The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-08

This goes on for some time. The east /:
flushing red now and man drives UP ar
immense two-wheeled cart with some
cans Gagged in it. The cart is drawn By
three burros. He disappears and his
cart remains there about an hour Milk
man? think. The water peddler comes
along. There is balanced on the bur
rows back a wicker pannier in which are
set small earthen jugs, containing drink
ing water from the mountains, for pure
water is marketable here
A dark man rides UP on a burro and
driving before him about six other burros
and across the back of each are balanced
bags of silver, tightly closed.
Another group of burros and drivers
follow, these burros loaded mountain
ously high with great circular bundles
of green stuff. which are corn stalks and
I|husks cut up medfumly fine More
burros come along loaded with chunks OF
meat; others loaded with bread: others
with chilli. Every driver instead of say
ing get up or clucking, repeats again
and again "S-s-s-s-s," like the short hiss
of escaping steam. AT first when you
hear this sound you rather fancy that the
drivers, who are staring at you and your
strange dress are guying you by express
ing mock surprise. But you learn better
By this time the convict has the tri-
angular plaza pretty we'll swept and puts
all the dirt in that straw bag and he and
the soldier march off.
Then somebody turns the water on in
the fountain This water is not fit to
drink, but is used for washing purposes.
But the people begin to flock in, mostly
women with Jars about two feet and a
half high. They dip these full from the
fountain and then load them onto their
shoulders. This is an interesting opera
ton. 1 saw no woman get the jug to her
shoulder unaided. The jug full of water
is very heavy; the women aid one an
other. The jug is lifted quickly to the
left shoulder while the woman reaches
up and over with her right hand and
grasps the top of the jug, the left arm
going akimbo. There must be two or
three hundred women who get water
from this fountain. Two girls came up
while was watching and a young fellow
helped them with their Jugs, and chucl1led
each impartially Under the chin and sent
them off giggllng. Then scores of boys
appeared, each with square tin cans,
holding about three gallons, at either end
of a beam. Filling these with water they
would walk off with the beam over their
shoulders. as Cinnamon used to be shown
in pictures carrying tea Afterward three
NJ vaIa nj
proceeded to dash water on the coble-
stones by the way of sprinkling.
There now rides by some sort of an
army officer. He has a very big sword
The frDnt of his stirrups are closed with
plates of silver. His uniform Is of dark
blue, and is plendfully sprinkled with
very tiny and mess entail silver buttons.
He has a heavy black beard which he
strokes. His is the first heavy beard
have seen in Mexico. The sun has
now broken into the valley and
many people come along selling their
wares. One particularly sad-voiced indi-
vidual cries "Pulque! pulquei pulquer"
popular drink. Others sell torteas, kind
of pancake.
A burTo gets fractions and dumps his
harness off. It takes thirty-two Mexicans
70 get that harness on again and then
they accomplish it at arms length.
The people across the way now begin
to stir. ALI the buildings opposite are
brilliantly painted and look as much Ike
real buildings as those on Mr.. Mart
ling's canvas sliding scenes. We dis
cover that they are occupied by one fam
lily, who are aristocrats. About 9
o'clock a carriage, style of 1876, drives up.
and a man in a silk hat with a kind of
black cape overcoat comes and gets in
and goes joiting away over the rockiest
pavement ever laid in this or any other
country.
Four men come along with that dog
trot which every peon has. carrying on
their shoulders a rough coffin. They are
bound for the new cemetery. The old one
Is full and has been locked ND. And you
wonder If II is true that the city. too. IS
dying and tfat man will leave il at last
to let its cathedral and its graveyards
struggle on alone along the road to dark
ness and decay.
We are al the depot here bound for
Mexico City when a very handsome young |
man in light overcoat and a soft felt hat
calls our rame and we recognize Robert
Bean. son u Colonel Bean Of Wichita /
and formerly Of Wichita himself. He e !
agent for the waters-Pierce Oh company (.
at Zacsteces and Is p-ospering- He want |
ed 10 be remembered to all his Wichita |
friends
Wichita Is everywhere. I told abou, |
meeting sam Mountain az Z Paso- ! /
looked out the window at Torreon and |
there among a thousand zsraDe-ea |
figures saw our own Mr. Hartman who 4
is superintendent Of the Chihzul1au divis- !
io1 OF the Mexican Central When you (
get on a train IN this or any other land. I
keep your eye opened. Ysu viii find Old 4
friends. formerly Of wichita
VICTOR MURDOCH +