The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-11-23
veIvet. rney marcn quickly across the

velvet. Tney march quickly across tne
arena, bow TO the governor and theI
TO the audience First in the gay pro
cession as they march around the ring
are the matadores, the stars, who han
die the swords TO the death of the
bulls; next the banderilleros, second
In honor who place the banderillas
In the bulls shoulders to enrage them;
next, and third In rank, the capea-
dores, who manipulate the capes or
colored flags TO distract the bulls at.
tentlon when any of the company are
danger; next the picadors on horse
back, their lance in hand; next four
mules gayly harnesSed; behind these,
two men with wheelbarrows, shovels,
and then some attendants called wise
monkeys from their good suggestions
and advice to the performers.
All now retire from the ring except
the capeaGores to enter in their turn.
Again we hear the bugle blast, the
door is thrown open, and the bull is
entering, coming from n dark stall
where he has been kept three days In
darkness. AS he enters under the rail
barbed steel point covered with flow
ing ribbons Is placed in his shoulder.
Maddened by the pain, he bounds for
ward to the center of the ring, where.
with head up and tail llshng the air.
he stops and looks around. seemingly
bcwildcrcd.
Now before the carnage begins 1t Is
magnificent sight. | shall never for
get 1t. The great, splendid beast paw
ing the earth, shaking his huge bulk to
dislodge the barbed steel in his shoul-
der, which only increased the pain, and
he bellows in rage and fury, the bands
playing. the thousands shouting. impa-
tient for the carnage \ look to the
right and left by the bull, and the un-
equal fight is on. \ cape is waved In
front Of him. He lowers his head and
makes the charge, only TO find il drawn
away, and he nearly breaks his neck In
trying to recover from the impetus,
but he never learns. for this is repeat
81 scores Of time before the death of
.he Oull, who Always charges Mt the
bright object and never ut the man.
Always when the bull is fresh at the
start he chases the cape throwers
around the ring, and TO save their
lives they leap the barriers. They did
on this occasion many times.
Now comes the really artistic and in
tercSting feature of the bulliight the
placing of the bandCrillGS. which are
darts about two feet long with
sharp barbed point and covered with
fancy cOlored ribbons. \ man without
Il cape or any means of defense takes
two banderillas, one in each hand,
holds them up facing the mad bull,
shakes the ribbons to call the bull TO
him, ana as he charges with his head
down the darts are placed just over
the horns in the shoulders of the
beast. The barb causes them to hang
as If they We're for ornaments, but us
he shakes himself they goad him to
rage and madness, and he bellows lus.
tily. These darts must be put in like
lightning. for the rule is that the man
must be facing the bull. ana the ami
NAL must be In action and on the at
tack.
1t is said that the bull in the mo-
ment Of attack closes his eyes, so it is
but quick decision Of the instant to
thrust the darts, step to one side, and
the bull passes, only to find another
man ready to do the same trick for his
further decoration. Eight or ten are
placed in every bull While this is GO
ing on and before all the darts are
placed in the bull he finds n picador
on horse in his way, poor, broken
down, blindfolded horse that cannot
see his danger. The picadOr manip-
ulates the guidance of the animal to
save himself. The bull madly charges.
Bull. horse and rider are mixed up in
a bloody, revolving scene that Is ial-
possible to describe. The horse is not
always killed the first time but is
taken out, sewed up, cold water dash
ed all over him and brought back to
enact the same scene over again until
dead.
The bull has killed two horses, Is
covered with darts, bloody from horns
to tail, painting heavily, and the bugle
again sounds the call for the matador
to enter and kill the bull. Sword in
right hand and little red flag in left
he crosses the ring to the front Of the
governor and tells him he will kill the
bull in the most approved style. The
red flag is on pole in his left hand.
He crosses his left arm over his
breast, throwing the flag TO his right
and with the sharp sword in his right
hand and held high. This gives him
fair play for the thrust. He flutters
the flag before the enraged animal, and
as the bull lunges forward to attack
the flag the matadOr drives the sword
to the hilt in the bulls shoulder or be-
tween them, cutting the spinal cord or
piercing the heart The bull falls to
his knees and lies down to die. Then
an attendant gives what is called the
stroke of mercy by plunglng a dagger
between the horns, which causes in.
slant death, and now come the mules
to haul off the dead bull. Then men
with wheelbarrows clean out the ring,
which is done instantly, and by the
time the dead bull is ont of sight the
bugle sounds for the second perform
ance, and the second bull enters. Less
than thirty minutes have passed since
the killing of the first bull.
In the foregoing | have told you of
the killing of one bull and two horses
Six bulls and many horses were killed