Tombstone epitaph., 1891-06-07
FROM MEXICO.
Cotton Fields and Factories A Beautiful and Rich
 Country.
TEPIO, Territory of Topic,

May 25, 1891. ED. PRosPEcToR: We loft the port of Mozatton, Sinaloa, May 11th at 5: 30 D. m, on board Mexican stage pro 2elled by nine mules-two on the wheel, four abreast on the swing and three abreast on the lead-and were driven at rapid and reckless. speed to the town of Villa Union where we spent day with Mir. James Reppy, very intelligent and atfable American gentleman who claims relationship to your townsman, c. D. Reppy. MT. Reppy has been for number of years managing cotton factory here for rich Mexican of Mozatton with suc- cessfal results. The principal goods made are muslin or "manta" of very good quality. The establishment contains fifty-four looms and seven teen hundred spindles and turns out 25OO yards per day.
 From here we proceeded to Rosario, fine mining camp on the Rio del Roses, where we were shown around by MT. Jos. Moffat, who has charge of the Rosario foundry. MT. Moffat is an old-timer here and showed us some fine specimens from his Valenzueia mine and returns that went 2O6 oun- ces gold and 697 ounces silver. But his crude way of working it does not pay and he is willing to sell or bond it reasonably. This mine is on the Plumosa river and can be run by water power. A fifty foot tunnel will strike ledge matter 100 feet deep, which is two hundred yards from the river. A beautiful river flows by Rosario, clear ss crystal.
 On the 18th we took the stage for Topic, 90 leagues. We start at 5 o'clock p. m. and at 6 80 we are pass ing through fine forests of tropical trees and the wild parrots rise in great focks like black birds and fly slowly and chirp at the driver. Many other bright plunged birds present them selves to view but they are all stran- gers to us. On our right we see 8 long legged bird stepping through the tops. We presume him to be pea cock from his long tail and bright fea. thers.
 As the stage rolls clumsily on we see tiger lead from the road and he is soon hidden in the copse.
 At 5 o'clock a. m. on the 21st we arrived at the city of Santiago on the Santiago river. Daylight coming on finds hundreds of women and children taking their morning bath in the great river-the largest between Coch- ise and the Colorado. The prisoners were sweeping and sprinkling the paved streets, and the peons swarming tn the cotton fields and some return ing with great baskets of the banana and plantains from the fields near by. Dozens of canoes gather at the land ing and offer 70 carry us for "chief." The canoes are thirty and forty feet and made of kind of hard wood tree that grows on the river. Hundreds of bales of cotton were lying at t.,e land ing awaiting transportation.
 One thing i must not overlook and that is if any of you people come to travel in this country you must be prepared to hold your own for if you do not you will get fleeced by unprin- cipled hotel and inn keepers. I sat down Gas an illustration, and it hap pened several times) to 8 table at stage "pasada" or inn and native sat beside me. I was charged 37 cents and my humble servant 25 cents.
 You get good drink of Tequila here for three cents but if you are not posted they make you pay six cents and if you make "kick" against 1t they only laugh when they "rectify t..e mistake" and tell you that you are posted. They expect to be "Jewed" and if you don't do SC you will get nicely left.
 We arrived in the beautiful cily of Topic at 5 40 8. m. May 22d. This is the finest city I have yet seen Tn Mex ico. I have neither time nor space to do it justice in this article but will try to do so later on.
 G. w. McLANR.