The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-10-10
AN UNIQUE COMMUNITY.
a Town That Il . Strange Mixture
Mexican and American.

a Town That Is Strange Mixture .
Mexican and American.
Ell Paso de L'Aguila, to give Eagle
Pass its old Spanish name, is such q
mixture of Mexican and American that
one can hardly credit that it was set
tied as recently as 1s49. Yet it was in
that year that General w. S. Harvey
established Fort Duncan at this point,
and kept his twelve hundred men in
health and happiness on the high bluffs
which overlook the Rio Grande. The
Mexican Government allowed ferry
to be established across the river, and
here it is still-the flat-bottomed boats,
each with two Mexican ferry-men, the
propeling power being pole, and its
guide a rope stretched from bank to
bank, on which run two shorter ropes
with pulleys. On our side stands the
American custom-house official, or
lounges lazily in the little shanty erect
ed there for his use; on the Mexican
bank march up and down the Mexican
military. not imposing, not soldier-like,
and very odd to American eyes.
To Harney's men came over the Mex
leans from the other side of the river
(Piedras Negras then, La Ciudad Porfirio
Diaz now) to trade and barter and sell
their many commodities for good United
States gold. They came to as servitors,
as hewers of wood ana literally, draw
ers of water, for to this day may the
men be seen toiling up the banks OF the
Rio Grande burdened with yoke-like
wooden bar across their shoulders. from
which on either side depends filed
bucket. In this manner do all the poor
families receive their water supply.
There are no wells, and only the Amer
leans patronize the Observation-Disclosures
hydrants; to all others the Mexican car
riers come daily, being paid certain
price per bucket.
Around Fort Duncan, then, sprang up
the town. town of jacals and adobe
houses, of dirt floors and grass roofs.
Gradually American traders came there
from San Antonio and Goliad, and
many who were struck by the gold
fever of that year and started for Cali
fornia, choosing the route through Mex
leo, were harassed by Indians and Mex
lean banditti, and so turned back and
settled here under the protecting folds
of the United States flag. Thus it grew,
and now it presents a wonderful MKT
ure of poverty, ignorance and dirt with
wealth, culture and refinement. It is
tumble of all classes, but Spanish, If
any thing. Every store is taendG barG-
In (oLo oil
TVenda del Gallo (store of the cock),
Isenda de los Mericanos and so
forth. They are one-storied and fiat
rooted, the most modern ones built of
brick, the others of adobe, which last
forever; they have earthen floors, or
cemented ones, perhaps. Here and
there can now be found wooden build
ing, but, though more pretentious-
looking, they do not have the solid
comfort and immunity from fire which
the more primitive structures enjoy.
The town looks as though the skies
rained buildings. and they fell where
soever they pleased. Everywhere are
the jacals, and the houses of the Amer
leans are but little more regularly
placed. The jacals of Eagle Pass are
vastly superior to those of any other
part of Texas. Here the straw roofs
are in regular overlapping tiers, inn
pervious to the elements, and lasting
in good repair for thirty years. Nor
Is there danger of fire, for this peculiar
grass is hard to ignite, and even when
once caught does not blaze, but smoul-
ders sullenly, and may be extinguished
with the bare hand. It is we'll that it
is so, for many of these dwellings have no
chimneys, the fire of mesquite is built
on the earthen floor, and the smoke
goes out of little hole left in the roof
above, or an opening just in the cor
ner where walls and roof meet. The
iacal itself is made by driving four
mesquite posts in the ground; then poles
are nailed across inside and outside of
these uprights, and slender branches are
wattled between these poles at certain
distances. All the spaces are then
filled with the limestone and rock
indigenous to the place, and a clay
cement is made with which it is
plastered in and out. If chimney is
added, it is constructed in the same way.
1t is all fire-proof, it lasts lifetime,
takes but few days to build, costs
nothing for material, and keeps out
both heat and cold. All of these jacals
have dirt floors, and only one or two
openings for windows. Here live the
Mexican and his wife and their innu.
merable children, who seem to swarm
around every door. Here also are found
the dog and all the chickens as well as
goats without number, which are the
mich cows of these primitive folks.
In and out of the open door stray the
poultry and animals, while the family
sit contentedly on the floor. smoking
and talking. Most of these houses are
innocent of furniture; in some bed is
found, or chair or two; but dry-goods
boxes seem to answer their every pur-
pose, and skins are spread on the hard
earthen floor, and there, wrapped in
their blankets, they sleep Above them
from the roof hang strings Of chile fred
pepper) and jerked goats meat. and
outside against the house are fast
ened bird-cages of their own make, with
different kinds of feathered denizens,
for they are great bird-trappers, and the
bird-sellers are feature of the place.
The jacals are all clean sweep, and the
yard-ways as we'll; indeed. their cleanli.
ness seems to show itself in this partic-
ular manner, for broom is constantly
in the hands of every Mexican woman.
Lee G. Hardy, in Harper's Magazine.
Empress Frederick's Kindness.
The German Empress Frederick loves
little children. She never fails to mo-