The St. Johns herald., 1900-08-04
OUR EXPOSITION
 LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
July 21, 1900.

ReTe- The program WHICH UcSaI
 well with a most beautiful ballet
 soon fell back into the regular sue
 cession of acrobatic performances
 clowns, soubrettes, and one act
 specialties so familiar to the audi
 enccs of the larger cities of the
 United States. The climax of the
 performance overy one felt was to
 lie in the bull fight announced well down toward tho end of the pro
 gram.
 When at length this number was
 reached, the excitement of the au-
 dlence became palpable. The or
 chestra played the sbivery tremu'
 lous "LizzIe crossing the ice" mu-
 sic, so we'll known from Uncle Tom
 Cabin days. The curtain was rals-
 ed and the stage cleared. A half
 dozen workmen brought m with
 great deal of labor, heavy iron
 posts and planted them firmly on
 the front of the stage. On to these
 as supports, there wero clamped
 tier on tier of lateral bars, men
 working from the inside and out
 side of the fence, This enormous
 iron barrlcade was bolted firmly together and reinforced by stays
 from the side of the audience. The completed structure was fifteen feet in heIght and there was some excitement when the last workman left on the outside clambered over the fence to regain tho stage. Meanwhile on the stage a semi circle of detachable board fencing was arranged and above this bal. cony where presently small au- dience of gaily dressed people took thelr places. Soon the matadors, one or two mounted, all gaily dres- sed, marched into the ring, and at- ter 8 solemn procession, throw off their extra garments, tossing their capes and gloves to their favorite sweethcarts in the balcony. They then with the audience waiting with bated breath and painful sus- pense for the impending conflict. Presently there was pushed thru the doorway on to the stage & gaunt young believing calf. This poor innocent, with delicate pink horns just peeping from under the red hair of his forehead, made vto- lent efforts to escape back into its stall, but presently 1t was in the ring and the gate was barred be- hind 1t.
 Then half a dozen burly Span Iards "took their liver in their hands," and began to prod this calf around the ring. The anxiety of the animal was always and only to escape. At one time it would run to the gate, at another tremb- ling win fright It would pass back back and forth along the iron bar ricade fit to be compared with the Paris monumental gateway at the Exposition and strong enough to hold back all the wild bulls in the swamps of the Guadalqulver; and this little cali would try 10 find a place big enough to admit both of It's little horns at once, below ing all the while for the morcy of a Parisian audience, in which thore was sprinking of Amercans.
 Whenever this unfortunate made a quick move, all the brave Span iards would vault the rear fence in to the passageway between it and the balcony where the Spanish maidens were supposed to be urg' ing them on with shouts snd the | wavirg of shawls and fans. When danger was passed, they sprang gal lantly back and stuck & few brad ded spears deckcd with ribbons in- to the shoulders of the cali.
 Finally, since calves are too ex- ponsivo to kill for sport every night in Paris, the doors of the sta ble were opened and with a part ing below of delight, with tail in the air and scampering hoofs, the calf disappeared, his tortures over antiI 10 p. m. the following day.
 But Paris and the French author tics have this year again consent ed to place themselves on tho low est level in the amusement world by permitting and patronizing real bull fights in the neighbor- hood of this city. A few days ago a most disgraceiul series of pro- ,eedings took place It Deuil. The program spread before