Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-05-03
CHIHUAHUA.
Three Days in the Most American
lied City of Mexico.
InnOceDts Abroad all the Way
From Memphis.

lett Ill Paso for a run OF 20 miles
south, but not down, through the mid
die of vast valleys with great ranges of
blue, gray and rock ribbed mountains
on each side from five to twenty miles
distant. As to the matter Of altitude,
ri Paso, almost the extreme western
part Of Texas, is 1915 feet above the
level of the sea, while chihuahua city
is 1878 feet above. Yet each place, as
approached, seems to sleep in valley
and is almost surrounded by noun
tains. The starting point was Paso
del Norte. The party proper consisted
of MIR M.McKie,o of the ElPasO Her
aid; Mrs. A. l.. Smith, of Little Rock;
Captain w. E. Smith, Mr.. j. A, Hays
and three other Memphians. The
Mexican Central is a splendid road.
1t runs through what appears to be
little more than a cactus guarded
desert at the start and was built as if
to outwear the rock of ages. The last
and best car was comfortably filed
with people. The first half with well
dressed, respectable looking Mexicans,
the other half or rear end with Amer
leans, mostly tourists, like ourselves,
with rather vague and underlined ideas
of Mexico. To add to the suspi>
cion that there might be Apache
indians around, survivors of Victorias
band, through whose former
dominions we had to pass, or other
danger, there was strong military
guard in the next car, heavily armed
squad belonging to the cavalry branch
of the service. They had no horses,
but we were assured that they would
easily capture all they might desire to
use eff the train were attacked by In
dians. After this the valiant Amer
leans ceased to feel uneasy about their
diamond pins and other .valuables.
Fifty miles out in the midst of sand
hills too poor to sustain cactus or a
sprig of dead grass, a cheerful spot,
marked by three crosses, is pointed
out, where the Apaches murdered a
civil engineer corps some two or three
years ago. A few miles south of this
the signs Of water are seen. A small
lake, mirage like, comes in sight,wit a
great rancho back lit, and soon the
station of San Jose is reached. This
is seventy-fOur miles south of Pasc
del Norte. 1t is an eating station.
Two or three box cars constitute the
entire hotel. There is modern rail-
way station and telegraph Office, also a
large water tank supplied from we'll
by a wind mill, and Mexican mud
house few rods of. Some herdsmen
with belts full OF large cartridges
saunter about the platform. They
wear broad sOmbreros, spurs and some
other clothing. There are enough Of
them to clean out all the Americans in
sight, but they never seem to think of
such a thing. To the east a particu-
larry tall mountain is pointed out as
the place where Victoria and his band
met their just fate some two gears
ago. This is aspecimen station. There
are twenty altogether, though some
are not so important, between Paso
del Norte and chihuahua.
The last halt of the trip
is through one great valley
in which streams of water
signs Of agriculture and many
thousands Of cattle and sheep are to
be seen from the train, with here and
there flock of feet footed antelopes
as in Western Texrs. Two wealthy
Mexicans named Mueller aud Ter.
raZas own this valley which is fully
twenty miles wide for a distance Of
one hundred and ten milestone Of
them | believe is Governor or Lieu.
tenant Governor. They own hundreds
OF thousands of cattle and do not pre-.
tend to brand them or even have then
watched. They simply claim all il
sight and sell off when it suits them
keeping isort Of general account
Their vast possessions have more thar
doubled in value since the railroad
came along.
chihuahua is easily seen in the cleal
rarifed air at a distance of fifteen O
twenty miles. 1t rests apparently
against the foot of bold, blue noun
tain, grand in its naked sterility, We
bathed in the softer coloring Of tn
atmosphere and sky. The city, ap
preached by rail, reminds one o
oriental pictures of Damascus, An
tiooh, even the more rocky an,
broken city Of Jerusalem. There ar
rows Of fiat rooted houses, there ar
men in picturesque costumes in tn
fields that might be taken for Aslaticl
Women carrying jars Of water an
trees that in the distance might pre-
sumably be palms and domes, nina
rets and large square white houses I
fill up the picture. But Just as til
touches are filed in and Syrian vi
lsge finished the American engiu
fires a triumphant Yankee Doodl
blast, some railroad shops ar
passed and the depot is reached
A row of omnibuses, carriages an
wagons are backed up and passenger
are informed in FIVE different lar
guages-Mexican, Celtic, Jersey Cit,
Dublin and Louisville depot--wher
they had better go. The poetry of IL
situation is lost in scramble for seat
and the grip required to secure han
baggage. When the bus is full, an
g.. ,.no..la - AZ