The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1886-04-02
MEXICAN SMUGGLERS,
THEIR WORK ALONG THE BORDER
OF ARIZONA TERRITORY.

In Companies of Fifteen or Twenty-A
Portable Treasury-A Variety of Illicit
Imports-Delicious Fruits and Fresh
observation-disclosures.
Among the first sights to attract the at
tention Of stranger in one of the little towns
near the border lines are the trains of snug:
glers, which may be 1uet almost any day on
the outskirts of town. The Mexican SNUG
glers usually come In companies Of fifteen OF
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 be lurking in the wild, mount
ainous country over which they must pass
in order to avoid the custonl-house officials.
Traffic with the smuggfers 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 nc 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-
PASiSC AZ WIN HlCEt Sdlu4Dl6i
Whom, after great deal of deliberation they
decide on the purchase to be made, they drive
the mules up to the store and make up their
packs for the homeward 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 a little buckskin sack, and
this the smuggler unties from the saddle in
kha laiS,roly ofh rI h,,;,,
it 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
TO count out the coin to pay for his purchases.
The sights of little town like Tombstone
seem to fill 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
70 pattern after the ways of the Gringos
themselves, and thus the contents of smug-
gler's pack have materially changed during
she past four or five years. At first the pur-
,hases consisted chiefly of guns, pistols, am
nunition, cartridge belts, ETC., with an ad-
iition of few minor articles, such as calicoes,
nee the possible advantages which American
boots and shoes might have over moccasins,
and so would take a few pairs as a venture.
Then came demand for cooking stoves and
utensils of all sorts, and soon the sewing ma
chime began to figure as an evidence of prog
-ess in civilization. Every new train takes
oack some novelty, and if it meets with Mexi-
an approval the next train brings the de-
are yearly increasing to quite an extent.
The smuggled imports consist chiefly Of
mescal, a beverage which looks as innocent
IS water, and which has all the properties of
very bad whisky This is made from the
nescal plant-a species of agaye-in some
way best known to the Mexicans, although
she process is variously described by tourists
But whatever the process may be, the pro-
iuct seems to be received with perfect faith
and finds ready sale. They also bring crates
II the luscious Sonora oranges; also little
.akes Of panoche, which is an exclusive pro-
luction of Mexico, made in some mysterious
way from the sugar cane, we are told. This
statement, however, must be received ON
taith, if not cum grano sails, at least with
great deal of grit and dark mystery.
IMPORTS OF MORE NOVEL NATURE.
pOWu@u SHiA3E WC uAO AoOAOo W4eh
imports of more novel nature The town
S then thronged with Mexican women and
children of the lower classes-the poems of
Mexico-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
mood nd tb,iS &c nffnv, trauAityy V1aintnA
stained in all the hues of the rainbow. They
bring chiefly mocking birds, but occasionally
beautiful cardinal birds and golden orioles
IRE 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 Ct
stone, and thus the cast-of wearing apparel,
too ragged to give to the aristocratic poor,
who are always with us, comes to be laid
aside in anticipation of "bird time, !" for moth
ing is too humble to be most gratefully re-
ceived by the Mexican beggar.
The articles mentioned above constitute the
chief imports that are smuggled across the
line, but every train from Sonora brings us
most delicious fruits and fresh vegetables,
and from the gulf at Guaymas are sent fresh
fish and oysters in the shell, breathing the
delightful odors of the ocean to men long ex-
led from the sea shore. As matter Of fact,
however, the fish and oysters did not meet a
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, as
well as the pomegranates, pine apples, and
fruit of the cocoa palm, which is shipped by
train from some mysterious regsSn OF the in
terior.-Tombstone iAri) Cor. San Francisco
Ghrenicle.