The Arkansas banner., 1847-04-07
MEXICAN CORRESPONDENCE.
STRETCHES Ry IL. 4. w."
CAstARGo. Mexico, } Fehrtlary 4ih. Is47. |

oar blankets, when the identical Mexicafs bearing
 with them inc identical coffee pot and napkin, but
 without the aforesaid old rooster were marshasied in bv the puna,nsl AIcslde for morning nesi |; ] which was despatched with es little cersmesy as I tha; oF the preceding evening--5ut interspersed
 with sundry hints thai our strength would not last
 long on such light diet h about half an hour after
 breakfast we had roaued over the whole town with
 out finding any thing to interest us, and returned ! as of one accord to oar quarters. The young wo- men, if there were any, were as shy as deer; the lnea were surIy. and SC sought amusement only e. i mong ourselves. TlIe Padre was becoming polite,
 and was teaching Latin and Philosophy 10 those
 who were willing to listen could understand ua-
 til prisoner was brought in. recognized as one Of
 1 Ramirezs men, who obs,ineiely refused either 10
 tell where the mules q the robbers had concealed i themselves, until the Tppe around his neck and aboat to be stretched when the priest, mortified at
 such a punishment being inflicted in his own yani
 aud before his owa eyes, begged him to confess,
 when he stated, thai both had gone of to rancho
 about thirty miles distant, whereupon he was set iree as before we could reach them they would no doubt be somewhere else and we were not in a
 condition to burihrn ourselves with prisoners of such little note. Ifyou can imagine what dozen
 loaiers penned up in q room with nothing on earth
 to do, could find to amusc them, you nay we'll con eeiye how We spent the remainder of the day. l There were among us some musicians, So we pro cured a violin, and notwithstanding the old Padre l came in soon after, with his head bound up and i looking the picture of dispair the bow would keep scraping and the eat-gut keep screechng, and the
 "5'hoys" would keep singing until bed time. One circumstance produced universal good humour: al dinner we were regaled with first course bowl of
 greasy water, pepper salt. and garlic; 2nd, suudry
 plates of bones from which the soup was made; sd
 dish of mutton and pepper pods fried in lard, and
 lastly coffee enough for about half the number that
 were ;o drink it. not forgetting the iortiilas. Human nature, or at least American human nature could stand this onger the Alcalde was politely in- formed that we could not continue to live upon such
 au unusual iarc and in consideration of OFT agree
 ing 10 give him day to collect the required number oi mules he agreed that we should be bil
 Ietted out half in one and half in another place where we should be differently treated. He was
 good as bis word, about eight o'clock he inform
 ed us that the animals would now be fed Ac-
 coidingly our party, composed of the advance guar1, the Colonel, one of the Doctors in the crowd were conducted to a supper which truly did
 credit to host both in the style and quantity as well as quality of the feast The next day was
 passed much as the preceding, except that we had good fare all the tune, But the violin had been ta-
 ken away under the pretence that it was wanting to be used in the chgFch although the headache of | Padre induced him to forego mass fer that day. ] The only incident of note was the burning of the
 ranehe on the other side oi the river which we had discovered was the rendezvous of the robbers in
 more quiet times, and the place from whence de-
 tlchment of Kentucky cavalry were fired upon some
 weeks previous. In this detachment our Mexican
 mule owners who accompanied the detachment
 sent out for the purpose, were said to have talk
 en the most malicious delight and the first to
 set fire to the thatch. Having 10 other amusement
 the slaiceS of wit and aRecdote were opened, ani
 story telling riot until night closed the would yoa had been there 10 have appreciated and laughed with us, for l know well that not one of
 the party will ever forge; the tales and incidents of
 those two days al China. The next morning the quota of mules was complete and we were to start. The question was. how the mules were to go back
 to the fort at the rancho of the old Bonface Don Antonio; but that would make i've days jaunt for those wh9 were to return tc Camargo. II was sup
 posed that it would no. be necessary for all to go with them, as the robbers were upon the San Juan
 below, in the direction of the passo Sacatte on the direct road 10 Camargo, which was by that route
 only about seventy five miles distant should we all
 go together to the fort dside he party the great
 CT number going with the mules ani thc rest s.rike
 for home the nearest way and run the chances of a
 despgrate struggle? We agreed upon inc latter
 and having taken leave of our companions and kind hosts, who, no doub', were well pleased with our i going, onr advance guard, Col Morgan and about eighteen men, set out for Camargo. The guide, on ! whom we could not safely depend, was gwen into
 the charge of Rogers and myself with the instruc-
 tons that fl We were led into any ambush, 10 at tend to bis case first. We set out al a brisk rot- 1 passing through the ranche of Los Toros ahou, tyveiTes miles ifes Giiaa aHa attFe+l a iAe Passe i Sacarte without meeting any foe. This passo Sa- carte IS large fortified ranehe, and saiG to be ia
 vorite haunt of the Ladrones, but the Alcalde as sured us that none ol his people were among them
 but did not dey that they might be in the neigh
 borhood; our guide changed his horse and We push
 ed on, narrowly scanning every foot of chapParal on the road until about ten miles from Saeare, we were startled with of the most horrible sights ever beheid--a man had been hung by his feet 10 a tree on the road side his back and head presenting the appearance of his having first been partially rOAsted-upon continuation we found il 10 be the body of Mexican, and had been there several days. questioned our guide, who prolessed to know nothing of 1t, but that Candles had proclaim
 ed that suck should be the fate oi all he could take ! alive, whether Americans or Mexicans connected with them, You may welt suppose that ali wefo deeply impressed with the sight, cur excitement was wound up to the highest pitch, and We pro- eeeded cautiously along the read boEdered with thick chaPparal. until we entered large open grass prairie, where at about a mile distant,