The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-11-17
~ II rs MOST wonderful Nay,

best horses of Las Delicias!
Come, my friend, let us in
stantls depart. or truth, 1t is the work
of the Evil One himself, and to remain
longer would be but to endanger the
welfare of our souls. Let us never
have railroads in our Mexico!"
Don Enrique was a provincial MeNi-
can gentleman who had journeyed In
that good, old fashioned conveyance, Il
rattle-tap of a diligencia. from his far
away rancho to the frontier town Of
Paso del Norte, where he had been
persuaded, not a little against his VIII.
to accompany a friend to El Paso. on
the Texas side of the Rio Grande, there
to view the wonders being wrought by
the Americans. The first railroad to
enter FL Paso had just been completed.
and he saw for the first time in his life
that wonderful machine, Il steam loco
motive. Its strange noises filed him
with alarm: the foul smoke pouring
from it's stack almost stransed him.
and, awe-stricken by its miraculous
strength, he finally gave expression to
his emotions. as shown above. He
turned deaf ear to the laughing re-
mopstrances of his friend. meanwhile
piously crossing himself, and insisted
upon Immediately returning to tie
Mexican side of the river; there. he
elt, they would be safe from the
Malignant influence of the diabolical
machine. And, upon arriving in Paso
lei NOrte, he lost no time in starting
back home, but it was with a heavy
heart; he was oppressed with the fear
that he had committed a heinuus sin.
A few months later he was informed
that a concession for the construction
of railroad in Mexico had been grant
ed an American company, whereupon
he held up his hands in speechess
horror. Regaining use of his tongue,
he denounced the impious government
of his country in terms both vigorous
and picturesque. but that accomplished
nothing. And when the Engineers who
located the line Of the road entered the
bounds OF Las Delicias he used all the
diplomacy at his command to turn
them aside. but to no effect, for the
road was surveyed to pass within a
mile of his house.
In due time the graders came. a
motley crowd of rude. rough men who
laughed in his face and with many
an outburst of impotent rage he saw
them tear an ugly trench across the
breadth of Las Delicias Then came
the tracklayers, and he raved and
stormed like one beside himself as the
lines ofnElitering rails crept up to and
past his home: and he crossed himself
IN plous horror at sight of the tele-
graph wires. He was not in the least
modified when the railroad company
PAID him good, round sum for its
rlght-of-way across his property, and
rejected with superb gesture of scorn
the annual pass that was also tender
ed him.
NO, no, senor." he exclaimed. indig-
nantly; II was pOwerless to prevent
tnis dececration OF my beloved coun-
Try, but | did what | could. AS yet
the Infamous government has not en-
acted laws compelling me to patronize
your railroad, and until that he done
neither |, nor my family. nor yet my
servants, shall imperil their souls by
gong near your trains. Take back
the pass to those who sent it, and tell
them that ] Enrique del Toro, do eX-
ccrate it and them"
Don tnrique's opposition gave the
officials of the road but little concern:
his was only one of many such cases.
nevertheless it was decided to prop;-
'''N 'hi W IL STATION CON.
vciient to his use, and neat franc
building was erected not far from his
house When the time arrived TO Sc
lcct a man to have charge of this sta
tion. Bob Evans. man who was a
thorough railroader and with a repu-
1ation FOR cooness and nerve" but
who was utterly lacking in respect for
MeX1cans, was chosen. He was not
the fn make ,f f,,;a
ship to Don Enrique, most decidedly
not-and Don Enrique would have re-
PEELED such overtures had they been
made. Weeks passed, with each seeni-
ing TO be insensiblc of the others eX-
isten"e: but there We're agencies at
work that We're destined soon to break
down the barriers between them
One morning a vaquero galloped
madly to the hacienda. bringing Don
Enrique the terrifying news that Il
large war party of Apache Indians had
swept down from the neighboring
mountains, killing and burning, ana
We're making for the hacienda. Many
years had passed since the Indians had
raided that country, and so Don En-
rique was utterly unprepared to meet
them.
God of my soul. what am I TO do?"
he sroaned. I'VE are too few to re-
sist them. We must fly, but where?
oh, my wife. my daughter! Truly it
is an evil day that has come upon us.
We must fly from Las Delcias. but
whera can We find safety? There are
no soldiers nearer than Chihuahua, and
of truth the Indians would overtake us
befora,wencould go so far" And the
poor man wrung his hands in despair.
''YoIo forget the railway. Don En-
rique, the vaauero answered. let
us hurry to the station; train may
come at any moment. and all the
Apaches'of the Sierra Madre could not
overtake that, it moves with such
great swtftess.pl
"The railway Is a device of Satan
for entrapping our souls" Don En-.
ique stsrnly replied.
"And are not the Apaches Satan's
own imps? the vaquero reioined,
with respectful persistence.
Don Enrique was loath to surrender
his cherished policy of non-intercousse
with the railroad, but his wife and
daughter promptly championed the
vaqueros suggestion, and when two
women besst one poor man, that man
has but one course to follow. He yield
ed and Immediately his household be-
gan its flight. Pell-mell, shrieking,
and gesticulating, they poured into the
station. surprising Evans into speech
lessness: and Don Enrique. his SIM
pie mind agitated no less by his fear
of the clicking telegraph instruments
than by his blood-curdling horrors of
aI,a Ins.