Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-10-21
MEXICAN SMUGGLERS.
THEIR WORK ALONG THE BORDER
OF ARIZONA TERRITORY.

g
In Companies of Fifteen or Twenty-A
Portable Treasury-A Variety of Inici,
Imports Delicious Fruits and FresL
Acknowledgements.
Among the first sights to attract the at
santion of a stranger in one Of the little towna
near the border lines are the trains of snug
glers. which may be met almost any day OH
the outskirts of town The Mexican Snug
gleIs usually come in companies of fifteen or
twenty, riding on mules and driving the
requisite number of pack animals ahead Of
them, as they must rely on themselves for
protection from attacks of Apaches, who are
always liable to I've lurking in the wild, mount
ainous country over which they must pass
In order TO avoid the custom house officials
Traffic with the smugglers is what the mer-
chant most abhors, for while their purchases
amount to quite little sum, they must mean-
while be kept under the most careful surveil-
lance, as no article is too insignificant to
tempt their thievish natures, and nothing so
valuable that they dare not make the at
tempt to purloin it. If detected in
a theft they give up the stolen
article with an air of injured in
nocence and await an opportunity to re-
place it with something more valuable
When, after great deal of elaboration, they
decide on the purchase to be made, they drive
the mules up to the store and make up their
packs for the homewai'l trip.
Their money, which consists chiefly Of
Mexican dollars, or "adobes" as they are COM
monty called, is invariably carried with the
pack, tied up in little buckskin sack, and
this the smuggler unties from the saddle in
the leisurely manner of his nation and brings
il In and throws it on the floor of the store
with the utmost indifference, apparently pay
ing no further attention to it until he is ready
10 count out the coin to pay for his purchases.
The sights of little town like Tombstone
seem TO fiji the smugglers with wonder, and
they go about the streets and in the stores
like children staring at everything with the
greatest curiosity.
AFTER THE WAYS Of THE GRINGos.
Little by little they begin to discover the
uses of all these novel articles and are tempted
to pattern after the ways of the Gringos
themselves, and thus the contents of a Snug
gler's pack have materially changed during
the past four or five years. At first the pur
rhases consisted chiefly of guns, pistols, am
munition, cartridge belts, etc, with an ad-
iition of few minor articles, such as cahcocs,
ovsralls etc After a while they began TO
sce the possible advantages which American
boots and shoes might have over moccasins,
and so would take few pairs as venture
Then came a demand for cooking stoves and
utensils of all sorts. and soon the sewing ma
chine began to figure as an evidence Of prog
taly,
back some novelty, and if it meets with MeNi-
can approval the next tram brings the de
mend for a larger supply, and so our exports
are yearly increasing to quite an extent
The smuggled imports consist chiefly of
mescal, a beverage which looks as innocent
as water, and which has all the properties of
very bad whisky This is made from the
mesral plant-a species of agave-in some
wav hest known to the Mexicans, although
the process il variously described by tourists.
But whatever the process may I've, the pro
duct seems TO I've received with perfect faith
and finds really sale. They also bring crates
of the luscious Sonora oranges, also little
cnkes of panoche, which is an exclusive pro
duction Of Mexico. made III some mysterious
wav from the sugar cane, we are told This
statement. however, must be received on
faith, if not cum grano sails, at least with q
great deal of grit and dark mystery.
IMPORTS OF MORE NOVEL NATURE.
Along toward spring we are flooded with
imports of a more novel nature The town
is then thronged with Mexican women and
children of the lower ClaSses-the poems of
Me1ico-who come grotesquely loaded With
bird cages containing various kinds of the
| singing birds of that region. The cages are
very ingenious in construction, and often
quite elaborate in design and finish. They
are made of slender twigs of some very white
wood, and this is often gaudily painted or
stained in all the hues of the rainbow. They
bring chiefly hooking birds, but occasionally
beautiful cardinal birds and golden orioles
are offered for sale. The women and chill
iren, like the men. are most inveterate
thieves and shameless beggars, but such pa
thetic looking creatures would melt hearts Of
stone, and thus the cast-oif wearing apparel.
too ragged Ia give to the aristocratic poor,
who are always with US, comes to I've LAID
aside in anticipation Of "bird time, = for moth
ing Is too humble to he most gratefully re
reIved by the Mexican begEar
The articles mentioned above constitute the
chief imports that are sruggled across the
line, but every train from Sonora brings us
most delicious fruits and fresh vegetables
| and from the gulf at Guayrnas are sent fresh
fish and oysters in the shell, breathing the
delightful odors of the ocean to men long ex
lied from the sea shore As matter of fact
however, the fish and oysters did not meet g
| very enthusiastic reception after the novelty
had worn away, and our chief supplies are de
rived from California We appreciate, how
ever, the bananas the oranges and dates, az
well as the romegranates, pine apples, an0
fruit of the cocoa palm. which is shipped by
! train from some mysterious region of the in
terror lAri) Cor San Francisco
Chronk,ls,