was the courteous rejoinder.
We wandered about in the cemetery
for about an hour and a half. Thinking
that by that time the crowd must surely
have gone home, We went back to the
gate to take our carriage. But there.
just outside the grounds, was a large
crowd of people who had waited to see
the American minister come out. The
police authorities. evidently fearing some
disrespect. had formed Two long lines be-
hind which the people were and between
which We walked. At the end OF the
improvised alley was our carriage. As
we walked along the gendarmes came
to attention and I doffed my hat. The
crowd then began to shout Viva la Es-
pano. Viva la Etades National Americai
Viva rAmbassador. Viva la General"
and all along the line the cry was taken
up. We entered our carriage and drove
home.
But l veritably believe that incident
saved the American legation and my life.
For some time later when a mob,
wrought up to more than the usual wrath
and bent upon destruction. was rapidly
coming toward the legation "a. party of
bull-fghters got in front of the infuriated
throng. harranged it. and turned the men
back. These bull-fghters told the mob
that the American minister was most
favorably disposed to them, as he was
the only representative of the great pow
ers who had shown respect enough for
the death of a great Spaniard' to attend
the dead toreador's funeral"