Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-02-09
CORRESPONDENCE
A FEW FACTS ABOUT MEx1CANs.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT MExICANs.
LAREDO TEXAS, Jan. %. 1884.
To the M1NINe JOURNAL.
As several have assured me that my
letters are appreciated by many of
your RAIDERS I will again trespass on
the columns of the JOURNAL.
What write is perfectly reliable, as
I have it from men Of und,ubted We
racity and from observation person
ally.
The Mexican is very peculiarly con-
stituted and if in his judgment it be-
comes necessary to do anything all
else excepting the bare fact Of that
necessity is thrown from his mind, and
under these conditions the harshest
side Of his nature makes its appear
ance. For instance, when party of
soldiers are ordered to repair to some
other point or 60 on long scout, q
crowd of stagglers invariably follow.
Most Of these are women and they get
80 many additions to their numbers ON
the way that they become nuisance
and it would puzzle an American off,
Ger to get rid Of them. This cannot
be said Of the Mexican, however, for
right here the quality l am attempting
to illustrate comes to his aid. He has
two methods of leaving the rabble be-
hind. The mildest is to ride into Tor
over them if they don't get out Of the
way) their midst and empty his six
shooters among them, killing some,
wounding others and leaving them lie
where they fall withouta sign of emo
ton exhibiting itself on his hard fea-
lures. Another (and it is almost too
barbarous to reiate) mode is to plant a
stake in the ground, leaving long
sharp point exposed about two feet
above the earth. Then two soldiers
catch hold of a woman 60 and she is
impaled by being thrown down on
this sharp point. Then the rest are
told if they don't want to share the
same fate to 60 back or stop whore they
are. Sometimes few will take the
advice, but the major part will keep
right on and all along the line of march
can be seen evidences of the efforts
made by the officers to decrease the
number of followers. They say in ex-
tenuation that it is necessary to do these
things and therefore it is right.
They have not gotten over the treat
ment they received from the Ameri-
cans at the close of the Texan war for
independence, and they take advan-
tage of every opportunity to get even.
Since the railroads have got into the
interior the chances for venting their
outraged % feelings have been aug
mented very considerably. If drunk
en- Pelado dover class of Mexicans)
lies down on the track and is run over
the whole crew on the train is arrested
and jailed. If this were all it would
not amount to much, but justice is so
tardy in its dealings, being hindered in
all possible ways by the authorities,
that crew of six men have laid in
prison a whole year awaiting trial, at
the expiration of which time, in one
case that know of, they We're released
because the charges were unfounded,
the man having been murdered and
placed on the track for the purpose of
concealing the crime. A short time
ago an engineer who had run his en-
CINE over man only escaped by send
ing her at her highest speed from
where the accident occurred to Ell
Paso, Texas, thereby getting safely out
OF the country.
AS an illustration of the moral tone
Of society the fact that many, even in
the higher classes, assume the maiden
name Of their mother, giving as their
reason that they know her to be so
while as to their paternity they are al
ways doubtful, is sufficient proof of
their looseness in that respect. The
children are always named for the
saint on whose day it came into the
world, causing in many instances a
whole family to be called by the same
name. They soon, however. from
some incident with which they are con-
nected or some popularity in their
makeup, get nickname by which
they are known ever afterward.
Their utter disregard for the laws of
the Republic is evidenced in their still
persisting in compelling the Interstate
duties to be paid on goods in transit
through the country. (The State Gus
tom houses were ordered abolished
some time ago. A striking illustra-
ton OF this is to be had on looking
over the accounts of the way the in
vestigation of the Mexican National
train robbery affair was managed.
Positive orders from the president were
for time not complied with, the gen.
naS,I