Evening star., 1902-08-16
AT A BULL FIGHT
Story of an Afternoon Scene
in a Spanish Town.
GLOWING WITH COLOR
WITH THE GREAT LARGATIJo IN
THE RING.
How the Animals Are Selected and
Then Trained by the
Picadors.
GLOWING WITH COLOR

Written for The Evening Star.
On my return from Mexico recently, while
stopping off at San Antonio, Tex, 1 was
very much amused in a street car at an old
gentleman's version of bull fight. He
had just returned from Mexico, too, and
his talk ran something like this:
Yes, 1 saw a bull fight, L did; the real
thing, right in the City of Mexico. Well, L
don't know whether I want to see another
one not You see there is a great deal
of science in the thing, and when you IN
derstand the science, 1 guess it's all right.
''They turn the bull into the ring with a
couple of felers on horseback, and they
try to jab the bulls eye out with long
stick. The bull takes a jab at them once
in a while, upsets the horse sometimes and
gets in good one a the feller that was on
the horse. That's the part I sort O. liked,
t see the bull gettin his work in on sAe
feller that had been a-stickin' him.
"Oh, how awfuln' was the exclamation of
lady, with both hands up. That's moth
in" said the old gentleman. wait till ser
see the horses a-tumblin' around with their
insides a fallin out"
Terrible! Terrible!" exclaimed half
dozen voices.
Then after they get through with the
horses some fellers come out all dressed in
spangied uniforms, with sticks in their
hands that has points on them like fish
hooks and just as the ole bull thinks he's
a-goin' to give one of them fellers a poke
the feller lights into him with a couple Of
them sticks and plants of them each
side of the bulls head before the bull can
say Jack Robinson. How he does it and
gets out of the way I'll be burned if I
know.
The ole bull bellows an runs at the next
feller gets another pair of them sticks the
or7' hn Ia'e,
full of sticks as a pineapple full of prckly
things. Then they blow a horn an feller
comes in to kill the bull. He takes a
sword an red rag in one hand, and with
his hat in the other makes a speech to
some feller up in the gallery, then filings
the hat behind him as though something
had to give way, an he marches right
is a-chargin' him he has to stick that sword
In. There's no place to stick it in bigger
than half dollar, either. If he don't do j.
right the people up in the galleries pull up
the benches and fling them at him anG
raise the devil all around, but If he does it
right they just holler an throw their hats
at him, an their cigars, an pocket books
an anything they've got. An he bows an
smiles an throws the pocket books and
hats back an keeps the cigars If they are
friends
That is the Americans usual version of
a bull fight after he has seen one 1 have
seen oneNpne really good one that 1 can
remember. 1t was twelve years ago at
Port st. Marys, Spain. The bulls were
said to have cost thousand dollars apiece;
there were six of them, the principal ma
tador got fifteen hundred dollars for the
afternoons work and there were fifteen
thousand spectators in the plaza.
The plaza was new one, the second lar
gest in Spain, and, of course, in the world.
1t was built of light colored stone was
three stories high and in construction SIM
liar to the Coliseum at Rome.
w
month of August, beneath a clear Anda-
iusian sky. The people had turned out in
their gala dress from every part of the
province, the railway trains bringing some,
and some came their horses and don
keys. Many came from other provinces
as far away as Madrid, Valencia and Bar
celona
The Expectant Throng.
AS the hour of three approached the
three tiers of seats on the inside of the
ring were masses of color In the sun, op-
posite the shady side sat the plebeian eIe-
ment, the color of the dresses of the women
mingling with the more somber hue of the
men. In the shade, boxes filled with ladies
III white lace mantillas and colored gowns
or SILK and plush, Swayng their fans were
ike huge punches of flowers On each
side of the ring, high up, was a company
OF infantry in their red and blue uniforms
fHr
an emergency.
Precisely at o'clock the president en-
tered his box and the band struck up. If
there is any one thing which a Spaniard
must be punctual at, and 1t Is the only
thing 1 know of, it is the official who pre-
sides at bull fight. The president steps
to the front Of his box, holds up a white
handkerchief bugle sounds, the band
pays PA 50 march, and down in the ring oppo-
site the box the great doors swing open and
out marches the procession. First come
two men in black velvet, with white pIumes
In their hats, mounted on superb white
chargers, stepping side by side Behind
them. equally distant apart, step the two
espadas, or swordsmen, followed by their
respective cuadrillas, or supporters. all i'm
their gaudy costume of red, yellow, green
or blue, With gold or silver spansIes as
the choice may be, and behind them are
the p1cadores, the men with the pixies on
their raw-boned nags, and finally the mules
Ter dragging out the dead horses and bulls.
all capar1Soned with red and yellow flags
and jingling bells. with their attendants
the wise monkeys. running by the side of
them and behind them. suppose they arc
called the wise monkeys because they are
bull. W '''e
The procession halts in front of the nresi-
dents box, the two horsemen In black doff
their piumed hats. and one of them ad-
pleasure that the tournament begin. A l.ev
tied with red and yellow ribbon is tossed
down. page hands it up to one of the
horsemen, as the president signifies his
consent, and the two horsemen ride aUow
in opposite directions around the ring back
to the entrance. The two espadas left at
the head of the procession now step briskIy
up to the front, raise their hats, saIutine
the president then turn aside, one to the
right. one to the left. followed by their re-
spective cuadillas They now rapidly pull
OF their elegantly embroidered capes. and
tossing them up to friends, who thus COM
plimented spread them over the front of
their boxes, they take capes of more ordi-
nary stuff, not so costly and more suitable
for fho