The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-07
TIE FIELD OF MONTEREY.
Visiting the Scene of General Taylor's
Victory Nearly Forty Years Ago.
a Typical Mexican City of Forty Thousand
People-Scenes and Incidents.
Quaint and Curious.
Correspondence Of the Indianapolis JOURNEY.

Correspondence of the indianapolis Journss.
MONTERREY. Mexico, Feb 20.-American enter.
prise aud money having constructed narrow
gauge railroad from Laredo. on the Rio Grande.
to this point, and beyond to Saltillo, it is not
much of journey to reach this historic and i'm
portant city of "the Land Of God and Liberty"
and to the tourist every mile of the ride is novel
and interesting. Leaving the sandy valley of
the Rio Grands behind the change in vegetation
10 soon noticeable; the cactus is more plentiful,
and OF longer growth; the Mexican palm and
Lnaguey plantcrowd themselves in among the mes
quite. and, wherever there is water. the wisache
and cottonwood lift their graceful branches high
above their neighbors The long distance be-
tween stopping places and the misunderstanding
people seen about the few adobe houses at the
stations. indicatethat We on the frontier. in
sparsely- region. l have seen much such
looking stations and people along the Union Pa
ci6c railroad in Wyoming and Utah. the shanty
taking the place Of the adobe house or jacal, and
the noble red man serving in place of the lazy
Mexican.
In q few hours, however, We come to Tampa
EOS. a city said to contain eight or ten thousand
people, though could see little or nothing of it
from the railroad. The low houses, hid among
the trees. about half mile away. looked like a
village and not city Not until got here and
walked through the streets and saw how the pop
ulation is packed in the one story houses, did
realize how these large towns could be so near
The railroad and yet make no show.
At Lampazos the Mexican soldier appeared on
the scene, and since then he has been omnipres-
ent. For this state of Nuevo Leon is under mar
tial law, and the federal government has sent
troops to all the important cities to take charge
Of affairs until the elections can be held over
again. This ragged squad about the train is
fearful lest some armed band is secreted in the
cars, and the sergeant looks up and down at the
faces of the passengers, like he expected us to
attack him. But We don't want to fght-what
we want is dinner; and we get it at Bustainante,
dinner of red pepper, seasoned with meat,
tortillas, beans, and some imitation American
combinations which the oneeyed caterer no
doubt thought would please the traveller from
She States
Soon we reach Villal jana, another consid-
cradle town, where ragged official of some sort
comes riding up to the train on a dirty, dun
eolored pony, and halts as near to the cars as
possible, AS if he would have us know that he has
hurried down to let US into his jurisdiction and
give his permission for US to depart. On the
band of his straw hat was stenciled "P. NJ, and
he had on q sabre OF which he was very proud.
Having been allowed to proceed, we soon strike
. spur of the Sierra Madre, called the Candida
mountains. and then begins the fine mountain
scenery, which continues to the end of the rail
road journey. The valleys through which we
pass are irrigated, water coming from the
mountains, and the fields are beautiful Corn
ia up six inches, wheat looks half matured the
vegetable gardens are filled with fourishing
crops, and the peach and apple trees are in
bloom about the adobe buildings of the hacien-
das. About the middle of the afternoon we
geach here. and find American street-cars to
take rs from the station to the hotel.
This is city of 10000 inhabitants, nearly
three hundred years old, and the most impor-
4ant place in northern Mexico. The houses are
built of stone and adobe, and are plastered on
the outside Some are frescoed in red and blue,
and few have stucco work, on the fronts, but
the most of them are dead white, and one looks
exactly like another Very few are more than
One-story high, and all have fiat roofs made of
windows opening on the streets all have iron bars
covering them, and the streetdoors are Of heavy
cak. In fact, these houses are built for defense,
Rs we'll as for comfort in hot weather, and they
are admirably adapted to both purposes. They
are ali built on the street line, the gardens being
In the inside courts. The store-rooms are very
small, and the goods are poorly displayed; but
back OF the stores are large warerooms, where
thousands OF dollars worth of stock may be
found Ssclusion in business as we'll as domes-
BIC affairs Is the rule. One catches glimpses of
She gardens and fountains, and of well-furn-
bhed rooms, but it Is by some accident only
when the great OAK street-doors have been left a
few inches ajar, or the upper half of the shutters
have been thrown open for light and air. When
She stranger is found to be looking. the door or
shutter is quickly closed by some one inside
In the various plazas the oranges are hanging
on the trees, and the foliage Of many unknown
plants and shrubs is wonderfully rich and green.
Three fountains play in the main plaza, a large
one In the center and smaller ones at the east
and west ends. 1t is beautifully laid out in beds
or plats, in which flowers are cultivated and
stone walks run through it and around the four
sides OF it. Here, on Thursday and Sunday
nights, the military band plays from s to IL
o'clock; and it is brilliant sight to look upon,
when the crowd starts its promenade around the
lighted walk, the gentlemen moving in an oppo-
site direction from the ladies' so that they meet
music, or watches the crowd from the stone
seats, which are plentiful along the walks, or
Joins in the march. Many Of the ladies are
richly dressed and beautiful They come with
out bonnets or wraps, and they wear short skirts
20 show their beautiful feet. Here the young
man must make love to his girl either by using
the language of the eyes or by passing
her notes, for he gets no other chance. There is
no such thing as calling on young lady or
taking her buggy-riding, or to the rink. Another
there are many-take the inside walk on the
plaza, men and women moving in opposite
directions. and they never think OF coming
among the well-dressed people on the outer walk.
The class line is drawn and there is no stepping
over it
There is a great gulf fixed between rich and
poor. AS yet the poor submit; but some day
they viii break away from their masters in
Mexico Revolution is an easy thing here. They
had one only a few weeks ago. and Monterey is
now under martial law. Soldiers are every
where, guarding the public buildings, on the
plazas, at the railway station and patrolling the
streets. But these same soldiers who are poorly
clothed and fed and rarely paid, will join the
poorest class of people some day and assert their
right to have enough to eat and wear.
One notes the shrinking. hairless dog. The
street lamps are hung in the middle of the street.
on wires stretched from opposite house-tops
Red flags indicate meat shops. The donkey is
everywhere, bearing his burden and provoking
profanity. shoat is tied on the back of one,
H. A.