The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-09-20
~ MOUNTAIN or prry.-
ExeAsneel

MOUNTAIN or PITY"
 lExcAsnee.l
 Everybody whc knows much abeui Mexico has heard of Senor Don nedre Romero de Tegrerus. the krss count ci Regla-who was plain pesef Terseros nntil luchy mining adventure made him oae of tho richess men cf the last century. hsesr rezreros. . shop-keeper of limited means, conceived what vas at 6sst cen- sidsred the wildess of ideas, via, b drain the aeandcned Real del Monte hy means of tunnel through the solid rock mile snd . quarter long from the level oi the ssreAm till it should strike the Santa lSxisAda shaA He toiled with varying success fsom t7so so tre., whea he sesuck . marvellous oonanxs which ios the nexs twelve years yielded an amour, of silver that in our day would appear faoulouA Pain Peter became count. % wealshy that he furnished the people with more fables than Cs9sus cf old
 He It vas who furnished the celebrated Monte de Piedad in the city of Msxico- one of the most beue6eent institutions in the world and in the year Iy7s en. dowed u with 800 ooo The name Monte dc hedad. means hiei ally Mountain of Pity and gas not misappl,ed for more than 100 yeArs this nasional pawn shop vas . sure protection to the public iron the ruinous extottions of usufers, by whom. no doubt, Peter Tersefos had suffered in his days of obscurity. IL was sumpeucusiy regulated and protected by the goveEnment, and vas intended solely so assiss the needy tn times of temporary embarrassment by lending money. on liberal terms and at reasonable rates of interest. on deposits of leweiry. plate. mese ehAndise, and other movable articles. Alake in peace and was. and through changing forms ot government. i,x honor vas held sacred and the trusts unmo tested durirg the revolutions and over tuseiuGs that devassased the country. lt is estimated tha, tor period of ios yeArs II afforded aksistance to more than soo people daily As early ss iS5o. osficiaf records show that up so that tune t had given aid to E, or applicants. and has distributed siI .o5s 7o,. hes,s.es kss.ss given sij.,74e m alms aione' IL ~as ruled by a general boaid ef directors, who received the pledges These articles were appfniscd at . fair valuation. the full amount ot which ldcduc,ing the ,n- tesess) vas immediately paid to the pawner. The articles were retained six months, during which time the owner wAs allowed to withdraw them upon se- fusding the sum advanced ii the deb. vas not pad q, the end of that time. the pledges were disposed of at public sale, and if they brought more under the hammer than the original valuation, the difFeseaee was refunded to the owner. proceeding not much like the business principles of our ch.tham street " un- cles." The Monte de redad occupies a palace bu,l, by Costes opposite the grea, cathedral. and IS one of the most interesting places at ,he capital. livery species of garment may be seen there, from the sssiered rcboso of the iepesa to the lace nan,illa of the noble dame 1. from the blanket oi the beggar ,o the military cloak and Jeweicd s~o,d of the impoveri he'd officer Some of the $. o.t splendid table sefvices of silver and gold ever sa~ are erosded into the plate rooms and as for Ie~eis Aladdin xould have considered his tabled palace a poor affair compared to the cxske's oi hiaung diamonds aud every known prec,ou, stone. tcT the magn,i,cenee ef which Msx,- can ladies are pfovesbsai ln the year 1850 having zn available fued at GOO GOO and unimpeas habie credit. the dlres tors of she Monte de iiedad deter mined so Inerease Us capacities for use. fuiness by adding ,o us pa~nbsok,ng bussness the operations of baking essabli .hmeni. Under the new charter then obtained it vas auth ori,ed ,o issue notes of circulation. called oestis,t aiss, of denominations from sI to ti ,ooo. These potes were issued oniy rom the mother bank, and were redeemable there os al any ot its bsanehes n silver coin They were also receivable fos federal isxes {, duties and los all local imports ia the fsdssal district and in several ststes of the republic. The Monte de fiedsd had eight bsanches tn the city of Mexico, and had recently established osheu in various cisies. The amount of its paper in oiTeu- latioa vas no, publicly knowa. As no re- porss were pvblished but it's honor vss considered like that of old Csssr's wife
 till one 6ne morning people woke up to hnd its dooss closed aad bewiidesed crowd ciamoring ia vais outside Sssh- ing is sacred ln these days which can
 bs,ng eoid to tile cofsefs si the pfssl6en. and his sdvtssrs not even the bene efseent institution which had prevented so much dssgrsce and misery through century o' revolutionary diffcaIties. and Il w.s ui- iesly ruined by demand from the gov. esnmens upon it for more money ih sn its treasury eonsained. ii still csrrsss oa . limited pawn businsss. bss .s 90 crippled and impoverished as to be little Like the old " Mountain oi Pity"
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 Nr Wager snd the Orphan conm.ssss Ksnsaeky State Jesrnsl.