Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-11

throwing or the red 'manullettas betofe
him. which he follows bllndly, and the fight
is on
El TorO and HIS Position.
The bull has already been maddened in
the pen. and as he enters the ring the
man at the entrance above him drives
sharp instrument OF iron. with point like
fishhook, into him at the shoulder and
adds to his frenzy. This instrument has
a wooden handle. to which streamers OF
ribbon OF various colors are attached, maxi
ing a striking effect The sight Of the red
capes. the applaudlng spectators and gem
eral Surroundings infuriates the beast and
he makes a mad dash for the nearest man,
whose skill in lodging is called at once into
play, he jumps aside. while the bull
dashes by, only to rush at the next flag
with renewed speed and murderous intent.
This is called the "capa act' and most Of
the "toreros" take part and they are given
an opportunity to exhibit their expert skill
in lodging and to show how easily and
gracefully It can be done. After this comes
| the placing OF the ''banderrillas' and the
crowd who while applaudng to the echo
show signs Of a waning interest, and the
| "picador,' on horseback, attracts the no
tice OF the bull. AS the bull rushes madly
at the "picador" he Is repealed with
plea, but makes repeated efforts to gore
the horse, until some one Of the "capas"
comes to the rescue, when he abandons
the horse and pursues this tormentor, who
is one of the aids to the principals.
Part Played by PicndOrs.
| If the picador fails in making a successful
defense the horse must take the worst of
it, which is nearly always a matter of re-
greet The bull sometimes attacks the plea
| ba ed
chances Of safety, and he must rely upon
the ingenuity Of the capos for his protec-
! ton IL he escapes with his horse. The vic
/ torious picador at this crisis Is received
| with deafenng applause but If in a scrim-
mage the picador is thrown from his horse
| he must lie perfectly still, while the capas
comes to the rescue, and by directing the
| attack of the bull to themselves they effect
the escape of the picador. When a horse is
| thrown down and gored, but not wholly
| disabled, it is dashed to its feet and made
to undergo another turn about the ring,
and many times when disembowled is
brought into the ring again. after being
rudely stitched together by the doctors"
on the outside, and urged to another bout,
and all this for the entertainment OF men
and. alas, women.
Sometimes picador fares badly, too. and
must be helped from the arena, but in spite
of many vows to the contrary, 1t is said
that they invariably return to the ring. 1t
is in their blood. Sometimes copa does
a pretty turn by kneeling. back turned in
front Of the bull. but should the beast make
for him he would clear the spot with light
ming speed. The loreros, often without
cape or banderrillas dance in front of the
BULL taking the risk of dancing almost be-
| tween the horns, where the slightest step
would be fatal, Just TO please the crowd
and make an interesting spectacle, and so
the sport is continued for half an hour,
several horses having been tossed mean
while, when the bugle sound by order Of
the lord high executioner is given, and it
| is understood that one of the matadors
must now kill the bull.
MatndOr Ends the Scene.
This must be done by taking position
in front of the bull and plunging a BAN
derrilla, on the top of the beasts shoulder
into the vicinity of his heart This is one
of the most daring feats of the bull fight,
and when the matador rushes to- the CEN
ter of the arena and throws his hat to the
audience and with banderrilla and nag
faces the bull, the applause is at its
height. He waves the flag just in front of
the bull the animal makes a plunge for
IL
If successful, buries the instrument Of tor
ture into the bull, up to the hilt and he
slowly sinks down g dIe. Another stroke
with knife, just back of the horns. and
the bull is dead, and the howls of delight
from the spectators bear witness to their
love of the amusement. The fighter bows
to the admiring audience, who throw him
all sorts of gifts, in testimony of their APP
probation of his skill and daring. Then
the mules come in and drag out the dead
bull and all the horses that have been
killed. and one round is declared ended.
The placing Of the bandarrilla, which is
an instrument of torture twenty-four
inches long, and must be stuck into the
shoulder from horseback, is considered a
very difhcult performance, and is ae-
complished only by those high in the
profession, and the horses used in this
case are not blindfolded, but are trained
to the work and are rarely ever Eored, as
they are high bred and spirited and know
what is expected OF them and are ridden
barebacked. To succeed in placing a BAN
derrilla while still seated is a daring and
slxillful feat and TO do this and escape
from the position requires not only nerve
and agility, but confidence in their abil-
ity, and 1t, Of course, calls out loud and
prolonged applause.
other Features of the show.
One of the most fantastic acts of the fight
is where the mules usually three white
ones" bedecked in ribbons and the national
banners, come into the arena, after the
matador has dispatched the bull. and tri-
umphantly drags him OF, while the "band
plays on" and another bull is brought in
for slaughter. Unless from three to six
bulls and from six to ten horses are killed
and a man or two touched" the fight is
thought tame.
There are rare occasions when a strong
and agile bull will leap out of the ring
and land in the seats occupied by the spec
tators In this case the bull must be shot
but infreauently not before he has gorec
and trampled upon many helpless people
The imagination win easily supply tbs
sensation caused by a catastrophe like
that
The carcasses Of the dead bulls are giver
to the city for the poor and many Of then
go to the prison, and many people who gC
to the fight get some consolation by re
membering this, together with the fact tina
the poor horses ridden by the picadors ar'
| 10 hot hurt