Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-05-28
IAYHAwKINe JOURNALISTS.
"Hans Mickle" Describes Their Ups
and Downs in chihuahua.
A Feast which They Failed 20
Find.
Correspondence FL Paso, Texaf, Herald
Or. NJ. McKie's Paper.)

the monotony of this staid old Next
can city, was the visit of the Kansas
editors. They came, they saw, and
they conquered-principally "purps.
The whole affair was characteristic of
the editors of the GrasshOpper State
and the city they visited. Not until
Monday were any steps taken looking
to their reception. In the afternoon
Of that day few Americans met and
discussed the propriety of making an
effort to entertain the BOhemians of
Kansas. Committees were appointed
and work was begun. They were
then informed that the Mexicans In
tended to lead in the matter of ex- |
tending the Inequalities of the city !
to the strangers. As this was GER
tainly the most appropriate, little
more was done by the aliens. There !
seemed to be no certainty as to the |
hour OF arrival of the excursion.train, |
some having it Tuesday morning and |
others Monday morning at z, and |
Others at 10. Finally dispatch came, |
saying they would be in at Z, and |
many went out to see them come in. |
But they did not come, and after |
everybody had given them up, the |
train pulled into the yard on the north |
side Of the river, and remained there, |
not coming into the depot. Nobody |
was on hand to welcome them, and
many Of the party with their ladies |
walked into the city, distance of |
mile and a half, after half past 8.
Now for the ludicrous part Of the
whole business. The Mexicans who |
had proposed to take charge of the re-
ception business, had invited a great
crowd othe Casino, the fashionable |
club room, where the editors were to
be entertained in grand style. "A
large crowd Of the youth and beauty
of the city assembled, arrsyed
in gorgeous style. But nary |
an editor put in an appearance.
Nobody had gone to the train to noti-
fly the visitors of the fact that they
were to be received, and so they wan
dered about the strange city like lost
sheep, while the entertainers (2) we're
having asplendid time-by themselves,
In the morning carriages were to be at
the train to conduct the excursionists
to the city for breakfast. In this there
was also a slight misunderstanding. |
The visitors were given to understand /
that carriages were free. A few pri-
vate parties did have their carriages
on the ground, but the professional
coachman don't belong to the free
hist" and as nobody had offered to
remunerate him for his services, he
of course asked those riding to hqui.
date to the tune OF 30 cents each.
after breakfast, which was partaken
at the hotels. restaurants, lunch stands
and anywhere else where it could be /
had, the parties then scattered all
around. Such scrambling to see
everything has not been witnessed in
this city for many day, if ever
No place is too sacred for tourist to
enter.
But you know how it is yourself. |
They were newspaper men, and wants
ed to learn all they could in the linn
tied time allotted. The day was ex-
ceedingly warm, but few of these little
editors took advantage of "siesta"
time. They were on the 90 all day.
l found many old friends among |
them, as | was once "poor Kansas
editor" myself. AS far as their inn
pressions of this place was concerned,
/ am not able to say, but l suppose it |
was according to the temperament and |
entertainment. As for myself, were |
placed in their position it could not |
have been very favorable. Just think |
of men who have just left land
slightly undulating, covered as far as |
the eye could reach, and all over the |
face Of their State, with a beautiful |
carpet of fresh, cool, luxuriant grass,
dotted with fine commodious farm |
houses. orchards, groves of stately |
trees, fields of waving grain, |
traversed By streams of running
water, and peaceful hamlets |
Of attractive, tasty houses, surrounded
with great variety of shrubbery, to
pass for hundreds Of miles through a |
country of parched, bare land, with |
here ard there at long intervals a
miserable mud hut, and all bordered |
by ranges of gray and brown noun
tains destitute of vegetation and then
to light into city OF mud and low
white houses, with grated windows
and dusty, hot streets, and you can
guess how the majority Of these peo-
pie felt and what impression they
have carried away with them. But
here and there you could find one who
saw nothing but romance in this an
tique city, Every rock and adobe
seemed to be habllitated with a.
strange story of wars, blood and love.
The persons of that disposition en-
joyed their day in chihuahua inN
mensely. To them it was a great
feast, and their pockets we're filed
with all sorts Of souvenirs. AT 8.
o'clock on Tuesday night they left
for the north. And now comes the
climax of Mexican entertainment
After every excursionist had left the
city and was whirling away at the rate
Of twenty five miles an hour, the band
came out on the plaza to treat the
visitors to music and the fair ladies
came out to do them honor. How
these exeusionists must have enjoyed
it some forty or fifty miles away
Well, the editors with their wives,
their sisters, their mother.in-law or
with some delinquent subscribers
wife, were here, have gone, and | am
glad Of it. My chief reason for re.
joicing is that they have somewhat
thinned out the pups" Such trade
!, for dogs chihuahua never saw before,
4 but it was not so lucrative as it has
e enjoyed on previous occasions, as
: they had read the papers, principally
the Herald's chihuahua correspon.
dent, and we're up to the regular pfices
: