Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-01-25
WOMAN BULL FIGHTER.
Beautiful Donna Piedros, Spain's Favorite
Matador.

Now that woman has usurped mans
place in many occupations, it is not at
all surprising that she has entered the
arena where bulls are killed-in civil
lied Spain. Spain can boast of three
women who are bull fighters, despite
their supposedly gentle sex. One of
them is a matador, who kills the animal
after it has been tormented and wound
ed and the other two are toreadors,
who worry and injure the beast.
All three are young and beautiful,
says the New York Journal, and all
three are the idols of the public. The
principal one is Donna Piedros, the
matador. She is %, remarkably hand
some, with big black eyes and long
raven hair. She has been in the ring
for six years and during that time has
been in danger repeatedly.
When first she made known her in
tention of entering the arena there was
a howl of protest, but she presisted,
and when she made her first appear
ance she was showered with flowers.
Since then she has been in the ring
once every month, and on several oc-
casions has been more or less injured.
Her part of the work consisted in
giving the quietus to the bull after he
had been disarmed by the toradors.
She did this with sharp, two-edged
sword, which she plunged into the
heart or neck of the beast. The ami
mails have a bad habit of making a last
desperate rally and of charging upon
their tormentors. In this way Donna
Piedros has been face to face with a
horrible death more than once.
Her two feminine competitors are the
sisters Pretel, Lola and Angelica, who,
although they fight bulls in Spain, yel
are Germans hailing from Brandenburg'
They are extremely beautiful, scarcely
out of their teens, and are brilliant and
daring riders. Their exploits in the
bull rings have been the themes OF
Spanish poets, they are the pets of the
populace, and for their achievements in
the arena they receive great financial
reward.
They were originally circus riders.
Their manager, being struck with their
equestrian ability, determined to make
bull fighters of them. He took them
10 Seville, where there is a school de-
voted to the fine art of killing a bull
There the two girls killed stuffed bull
three or four times day until finally
they were allowed to practice on live
bull. From that they were graduated
to the ring proper, and quickly Won
renown by their daring.
Donna Piedros wears divided skirt
when in the ring, while the Pretel sis.
ters wear the regulation mans bul!
fighting costume. The former does all
her work on foot, while the latter two
ride horses.
That bull fighting is still the Spanish
national pastime, is shown by the sta
tistics for the season from April 5 to
October 20, of last year. During thai
period there were 478 fights; 1,21e
bulls, valued at $500, 900, and $3.50
horses, valued at 100000, were killed
25 matadors were employed, their
earnings amounting to 1921 800.
The famous Guerrita appeared in 6S
fights and made $1,000, killing ia
bulls. Bombita fought 43 times, killed
112 bulls and received $21, 900 for bis
labors. Mozzantini fought 20 times,
killed 68 bulls and earned $21 200.
The three women mentioned are not
classified as to either killing or earning
capacity.