The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-20
BULLFIGHTERs OF SPAIN.
Picturesque Weddings-Lose Queues
when They Retire From the Ring.


When They Retire From the Ring.
Madrid (Spain) Letter to Chicago Record.
bull fighter seldom marries before he
is matador and can we'll afford to keep
a wife and family without having to give
up any of his expensive habits. He gen
orally marries for love and selects some
pretty young girl belonging to his own
rank. Sometimes the sweetheart is tho
daughter sister. or niece of a companion
or of a wealthy retired matador. Often
she is the daughter of meat contractor
or even a wealthy butcher. Often a horse
dealer, a dealer in bull fighting imple-
ments, or the tailor that turns out the
glitterng, fantastic costumes, has to give
S daughter in marriage to the young and
rising matador.
The wedding of a bullfghter is a sight
well worth seeing, as 1T still preserves
/ what the French call "couleur locale"
Dense crowds congregate in the street
where ia novia" (the bride) lives, to see
her go to the church with her 'padrinos,"
or witnesses, her parents. and the bevy
of pretty girls that accompany her. 1t is.
indeed, a pretty procession, as, in spite
of the brides black dress, she wears the
graceful lace mantilla, and no girl, how
e er plain. but looks we'll with her young
dainty Spanish lace. Then come the bright
flashing colors of the rich Manila shawls
worn by the other women, their we'll
combed heads decked with flowers and the
classical high comb, the uglier sex in
tight-itting trousers, short jackets, and
large felt hats. The bridegroom is also
all in black. but many an aristocratic
dame would envy his superb diamond
studs and valuable jeweled watch chain
The marriage ceremony over, the bride
changes her dress for one of brighter as
pect, and dons for the first time the bril-
Hants every torero presents his wife to
adorn her ears. The whole day is spent
in feasting and dances, but it must be
said that the poor are never forgotten on
these occasions.
The wives Ct bullfis hters seldom or never
go TO the "corrida' Not that they are in
the slightest way nervous about their
husbands, but perhaps on the same prin-
cipe that often the wife of AN orator has
never heard her husband speak. They
never travel with their husbands when
the matador has to go to the provinces
or even abroad. They will quietly put
their children to bed and go to sleep
themselves though they have not yet
received the promised telegram stating
that Guerilla, Bombi a, or Algabeno has
killed his bulls well in San Sebastian, Ba-
yonne, or elsewhere and is safe. Like
most Spanish women, they are devout.
They pray TO their special Virgin and light
up the little affairs when the husband is
away from home.
Rafael Guerra, though only 80, retired
short time ago from active life. He
killed his last bull in October, in the city
of Saragossa during the fetes In honor
of the Virgin del Pillar" No one who
witnessed the superb work done by the
matador suspected that Ii was the last
time he would wear the "traje de luces"
and hold muleta. A few hours after
ward, with his brother Antonio, his picador
Beao and a few old friends, Guerra took
the express for Cordova.
There, surrounded by his family, the
imposing ceremony of cutting the bull
fighters short plait of hair took place.
La Senior de Guerra, with trembling
hands cut II off as he bent his head be-
fore her. Then the aged mother came for
ward and gladly cut off the 'coleta" of
her other son, Antonio. Every one was
filed with emotion, but a diversion was
soon caused by old Beao declaring he
would never take up the lance and prick
a bull again, now he had no longer to pre-
pare the animal for the "diestro." So the
little son of Guerra, catching up the scis-
sors climbed on chair and managed TO
sever his pigtail also. The closing scene
of the bullhghters career always causes
emotion among the professionals, and IN
deed as much regret as 1t gives satisfac-
ton to their womenkind.
There is in general much contrast be-
tween the modest early homes, which are
the starting point of famed bullhghters.
and the handsome residences to which
they retire, as Guerra and Lazarito did
at Cordova. 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 Andalusian bulls. They rarely make
bulfighters of their sons, and not a few
| of them~are proud of their boys becom-
| ing barristers doctors or farmers. The
girls, provided with moderate bowers, as
| ii is not the custom in Spain to give large
ones, receive simple education. and turn
out as good housewives as their moth
\ ers.