Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-08
OLD VERA CRUZ.
INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES AND
HORRIBLE FACTS.
A Celebrated Town with Grassy
Streets-Novel Way to Capture
Observation-Disclosures Alive.

Rambling around the grass-grown streets
of this old town, one finds many traces Of
the past, especially pertaining to that pc
Rod when buccaneers ravished the coast
and robbed the treasure-ships Of Spain
Like all other Hispano-American seaports.
Vera Cruz has its traditional tales Of hor-
ror. The history Of the buccaneers, and
their exploits of blood and booty, are too
familiar for minute repetition. They
originated in a laudable effort to
>avenge the gross wrongs inflicted by
Spain upon traders from other nations who
ventured to traffic within that vague region
which the Pope, as Gods representative
had bestowed upon the King of Spain 10
conquer and subdue" 1t was Elizabeth
of England, who first raised the question as
TO the validity Of the Spanish sovereign 5
claims, and who insisted that he had no
rights to America beyond those of discov-
cry followed by possession. But the King
was too good Catholic 10 have his rights
thus called in question, and when a'heretic
ship was caught lowering about the West
Indies, or anywhere upon the Spanish
main, the horror Of priests and the avarice
OF officials at the approach of heresy to
their shores led to summary dealings with
the Iuckless crews and their cargOes. The
lnhuInan treatment which Spain thus IN
hIcted upon honest traders aroused men to
seizures by way of retaliation and soon ii
came TO pass that vessels bound for those
seas went fully armed Private war was
the result, and the superior proves of the
Dutch and English soon made sad havoc of
the plumber which the Spaniards had been
wringing from the defenseless natives for
more than a hundred years.
THE FILIBUsrERs
Finally degenerated into pirates and rob
bers, and the Spanish kings galleons and
all the towns upon his American coast
were victims of their depredatioss. The
fury Of the buccaneers was mainly directed
against the monks, and when sacking
town they never neglected to pay an es-
pecial visit to the converts. When Vera
Cruz was sacked by the English corsair, in
1903, he compelled the nuns and monks to
carry all the plumber of the town to his
boats, which lay tossing in the harbor
Vera Cruz has some thirty schools. sew
eral hospitals, an house, and asvIums
Tor orphans, the blind and the insane The
city is lighted both by gas and electric
lty, and is well watered from the Jamapa
river. Among the most famous of its an
Gent landmarks is the old church Of San
francisco, now used as a public library
Among many other graves. which are scat
tered between the book-stalls in its dim
and quaint interior, may be found the
tomb OF one Of Cortes' graud-daughters.
Inc InqulsluOn-an enormous thick
walled pile near the center OF the town
has been transformed into tenement houses
and several children now eniyen the
gloomy courts that once echoed grOans of
human anguish. The converts and m0l-
1aSteres have all been put to use as public
schools.
Just back Of the Alameda-which is q
beautiful promenade, with long lines of
p.nk-tnted adobe benches beneath rows
OF towering cOCOa-p alms-isa very remark
able old church. built by CUryez soon after
the conquest. Unfortunately the craze for
cleanliness which has desecrated most OF
the ancient sanctuaries by alleged :. i'm
proYements, has not spared even this.
Outside II is speck and span with fresh
paint and gliding, and the fat-legged saints
and no-legged cherubim clustered about the
entrance have brand new stucco dresses,
which may perhaps be better for the pub
lie health, but is death to artistic beauty.
There are several good hotels at Vera Cruz
several theaters, casinos and club-houses
and the usual superabundance of churches
with grotesque interiors.
he tWO-StOred casas Of adObe-all uni
form in hight and nearly so in stvle-are
tinted pale-green, pink blue, yellow, and
each has blinds and balconies of darker
green. Every balcony Is shaded bV long
canvas curtains-gcna orally white, or striped
red and white-which, tapping loosely in
the wind, present such an unusual appear
ance it is not to be wondered that Mrs.
Ulysses ;. Grant inquired, on the occasion
OF her first visit here, why everybody had
their blankets out
ABOUT THE PUBLIC SQUARE.
The municipal palace, with its long lines
OF arches and e. C., t .,,-,s, Unfolding
transparent clock makes an elegant
showing on the eastern side of the public |
square. Directly in front Of it lies the
loyeliest Of plazas, called =" La COnstitu
cion," where tiOwery walks are shaded by
palms and Indian laurels, and where mill
tary bands play every evening to the spout
ing stone mermaids that grace its central
fountain. The splendid market place
known as La Plaza del Mercado was
erected nearly fifty years ago, at the cost Of
more than hundred thousand dollars.
Here in the early mornings we procure our
daily supply of Cuban uguucqtcS for salads
and an infinite variety OF the most luscious
fruits and flowers the tropics can produce
Hundreds OF knocking birds and top
knotted cardinals echo the general DIN in
this characteristic Mexican market and
yeliow-headed parrots, with marvellous
talking and singing powers, can be bought
for few pesos.
Vera Cruz is an exceptionally gay town,
even in this land of light-hearted people
and its citizens are forever giving brilliant
balls, attending fetes and parties and pat
ronizing operas and gambling booths, re-
gardless of the fact that death is always
gathering harvest, with yellow jack for
his reaper. And yet it must be confessed
that the ancient city is rather melancholy
with its grass-grown streets and the hun
dreds of huge zopilotes (black buzzardsl
that are perching everywhere. To kill one
of these filthy scavenger birds, whether by
accident or otherwise, insures a fine of s..
though they swarm in the streets in count
less numbers, like vultures upon a field of
battle,
WIND AND INSECT PLAQUES.
When northers blow-which is about
three-quarters Of the time-then the True
Cross city is dja5lreindeed. Fierce winds.
that shake the strongest walls of solid
stone, sift into the houses clouds of fine
hea-infested dust, for the virgin soil here
abouts is filed with pestifer0us little in
sectS. All the walls and towers of the city,
especially those facing the harbOr, are
scanned and SCARED by the boisterous gales
that are forever blowing over the gulf
Vera Cruz norther must be experienced
to be appreciated, for neither pen nor
tongue can 90 the SUBJECT justice. Imagine
night in this earthly hades, with the
thermometer skylarking among the nine
ties, every crack and crevice of your habi-
tation Theoretically sealed in a vain en-
deavor to keep out the dust, Vet singing
clouds of it-freighted with fieas-sifting
in somehow and settling upon every object
while the walls around you sway with the
force of the simeon, the roof momentarily
threatens TO go sailing away, and the raging
gull, dashed into fury, comes roaring over
the ramparts.
NOVEL WAY TO SECURE A HUSBAND.
A curious tale of feminine creduIitv is