Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-03-03
A MEXICAN FANDANGO.
Nothing but n Big Drunk and Q
Free right.

A correspondent says: Fandango
means dance in Mexican, and it is
certainly partly Spanish in every sense
of the word The Heurfano is a Mexi-
can village, about two miles from the
Arkansas river, twenty miles from Pu-
ebla, and one hundred and twenty-five
miles from Denver City The Heurfano
| take more particularly, for it is in
close proximity to an United States
fort known as Fort Reynolds, and con-
sequently | write this sketch under the
above title, it being one of the few trans
actions and sports upon the plains. A
fandango is easily gotten up, as follows;
| The Heurfano is run by Marena,
Joseph, Tom, and old Bill Autoby, all
Indian scouts for the United States Gov
ernment. Bill is the father of the three
first named. He buys up gallon of
old rot Whisky, and two or three
pounds of candles. He then invites old
and young living in his village, and
sends dispatches mp to the Plaza and
St. Charles, two more Mexican villages,
and comes up to the fort and says;
Boys, fandango tonight" The boys
apply for pass and generally get one
from retreat to-day until reveille of to-
morrow. You 20 down to the Heurfano
and enter dirty looking and dilapi-
dated hall, made of adobes, and lighted
up with eight candles; bar in one end,
and the fiddler in the other greaser
or Mexican]; two rows of benches on
each side of the hall; on one side filed
with Mexican ladies, and on the other
with citizens greasers and United
States soldiers. The fiddler strikes up,
the men go over to the girls and ask
them to dance. They never speak, but
nod their heads, signifying Yes or
NO., but generally " Yes" Then the
dance commences, the soldiers generally
preferring to dance quadrilles, waltzes,
polkas, and schottisches, because they
know them best, while the Mexicans
[greasers prefer their own native dances,
such as the conda, mandits, and slow
waltz. After you get through the dance
the women leave you very abruptly, you
following for your hat, she for her shawl.
She hands you her shawl, and turns her
back to you and you adjust the shawl
upon her shoulders and then she sits
down. You then rush up to the bar,
call for one glass of whisky, one glass of
water, and some candy. The whisky
costs you twenty-five cents, and the
candy, three small sticks, twenty-five
cents, and the water nothing. The ar
ticles are placed upon a salver, and you
20 to the lady and tell her to help her
self. She generally takes the candy and
of course you drink the whisky. The
fandango is kept up in this way all the
evening, until it breaks up in row,
which it generally does before twelve or
one o'clock. The row is sometimes
among the boys in blue" but more
generally among the greasers or ,Mexi-
cans.
The Mexicans are very cute. They
never spend money for dancing, but
rather too freely indulge among them
selves. Uncle Sans boys pay the
whole bill for fandangos. / have known
Mexican woman to fill her pockets
with candy, given her by her soldier-ad-
mirers and other women, and then 90
around by the back door and hand it to
the proprietor to resell. There is much
fun to see at these fandangos in the fore
part of the evening. The women are
gaily dressed and consider themselves
some pumpkins. They think a great
deal of the soldier, but their own men
they don't seem to like much, for they
1.-THE mem are the dirtiest and meanest
looking vagabonds. They are always in
debt, and too lazy to get in their crops
half the time. But more of them next
time. The fandango is great institu-
ton, and, as / have said before, it gene
rally breaks up in row. Some Mexican
gets knocked over, knives are drawn,
women scream and rush out of the win
dow, pistols are fred, the boys in blue "
leave for camp, pretty full, and nobody
hurt. Thus ends Mexican fandango in
Colorado Territory. 1t is the only sport
among the Mexicans and soldiers upon
| the plains.