Amador ledger., 1900-08-03
A PARIS COMMUNICATION
Our Correspondent Attends
a Theatre.
THE PROGRAMME ENDS WITH A Bull FIGHT
The ood.Curdling Features Of q
Bull Fight Are vividly
Described.
CFr0m Our Regular Correspondent,
PARIS, France, july 9, 1900

From Our Regular Correspondent
PARIS, France, July 9, 1900.
A few days ago spent an evening al
one OF the foremost variety theatres II
Paris, the Folie Bergere. The pro
gram which began well with a mos,
beautiful ballet soon fell back into the
regular succession OF acrobatic per.
formances, clowns, soubrettes, and one
act specialties so familiar to the au
diences OF the larger cities of the
United States. The climax of the per.
formance everyone felt was to lie in the
bull fight announced we'll down toward
the end OF the program.
| When at length this number was
reached, the excitement OF the audience
became palpable. The orchestra
played the shivery tremulous "Lizzy
crossing the ice" music, SO known from
Uncle Toms Cabin days. The curtain
was raised and the stage cleared. A
half dozen workmen brought in with
great deal OF labor heavy iron posts
and planted them firmly across the
front of the stage. Onto these as
supports there were clamped tier on
tier of lateral bars, men working from
the inside and outside of the fence.
This enormous iron barricade 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 ex.
citement when the last workman left
on the outside clambered over the
fence to regain the stage. Meanwhile
upon the stage semi-oircle of detach.
able board fencing was arranged and
above this balcony, where presently
small audience of gaily dressed people
took their places. Soon the matadors,
one or two mounted, all gaily dressed,
marched into the ring, and after q
solemn procession, threw of their extra
garments. tossing their gloves and
capes to their favorite sweethearts in
the balcony. They then with the au-
dience waited with bated breath and
painful suspense for the impending con-
fict. Presently there was pushed
through the doorway onto the stage q
gaunt young believing calf. This
poor innocent, with delicate pink
horns just peeping from under the red
hair of his forehead, made violent ef-
forts to escape back into his stall, but
presently it was in the ring and the
gate was barred behind it.
Then half dozen burly Spaniards
'took their lives in their hands," so to
speak, and began to prod this calf
about the ring. The anxiety of the
animal was always and only to escape.
At one time 1t would run to the gate,
at another, trembling with fright, It
would pass back and forth along the
iron barricade 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 Guadalquivir; and this little calf
would try to find place big enough 70
admit both of its little horns at once,
believing all the while for the mercy of
a Partisan audience in which there
was a sprtnkling of Americans.
When this unfortunate made q quick
move, all the brave Spaniards would
vault the rear fence into the passage
way between 1t and the balcony where
the Spanish maidens were supposed to
be urging them on with shouts and the
waving of fans and shawls. When
danger was passed, they sprang gal
lantly back and stuck few braided
spears decked with ribbons into the
Fhoulders of the calf. Finally, since
calves are too expensive to kill for sport
every night in Paris, the doors of the
stable were opened and with a parting
below OF delight, with tail in the air
and scampering hoois, the calf disap-
peared, his tortures over until 10 o. m.
the following evening.
But Paris and the French authorities
have this year again consented to Place
themselves on the lowest leyoi in the
amusement world by permitting and
patroniEing real bull fights in the
neighborhood of this city. A few days
since most disgraceful series of pro-
ceedings took place at Deuil. The at.
tractive program spread before the
audience there included the slaughter
OF six bulls, in the killing of only one
of which there was reported to be any
skill. There was an attempt to assassi-
nate one of the matadors before the
sport began: there were number of
horses disemboweled; there was free
fight in the audience between man
and woman.
While the last bull was being killed
seventeen ladies tainted and had to be
carried out. One wonders why these
delicately organized persons were there
and why they could find within them
selves no premonition of the brutal
character of the performance before
they presented themselve. at the ampi.
theatre.
At the close of the performance the
police of the noble republic of Liberty,
equality and fraternity" played the
part of henchmen to the sport and
cleared the building for the proprie-