Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-09-23
TELLS OF THE ARMY.
A New Mexican Impressed With Dlaz
Soldlers-0ther Subjects.

While in the City Of Mexico. few
days ago. R. E. Twitchell was made
1.-THE subject of an interviewer EN-.
Ipoyed by the Herald, an English pap
er Of that city. Since coming home
he. has been explaining that he did
not know he was being interviewed
at all, One of the interviews, repro
duced in The Optic Thursday even
ling, was evidently written up sec
ond hand, as Mr.. Twitchell says he
met no one to whom he could have
given that particular information
Then, like all secondhand goods, IL
had been badly worn in the handling.
The Mexican Herald of Sunday
September II. has an interview that
Mr.. Twitchell acknowledges. 1t treats
of the appearance of the Mexican
army on parade during the national
festival, of the gallant conduct of the
Rough Riders coming from New Mex
leo. of the Thirty-fourth volunteer
regiment recently organized, of Dem.
ocratic and Republican politics and
finally concludes with this:
what about the Philippines?"
ooh, | think we will hold them,
said Mr.. Twitchell.
That part of the interview relating
to the Mexican army, Mr.. Twitchell
lis quoted in the Mexican Herald as
saying;
~ was surprised to note the splen-
did appearance of the Mexican army
and of the Rurales in particular.
They are a splendid looking lot of men
and would be credit to any country.
The character of the equipments and
especially of the horses of the army
was, a revelation to me, as / had no
i1ea that Mexico paid so much atten-
tion to her army.
The parade which took place on
the 18th IN honor of the saints day of
President Diaz, did in point of mag
|nifirence. and beauty surpass many of
the large parades in the United
States. There was nothing in the
Peace Subilee at Chicago held in honor
of the soldiers and sailors who fought
lin the Spanish-American war, which
surpassed in elegance and beauty the
various triumphal arches erected on
Avenida Juarez and San Francisco
street, particularly the Mosaic arch
erected on calle San Francisco
81 was particularly impressed" said
Mr.. Twitchell, with the manner in
which the festivities of the night of
the 18th were carried out by the in
habitants of the city, and do not be-
lievethat in such cities as Chicago and
New York such license and freedom
of entertainment would be permitted
for a moment, owing to the character
and tendencies of the larger class
of the population in those great CEN
ters, and believe it to be very compli-
mentary to the Mexicans. The fact
that so much good nature was display
ed by the large crowds is but adj
tional evidence of the confidence and
trust which the people of Mexico have
in their national and municipal gov
ernments."
In speaking to a reporter for The
Optic Mr.. Twitchell again referred to
the appearance of the Mexican SOL
diers. He referred to the crack cav
airy regiment of the army more par
ticularly, saying:
Every man in 1t seemed to have a
fine, thoroughbred horse, of the kind
one would, naturally see in the large
cities, There wasn't a saddle used
that cost less than s100 and many of
them as much as $1,000. Without ex-
ception they were trimmed with
carved leather and silver in a gorgeous
and extravagant manner. The troop
ers wore the finest kind of hats, too
all trimmed up with silver braid, and
none of them costing less. than $25
There Is nothing in the United States
army in the way of equipment that can
come up to this regiment l speak of.
81 also noticed that in all the caval
Try regiments the various troops had
horses of a unlIorm color, one troop
having gray horses only and so on
through the list.
L. "The iliumiations on the night of the
18th were the grandest that / ever
saw having been produced by electric
lity. The cathedral, plaza and presi
Dental palace were blaze of light
On the night of the 18th, the immense
lplaza, 800 feet wide, was densely
tcrowded- with people, packed so tight
lily together that it was impossible tc
move At 11o'clock that night Presi
dent Diaz appeared and rang the bel
that proclaimed liberty at the hands
of General Benito Juarez. AS he die
so, band of music of 500 instru
ments struck up the national air and
Ithe' immense throng took up the song
The volume of sound was over-power
| ing and truly magnificent"
This was Mr.. TwitchelPs first visit
to the City of Mexico, although he has
been in different parts Of the republic
at various times.