What would Sheriff Pogue do?

For The Madera Tribune

Matador Ramitos prepares to dispatch the bull in 1901 at Madera’s Fiesta bullfight.

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Madera put on an “authentic” bull fight at the turn of the 20th century. Here is how it went, straight from the pages of The Madera Tribune.

Madera’s bullfight in 1901 was part of a “grand fiesta. The promoters went to Mexico and hired Manuel Ramitos, a well-known matador from the state of Sonora, and a couple of assistants.

The Mexican bullfighters were seen as “rather small, but evidently tough and wiry.” No one doubted their ability to do the job; the newspaper praised them in exalted terms, asserting that “While their equals might be found, it is impossible to discover their superiors in the gentle art of toying with gentleman cows.” With the appearance of the matadors, Madera made ready.