WORSHIP OF THE TOREADOR

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 15000, 27 November 1900, Page 3

WORSHIP OF THE TOREADOR

EXTRAORDINARY SCENE AT A

MADRID INTERMENT.

Madrid was recently the scene of one of the most extraordinary funerals that has taken place there for many a. day. It was tho funeral of a bull-fighter, and thousands of people wept over the grave. At Barcelona, Dominguin, one of the rising toreadors, met his death at the horns of an infuriated Miuru, bull.

A week before he narrowly escaped death while playing Escamillo in the realistic performance of "Carmen" at Bayonne, in which a real bull was introduced in the bull-fighting scene. On his next entrance in the arena he fell, and while the great audience was thundering appl ause at his rival, Dominguin died in the background. His remains were embalmed and carried in triumph from Barcelona to Madrid. The newspapers devoted several columns daily to descriptions of the hero-worship of the dead toreador. Then came the burial. The bier, accompanied by thousands of people, many ot them women from the poorer quarters of the city, arrived at the cemetery, where an immense crowd was waiting. The mourners, mostly toreadors, were separated from the bier by ths rush of people, and when the coffin at last reached the graveside there was a dreadful incident.

Tho pressing crowd forced coffin, priest, and several mourners forward, and they fell together in the open grave. There wits n. scene of horror and wild excitement, antl with drawn swords the police charged the mob and cleared a space. While the thousands (ooked on the last rites were performed over the body of the dead hero. But that wus not all. While the police were clearing the crowd out of the cemetery after the ceremony two beautiful women, dressed in black, drove up and made their way to the grave. The younger and more beautiful placed a, wreath on the coffin, and after gazing through the glass pane fitted above the face of the dead Dominguin fell swooning to the ground. She was a lady from Paris, who fell in love with the toreador at Biarritz.

Now that the f uncial is over the Madrid papers are pouring scorn on the popular toreador-worship.