The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-02-26
WHERE sMA eGLINe is EASY.
The Good Times III Paso Ladies and Tour
ISIS Have Shopping In Juarez.
Especial Correspondence1

Tho Good Times III PaSO Ladies and Tour
ISIS Have Shopping In Juarez.
Especial Correspondence
Ell PAso, Tex, Feb. Whoever
has hankering after continuous
performance of farce comedy might,
with entire satisfaction thereof, spend
his days on the single mule power street
cars that connect this town with Ciudad
Juarez, across the river, i. in Mexico
The petty smuggling that is constantly
going on has more funny things con-
nected with it than anything else he
could find in many days journey. And.
the whole thing seems to be treated as
such a good joke by customs force
smugglers and everybody else that the
sight of it is enough to cure melan-
choly. dyspepsia or govt.
The customs inspectors at the United
States end of the bridge across the Rio
Grande are men Of polite manners and
charitable hearts, and tourists always
remember them with affection, because
they are entirely devoid of impertinent
curiosity. When street car comes from
Juarez, the inspector looks in. smiles
blandly on every body, and then goes back
to his Office politely oblivious alike to
the packages in the laps of the ladies
and the curious humps that disfgure
their forms. He seems to be a thorough
believer in the principle that if he asks
them no questions they will tell him
no lies.
Juarez is all Mexican, except its Gu
riosity and dry goods stores, which are
larger and moro numerous than those
of Ell Paso. They are kept by Ameri-
III in Z
papers for the American trade, by which
they are supported. And most of their
sales are struggled across the line. In
each one is a dressing room where la
dies retire to conceal their purchases
upon their persons.
The customs inspectors declare that
every woman is a born smuggler and
would rather smuggle than get goods
honorably, even when she doesn t make
anything by it. I am afraid they are
not far from right.
l met recently party of four ladies
who had come to Ell Paso for the ex-
press purpose of shopping in Juarez.
They told me they had ''such lots Of
fun in the dressing room concealing
their purchases. Among these were
materials fer fine dresses, half dozen
pieces of china silk corsets, gloves, rib
bons, laces, drawn work, opals, stock
ings and a box of cigars. When they
finally started home, their figures were
preposterous. Even the tallest and thin
nest looked remarkably well developed
and waddled like fat goose. One young
woman, become Unfortunately plump, had
set the box Of cigars boldly atop of her
bosom under her cape, where it's parapet
rose to her chin. In the street car they
made fun of one another's appearance,
and when the inspector appeared they
burst into gale of laughter. He gave
| one glance at the fortress under the
young lady's chin, took in the wonder
| full figures of all four and laughed out
right. The whole car joined i'll the mer-
riment, and that was the end of tex
cept for the young ladywith the cigars.
Her sweetheart, for whom she had
bought them, was a good young man
and disapproved of smuggling. When
he learned how she had got them, he
reproved her for engaging in such wick
edness, and, of course, since then they
do not speak. But the young woman
declares she wouldn't have missed that
days fun for two engagement rings.
An Ell Paso lady, who had recently
brought servant hither from the north,
told me that from the first the girls
heart was fired with the desire to buy
something in Juarez and smuggle it
over. So she went across the river and
bought little alarm clock, which she
suspended from her waist at the back,
SO that it hung little above her knees
All went peacefully until just as the
inspector entered the car, when, with
whiz, bang and chatter, that alarm
clock went off. and continued to go off,
and kept on going off, as alarm clocks
will when they have been tightly wound
up. In an instant every body understood,
and inspector and passengers burst out
laughing together.
A negro waiter in a town not far from
El Paso told me how he and another
man fixed up a scheme to make their
fortunes by smuggling cigars across the
line. The other man furnished the capt.
tai, and Sam was to get the cigars across
without yielding up tribute. He felt
very successful and confident when he
finally settled himself in the street car
| II