The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-07-28
fe0eaal ANY Of MEXICO.
An Easy Ms.Aod Of Raising rtOOp.-Dl,.
| elplIne. UNIQUE Ilfe IN Camp.


An Easy MstAOd Of RAlslar rrOOp.-Dls.
elpllne- uaiqus Life In Camp.
Officially tho Mexican army consists Of
1880 infantry, with "a officers; nine
regiments Of cavalry, 4,116 men and 57S
officers, and FIVE batteries Of artillery
i,0l7men and 1850 officers. Then there
are 1909 rural guards with $50 officers,
and finally the coast guards, where there
are % officers to7i men. In addition
there are state military columns. q kind
Of militia called out to fight Indians by
the jefe pOlitico Of their districts-an
officer who combines in his person the
functions Of a sheriff and q police Judge.
Exclusive Of this militia the total mill.
tary strength Of the Mexican republic Is
1,O9s officers and 1855 men.
when there is any need for IN army
Mexico has at once, say, half y dozen.
They grow Of themselves, disband with.
out being mustered out, and each fights
for itself and often with itself. 1tirbide
Is reported to have said that the indi.
vidual Mexican was u thief; that In q
gang Of ten he was a guerrilla, and that
200 guerrillas made d Mexican army,
Though this may not DO universally true,
It Is true in part. Every man who has
the courage TO pronounce must COM
mence by being a thief, and under the
present enlightened governments Of Diaz
men are daily sentenced to service in tho
regular army as punishment for crime.
The man who 'pronounces' against eS-
tablished order gets together a handful
Of guerrillas and descends on the nearest
rich hacienda and demands 'prestamo'
forced loan-which Is followed by
'lleva, or draft Of the best poems on the
estate. He then retires to the mountainI
to organize and drill his men. With the
stolen money-for a prestamo' is never
repaid-he arms his force and in week
or two has quite as respectable a crowd
as the governmentcan send against him.
1.-THE cavalry is tho principal arm Of
the Mexican service, and though the
horses would excite the smiles OF an
American cavalryman, they are well
adapted to a country were grain Is not
over plenty, and endurance and not
speed or weight are considerations The
mounts are mainly mountain ponies, and
usually, except in the large cities, un.
shod. Tie uniform for all ranks Is much
the same, consisting OF blouse Of dark
blue, pants Of the same, and red iacings.
or course the cavalry pants are served
with leather. The KEPT is much the same
as our own, but not so high, and there is
an absurd attempt to give to the Mexican
| private kind Of Germanic air. The
fatigue uniform consist Of q dirty canvas
blouse and pants. Boots are not con-
sidered essential in the infantry, and are
only known to crack regiments. The
favored corps, even, which possesses
them never wear them on the march. A
piece Of old leather strapped to the foot
by rawhile thongs to protect the feet
from sharp stones and sharper cacti
sulfices for any private.
"The Mexican soldiers are armed with
Remington rifles and carbines Of the 90
calibcr model, the barrels OF which, after
the absurd French fashion, arc kept
bright instead Of being Drowned. On the
butt Of each gun dirty piece of paper
contains the name and number OF the
private to whom it belongs. Not one in
a hundred privates can read, but they
get use to the form Of their name, as a
kind Of obiect.lesson. Arms are very
valuable in Mexico, and to sell them is a
crime for which the soldier Is rewarded
with n sound logging, When arms were
missed and the real culprit could not be
found, captains have been known to fog
the entire company. This plan Of max.
ing every man his brothers keeper is
said to work well. OF discipline as we
understand it in the American army
there Is really none. The soldier never
goes through course OF 'setting.up,'
and consequently lounges around the
streets with stumbling feet and downcest
head, like the poor Aztec Indian, slave
and criminal that he is. Drill Is q hum.
bug, and except in a few cavalry regi.
ments seldom or ever takes place, and
punishments uro as unjust aS they are
severe.
"In his camp life, as in everything
else, the Mexican soldier is unique.
Each man has a woman, who follows his
fortunes, cooks for him, washes for him,
and shares without complaint his hard
fortune, On his pay, which Is only about
81 cents n day, both live; and, as n Mexi.
can receives no regular ration, the
cuisine is Of the most primitive clarac-
ter, On the march, these women, rid.
ing on buros Ia cavalier, head the col.
umn, and in few minutes after halt
is called, each will be busy with the tor.
tillas or tamaleS, or, inhush times, with
an ola polrida Of meat, chile, aud gar.
tic cooked in small earthcnwaro pan
Tor the delectation OF her lord and mas
ter. Those women are, Of course, lost to
virtue, but arc faithful to q degree to
heir 'companeros.' Mexican soldiers
ave no tents, that luxury being confined
to the superior officers, and few have
any blankets except their sarapes' to
sleep in. Even in barracks this Is the
case, Tie men lie down and sleep
where and when they can, often on the
cobblestOnes Of the court yard,-Chicaso