The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-02-12

Letter from The Editor.
NO. XXU.
EScASr,n,. (Mrico,) }

our locality agar. We have, however, tins tine
been obliged to do no hard marching, although
We have done more than was necessary.
We had been ordered to our present locality.
q narrow pass about equi.jistant from Aqua
Nuevs aud Salln,) hut instead Of stopping here,
Gen. Wool took us within five miles of S,llIlp,
whence, after day's halt, We were ordered to
cnuntfFmarch To this place, where We think we
shall lay on our oars for a short time.
There is No news Of any consequence herea-
bouts. unless we rely upon runners, in which ",
have I'ng "so lrarned to place very little coufi
dence. The best au,henlca'cL tina, has got all AT
to-day, l., that one Of the three General, here
has h''n ordered to repair TO Tampico, (Nnhoul
his con'mand), a d as neither Butler or Worth
Is Wiling 10 81 under such circumstance, the
presumption is the man will be Wool. Then
The general expectation is though this is not
even bounded on a rumor that a good part Of the
forces III this region will shortly be ordered to the
ceast and "a We have d, ne all the hand marchinc
and have ye' BEEN at no fmdmso (,hus Taylors
heroes call haulc) 1t is further taken for grant
ed that We viii he anorg thosp s,nt by gsy of
/ giving Us 4 chance.
! There have been some more exceedingly small
u"lhgs IN camp within a day or two, which can
only menion for want u something more inpOr.
Ian' 10 write about. There were three men, (pri-
'atos) yesterday discharged without a trial. il
di'g'ace aud without pay, and to-day ordered to
be dfummed out of camp, whose offence the vol
unleer' generally think, uLder ell the circum-
stances, did not deserve punishment. Two were
accused OF stealing each Mexican blank ct, and
The other Of shooting al a MsIican's Dig -
Stealing may be stealing, whether from
Mexcan' or Americans but you cannot per.
suade the volunteers that the offence, under all
the circumstances, was as great here in The for.
mer at II would be in the latter case. There is
no people on earth more alroit at the business
Than the NeSlcans are, or drive it more briskly (;
aud al. hough they have more than once been
caught in the act Of stealing from the soldiers, |
know not OF one that has been punished Ivy Gen.
Wool, further thda to order him to return the
property and 10 Jon.Os. One Of the plans they
have pursued 10 this One Mexican would tax e
cn)lher Mezican's horsc. or Eul,, OF c,..sr ricce
OF property and go into camp and offer it at al
unusually low price. or course he would soon
have buyer. Then in DAY or tao, would
come ihs realoSner and represent that the horsc,
mule, or the Ike, had been stolen from him,
would prove property, and the General would or.
der II 10 be returned. Thus. more than one sol.
der hes been swiudleL, and among them Capt,
Smith, Of Chicago, 10 whose company the two
accused of stealing blankets, belonged. He va,
cheated on, Of fue horse in jas, this way, moi
week age.
Gen. Wool has, however this 10 plead in mili
CATION, that there has been stealing, or ralh
er tGking from the MeEcans, than merely these
blankets. In the mountains arc und us, away "
their sides, on flats and in ravinss and small val
Ieys, ate many shepherds, with large Aock-, that
subsist in these bleak and desolate lookin places
and since We have been here. many complaint,
have been made that the soldiers in rambling
over these hills, commit age, by firing int,
their hocks, killing indiscrim inaiey, cid ant
young, and carry oil the lambs and kids. That
ouirages Of this kind have bcea committed there
10 no doubt, but as the perpetrators have not been
discovered, Gen. Wool may have determined L
make an example Of the first men he caught a
stealing anything, and was thus I'D 20 lyal SO Sc
yerely with the three men mentioned.
have spent but one night in Sall!o, since w
are here, and can promise you no description q
the lace. can say, however that it is by ia,
the largest Mexican city We have met. 1t is sal,
10 contain 10 900 inhabitants, and the building
generally are altogether above those Of Mouclovl
OF Psrras. The water, too, instead Ofbcing takel
through the streets in bitches, is conveyed II
ippes, undyrgrovn', and ia every square or pub
tic place, aud nearly. ipIesnme every rich man
: kitchen, has lis fountain. The principal church
On The main Plaza, will arrest the attention o
: every Passcr by; not so much On account OF ii
siupenduus sac, as the inca 'culabIe labor tina
has been bestowed OF its front. There is carve,
in stone here, believe, e'ery important even
IN the history of the Saviour from the Concep
tim TO the Ascension, besides know no, hoy
'nsny more sctptural subjects. In g,zng on il
caanot say that was dazzlcd by its beauty o
richness my only feeling was establishment a
the labor. The same richness, it is said. mark
the inside, bu, this had no opportunity Of sec
ing.
The whole Of Gen. Wouh's command is quar
), tered in town; and they are comfortably situate
enough, in comparison with US poor fellows tht
5 are shiverIng in January winds, in tents. Tn
town is full Of Americans-not only soldiers, bu
i suffers, pedlars, 'peculators, gamblers, &c. &c
in addition to all Of whom there is an America
e Circus Company there, whose nightly perform
Is ances attract fun houses. The morals of III
" place woull soon be thoroughly Amcricanizcd, c
i rather, should say sohii9ised, were it not fc
V the strc, regulations introduced by Gen. Butte
Is and The strict police tina, is kept up. As i
y liquor is hand TO get at, and gaming &c. &c
&c must be done in very dart corners.
id |
Correspondence of'he "Frec Trader"
Of FROM MONCLOVA.