Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-13

lar with the facts in the murder case, which
he quickly communicated to the general.
The latter calmly told the official who had
the t writ to nd me at o'clock
the murderers shot at $50 in the morning,
and when the man came with the writ he
was given their bodies, That taught the
rough class of Mexicaas pretty salutary
One night ! was awakened and told that
a lot of tramp Mexicans had broken into
one of the mines and carried off arms and
perintendent A conductor-we call the
men who take our treasure to Chihuahua
and other markets conductors-had just
come in with a party of resolute fellows
SO 1 mounted them and with others sent
them after the thieves"
The governor smiled grimly here.
IT suggested that they need not trouble
themselves taking any prisoners. They
didn't. They killed seven of the thieves.
There has never been any trouble since.
Il employ 1900 men in the nines," he
continued. mo. they don't regard me with
superstition on account Of what I have ac-
complshed. They appear to think am
man of determined character who means
what he says and will have no foolishness
and they know that won't submit to any
imposition. We can and do send our treasure
| to market without any fear Of molestation.
maintain eight or ten stations ON the road
between Baopilas and Chihuahua, where
the conductors rest We send treasure in
| bullion bars and sulphides that are precipi-
| tated from the silver. These run in value
from $4,000 to $4,000 a ton. The largest
amount of treasure we ever sent out at
one time was 100000.
Proud of His Boys.
1.-THE Mexican workmen are tractable
ard of good disposition. They live outside
of the hacienda. The Americans, clerks,
|
cienda. My three boys are there with me-
Alexander, the eldest. named after me;
then comes Grant, who Is nineteen, and
then the youngest, John CONFESS, who
| is eighteen. He is one of the sturdi-
est fellows you ever saw. He has
been great foot ball player. Like
taller than I, and Is magnificent specimen
of physical development. Young as lie is,
he is superintendent of one of the mines,
| troll, and they mind him just as a child
would, its father Going to Batopilas has
| been a great thing for my boys, and think
| It has been for me, too If had remained
| In Washington I am afraid could not have
stood the pace. I knew everybody, and
everybody knew me, and my associations
were such chat my life would have been
| something like burning the candle at both
ends"
My son-in-law, Walter M. Brodie, who
| is engineer of the company has been with
| me for the last fourteen years. and is un-
eXcelled in his profession. My other SON
| in-law, E. A. Quintard of Tennessee, has
been with me nearly as long, most of the
time in charge of the reduction works, and
is now in charge Of the San Miguel. He
| is one of the brightest and most efficient
| men connected with the business My
| nephew. DR.. Francis D. Merchant, a Wash
ington boy, learned first the beneiciation Of
metals, then went north and studied three
years and took his degree in medicine
He returned and after acting as surgeon of
the hacienda for two years he took charge
of one of our principal mines, as I was
much in need of trusty man.
A Hospital.
IT built hospital down at the hacienda
You see there Is a law requiring mine
owners to take care of any of the men
employed in the mines who may get hurt
or fall sick, so we have from twenty to
thirty patients all the time. Not long ago
we had six men knocked out at one blast,
owing to carelessness. Three died and three
recovered. The men suffer very much
from pneumonia, the changes from the in
terror Of the mines to the outer air being
very severe, especially in winter. The
men are too imprudent. I have known
| man to come out of mine in the morn
ing and be dead before night from con-
gestion of the lungs. There is free dis
pensary connected with our hospital, too,
where no charge is made for medicine.
Over 1900 prescriptions We're compounded
there last year. The hospital is in charge
of DR.. r. S. Wagner. formerly surgeon of
the Children's Hospital in Washington,
most admirable gentleman and efficient
physician.
The governor here began to ask many
questions about his old friends in Wash
ington. as well as the characteristics of
the new men who have come to the front
since his time, and 1t was gratifying for me
to be able to inform him with a fair de-
gree of thoroughness upon the facts ne ex-
pressed an interest in. Naturally, there
was a political turn to the conversation,
and the silver question was introduced I
asked him if the depreciation of silver at
fected his substantial interests in the
mines of Batopilas. and he replied that the
depreciation in the value of the metal YVES
not felt in Mexico, because a silver dollar
would buy as much as it always had, on ac-
count Of the financial policy of the Mexi-
can government.
The Silver Question.
From my reading of the newspapers"
he remarked, Il had conceived the idea
that the silver question was being consid-
cred solely by the politicians. In my jour-
ney north 1 have found that such Is
not the case. I have conversed with
number of gentlemen. professional men,
students and representatives CT the class
who do not usually take any active inter-
est in political issues, and l lind that they
are seriously thinking over the financial
future of the United States. It augurs
we'll for that future that this widespread
Interest, SO deep, so genuine and so hon.
est, is being felt by the masses. cannot
be called free coinage man, but believe
that it would be prudent thing for the
United States to adopt bimetallism on it's
own account at a fair ratio between the
metals, say twenty OF even twenty-four to
one. AT Sewanee, Tenn, I was talking
with one OF the most conservative men l
have ever met. and I was surprised at the
vast interest he was taking in this ques-
ton of money.
Some Significant Figures.
HE showed me some figures which
struck me as being remarkably significant,
and believe that it would be a good thing
for you to follow what I say and get the
figures He took the treasury statement
of May 1, 1895. showing the amounts of
gold, of silver certificates, of United States
notes and national hank notes in circua-
ton on that date. There were sS9,954, 40
in gold in the treasury, and against this
were 1923 ,O00,000-in round numbers we
will talk-of silver certificates, nearly S122,
100000 of treasury notes. $26I 100000 of
United States notes, and $1,000 900 of cur
rency certificates. He showed that the
total obligations which the government
had outstanding were s79S, 495 ,6S5. against
which we had that $50, 954, 40 in gold as a
redemption fund, or about II cents on the
e~11~