Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-08-18

a long letter TO the New YORK tribune
under date of July 20, writes in the
following dolorous style from the City
of Mexico:
NATURAL BORN THIEVES"
AS to stealing, the lepero is a thief
from his mothers arms. 1t is fact,
and l state it uncoufrmed to me by
the chief of police, that nine out of
everv ten Of the boys and men found
in the streets OF Mexico, peddlirg
papers and lottery tickets, or solicit
ing light employment generally, are
thieves and pickpocketS, and only
you on the lookout for an
opportunity to plumber you. So nu-
merous are they that the police can
not distinguish the bad ones, as in the
United States and in European cities,
but class them all as capable Of any
crime.
Now, to be perfectly frank with the
readers of the Tribune, the animus of
this may be found in the fact that |
have had a valise stolen from me, and
under the most aggravating circum-
stances. But to be equally frank with
myself and equally fair, | have waited
ten days before writing this, and in
those ten DAYS have set on foot inquiries
that have elected the following facts:
| have found that hardly a person
visiting Mexico has remained here
three months without losing some
thing of value. have not conversed
with a single person that has resided
here that length Of time that has not
been a sufferer. Before my recent
loss l was as one travelling with his
eyes shut; | had visited places reputed
dangerous even to life, had carried a
revolver hung upon my hip for four
months, had trusted implicitly my
moros and companions in regard to
property, but was only looking for
some danger to my person. | laughed
at the stories Of plundered friends
until my eyes were opened by having
the matter brought home. With some
experience with the police here, |
would like to say that they, though
so numerous, are as inefficient and as
useless as the thieves are bold and
successful. There are organized
bands of robbers here that pulsue
their trade as Systematically as in
Europe. An article Of value taken in
this city is at once sent to Pleuba and
other large towns aud sold there;
while those stolen there are sent here
for sale. Night and day these degraded
Williams are on the watch for anything
lying about loose.
A MAN WITH A GRIEVANCE.
A disappointed dealer in agricul-
tural machinery met me the other
day in Puebla. During the excite
ment attending the visit Of the Chicago
merchants to Mexico it was Thought
that all Mexico needed was improved
agricul gpral implements to enable it to
take rank with the great nations o.
the world. An enterprising Chic2go
firm forthNi it'll shipped down Q large
lot, including the latest inventions of
powers, reapers, thru 'hers, etc., with
several men to instruct the natives in
their use, | met one of these men
the Others had left the county and
he YVES, to use his own expression, "in
a frame of mind" Said be-
1T is Just holy terror! TIL e
people have just about worried me to
death. Here I've been here more'n a
year. and how many mowers and reap
ers do you think I've sold? Well, sir.
| amt sold onel These Mexicans are
just caution to sDakesI Why, they
come here and get one ofmy machines
2nd take it out on their plantations
sud smash it oil to pieces, and they
say faint good enough for 'em. And
the worst of it is. | have almighty
hard work to get Che pieces OF
that machine back to the shop.
They'll never buy what they can 81 ,al
or cheat q body out Of. No machinery
is good enough for 'em. Here arc
Mexieans wbO've lived all their lives
without seeing an improved MACHINE
Of any kind, and who've plowed their
land all their lives with stick, that
are just too wise to learn how to do
anything. A few men have got all
the land, and they keep it. The only
way is to tax the land, for at present
these OwneRs of large haciendes thai
cover leagues and leagues Of territory
don't pay cent Of tax. The workinl
people are only slaves, the best of then
getting only two reales a day and Gnt
| themselves. It's no wonder tina
evarVbody's a thief Why, thts
beggars are 30 poor that they neye
have twenty ceRts With 'em over night
Not thing is wasted 10 this country
the last bone and scrap Of meat, an
bit of old rag, is carefully saved. why
they've even driven the buzzards on
of Che country. A vulture would b
ashamed Of himself everlastingly if h
eat and lived a@cpg the filth thes
) Mexicans do"
1t happened that we saw some WI
lures slJAng on the trees OF the pase
. the same afternoon my Chicago frien
conveyed this information to me. br
/, he insisted that they were imitation
g -that live one couldn't live here
n This government" continued b
. does everything to encourage Il
i hacendado, or proprietor Of large e
8 tates, to hold on to his large tracts
}. land, and discourage every attempt
/. a stranger to locate here. There was
Frenchman who put up a Touring mi
u and commenced to do q big busine,
: The millers here became Jealous az
a the next thing that Frenchman kpe
o the government clapped tax Of 81
! on each set of burrs; and now tb
. man is just sitting in his ruins. loOI
70 ing wise. And steall What Won e
If lying about here that these poop