The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-06-11

'hu'o u tho beast Ul burden, Worry
rGshcctabIc looking specimens OF tho
morse arc frequently Scen, but thoy
al not endure tho hardship OF travel
WITHOUT water over tho rocky table
ANUS. Tho inulO and the butrO (dOn.
key arc essential to this part OF tho
country and they form tho pack trims
shat carry tho produce from Comondu
anu fntISsilna to thu ports OF La Paz,
Magdalonn, LOroio aud Mulyo. Tho
mnlc Is usually held for twice tho valuO
OK a horuc. Tho best OF tho lattor Jan
DO had for Sl5 IN American gold.
CoInondu and PuTIsiiina belong to
thG southern department Of Lower
California, tho capital Of which Is La
Pas. Tho ports Of Ontfy atc la raE and
Alagdalona. Tho political department
lssnbdlvidOd into two muniCipalitIe,,
that Of COmondu aud Mulyo. Tho
municipality OF COmonlu contains tho
pncbIos (t0wns) Of COmondu, Purissima,
L.0rGto, San JaviOr aud Maginlcna. Tho
government Is administered by n iole
Polltlco and a superior judge, residing
Ia LA Paz, n sub.protcct and judge ia
Comondu and n Judge In tho Other
puoblos. In tho last cRso the Judge has
charge OF political Affairs Us well az Of
his judicial duties. Tho people uto
honest and law.ObidIng; crlmO Is almost
unknown. ThOy arc, as u rule, indolont
aud lazy. Thoit huOrtas Qlttlo farms)
arc worry fertile aud nOed bu! littlo cult.
walton to provide them with tho nrcoi.
sHrics OF life. Beyond this thoy seem TO
want nothing.
ThCro Is worry lit,lO trade with tho out.
aide world-orchIllN bcing tho prinCi.
pic article Of export. Cattle arc driven
aovOral hundred miles and sold to mi.
nors in tho north. Oranges. lemons,
figs. wine, mcscal and dates arc sOnt on
pack mules TO Mulye. LprCtb and La
Paz. Tobacco, cereals and potatoes arc
raisod In limited quantities. Tho prin.
cipal imports RrocOtton fabrics, tobacco
and %breadstutls. Thcy raise n native
pepper ivory ahNrp) caliOd orcgaho.
Tho country is full OF gamo. Wild
ducks arO humorous around tho fresh
wA,ot pools and In tho Iagoons. Largo
tlocks OF doves nto seOn everywhere.
Antelope aud door arc plentiful on tho
table lands and in tho valleys. Curlow
and plovGr in largo ilocks. sometimes SO
thick as to resemble sage brush, are
found On tho sen beach and In the Ia
goons. Quail arc also frequently found
near settlements. The mountain lion,
tho wild cat aud badger are also fro.
guontly seen.
The poisonous reptiles arc, by tho
natives, said to be few. ! don't tako
| InnRh afnNl- ia Nhfa tLnpfrl, I Ia tn -
from what should DO good authority.
Some OF tho natives assured mo that
there were no scorpions aud no taran.
tulas in Lower California, but that a
species Of scorpion called cncherone is
often mistaken Tor tho real thtng. These
are said 10 BIO harmless. am willing
to consider them as real business scor-
piOns, such a. have seen III Africa and
on the Iathmus OF Panama. The people
ulso say the contipedo Is harmless.
That may be. so far rs q Mexican is con-
cerned. When | find ono in my bed in
camp. begin operations teadlng to dis
lodge the harmless ~ thing.
They say the rattlesnake is the only
reptile to DO feared. We killed up.
wards OF twenty during our last season
and such loathsomo sights You mover
saw. Tho smallest one had seven rat.
ties and tho largest ono twelve with q
button. He was rs big round as my
arm and about four feet long. In tho
spring, summer and autumn he can be
found everywhere. His bite is con.
sidered fatal unless an antidote. such
ns GoIlingrina or ~pitaha!la, Is taken
within n lew hours. 1t is said by tho
natives that the longer 4 rHttlesnake
goes without water tho more yenomous
1t is, and they take precautions accord
ingly. Coyotes abound IN great num-
bers, but these will not attack mar I'M.
loss they have rabies. Rains, while in
frequent, fall every two or three years
and supply what was lost By evapora-
lion. At intervals OF five or six yoRrs
heavy rains, causing enormous iresheIs
carrying everything before them, fall.
"IhG section described covers an
area OF 2.7l3 square miles, all OF which
was covered in % days travel on mule
back, camping ont and living among
tho natives for the purpose Of getting
Information. II was settled by the
missionaries in tho early part OF the
eighteenth century. They at first built
a mission Mt Old Comondu, about seven
miles above the present town OF puris-
slma. Shortly afterwards another set
tlerncnt was made ut Old Purissima, in
the valley OF tho Pavcllon. Tho site OF
Old Comondu ia now called Las IIuertas
Nicjas Told little farms or gardens. }
About 10 years afterwards the mission
was moved to tho COmohdu river and n
large stone aud brick building was
erected abou! three miles above the
present site Of Comondu. This old
mission building is still standing. Tho
architecture i, OF the old Spanish style.
1t is to be regretted that tho building is
partly in ruins and that no supersCrip-
tons remqin to tell its history. There
arc three bells remaining. Tho inscr.p-
tons upon them are partly obIItCrated.
Upon ono can DO made out "San Fran
cisco-Cabiel-Auo dc-X-A." Upon
another. "San Francisco, Orc pronhbi5,
1867. The inscription on the third can
not be made out.
| was unable 10 find any documents
or church registers that would throw
any further light upon the history OF
Comondu and PurisSima. All | havo
written OF them wa obtained from old
and surprisingly intelligent residents.
Our noxt seasons work will tHko us
to u now region which is hoped may
provo OF deeper interest to us both.
Should | feel sure that you caro- TO hear
more | will then perhaps either write
again or, il good luck and the depart