The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-19
Part II.
CHAPTER III.
THE SENIOR STRICKLAN

THE SENIOR S1hlChLAND.
Two and twenty years ago I, Ignatio,
visited village in the state Of Tamaul-
lpas, named Cumarvo, a beautiful
place, half hidden in pine forests am
ong the mountains. l came to this vii
lage because friend of mine, one of
the bretheren of the order or the Heart,
had written to me saying that there
was an Indian in the nelghborhood
who had in his possessioi an Aztec
scroll, which, being in picture writing,
neither he nor anyone else could read.
This scroll had descended to the In
dian through many generations, and
with it a tradition that it told of a very
rich gold mine in the mountains where
of the site was lost, which had been
closed to save it from the grip of Cor
ties by the order Of Guatemoc, my fore
father whom the SpaniardS murdered
may their souls be accursed.
Now, l had been taught the secret of
picture writing by old Antonio, my
fathers friend, when / was first in
itiated into the mysteries of the Heart,
though it must die with me, for l be-
lieve at this hour there is no other man
living who can read it.
This writing the Indian was willing
TO give up to me as Lord of the Heart,
and accordingly, having nothing better
to do, l journeyed to Cumarvo to study
1t. In this matter, as in many others,
/ was, however, destined to meet with
dissapointment, at any rate for a
while, for on my arrival at the house
of my friend l heard that the Indian
had died of a sudden sickness and that
his son could not discover where he
had hidden the scroll.
Another thing 1 heard also, namely,
that a white man, al Inglese, the first
who had ever visited these parts, had
come to the village about six months
before. and was engaged in working
some old silver mines on behalf of a
company, a task that he found diff
cult. for the Mexican owners OF the
land in the neighborhood, being jealous
of him and angry because he paid his
men a fair wage, were striving TO pre-
vent the Indians from laboring Tor
him.
Monday morning to Saturday night,
were a gentle and industrious people,
hut thew had this fault, that on the
Saturday night many of them were &C
customed to get drunk on mescal, the
spirit that is distilled from the root OF
= the aloe. Then their natures were
changed. and fierce quarrels would
spring UP among them, for the most
mart about women, that ended often IN
bloodshed.
the night of my arrival at CumarNo'
and on the morrow when L lett my
friends abode and walked down the
little street, bordered with white, nat
rooted houses and paved with cobole-
stones. purposing to attend mass in the
Iinewashed church, where the bell
rang night and day to scare evil spirits
hack TO hell, L saw the fruits of it.
In the middle Of the street, lying IN
the shade Of a house, We're two deao
men. A handsome Indian glrl, with d
s,lllen and unmoVed countenance, was
engaged in winding serape, or
hlanlet. around one Of the bodies, but
+he other lay unattended, certain
stains upon the clothing revealing the
manner of its end. On a doorstep sat
a third man, much wounded about the
head and face, while the barber OF the
village, its only doctor, attempted 10
remove his hair with pair OF punt
scissors so that he might dress the cut.
The scene was dreadf al, but no one
took much notice of Il, Tor Indian ne
, is cheap, asd in those days death py
violence was even more common III
Mexico than it is now. On the OPP
nosite side of the street an old woman
chartered with passer by ABOUT tne
7orice of her oranges, while some chill
dren with shouts and laughter stroVe
10 lasso and drag away pig tnal
haunted the place, and a girl on heL'
way tomass stepped over the uncovered
hodv which lag sc quiet in the shade,
and seing it was that of \ friend,
crossed herself as she hurried on.
"What is the cause Of this, senor?' L
asked of the barber.
II think that l have the honor OF ad-
dressing Don Ignatio,' the little man
: answered and, lifting his hands from
their work he made sign showing
that he also was member OF our
brotherhood, though humble one
''Ah, / thought So" he went on as
gave the countersign; 1--WE heard that
YOU were going to visit Us, and l am
glad of it, for 1 weary of dressing
wounds on Sundays, and perhaps you
NAV be able to put stop to these
fights. The woman was the cause of
IL of course, senior; these are not the
first that she has brought to their
deaths" and he nodded at the girl who
was wrapping the body in blanket.
'You see, she was going to marry
this man. and he tapped the Indian
whose wounds he was dressing on the
shoulder, but she took up with that
one" pointing to the nearest body,
s-whereon No. j here, being drunk with
( the mescal laid in wait for No. and