Tombstone epitaph., 1892-03-13
ACROSS MEXICO.
A Trip from Guadalajara to the City of Mexico, Passing the Scene of MaXimilian'S
 Betrayal and
 Death.
CITY OF MEXICO, Feb. 9

ED. PRosPECToR :-0n the 22d inst we take the train from Guadalajara for the City of Mexico, and are soon passing through rich pasturaee and fruit farms. We travel along the rich bottom lands of the Rio Lerno for miles, having at intervals of from ten to fifteen miles fine, little villages. We stop over night at Irapuato, a fiourishing little city of some seven thousand inhabitants, and being the junction of the Guadalajara road with the Mexican Central makes it of con- siderable importance. Irapuato lies in the midst of one of the most fertile valleys in the state of Guanajunto, its streets clean, we'll paved and traversed by street cars. and for Mexico, it has fine hotel accommodations. We stop over at Irapuato so as to travel to the capital by daylight and admire the strange and picturesque scenery.
 Some seventy miles from Guadala- jsra we come to La Barca, near Lake Chapals, from which, according ta history, the Aztecs transported the famous Chapala white fish every day to their chief Montezuma in this renowned city as tribute. These fish were much sought for by Montezuma and to accomplish che task of placing this toothsone article fresh at their chiefs door, it required runners stationed at every quarter of mile, who passed the fish from hand to hand until they reached their destin- ation.
 At 5 30 a. m. we were again on the iron horse, and 45 kilos finds us at Celarja, where the Mexican National, narrow guage railroad, crosses the Central from Laredo, Texas, to Nor ella, the capital of the state of Michoa- con.
 At II a. m. the train pulls into the beautiful old hist orical city of Quere- taro, the capital of the state bearing that name. Many ,domed and spired churches and catnedrals of antiquated appearance tower above the fine cot tages and park trees, and present a charming view in contrast to the green foliage and Towering trees. As we pass out of the city the tram goes under an immense aqueduct that con- veys water to the city from a great distance. At the end of this aaueduct where it enters the city, on an ele- vated ridge stands the old renowned "Convento de la Lerno" where Maxi milan was betrayed by his professed friend, Miguel Lopez, to the enemy, who shot him near by.
 From Queretaro we pass into lovely little valley meandering through nut brown hills rising high above the river bed. Here the eye meets pleasant panorama. The river Is clear and serpentine, the bluffs rough and steep, and little terraced flower gardens of all hues are intersperssd with vegeta- ble plots and fruit orchards in full bloom. Clean and pleasant little white cottages peep through the green trees, ana a great print factory is sud denly in sight.
 We halt fcr dinner at San Juan del Rio. The spacious, well ventilated hotel, with it's dining room with white linen table cloths and its we'll furnish ed tables grooming under many luxur- ies, makes one feel once more as if he were in the United States. Thirty minutes soon fy by, and we are off again, flying at great speed through a varied scene of mountain and plain, here and there rich fields of golden barley just ready for the sickle, and crops of corn and wheat just peeping through the ground, until we reach the states of Hidalgo and Mexico.
 At 5 30 we reach the federal dis trict and at 6:50 we are in the won derful old capital of which so much is said and of whose true history but few really know, and of which we will en- deavor later on to give a pen picture chewing life as we see it here.
 q, ". McLsNE