Omaha daily bee., 1883-09-13
Fen Pictures Of Monterey and Its
Legends and Traditions,
How a Deluge was Miraculously
Stayed.
The Little Black Virgin OF the Bible
Scenes I'm the Cathedral.

"do' the town. We say carriage
from force of habit, but there is scarcely
such a thing in Mexico, except a few
private conveyances owned by the very
wealthy. The antique arks for hire are
a cross between coach, baroucho and
wagon, generally with white canvass
covers and no springs to speak of, and
an alarming tendency to fall to pieces
like the "Deacon's One.Horse Shay. +"
| have seldom ridden i'll one without
some accident having occurred. Some.
times the tongue comes out, and sudden.
ly the horses are seen pranoing ahead,
and l stationary, in the position of the
girl they left behind them. Sometimes
it is a wheel that concludes TO part com.
pany with us, or minor portions of the
complex anatomy of u coach-with whose
names | am not acquainted-strew them
selves like Peggoty's buttons, along the
route. But these dangers must be braved
if we would see Mexico, and in travelling
it is well to cultivate q comfortable
forgetfulness of ones bones. The regu-
lation price, by city ordinance, is fifty
cents per heur for carriage hire, which is
certainly enough. But the devices that
are resorted to to increase the price are
amazing. OF course the drivers sees at a
glance whether you are ito the manor
born," and if he imagines you are not
posted rs to legal rates, he will charge
you any price which his fertile fancy can
invent. If he drives you a moment after
night fall the price is doubled, and if
you send him indoors to make an inquiry
or to the road side to bring you q flower
he charges accordingly. A characteristic
and instructive incident occurred at
the Sturbride hotel the other day.
An American gentleman, DESTROYS of
seeing the sights, engaged a carriage at
the usual place. They returned to the
hotel in less than an hour, but the driver
refused to accept the 70 cents rendered,
demanding un pero-a dollar. There is
not a driver in Monterey who can speak
a word of English, and our American
friend could not talk Spanish, but, de-
termined not to be swind.ed ever out of
so small a sum. The services of an in
terpreter was secured, when the follow
ing dialogue ensued:
Traveller, 'did you not agree to drive
me one hour for 80 cents2"
Interpreter, ''yes, but you turned the
carriage top down"
Astonished ''hpve r "well, what has
hat to do with ito"
Interpreter, teller, says that the car
riage is so cents an hour, but if you turn
the top down so that you can look at the
girls and the girls can look at you, it is a
dollar an hour. This is the custom in
Monterey" W~hereupon the price was
paid As the coaches are 30 constructed
that it is impossible to see anything With
out craning ones neck out of the small
door, the top is pretty certain to be
turned down. .
First we drive to tho
BISHOPS PALACE,
which, from its name the unsophisticated
imagine to be a modern residence. 1t is
a ruin now used as artillery headquarters,
situated on Bispado hill, west of the
town. Our coachman declines to drive
us further than the foot of the hill, and
up we climb, under the broiling summer
oui1 Nv AiiS ilo" ol ItloSo IuSb-
eaten cannon which are lying all
around, were ever gotten up there. The
would-be wit of our party declares that
the climb-ate (climate) doesn't agree with
US, whereupon we retaliated by inquiring
wherein he does not resemble one of the
cannon aforesaid-becauseh n smooth,
double-barrelled bore, and these are sin
glel But, the top once gained, the view
amply repays the toll and trouble. Be-
lies the ancient city in its mountain
the heights close in all around
us, growing grander and more impossible
the nearer we approach them. Traces of
the American invasion of 1916 are every
whore seen. These ~dismounted cannon
were Taylors, (for he stormed and took
'palace," y and on the topmost peak
the lofty Sierrc del Silla, on the other
side of the town, the American colors
tloated over the downfall of Monterey.
In 1876 Monseigneur Verger erected this
palace, intending it for a summer resi-
dence for the bishops of
Linaros. On the front, a
beautiful little chapel was built, wherein
for many years was worshipped
QUE LAB OF GUADALUPE,
the patron saint of Mexico. 1t had a
magnificent dome, and some elegant
on the outer pillars, viii III are
still beautiful notwithstanding its present
forlorn and wretched condition. The
had a handsome altar and several
fine paintings, which, with the vest
ments and ornaments, were afterwards
brought to Monterey and are kept in the
Hospital de Nuestra Sonora del Rosario,
sustained by the clergy. The "Palace"
of the edihce was never finished. |
In 1916 Gen. Ayiedondo occupied it as
artillery quarters, and thirty years later,
the American war, it was changed
into a fertilization.
Next, it ia tho correct thing to drive
the various Notifications surrounding
the city, and recall incidents Of the war.
Although our soldiers were unquestiona-
bly, brave, it is difficult to enthuse much
over their exploits here, for the invasion
OF peaceful and unoiiending Monterey
the bloodshcd which ensued, seemed
uncalled for. The sentiment ex-
pressed il the old song, 'If kings must
fight, why let those who make the
i%uarrels be tic only onos to iigEtl'-
would, 81 carried out, rave the lives
ii many unoiiendilg victims.
the war there were bus
our ]strceta in MonteIey, about three
,intar3 m lcHg'h, running FROM cas- TO
,uat. through those streets the sOl
Tiers sJorned, ii hitting al the way, Every
house was Il barrie d. 10 b. ta'tou; every
Don u scene OF murder, Under all the