The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-22
OPEN MART FOR ROBBERS.
Thieves sell Fruits Of Their Depre-
dntionN Boldly in NeNirn.

I'm the city o. Mexico there is place
/ known as the thieves uarkee that has n
. large patronage. some of 81 coming from
presumably respectable and honest ciLi-
ZGus- That such a place should exist fin
any city appears almost Incredible. Vet
b. conducts business with tEe ruL KNOW
edge Of the police, and with that OF every
resident in the city. What is more. it is
directly opposite one side OF the national
palace. The winter home OF President
Hlaz and Is only one block from the Of
fees Of the city administration And Il
Is no small establishment. either. such as
might be overlooked. for II occupies "a
court as large as city block. and is
crowded from morning to night with per
sons who are looking for bargains. and
know that the place TO find them is in
the thieves market
Naturally, the thieves themselves do
not act as the statesmen for the stolen
sJrts- lheE Keep out OF sight. and either
dispose OF the stolen goods for a lump
sum 20 the huCksterS OF allow them 10
sell for them ON commission In either
case the thief gets IJle the dealer is
'fAtrAl WIN a small LroLJ- and the
goods whose original owner is unknown
can ue obtained Tor a tenth OF their value
10 the visitors 10 Mexico the market is
well worth visit. even If SrrIIDIaS nj r1rl-
science should prevent the purchase OF
M4lJ ere admittedly stolen goods There
Wall De no lItAb-v in lLGluE the place
ANY policeman or any citizen VIII direct
you TO IT, Il Is Just east of the ZocaIe-
the park OF the peUuS-alG across The
street from the south front Of the nation
al palace Even with this knowledge YOU
might pass but high wall such as sur
rounds many Of the private parks and
grounds Of Mexican homes But ar the
end OF the wall is huge gate large
enough to drive a loaded truck through
Passing through this gate YOU enter The
market Il is big. open court. stone
paved and surrounded by buildings on
three sides and by the wall on the fourth
are Jhe booths. where the stolen goods
are displayed FOR sale These stalls are
crude affairs. Usually they consist OF a
Few boards. laid on supports which raise
them two OF three feet or the ground
Sometimes the goods are piled up careless
ly on the stone pavement But over each
OF them is the awning of coarse cotton
cloth. supported on rough poles. which
the Mexican hucksJeT invariably has
trOCkery. TlRWare. cutlery. and cooking
utensils form one 81 the staples of The
market There II always a demand for
these among the poor and So the raterO
gathers them in wherever and whenever
he can, knowing that he Will nnd a ready
sale And 70 - not only the Door who hUg
these things. Oae restaurant proprietor
en- this city whose place is one OF the
largest here, admitted that nearly all his
table knives and forks as well as the pots
and pans used IN the kitchen We're bought
uy him I'm the thieves market Tie Is "A
regular visitor 20 the place, and not long
ago H. picked up q bargain In the edible
line Tor his customers IN the shape of a
young pig Walch some tnteTpTiSll- thief
had gathered in
How long the thieves market viii exist
as it does now there is none to tell IL is
an old institution. and no one thinks az
interfering with II. Now and then "A
stranger. hearing Of its nature for the
first time. wonders how the city authgri-
urs can allow II 10 do business as 10 does.
But the native Mexican and the 8Ccgiima-
JlZrd foreigner accept 10 a@ 10 is and in
stead of Directing 10 IL md a very con-
NeUieut place in which To pick Uu % bar
gain and save themselves considerable
money hiCagO Chronicle.
When weary and brain tatlsurd. seek and End