The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-10
Wichita Man Takes a Trip
Through Mexico.
Gives Some Strange Stories of
His Experience.
HABITS OF NATIVES.
Ignorance of the Language
Often Serious Drawback.
Found Vast Difference i'm Food
of Two Countries.

Wichita. Kas., March 10.-Col R. Z.
Bean is at home from six weeks trip
in Mexico. Speaking of his experiences,
he said:
From Mexico City I visited the town
of Cuernavasca about 100 miles north,
and walked through the halls of Cortes
castle, built by the conquerors OF Mex
leo nearly 400 years ago. Many hand-
some paintings adorn the walls, and the
material used in the construction ana
finishing of the castle show a lavish
expenditure of money and hne artiStic
taste.
/ passed through the district in which
the Maguay plant is grown. 1t Is from
this plant the national drink, pnlea, Is
drawn, and 1 was simply amazed at the
proportions of this industry 1t is to
this section what wheat is to the people
living in the wheat belt of KansaS-the
mainstay of life / saw nothing else be-
ing raised by these people, and was tod
by railroad officials that between 40 ana
80 cars of it were daily shipped TO the
city. l intended trying the national
drink, but when I saw it handled on the
streets in pig-skins / could not muster
the requisite amount of courage Tor the
task.
After landing at Vera Cruz took
boat across the Gulf to CoatzacoalcoS,
and arrived too late to catch the steam
err up the Uspanopa river, and had to
employ two men to paddle me IN a
canoe about 100 miles to some sugar ana
rubber plantations wished TO VISIT. MY
canoe was about 80 feet long and three
wide, and with a canopy stretched over
me l was moved about a Ia Cleopatra
when she sailed out that famous
visit to Solomon. And now my troubles,
thick and fast, came upon me. My men
knew as much of English as 1 did of
Spanish-not a word in common be-
tween us. My first tilt with my men oc-
CURED about half past 3, the first day
out, when they pulled me to a landing
near some deserted huts and pro-
nounced the word ''manana." knew
what that meant, and in plain, en-
phatic English told them tomorrow had
not come, and gesticulating violently up
stream. / told them to go ahead, and
they did, but not willingly In about an
hour another hut was reached, and the
same performance was enacted, with
the same results. 1 sang .go ahead
into their ears with so much force and
vehemence that they actually learned
what it meant, and when / finally bid
them adois at the end of the voyage
about the last words heard them utter
were ''go ahead"
1.-THE natives of the tropics wear but
clad in low necks and short sleeves,
while many of the children have not
thought it necessary to alter their attire
since they were uShered into this ter
restrial sphere of sin and sorrow.
Il had supplied myself with some
bread, tea and a few canned meats for
this trip, and one day, after helping my
self to some Sard1neS, gave the larger
share to my men, and they at once put
the SardineS into a pan of rice and had
a great dish from that mixture. I saw
them drinking what called an extract
made from corn meal. The meal SEEM
ed to have been made into stiff dough
by the addition of little water. and
then packed in some green leaf and laid
aside for journeys. When one wants a
drink he takes a handful of this dough,
adding water, mixes the mass with his
hand, until it is thin enough to drink.
1t then disappears with much guStO on
the part of the imbiber- / tried it, but
found it too thin for my taste; in fact.
l had in my grip an extract of corn
meal much more to my taste. and it
needed no mixing to make it pala ia bic.
Stopping one day for lunch, when we
saw a native woman cooking, I saw a
lot of chickens, and at once grew hum
cry for some eggs; but how to get
them was another thing altogether. I
looked into every nook and corner,
where thought an egg might be found,
but saw none. My hunger for eggs
grew apace, and drawing an artistic
cut of an egg on board, and pointing
to a hen / was sure 1 would win. But
my scheme was a fiat failure, and hum
grier still, / grew Then 1 drew from
my pocket a white envelope, with an
other cut of an egg on that I got the
eggs, to the great amusement of the
natives.
"The best business point I found in Mex
leo is Torreon. about 500 miles south of
FL Paso, at the junction of the Mexican
Central and Mexican National railroads. |
The third road will be there within sixty
days
-'Six years ago the place was a goat
ranch. Now there is a population of 10000 4
in TOrreOn and two suburban towns
There are thirty manufacturing plants.
and strange to say, n1ne-tenthS OF all the
Tbe fown was piatte %nf1 v an Amerean
engineer and is already beautiful place |
This is the great cotton belt of Mexico |
and three large cotton mills are running
full time"