West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-10-23
a MEXICAN FIESTA.
singular Custom Among the Middle aud
I.owcr Classes OF Mexico.

year. and tn success OF enc seems to
bo in no wise dcpcnd1nt upon the Silo
OF the town. The Fc,td Is generally
hold in honor of Somc saint or the Nir-
gin, though saints aud salvation are the
last things thought of when it is fairly
under way. I'm tho morning of tho
opening day the cathc' raj floor may be
throngcd with kuocling thousands
whose face, seem radiant with hlissful
thoughts OF the hereafter, but during
the rest of the icStal WOck the PRINCIPAL
knocling aud the most int rested faces
may be seen at the cockpit and tho
monte blanket.
No festal day in the Stutcs has half
the pleasures for the BOYS that the EcStd
has for the full-grown Mexican Tho
pure white element takes little part i'm
II, except to make money, and the up-
per class has almost nothing to do with
1t except TO look on for little while;
but for the Indian, the half breed and
the poorer whites IL is nearly ali that is
worth living ior, II thing that takes pre-
Ccdcucc of all else on earth. Hundreds
of miles the Mexican often travels To il,
sometimes with his whole family
the pondcrouS oN-CartS used jn tho
hacicndas For the GcStd the choicest
gamc-coCkS are saved, To raise money
To gamble with the best pig or goat il
sacrificed, and even the family ration
except peppers, may be- cIrlailcd
When he reaches town the Mexican
camps anywhere i'm the street or on tho
sidewalk aS suits him best. and turns
O..
skins, orange peel or the numerous
castaway scraps of masticatcd sugar
cane, which here takes the place held
10y the peanut of the American circus
some people who have something TO
sell erect booths of thin cloth or brush,
which serve also for saloons and rcstau-
rants and in one of these the whole
family lives, eats and sleeps. including
the family dogs, which, of course, 90
along to the show Somo less fortunate
on energetic spread their wares, bottles
or provisions ON the ground upon bit
of mat and sleep at night cured up be-
side them.
Gambling is ever the principal part
of the Gcyi0. Tho chicken fight. the
bull-hght, the dance or the tlea,cr oc-
cupy but II small part of the day aud
rent of gaming No matter what
crowd, may gather at the buIl-ring. the
chccry rattle of the roulette table never
slackcns, and around the monte game
the eager faces still beam increasingly.
Long lines OF booths surround the plaza,
in which, rs well as upon the ground.
every conceivable device for betting il
employed, from artist.cnlly-m ma
chimes that cost much money, down to
an octa@onal st ck with alternate sides
Of red and green, over which little boys
of five years old bet their cOppors on the
color that will b. upward when The stick
stops rolling. Outside of these gam
bling booths are long lines of portable
saloons, generally consisting OF two or
three bottles OF Dievm or tcguiiu-
strong liquors distilled from certain
yarictc cs of the Spanish b1yoHei, yuccn
or md9HiJ with two or three small
glasses These are sometime mounted
on q small stand, sometimes kept in a
basket and often spread upon the
ground beside some gambling gnme
whose owner can not AFFORD a booth.
The whole may be pres dcd over by
some dark-eyci dame, with n siclIN-
looking infant slung IN shawl over
her back
Though the Mexican are good mu.i-
clans. they rarely show 10 upon such
occasiong unless the brass band PLAYS
on tho plaza. But this viii seldom be
the case excepting in the larger cities.
whereas the fcstn at its best can be- seen
only in the country towns. Here the
dismal wall OF that long suffering mar
tyr, the violin, the shricks and groaus
of q tortured claronct and the tinglc-
bang, tinglo-tanglc- OF tlc guitar
will be about the only sounds that break
the soft murmur of me .OdiOus Spanish,
or the gay laughter Of the Jolly bcggor5
at the gaming tables.
Like an old-timc English fair the
Mexican Gcs'0 Is the occasion when
every one who has any thing 10 sell
brings IL forth. Around the plaza and
for q hundred yards or more down the
streets that load To- IL are lines Of mats
spread upon thc ground hcapcd with
all sorts Of provisions. fruits. candies,
pieces of sugar-canc. cakes and TOYS.
Shoes. cotton cloth, pottery. tobacco.
peppers, green corn aud peanuts may
all be Tor sale n thc same heap, and
tho woman who occupies the next
square Of ground may deal in live chick
iigrec work and old cartridges. no
two Of which would lit the Same wcap-
ON. Every one cooks cats and sleeps
beside the stock Of goods, and the mot
Icy d,e--e,, tbc motley wares. the Curi-
ou- dishes of food that arc over cook
ing, and lho curious cha0criu0 for
wares and intorch1n rc- OF compliments
over q barga of 20 few cents ln value
make tho whole % Gene through which
one long may wander with little loss Of
interest
Thu, The fcsio go on for two or
three days, perhaps, with unabatcd yig-
or, the gaming tables crowded uclrly
al night the streets and the plaza
crowded by day aud filled by night with
outslroichcd slocpcrs About th, fourth
day the crowd becomes yisblv less.
The losers who can no longer borrow.
iha poor white who has -uccessivcly
stakcd bis saddle his donkcys. his
scr0pe 1nd hi wIfc's shawl. steal away
ON foot along with thc peOn who has
lost his SANDAL. in wager against 70
siVponoe ON the whirl Of hand ON a
painted dial and can not find "a taker
for the tempting O0or of his shirt against
q H0ct (l CcutJ. iu dav or two
more the Ec.fu Is over by expiration Of
thc orthodox time. and the crowd scat
ters each one looking hopefully for
ward TO the next at some other town. -
San mega COR g. y POSI-
Fifteen hundred telephone instru-