San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-04-12
Written for the FRsN rRrss,
"reminiscences Of Texas Veteran--.The
Santa Fe Expedition, etc.
By c. ERHARD.
tCopyrighted,
XVIII.
tCopyrighted.l
XVIII.
DY c. ERHARD.


like all Indian squaws, can swim, and they
do not mind to go in. bathing perfectly
nude, while men, at q not far distance do
the same; yet should man attempt to
swim to them, he would get good drub-
bing as well rs ducking, and be glad to get
clear of them.
What surprised and puzzled me most
when saw the first woman in New Mexico,
was her remarkably deep red cheeks. AS
could not be close to them, I thought at
first they might be mother marks, but being
so uniform, concluded it might be pecu-
liar rash or disease among them.
A month afterwards, some women nc
comparing our gaurd to Chihauhau, some
parties being on a trading expedition,
found one making her morning toilet. She
daubed on her cheeks some kind of red pig
ment with her fingers.
Now think of it, what fashion or fancy
can do with females; they really disfgured
their copper colored features with daub Of
nasty ground up soil.
| saw no common women wearing ear
rings. finger rings or gloves, probably for
the good season that they were too poor to
buy them.
In the interior of Mexico, the women
have more taste; they do not use that half
Indian style of ornamentation of bedaubing
their otherwise fair and pretty faces.
Again here I must state, that in Mexico
there are nearly only two classes, one very
wealty in lands and stock, the other class
extremely poor. A middle class exists only
in large cities, and they are either mechan-
les or small tradesmen.
Hereafter when further in Mexico will
describe the life of the wealthy Mexicans.
The intelligent and white Mexicans de-
scendea from pure Spanish stock; they are
still proud of their Spanish descent and call
themselves Castilians, and spealpure Span
ish, which they also say is the Castilian Lam
guage was surprised, that in Republic
like Mexico, this class Of people were called
by, and still retained their former ancestral
| titles of Count or Countess, etc.
| Another to me singular habit was that
they always addressed o person not by his
sirname, but by the given name. For in
stance, if person was of ordinary parent
age, they would address him as Senor Juan
(that is Mr.. John, leaving out his sirname);
if of high family, they addressed him as
Don, nearly equal to our English word,
lord.
Now have digressed very much from my
history, but as the many readers may know
nothing of life in Mexico, and the habits
of the people which they derived from the
Spaniards, 1 hope it was not amiss to ex-
plain those peculiarities and customs.
TO proceed with my story. In San Mig
uel we again met Fitzgerald, Van Ness, e.
Il. Howard, Navarro and Geo. w. Kendall,
who had been in durance vile about one
month before we arrived there, and who
were with 100 men in advance of us. The
balance of the 10l men for cause unknown
to me, were started off on the trip through
Mexico, and the latter retained still in San
Miguel
In San Miguel we were placed IN build
ing surrounded by other buildings; it being
only open to an irrigatory branch where we
obtained water; fuel we did not need, for
our ration was only a loaf of bread per day.
Kendall and the men mentioned were in a
different house. Our quarters, only room
with the described open court yard, was
well guarded, and only a short distance
from the Catholic church. We were not al
owed 20 have communication wilh any one.
1 will now begin with the extracts from
ar. Kendalps description Of his travels over
the Staked Plains
Would that could but initiate that excel
lent and graphic writer; my future narrative
would be 20 much more interesting. He is
the only one who ever gave US a complete
history Of the Santa Fe expedition, in fact
the only one who ever recorded il; and |,
not On experienced writer, with timidiiy
undertook to refresh my memory and after
more than forty years 10 give the reader in
cidents that BE- could not know, and some
that be thought Of little importance, such
as manners. life and customs in Mexico at
HAT time; for thoagh Mezieans are averse
to progression and improvements. they must
have learned much since they came in con-
tact with Americans IN vaz, and later