Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-30
THE ARMY I'm MEXICO.
It is an Institution Which is Con-
spicuous on All Occasions.
DIFFICULTIES TO BE MET WITH
By the Traveller Who Attempts to See
Everything in the Land.
A PICTURE OF MIRACULOUS ORIGIN
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH,

squads. 1t turns out in the morning, in tn
middle of the day and in the afternoon
parts of it seem to be always on the march
1t has drums, but no flies that I could dis
cover; bugles there are in abundance. TIL
bugle call has the air of jig tune with
halt in it. The "rub-e-dub" of the snar
drum is abbreviated, and lacks the exhilar
alton so inspiriting to the Yankee soldier
The men are small, but look neat in thei
blue uniforms.
Ny first introduction was early in tn,
morning. Hearing the bugles turned ou
of bed and made for the window. The peo
pie on the street paid no attention whatevel
to the passing display; the street car excited
as much interest. The pageant consisted o
IL drummers, IL buglers, officers ant
privates. The officers marched on the
sidewalk and the others i'll the street. The
bugle call rang out shrlIly and when il
ceased the drums endeavored to cheer the
way, and so, alternately. The street cal
triver going to the Viga footed single
blast on the brass horn by way of refrain,
and enjoyed this performance every morn
ing. A military funeral one afternoon
brought out about 5000 men, so I learned
that they could muster in squads of more
than dozen. The people, however, did moi
consider the regiments of any greater i'm
portance than the corporal's guard.
There is another division of the army
which goes in rawhide sandals and linen,
scantily trimmed with red. I understood
that the army is recruited, in a measure,
from the criminal ranks; that when a man
is convicted of any offense not of, very
grave character, he is given his choice Of
playing soldier or going to prison; and the
prisons are not overcrowded. Some 200, ,00O
men in the republic march and draw ra-
tions and maintain fair state of health.
A SMALL ARMY OF POLICEMEN.
In the City Of Mexico there are &, 800 po-
licemen, who stand around and keep order
at dollar a day per man, and there is
economy in it, to say nothing of the enjoy
ment that a sense of security brings to the
citizen. During the night these guardians
stand on the street corners and whistle to
each other every Is minutes, slow, plant
i've whistle that has an "all's well" sound
about it and reminds one of the days we
have heard our fathers talk over with sly
jollity.
The courts have a way of their own in
melting out justice. understand that the
newspapers AOty WAtu COm-
ment on the proceedings. When party
charged with an offense is convicted the re-
porter may SO state it and stop there; sensa-
tional head lines and interesting details are
not in the fashion. learned of the pro-
ceedings in one instance of petty theft,
that indicates the course pursued to insure a
wide dissemination of the laws influence.
A boy was arrested on a charge of stealing
a quarter at one of the public baths. During
his incarceration prisoner is not permitted
to receive visitors; even his own father may
be thrown into prison without bail should
he attempt to see or relieve his own offspring.
The near relations must have implicit faith
in the proper administration OF justice and
in the exalted character of the officers OF the
law, they must understand that no innocent
person can by any possibility be convicted
by these guardians, who take as deep an
interest in the supposed offender as his own
father can. p
The boy in question was, upon examine
ton, found to be innocent of the theft, and
the offense was fastened upon another lad
The guilty boy was given the full penalty
of the law, and the innocent one, beside
spending two days in prison pending his ex-
animation, was fined 81 so for keeping bad
company. The constitution of the republic
is modelled after our own, and in this in
stance possibly the Judge "went on his
own head, as I have known Judges to do
nearer home. and INDUCED in little legis-
lation.
SOME AMERICAN INNOVATIONS.
The street car system of Mexico is excel
lent and affords the best means of getting
about If one is not inclined to walk. From
one point further South in the Republic one
may make trip of go and odd miles with
relays of mules. All, or nearly all, the
suburban towns are reached by this method.
The Mexican mule is but little larger than a
Newfoundland dog. These little fellows
are kept in good condition and a pair
of them will trundle load of passengers
over the smooth track at gallop. Two,
three or four cars, each with pair of mules,
will start for the same destination at once,
some carrying irst-class, some second-class
fares, others freight. Besides looking at
the country one may watch with amuse-
ment, under the car ahead, the twinkling
feet of the little hybrids as they scud along
without impediment With any other car
riage you would think they were running
stage, and if the final destination exceeds
this distance fresh pair is brought into
service.
We concluded to take in Guadalupe by
this method. Guadalupe has a picture, a.
miraculous spring, cathedral, a graveyard
and legions of various quality and mysteri-
Gus origin. These attractions would make
the neighborhood uncanny at midnight, but
on clear afternoon one need have no fear
OF ghosts. The mules did their part toward
making the trip enjoyable over a perfectly
fiat country, with mountains in the dis
tance, and the broad, ancient causeway, with
its many shrines, running parallel Fine
trees in many places along the road, and
banks OF flowers, are set off by ditch COW
cred with frog spittle or something worse,
and, as there is no current, it is suggestive
of stagnation and fever.
Guadalupe is as much mixed with the
history of important events as the metropo-
lis itself, and to touch upon these matters
would be temptation to bookmaking. We
are only skimming over the country and our
mission is symbolized by our method of
transit: to gather in everything of interest
would take months instead of hours. We
would see the church. There it is in plain
sight, with piles of debris barring the en-
trance; it is undergoing repairs and we are
shut off from the solid silver railing and all
that sort of thing. said to be interesting.
A MIRACULOUS PICTURE.
The picture Of miraculous origin coming
next, its location is discovered to be as mys-
terious as its birth. In one building, which |
proves to be chapel. we are permitted to
peep through bit of glass in. a door, 8 |
inches square-the glass, mean, not the
door. The door is a common one, and we |
see picture unsatisfactory. Besides be. |
ing hindered by the door and the poverty OF |
the glass, the picture is 30 feet away. Is it |
the picture? We inquire of the Indians and |
the Mexicans, and are ss much enlightened |
after half an hours conversation as if we |