The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-03-29
SQUID.
A Journey Into the Land OF the Montetumas.
fSccond lettcr1


written constitution and system OF statutes for the
republic, but esch state has its own laws adj
ministered independently. Trial by Jury occurs In
criminal cases only. Many times the trouble OF trial
Is not gone through With and snap Judgment is
taken, In the state OF zacstccas two hundred men,
known bandits, wtrc shot In one year by simple
order Of the Authorities. wells Fargo Co.'S ex-
press was robbed OF silver bar the other day, when
we were coming from FL Paso, BY three Mexcans,
who started across the country with II. They were
waylaid by three others, who took 1t away from
them, and Yankee detective, employed by the cx-
press company, overlook the three latter took the
| bar from them, and brought them to Chihuahua at
| the muzzle of his Winchester. The authorities
listened to the case. ordered two OF the worthless
shot right then and there, and sentenced the third to
fucaan for life. AT pass In the mountains, called
| Peccadilloes. where bandits used to congregate
where the railroad through, two three trains
had been attacked the authorities sent two regi-
ments there, gathered in n couple hundred OF the
| troublesome gentry, led them out, and shot them
without trial. There has been no trouble since with
| trains.
| Every man, II might be said, in Mexico, goes
armed. II not for oirense, for defense. hut part
| of the MeXicans can read or write-say third. An
| able traveller, observant, and writer estimates that
the illlterac number 6,5OOooO-about two.thirds OF
the population. That is Just exactly what Ia the
matter with the country. You cannot make q gov.
ernment better than the people thereof. To better
the government YOU must need go to the root OF the
matter; begin at the public school. n every boy,
high and low, were taught to read and write, then
goodbye to revolutions, bloodshed, anarchy, and
disorder We have no prejudice against the Church
of Rome and wc oarc no, whether tho lower or1srs
are taught to read and write Inv the prlost ana
brothers Of the church or hv tho mi
80 they are taught. As Cervantes said "Gve me
| the boy; you can have the man."
We must turn aside n moment kind reader
| to tell you a ridiculous story told to us
| by Yankee boy mere, VINO ia an EN-.
| ployee OF the government, and who supcru
tends the Official telegraph lines We youch not for
the truth thereof but tell II as IL was told TO u.s. lie
ia young man of five or six thirty has lived I'm
Mexico number of years, and speaks spanish very
| well. Among his workmen he employs some McN,-
cans who are worthless as assistants lint they are
| hired for policy's sake lie recently mt IN work
as a lnc.man n wild fellow, an American. from
Texas who, outside OF little weakness for shooting
at innocent folk when he ia In liauor is yery clever
| chap, and very popular withal. A few weeks ago,
in one OF the back towns this Texan went on little
| Jerry and promenaded the town strpped stark
| naked, with a revolver I'm his hand. Seeing a MeNi
can senori,a sitting at an open window with cat n,
| her side he took deliberate aim and shot the cat
The military were called ont to arrest him, but he
retrea,ed to the fountain in the plaza got n and by
| threatening with his revolver Kent the military at
bay. More of the soldery were sent for aud he was
| overpowered and dragged to trial and immediate
| sentence The Alcalde heard the evidence and Or
dcred the soldiers to shoot him within the hour
Just then his employer appeared and asked the Al
| calde IL he had ever been in New York City.
| "Never. senor"
| ~ thought not, senor. Were you ever in the
| United States?n
| "Never, senor."
"Why, senor, In Central PARK, New York, have
seen ten thousand naked Americans promenading
| 1t lisa national pastme there. This man has lust
come to Mexico and knows no better. Surely
| senor, he is not TO be shot for thatn
| "Ah, senor, | am glad YOU came to thus enlighten
me or should have done a great wrong TO the re.
public and the prisoner but the dignity of the law
must be upheld; he will be fined five silver dollars
| and discharged
| And so he was.
| Another story: When the Mexican Central began
| running the locomotives and trains were wonderful
| things to many Mexlcans in North Mexico and the
cavaeros came on horseback to see them one of
them was full of pulaue one tay and the train -men
bantered him TO lasso the locomotive Not to be in.
timidated he did so when the train started and be-
fore it could be checked his horse was dragged to
death and he was badly bruised. Highly incensed
he made complaint to the Alcalle. and he (the A.
ordered the into tail and kent them there
| for fifteen davs
This city ia the capital of the RepubIic II il ait
uated in a VALLEY forty.two miles long and thirty
| wide and is surrounded on all sides by mountains
In this valley are six lakes that were originally one
and the waters of four of them are salt and are ooo
| feet above the level of the sea The old tradition
and history of the ancient CITY is bloody and when
the Spaniards took possession In November, 1919,
| they continued its sangune tale In many respects
II looks very like Spanish town. and in other ways
IL is unlike any other cty-a uniaue mass of stone
brick and mortar There is not a yestCe of the old
| rho
city is well laid out, streets fairly paved, run at
rghtang,es and street cars run in almost every d-
| rertion Ihat ia an improyemeut-street cars-that
ls found in all Mexican towns and cities to perfec
| tiop Mu,es are used and the cars are bult in
| America.
Very few of the houses in this city are more than
two stories high, and they are bull, very sodly with
| brick or stone walls and roofs. There is not a
| wooden or metal roof in the CITY of Mexico
| The Valley of Mexico has ALWAYS been subject to
| overflow and many engineers with different plans,
during the past three centuries have tried to drain
| 1t. The Nochistongo, a tremendous canal thirteen
| miles long and three hundred feet deep was cut
through the mountains to drain the valley but 1t never
worked satsfactorlly II is believed that this is the
| most tremendous hydraulic enterprise ever under
taken nv man and IL ia estimated that the lives of
10000 laborers were sacrificed In the work. All the
dirt was carried ont by hand labor on the backs of
| the workers
Il
| the spaniards: the women dress in mantillas and
| wear the graceful lace iauntily thrown over the
head. like thew do in Spain. and the national instru-
ment ia the gnItar. Horses are cheap and every.
body can ride we'll. and the Mexican dandies force
in main small hand and foot Ia considered n s,un
| of "blood.r The Indians. or lower orders. wear
but few garments. n cotton shirt and drawers a
straw hat and raw hide sandaIa ia all thew want
| An the laborers are Indiana and thew work we'll
| The houses of anv nretensions are spanish-built
around n court two stories high with iron bars
| about the lower ,vndows Thev can be converted
Into fortress in verv few minntes and ara always
readv for n revo,u,,on The streets arc rent verv
clean nv hand labor and are snrInkled freanen,ly
| vim water carried in small snr,nIlnu po,s
| We had tho n,easnre IN mee, ond trave, with
/ Monselgnor Eulopio O. Gi,Iow. H.. D.. Domestic
| preIa,e of tho Pone. one Of the most ac-
| comn,shcd and ,pruen,sl men In MeYco and tho
| Delegate and Commissioner General from MexIco
tn rho Ernosi,ion a, New Or,eans lie sneaks rnanv
lanouaoes and ia fu,Iv alive tn the imnortanco NJ
| awsreniny MerIco with rai,roada and immigro,Ion
| Ue baua Win deIiobt tho American travail ,bat Is
| bey,nning IN aow IN this ci,v over the Mexican
Cen,ra sa,roaJ and he,eves that Tho Two rennh,,cs
| wuI hecome aImos, ono when ,ve,ded tooeth.r hv