The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-11-05
ALONG THE BORDER.
CURIOUS AND INTERESTING THINGS
ON THE MEXICAN FRONTIER.


years-whether there exists n viviparous
kind of fish, one that gives birth 10 its
young i'm living state-was definitely
settled in the affirmative the other day
when the city hall fountain of Tucson the
capital of Arizona territory, was cleaned
out. In turning the water out of the big
cement basin, where a goldfish variety of
| the carp family has long disported itself
for the edification OF the Phenix nurse
| girl and the Maricopa county hobo, il was
| found that many of the fish had given
birth TO progeny fully formed and ready
| TO dart about in search of food at the mo-
ment of coming into their watery world
| Others had given birth TO tiny creatures
that were globular in shape, except for the
| protruding eyes and a nascent tail fin
| that could scarcely be seen without %
strong glass. From all evidences, it was
clear that the clean up had been made dur
| ing the breeding season, yet there was no
sign of fish roe or eggs Many specimens
of the strange young fish were collected
and will be shipped TO different experts,
one lot going 10 the Smithsonian institu-
ton.
Poultry is high in Arizona, and feed is
cheap in the Mexican state of Sonora
These two facts set the wheels in lively
Yankees head at work, with the result
that there is now II big chicken ranch
down on the international boundary line,
some miles west of Nogales, one-half of
which is in the republic of the United
States and the other half in the republic
of Mexico At feeding time the Yankee
drives his egg producers into Mexico, and
when they have had their evening meal
they come back across the line and go 10
roost under the stars and stripes.
At Nogales, A. r.. there is a famous
cigar store and drinking resort, patronizcd
openly and above board by even the fed
eral authorities, that is built exactly
plumb with the International boundary
line. 1t boasts little bay window abut-
ment on the southern wall that pays taxes
to the Mexican republic. In the bay window
is choice selection of Mexican cigars that
are smoked chiefly i'm the United States
without ever paying n cent Of import duty
John T. Brickwood is the proprietor of
this place. Mr.. Brickwood claims to be
the youngest living man who came to
Arizona voluntarily and permanently re-
manned there. You enter his house from
the United States, PASS over into Mexico
buya cigar or a bunch of them at Mexican
prices, and then go back into Uncle Sans
domain and smoke them But you could
not have bought box without paying
duty upon its contents.
President Mckinley recently issued "a
proclama alton that will crush an important
industry in the city of Nogales--i. G.,
smuggling Mexican cigars into the United
States. BY the terms of this proclamation
II public highway of 90 feet in width and
two miles in length, running adjacent to
and parallel with the Mexican boundary
line, has been declared. This highway
will run through Nogales, which means
the demolition or removal of many stores
and buildings-for which the government
will pay-and among them the famous
Brickwood resort, where Mexican cigars
have SO long evaded the American tariff
laws. The Yankee chicken rancher will,
however, still continue to feed his hens in
Mexico.
The anomalous spectacle of large gang
OF penitentiary convicts working in the
open with no officers or armed force to
guard them is presented every day at Yu-
ma, A. Il. They are camped on the Colo
RADIO river, a little above Yuma, to be exact,
and they. are engaged in cutting wood for
the territory. None of them escapes None
tries to escape. Why do they stayy Because
each man guards the other. Each man is
IA 'short termer, none of them having
more than year yet to serve. All are al
lowed "a rebate for the work they do.
When convict has cut two cords of wood,
he has earned a days rebate on his term,
but should one of the gang escape then cv
cry man in the gang loses all rebates.
Thus each man becomes his brother keep
er in more practical sense than the beau |
tiful theory Is often carried out among
freemen.
In southern Arizona the Jail and prison |
officials have their hands full in trying to !
prevent the smuggling into their institu- |
tions of the seductive mariguana. This is |
a kind Of loco" weed, more powerful |
than opium 1t grows from seed by cul |
tivation in southern Arizona and in Mex |
leo. 1t is "a dangerous thing for the unin- |
itiated to handle, but those who know its |
uses say it produces more ravishing dreams |
than opium. The Mexicans mix it with to- |
bacco and smoke it in cigarettes, inhaling |
the smoke. When used in this way, it |
produces q hilarious spirit In the smoker |
that cannot be equaled by any other form |
of dissipation. When struggled inside the |
prison walls, its devotees readily pay "a |
an ounce for 1t, but free men buy it on the |
outside for so cents an ounce. General |
Shriver of the prison force at Yuma has |
recently uneartncu large quantity OF the l
weed that had been cached within reach of |
the convicts who work in the outside |
gangs.
Simon Testado is the name of the Mex
lean citizen who proved his patriotism and |
his foolhardiness i'm celebrating the ever
glorious 10th of September at Lordsburg,
N. M, by holding up stick of giant pow
der in his hand and letting the crowd see
it go off. His hand and arm went along |
with the explosion, of course, but Simon
Testado had proved his love Of Mexican in
and he is getting along nicely
now at the hospital His friends visit him
and call him "hero.
The longest fence in the world is prob
ably that which has just been finished by
the Erie Cattle company along the Mexican
border 1t IL 20 miles In length and sep
arates exactly for its entire length the two
Of North America. The fence
was built to keep the cattle from running
across the border and falling easy prey to
the Mexican cow punchers. Although it
cost great deal of money, 1t Is estimated
that cattle enough will be saved in one