The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-05-31
CHIEF DESMOND CHATS OF
HIS TRIP INTO MEXICO.

.rOh Mexico is not so much 'manana' as
tho Americans would have you swallow.
They are not slow. You can always find a
conner in Guadalajara. and thai is more
than the citizen in the States always says.
Down there the policeman goes arouna Win
a lantern, so you can't miss him. :
1t was William Desmond, Chlet or +pe-
tectives. talking. The redoubtable Sweat
er" OF CROOKS only just returned from
his celebrated 2,5e0-mile pursuit of the fugi-
tive Kratz, was beginning TO tell OF some
new things he has learned apout ponce
methods.
Il found them very strict down there'-
Desmond smiled, as his quick Wit doubled
upon itself. Yes, without meaning 10 joke
about it, they are strict. There are at least
10000 yards of red tape wound al around
the Jefe Politico. who corresponds TO our
Mayor. 1t speaks volumes for the Diaz
Government. He is ths ruler. He seems 10
be better guarded against anarchists than
the President of the United states. HIS
'palacio' is hemmed in by soldiers. and no
one without a pass can get WITHIN peep'hs
distance.
This copper with the lantern. 1 will
tell YOU why he is not hard to find. At
night it seems to be his particular outy 10
light up and try all the iron-barreo doors
and windows alorg his beat before he settes
down for the evening. After tina oars arc
found to be In place he places his wnite
light in the center of a street intersection
and hangs around it until morning, like
electric-light bug.
IF anything goes wrong, all you nave
got to do is 10 run cut into the street and
look for the nearest white light. That Is a
policeman. If the white light moves toward
your alarm. you know that the policeman
is coming. If it does not he may be asleep
at his post. The only person who never
catches the Mexican copper enjoying a
siesta is the Sergeant who blows his
whistle. Up and down the street white lights
signal to him that everything is all right
NOW. II they make an arrest, the Of
fcer who has the prisoner guards the fel-
low until he delivers him to the ueXe white
light and he is passed along in this way
until he arrives at the calIbo0Sa. The Of
iicers return at once to their stations as
soon as they have made the delivery to the
nearest light. This is their way Of getting
around our patrol wagon system. When I
visited the City Of Mexico l explained this
system to the Jefe Politico. He was very
much interested and 1 understand that the
system is to be adopted there.
'Guadalajara has cleaner streets than St
Louis Refuse is swept UP with a stiff steel
hair brush. No dirt is allowed to remain
fer a moment. The plaza Is like a dancing
floor. l enjoyed watching the pretty Span
ish women promeniGirS there On Sunday
nights while the band was playing and the
water splashinS in the fountains. The
Senoras and the Senoritas stroll there until
10 o'clock. to show their fine dresses. They
look attractive. with nothing on their heads
but those mantillas. which are a heap
more sensible than a picture hat in the
States.
A Mexican COurtship.
Right under my window in the Hotel
Garcia. one night. when it was so hot that
1 wished for st. Louis. 1 heard a mandolin
tinkle. Then a soft male voice sung a
Spanish love song. l got my head through
the iron bars and looked down On a ball
cony across the way.
"A young Spanish girl was leaning over
the railing in the moonlight dropping rose
buds on a boyish senior, who was picking
the strings of the instrument. 1t was I'll
like a novel. you know. That is the way. I
find. that they make love. They are stricter
there with their daughters than we are"
The American detective found time during
his surveillance of the ST. Louis fugitivs/I
to visit the Cathedral OF Guadalajara and =
study the famous painting of the Ascension
by Murillo. The Chief did not believe he
could be bunkoed out of $1,000, which. he
was told. was the value of the work Of art,
although he pronounced it very fine. He
, was bored by the opera at the principal
theater of GAdalajara- 1t was sung in
Spanish.
"Ot course all of our conferences with the
officials were conducted through an inter-
prefer said the Chief. This made it hard
1 never did such talking in all my life. 1t
was worse than sweating fifty ordinary
crooks that We gather in here. If we wers
watched by any Of the detectives down
there, | do not know il. The detectives
there dress in a steeple-crowned sombrero
loaded with gold and silver a
tight jacket and trousers, tight from tho
waist to the knee, where they begin 70
spread out and flap about when they walk
The rest of the population of MeNicans
dress the same way. So how on earth were
you to tell a detective in that sort Of get
up?
Mexico Well POliced.
9TH newspaper accounts from the United
| States, limiting at the possibility of my kid
raping Kratz. did not do me any good I
had to talk my arm off trying to show the
| Guadalajara police officials that I was not
there for that purpose. 1 could not have
gotten out of the country with the prisoner
! kidnapped. Every train that travels through
| Mexico is guarded by four officers. They