Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-10-02
RoUGHING TIN MEXICO

N.
The state prisoners in Mexico are a
lowed fifteen cents.per day To 1--we oI
They are given nife "clackersn ever.
morning, aud are granted the privileg
of purchasing what they choose witt
the money, Qiquorsyexeepted). through
the policemen. TDaa person living il
| the Estates" it would ..scem almost i'm
possible for human being to exist oil
so small sum. In America it un
doubtedly would, but in Mexico tina
| is a fair sum of money to expend on 1
days victuals. The following is thu
general bill of fare for the prisoners: II
the morning, a dish of chilli niie
(shelled corn and pepper). 1t is boilet
until soft, then put in the pepper pre-
pared as heretofore described. This
meal costs three cents. For dinner, &
saucer of beans and pepper, and tive
pieces of wheaton bread, for which the,
are taxed seven Gents. Supper: A
dish of chilli cd,ne lineat and pepper)
and two pieces of brown. bread, costing
five cents. Making a total of fifteer
cents for the entire days eating. A
person can live very we'll on that
grub" although, we must confess, a
man gets awful hungry while getting
used to that style of living. The sol
diers are allowed fifty cents per day,
and have to board rdthemselves. Their
uniforms are dark blue poor goods
and poorly made-but they (the sold
iers) are such terrible hard looking
lot of men that good clothes would
only help to show off their ugliness.
BY the way, they have n curious
method of drafting soldiers there. II
man is arrested for anything, the
worst punishment you can inflict on
him is to make soldier of him. We
should have said the worst, except to
send him to the quicksilver mines.
They do not hang in. Mexico at all.
Murderers are either shot, or sentenced
to the quicksilver mines for life. I
have been told a man.never lives over
eight years if sent 10 work in the
mines.
The Mexican cart or wagon is made
entirely Of wood 1t has only two
wheels; they are about IL foot thick and
six feet in diametsr. From four toutsea
oxen are used to pull it. Instead o.
using yokes for the steers, the piece of
wood to which the tongue is fastened
is tied on to the horns of the oxen
across their foraSeads. A long pole
with a isiese - sfsHTf yfssn fastened IN
one end is used for driving.
Their plow consists of only two
pieces, both wood; beam about ten
inches in diameter at the butt, and
three at the other end, and about fif-
teen feet long. to which piece near
four feet long and four inches in diame-
ter, sharpened at one end, is fastened
about two feet from the end. In plow-
ing the peon holds to the big end of the
longer piece, raising or bearing down
on it, accordingly as he wants to sink
the pillow deeper or not.
We saw them reaping wheat, near
Huajuquilla. The grain was very ripe,
and, after cutting it with sickle, they
had to dip the heads of the wheat into
water before they could tie it in bun
dies. Their mode of threshing is curl
Gus. The grain is spread on the ground
and horses driven over it until the
grains are all trampled out. They
then pitch it into the air. The wind
blows the straw and chaffe off, and the
grain falls back Oh the ground. A
small sappling, with two branches
growing in opposite directions, makes
them a good ptchfork.
If in digging well, water is not
ound at depth of twelve or fifteen
teet, they abandon it and try ,S,me
,ther place. After water is fol.ai, a
pathway is dug down t., the
bottom of the well, so they can walk
light down to the water.
They have public schools in Mexico,
)ut we know little or nothing about
hem. We noticed one thing, howev-
n, which is somewhat strange. The
all study "Out loud" tilat is.
hey repeat their lessons over an over |
lgain i'm an audible voice until it is
AS the schools arr. very |
we'll attended and the scholars all |
at once, as can easily bs inag- |
ned, the noise is terrible. How the |
eachers stand it would be hard tell. |
Their churches have no seats or
benches in them. The congre,s. tion |
on its knees during the whole |
ervice. When we first went into the
country the people on the streets, when
,assing priest, would get down on
heir knees and take off their hats and
emain SO until he had passed. When |
We left about all they would do was to I
ouch their hats to them. With the
Idvent of Americans into the country |
he priest commenced to lose the pow
r and influence they had heretofore
leld over the ignorant and supersti-
ious people.
Numerous Americans were killed in
md around the towns, but, we have
ret to hear of the first instance ia which
he murderers received punishment
or their crimes. OF several murders
hat occurred in aud near Jimenez not a