Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-24
THE TOWN OF Ell PAS0.


|
[Chicago Times.
FL Paso Tex, March l3-El Paso is
u queer village. Mexican houses of
one story, constructed of sun-dried
brick, are Numerous. The principal
occupation of the Americans here
seems to be to fitch unsuspecting fell
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Representatives of
other nations do legitimate work, but
the sun is so hot, SO enervating, they
| haven't much energy, and so do as lit
tie as possible. Night is the time for
the sights. One doesn't have to look
! long to find number of gambling
houses here. | went in one. and TO
my surprise found "A woman throwing
monte with the manner of an old
hand And so she was. "Monte Kit'
| they call her, and she's been in the
business ten years. She's fat, coarse
featured woman of about 30, who
dresses flashily. with diamonds and
lace and gaudy ribbons for ornaments.
She ran "The Gold Brick" at Lead
vile in 1881, until band of her adj
mirer5 got together and invited her to
a free ride across the country, with the
understanding that she must take it
or have her ears slit. She went.
Living is eXpentive here. / am told,
though house rent is cheap. For nice
rooms, with a floor-a real old-fash-
Toned wood iloor-and windows, too,
may be rented for $50 a month. If the
floor and windows weren't there-and
not many are in houses in this part of
the Countrywide dwelling might be
rented for $40. The train conductor
has rented one, he tells me, but will
purchase house for himself later on.
He believes, rs ali others do with whom
/ have conversed on the subject. thai
I'll Paso and its sister city will soon be
twice their present size. The opening
of the Mexican Central railway raises
great expectations. | asked the con-
ductor whether he had ever run over a
Mexican.
NO" said he "and | don't want to,
either. i put one Oft n Mexican Cen
trail train amonth ago and he had me
arrested. He swore l had assaulted
him and stole two suits of clothes, one
worth $40, though the fellow had never
had but one suit at time and that
worth not more than 81. The judge, a
Mexican, wanted me TO pay the man,
but / wouldn't do it. Pm under bond
now and will have to go to the City of
Mexico for trial"
A train of the Mexican National ran
over q man near Monterey and went
on. The authorities of the district ar
rested all the men on the next train,
none of whom had known anything of
the accident, and kept them in Jail
forty eight hours.
Paso del Norte, on the Mexican side
of the Rio Grande, is far prettier
town than its American sister. 1t is |
distinctively Mexican in character
the houses all being of brick, or rather
dried mud Plants are numerous and
trees line the walks, and peach bios
SONS are to be seen. AS we ride to the
depot | see many highly cultivated
gardens, all OF which | am told are
worked by Cinnamon.
The Acknowledged heather is getting |
in his work here very rapidly. He
doesn't own the land he tills for the
citizen of Mexico the laws prohibit
him from so doing, So he rents the
land. He is making money fast and
saving the major part of 1t. Some
times he CANDLES, but when he does he
usually wins. He is dew
otee of faro and monte. Johns pos
sessions are watered by bitches lead
ing from the mountain-side. He keeps
the walls clean, covers them with
flower bushes, and otherwise does all
in his power to add to the towns at
Effectiveness.
Paso del Norte is where the Amerl-
cans and MeXlcans have their cock
fights after mass on Sundays. Gam
bling goes on all the week. Robberies
are OF frequent occurrence. AS most
of the American residents of the pass
prefer darkness to light, they don't
like newspaper correspondents. Every
one with any desire to tell the truth |
has been run out Of town. The last
was Fred May, q nice young man OF
some ability, who dared TO say vice
ran riot in El Paso, and the city au-
thorites gave it a bulge when 1t got
aweary.