The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-12-11
ODD OLD MEXICO.
An Americans Observations on
Greaserdom
A Country Whose Militia Is Composed
Of Convicts from tho Prisons
Somo Pocuiiaritics or the
st People.

ett People.
If there is one thing OF which Mexico
is more prolific than revolutions it is
peculiarities. The peculiarities of that
country are many and astonishing, not
that viewed this people from narrow
standpoint, says writerin the Chicago
Times, much as the average English
tourist views America, for we Ameri-
cans are too familiar with representa-
tives of every cline and nation to be
guilty of such insular prejudice, but the
American dweller in Mexico will find
the peculiarities of that Nation too
marked to be overlooked. For instance,
what would any civilized people on
earth other than the Mexican think if
their persons and property were placed
under the guardianship of oonvicts?
Yet such is the case there. Police duty
throughout the country districts and in
large cities like chihuahua is performed
by the soldiers of the regular army, said
army being recruited from the convicts
of each State. Complaint as to their
inefloiency or dishonesty, however, is
rarely heard, though it is an open secret
in Mexico that small bribe to the "of-
hcer" is sufficient to secure immunity
from arrest, but this fact, SO far from
being made ground for complaint,
seems rather source of congratulation
than otherwise. How far we are in ad-
vance of this system Of recruiting the
ranks of the police, especially in Chica-
go, 1t is difficult to say; there may be
some who would extend to US the advice
about not throwing stones; however, be
1t said to the everlasting credit Of the
Mexicans that their police are natives
Of the country in which they WELD the
baton.
From the police one naturally turns,
especially in this case, to the criminal
In Mexico the burglar is positively un-
known. The houses, constructed as
they are, in view of uprisings, revolu-
tions etc., present to the would-be-bur-
glar but small chance of success.
What with blank walls, barricaded win
dows, and solid wooden doors, the
dweller within the average adobe is pre-
pared at nightfall to withstand the siege
of regiment
The phase Of robbery most popular in
Mexico is of the Dick Turpin pattern.
Dick, however, from all accounts, usual
ly gives voice to that time-honored COM
mand: "Your money, or your life,"
whereas, the Mexican brigand invaria-
bly, demands your money and your life,
and no amount of plunder, pleading, nor
promises will avail to save the latter
should the opportunity be favorable to
the robber for taking it. The cause of
| this is simply that the laws of the coun-
try provide that the highway robber, if
captured, shall suffer death, thus fur
nishing the incentive for his invariable
bloody accompaniment to his original
crime, that he may forever silence the
witness of the deed.
The Mexican is the only ratural-born
bred d.in-the-bone socialist in the world.
He has never read up on the subject; he
never hears our long haired ranters
vociferating about the beauties Of their
system, nevertheless he is the ideal So
cialist, and, although he is not up to the
average in arithmetic, he knows the rule
of division to nicety. The average
Mexican will share his blanket and his
last loaf or penny with you, should you
need it, but if you have any thing you
are expected to be fully as LIBERAL; If
you don't, he compels your iberality by
taking your possessions away from you
forcibly. In short, II you have not, he
gives; If you have, he takes, whether
or no.
One side of this characteristic of the
Mexioans is best exemplified by their
proceedings in the event of the marri-
age Of one of their daughters to an
American. The Mexican, bear in mind,
is possessed of the ineradicable idea
that Americans are all rolling in wealth.
This idea is a source of neyer-ceasing
envy on the part Of one sex and satisfac-
ton to the other. When an American
marries Mexican girl her whole fam
lily, her sisters, cousins, aunts, etc., and
all their sisters, cousins, aunts, ETC., for
hundred miles around are invited TO
the wedding. This includes every blood
relation to the very remotest. They
not only come, which is bad, but they
stay, which is worse. There they camp,
and until every ounce Of food and every
dollar in sight is gone there they continue
to camp, and should the luckless bride.
groom have employment-they stay still
longer, encouraged in the most natural
and artless manner by their very hospita-
BILE relative, the bride. Thefeelings of the
groom under such circumstances can bs
imagined, but protest only meets with
tears from the bride and indignant aston
ishment from the guests, before which
the bridegroom generally succumbs. II
is apparent that the Mexican merely
gauges the hospitality and charity Of
others by his own, and wants to be done
by as he does to others.
The Age of .ssOciations.
Mons. Argellio, of the Paris Perfect
ureof Police, calls attention to the re-
m arkable degree in which the division
Of labor principle is being applied to
the operations of the criminal classes
There are associations Of professional
horse-thieves and mutual aid societies
of rrofassiCual hnrulars and division nj