Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-17
BULLFIGHTERS IN SPAIN.
Lose Their Queues When They Re-
main in the Ring.


main in the Ring.
| Madrid Corr Chicago Record.
| A bull fighter seldom marries before he is
a matador and can well afford to keep a
wife and family without having to give up
| any of his expensive habits. He generally
marries for love, and selects some pretty
young girl belonging to his own rank.
| Sometimes the sweetheart is the daughter,
sister or niece of companion or of a
| wealthy retired matador. Often she is the
daughter of a meat contractor or even a
wealthy butcher. Often a horse dealer, a
dealer in bull-fighting implements, or the
tailor that turns out the glittering, fantas-
| tic costumes, has to give his daughter in
marriage to the young and rising matador.
The wedding of a bull fighter is sight
well worth seeing, as it still preserves what
the French call colour locale" Dense
crowds congregate in the street where ia
nova" the bride) lives, to see her go to
the church with her padrinos, or wit
| nesses, her parents and the bevy of pretty
girls that accompany her. 1t is, indeed u
pretty procession, as, in spite of the bride s
black dress, she wears the graceful lace
mantilla. and no girl, however plain, but
looks well with her young face peeping
from unler the folds of dainty Spanish
lace. Then come the bright flashing colors
of the rich Manila shawls worn by the
other women, their well-combed heads
decked with flowers and the classical high
comb; the uglier sex in tight-fitting trous-
ers, short jackets and large felt hats. The
bridegroom is also all in black. but many
! an arstocratic dame would envy his SUI
perb diamond studs and valuable jewe1ed
watch chain. The marriage ceremony over,
the bride changes her dress for one of
brighter aspect, and dons for the first time
the brilliantS every tOrero presents his wife
to adorn her ears. The whole day is spent
In Teasing and dances. but it must be said
that the poor are never forgotten on these
occasions.
no 1x{1-a Of hI,11a crhf
go to the "ccrrida. Not that they are in
the slightest way nervous about their hus-
bands, but perhaps on the same principle
that often the wife of an orator has never
heard her husband speak. They never
travel with their husbands when the mata
dor has to go to the provinces even
abroad. They will quietly put their chill
dren to bed and go to sleep themselves,
though they have not yet received the
promised telegram stating that Guerrita,
Bombita. Algabeno has killed his bulls
well in San Sebastian, Bayonne, or else
where and Is safe. Like most Spanish wo-
men, they devout. They pray to their
special Virgin and light up the little al
tars when the husband is away from home.
Rafael Guerra, though only thirty-fve,
retired a short time ago from active life.
He killed his last bull in October, in the
city of Saragossa, during the fetes in hon
or of the Virgin del Pillar" No one who
witnessed the superb work done by the
matador suspected that it was the last
time he would wear the "traje de luces"
and hold a muleta. few hours afterward,
with his brother Antonio, his picador Beao,
and a few old friends, Guerra took the
press for Cordova.
There, surrounded by his family, the i'm
posing ceremony of cutting the bullfighters
short plat of hair took place. La Sonora
de Guerra, with trembling hands, cut it off
as he bent his head before her. Then the
aged mother came forward and gladly cut
off the ''coeta'' of her other son, Antonio.
Every one was filled with emotion, but a
diversion was soon caused by old Beao de-
claring he would never take up the lance
and prick bull again. now he had no lon
ger to prepare the animal for the "diestro."
So the little son of Guerra, catching up the
scissors, climbed on chair and managed to
sever his pigtail also. This closing scene
of the bullfighters career always causes
emotion among the professionals, and in
deed as much regret it gives satisfaction
to their womenkind.
There is in general much contrast be-
tween the modest early homes. which are
the starting point of famed bullfighters.
and the handsome residences to which they
retire, Guerra and LaZaritO did at Cor
dova. There they divide their time between
their families and the pasture land in
which they invest their savings, with a
view to rearing very good breeds of Anda-
lusian bulls. They rarely make bulltighters
of their sons, and not a few of them are
proud of their boys becoming barristers,
doctors or farmers. The girls. provided
with moderate bowers, as it is not the Gus
tom in Spain to give large ones, receive
simple education, and turn out as good
housewives as their mothers.