The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-08
ANDREW d. WHITE,

month at our disposal, we would know
just how to put in the time delightfully."-
and profitably
Cur train made good time on the way
home. Leaving the city of Mexico Sun
day night, we crossed the Rio Grande
border Tuesday night and were landed
in st. Louis Friday morning Had it
not been for some delay on account of
railroad washouts in the vicinity of st.
Louis we could have made the home
run nicely withing six days, the sched-
ule time betW the city of Mexico
and New York. We got through on
the seventh day, Notwithstanding the
delays. 1t took our mai! matter from
home seven days to reach us at the
Mexican apitaL.
ZACATECAS.
AS we passed through the city of
Zacatecas during the night on the out
ward trip, a stop of u few hours was
made there on the way northward
This place was founded in 1913. 1t
is the capital of the state of the same
name, and has had a population of
nearly 100000. but owing to the dullness
in silver mining many have left the
city. 1t has an altitude of over 5000
feet. The city is compactly built on a
hillY eminence, the streets running up
and down very irregular. Altogether
it was one of the most unique places
we visited. There are venerable and
richly furnished churches here but the
greatest attraction in this line is the
magnificent church at Guadalupe, "A
mining suburb, six miles distant, which
is reached by street cars. An orphan
asylum at this place, in which are over
a thousand children, was formerly Il
convent building. Xacatecas has been
one OF the most important silver min
ing towns in the country, it's shafts
and tunnels having been operated over
$50 years. The value of the precious
metal taken from these mines is esti-
mated at $1,000 100000. The long
droughts are a great drawback to this
section, no rains having fallen in some
localities for five years.
The same wretched sights with which
we became familiar on the outward run
at the stations and towns where stops
were made, were again presented to
view on our return. There We're the
poor poems in clusters of little dingy
adobe huts, in many cases away out
on the barren desert SO far from any
sign of vegetation other than sage
brush and cactus that one must Won
der how they exist there. That they
barely existed was too apparent. Ere
qucntly in front of the hut, we saw
the woman of the house making tortil-
las-grinding corn on a stone tray with
a stone roller, wetting up the meal and
baking it over d little wood fire-just
as ncr Indian ancestors had done CEN
turies before About the railway sta
tiOn and all through the larger places
there were beggarS innumerable, of all
ages and conditions, each pleading pit
fully for a ''ceptaVO." The climate, OF
course, favord their scanty dress, but
often We're met boys without shirts and
women with very little covering. The
latter frequently carried small children,
and l recall one with a small babe in
his arms who he'd out its ii y hands for
aims. Thus it is this class come up,
begging from the cradle to the grave.
A crowd Of MeXicans presents an odd
appearance to a stranger there, as Oue
looks upon multitude of their steeple-
topped hats. The poor class require
but little money to provide a suit OF
clothes. ! should say fifty cents would
be good average price, barring the
sombrero, which may cost anywhere
from fifty cents to two hundred dollars.
Nearly all wear the primitive sandals
strapped over the feet or go barefOoted
The women usually wear a cOlOred cot
ton or black lace garment wrapped
about tine head, if they do not go bare
headed. Many of them look quite pref
ty in handsome black mantillas grace
fully worn over the head. The better
class in the cities, both men and WO-
men, quite commonly wear The Amerl-
can style of dress. The typical MeXi-
can, however, in tight trousers with
rows of silver buttons up the seams Of
the legs, and complete outfit to cor
respond, is a decidedly STACEY" ap-
pearlng parsonage.
THE BURRO.
The burra is one of the institutions"
of Mexico everywhere in evidence and
the patient, hard working little beast
seems almost indispensable. They are
as plentiful as casti,a ,and apparently as
prolific and irrepressible. The loads
| they carry on their backs are simply
| astonishing. one sees no wheeled
vehicles in use anywhere for carting
purposes. The burros even transport
the silver ore in sacks from the mines
! to the reduction works. 1t is equally
wonderful to see what burdens the
! common lahorers will carry on their
! backs. In the cities one Of these poems
| may occasionally be seen trudging
| along alone, carrying a coffin to the
! grave on his back. Those who are able
to hire funeral cars use these, which
| are provided by the street car COM
ut ait hnP xKrftl .ag, yftz,