The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-08-03

~ok. HERE was gladiatorial
Il carnival in Toxic to-day,
8 o says A. G.. Hale in letter
4 Il written from the japanese
aoR capital to the London
News. and | went to see the show.
Two dollars they charged for admis.
sion, which goes to prove that the
Snowman here knows how to fatten
himself as well as his brethren in the
west The arena was neither a costly
nor picturesque structure. 1t was
merely rude she'd built of boards,
thrown together in haphaZard fashion,
rooted in just anyhow with iimsy
mating. The seats were just rough
benches. on which no kind of comfort
could be obtained. aud in the centre
stood u platform, two feet high, ap-
parently made OF banEad-up earth.
Four posts ran from the four corners
of the platform from ground to ceiling,
and on the stage, seated on gorgeous
crimson cushions, were four officials,
one against each post. Then came a
his hand. who went about the stage
welrdly chanting the praises of the
gladiatOrs who were about to appear
All the time he kept thrusting out his
arms opening and shutting his fan,
and striking attitudes. There We're
between 1000 and 1000 people present,
men and women, old and young. for
nothing suits the subjects Of the Mi
kado better than a wrestling bout.
They love it. and make much OF those
who follow it for livelihood. Wrest-
ling is to these people what cricket
and football are to Brltons. and any
child in the street can tell you the
names of the various champions at the
different styles.
Before the public display commenced
l went behind the scenes with one who
understood the manners and the Gus
toms of the place, and saw the gladi-
ators stripped ready for the fray. They
were all big men, some Of them huge.
The smallest weighed perhaps twelve
and half stone. the largest about
twenty. AS they stood there ready for
the arena they reminded NE of Sioux
warriors more than anything else
had ever seen. They had yellowish
bronze skins. jet black hair. hard,
harsh mouths. black resentful eyes,
high cheekboneS, and sinews Of steel.
They are a race unto themselves these
gladiators, handing down from father
to son the tricks of their trade. When
they marry they pick their mates with
care, marrying for strength rather
than for any domestic quality for 1t
Is considered shame to u wrestler
to be the father of weakly child
The career of a wrestler commences
before he can walk. | saw the inita
ton of one of them into public life
only to-day. The little squalling thing,
with tiny lOin cloth on its tender
body, was carried to the stage in the
arms OF champion, a man of tremen-
dous size and strength. A guard of
honor was given to the coming wrest.
Ter, consisting of ten or Dozen men,
ali noted in the arena. They marched
out with great pomp and ceremony,
and functionary of the place, stretch
ing forth his arms. told the audience
who the child was and what his father
had done. In this way a professional
wrestler's whole life Is known, just as
the breeding, pedigree, and perform
ances of racehorse Is public property
in England.
No people in the world. / think,
loves ceremony more than do the
japanese. From two sides of the
building two bands of wrestlers. each
band a dozen strong, marched through
lanes made in the closely packed mass
Of humanity. They were all naked
TO the waist, but depending from the
waist of each man hung an apron
which nearly touched the ground
The aprons were rich in color and ma
terial. and quaint in design. The
leader of each party was giant, and
around the waist of each ropes as
thick as u mans wrist We're twined
just above the apron bands, not com
mon ropes, but snOwwhite, and glis-
tening like silk.
At the rear of each party marched
man bearing alOft sword, concern
ing which he seemed very proud. The
colors of one band were blue and
bronze. the other red and gold. They
reached the stage from opposite sides
at the same moment. The men In blue
sat down, while the men in red strobe
on to the stage and made obesance
10 the four judges sitting at the four
posts. Then the heralds made more
chantings. after which the red clan
waved their arms to the north, south,
east and west. Each man drew up his
right leg, balanced himself upon the
left. and, reaching out so as to cover
as much space as possible, brought his
foot down with a thur. | have seen
the MaOris. the Zulus, and the Basutos
do something similar to this, but never
could understand the significance OF
II. unless it means: $50 will | crush
my enemy"
A LONG parley between the officials,
and then the champions were selected.
one red. one blue. They advanced
stripped ready for a struggle. There
was more ceremony before the con-
testants got anywhere near to the
business OF the day. At last. like two
big gamecocks. they fronted one an
other. Waugh-waugh! They had
sprung upon each other with q hoarse