The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-01-10
vNexpEcreoLv uNoERsroop.
A telegraph operator In Mexico Tris'
tu Hire . Hcrse


a Telegraph operator In Mexico Tr.s
to Hire = Horse.
Its strange how contrary things 20
sometimes" SAYS telegraph operator
who has travelled and seen many things,
to representative OF the Washington
Star. some years back. when | was
roaming around I'm the southwest. /
went down to Old Mexico with a man
named Clements. We didn't have any
particular business down there. but 1t
was not dificult TO get a job at tele-
graphing in those days. and we worked
our way around from one place to an
other TO see the country. We found
the climate agreeable and everything
lovely except the eatables. The fact ls,
the eatables were all right. too. but we
couldn't get them. 'Tamales' was the
only thing we could say in greaser
language when we wanted something
to eat, and tamales was all We could
get. These tamales that the Mexicans
make, you know are One-eighth corn
husk, one-eighth meat and cOrn-meal,
and the remainder red pepper that
ture damnation. Now, tamales are
good things by way of relish in small
quantities. but as a steady diet they
pail on persons appetite, more or less.
But, as | remarked, the only thing we
| could call for was tamales. That's
just to show that we couldn't be under
stood when IL was desirable. Well.
one day we proposed taking a ride. and
went to a stable to engage some horses
There we're horses in plenty. but the
| fool people couldn't understand that We
wanted to hire them. Clements had a
| little red book with some common eK-
| pressions in the greaser language for
ready reference, but 1t either wasn't
| printed correctly or Clements didn't
have the correct pronunciation, for the
stable folks didn't sabe his talk worth a
| cent. Clements then tried sort o.
sign language, and they became sus
| picious that he was crazy, and when he
| attempted to saddle horse they
! threatened to shoot him.
While Clements was in the midst
Of these demonstrations man dressed
in the height OF Mexican style rode in
! His sombrero and saddle carried enough
silver to buy a mine. He entered the
court yard, said a few words in Spanish
to an attendant, and, seating himself
near us, began rolling a cigarette. II
yeNed Clements to see how readily this
greaser could communicate with the
people, while he couldn't make himself
understood. Look at that yellow faced
rustlerl See how easy 1t is for him t'
| talk" said Clements. His experience
had shown him that there was no dan
ger OF being understood by any one but
me. and he spoke freely. Perhaps tha
blamed bow-legged horse thief can uh
derstand me- he said Then turning
to the stranger and - ling differently
Clements pulled out AsEttle red book
and, following the teN with his finger
began to read in Spanish that he wanted
a horse. lie had only begun when thu
man who looked like greaser said il
good English
L gather from what you have beer
saying to your friend that YOU desire
to hire two horses. Am correct
He was correct, but Clements was :,
frightened that some time elapsed he
fore he could answer and make "A few
necessary explanations to the hidalgO
who proved to be a MexicaniZed Ameri
can. who owned mine down there.
THAT was an instance where WI
were understood when we didn't expec
IT,"