Evening journal., 1901-12-27
THIEVES MARKET
A PUBLIC PLACE
AOy Policeman in Mexico
will Direct Traveller
There

If you want to know the time In
the City Of Mexico; if you need house
hold goods, objects Of art or Of per
sonal adornment; in fact If there is
anything you desire from pincushion
to a redhot stove-just ask a police
man.
He viii point the way to the thieves
market without any more idea Of laws
that deal with those who receive stol-
en- goods than If you had asked him the
way to the best hotel in the city or to
one Of the theaters or to the National
palace The official of the law will not
hesitate to tell you that 1t is directly
across the street from the National pal
ace, east of the Zocalo-the park Of the
peons-and that II you are timid about
the size Of the load you wish to take
there the gate is large enough to drive
the biggest truck through without in
convenience. 1t is very simple mat
ter to find the thieves market
II is no small establishment. but a
city institution, with a court as large
as city block. and 1t is crowded from
morning to night with those who are
looking for bargains without the slight
est idea of moral wrong In buying stol-
en- goods. Indeed.it is stated that now
and then persons find property once be-
longing to them exposed there for sale
at prices so reasonable that II would
be absurd TO 70 to law about 1t and lay
up against the delightful convenient
"manana" the trouble Of appearing In
court
The market Is just what Its name i'm.
plies--a thieves market. where moths
do not corrupt, because there is always
a stream Of purchasers for goods at RI
diculous prices. Nothing remains IN
stock over a few days. Spread out on
tables or piled high ON the ground can
be found samples of almost anything
for the Mexican raterO Is not partlc
ular what he steals The thieves dc
not themselves act as the statesmen, for
this would be dishonest even to the
Mexican mind. They dispose Of theiI
plumber either for lump sum or take
u commission from the sellers
There is no assortment Of goods as L
class or kind. 1t is u case OF picl
and choose. Crockery, cutlery, tinwar,
and cooking utensils are the main sta
pies, for the Mexican Is careless, an(
the thieves Of his kind find this sort o.
plupder easy to get and with a read,
market. The proprietor Of one OF tn,
well known local restaurants admit
that nearly all his knives, forks an,
table linen come from the thieves
market. He makes 1t point regularl,
to visit there to replenlsh what ma,
have been stolen from his own place
But It is perhaps In the line Of curl
, osities. books and objects OF art tina
. the thieves market is most interesting
The libraries Of the monks, scattered Il
the war of reform, are represented nov
and then. The thieves, Of course, know
nothing Of the value Of the books.
Recently n folio of Shakespeare
bound In vellum, In splendid condition
/ Notwithstanding the long ago date o
It's publication, was picked up by
, book lover for $3.50 In Mexican silver
: Several bibliophiles of the Unite
! States have regular agents In tn
thieves market, and 1t pays them.
With Macmillan and his court man
, rare works OF art came to Mexico.
the rush away from Mexico these wer
! left behind. Within the last month
fan, beyond doubt by Vatican, wa
, bought In the thieves market for 81
The painting is still bright, the lace cs
! Qulsite and rare, and the ivory sticki
} inlaid with gold. are still intact.
MeXicos many wars have made til
} country an arsenal Of obsolete weaI
e ons. Swords. guns and firearms froI
the time Of Cortes to the present de-
ade can be picked up in the thieves
market for little or nothing. Some {
! them, outside OF their value as curio
p are Of intrinsic worth. as an America
= discovered not long ago. He bougl
{ for n trifie an old sword, tarnlshed an
e dirty. The style of the hilt please
= him. When he had 1t cleaned. he foun
r that scabbard. hilt and blade were II
!. laid with rich gold Of marvellous a
e tistic design.-City of Mexico Letter
!. New York Times.
q