The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1906-12-27
GLADDEN. WRITES
FROM MEXICO
prOniaent 0arksburg Contractor
vvsGy Describes Trip ON the
Trail IN Detail.
TELLS OF MEXICAN CUSTOMS
And Gives Glowing Account of the
thrilling Experiences Of An
American Party.
rELfs on llEMoAN cUsToMs
fBy A. P. Gladden.


nv last letter was from ocampo,
Chihuahua. Mexico. Our trail
train. consisting Of a 'saddled'' bur-
70 for each member of our party,
and seven packed saddled" brrros
to carry our supplies. was lined up
Dec. / at 1870 O'Clock p. m. ready
TO mount and forward march. We
were photographed after mounting
out long-eared little horses" All
of onr mules were soon named
Pocahontas, Snow Drop, Roosevelt,
etc. / gave my mule the name OF
-.Damn-You-Anna." While good l
would use the latter, but If unruly
the full name. After the march had
begun. while yet in ocampo. my bur-
70 became displeased with her bur-
den and began pitching" tbucking).
soon was turning somersoult IN
the air. falling on eobbled street.
was left pretty badly bruised up,
In both hands and the left knee,
from which / have suffered much on
the entire trail, and this is my first
atempt to write. owing to the dislo-
cation of finger joint on the right
hand. It is useless to say what part
AZ the above name for the mule I
,sad Had I not thought
her already christened, / would have
enlarged on her name. But with all
her faults almost love her now for
safe plotting over the BILLY Goat
pathways" that we have Travelled.
When we started out on this trail ex-
oed,tion. the narrow pathway for
miles looked scarcely wide enough
for the foot of the mule. with
.yn,ches below almost perpendicular
anDarently about 1000 feet deep.
We now remain in saddle going to
our rugged points, that in the start
we dismounted and in walking over
Them we're inclined TO lean toward
the wall.
We arrived in the first orange
growing section Sunday morning
Dec. 2. where we had our first feast
Of Mexican oranges. We encounter
ed in this valley our first holdup by
native sat the crossing point of the
Katamania river, which was very
.ro,cb swollen from recent rains. The
natives would not show US the ford
vav. They offered 10 set US over
Nv for SO each Mexican money.
they caused our Mazo tndian pilot
- tnrn traitor, who refused to lead
tho vay across the water. We de-
c,sed to unrobe ourselves, put our
clothes on the rear of the saddles
ana .null. for the shore" which We
did IN safety to all, thus outwittins
the natives. The most humiliatins
,b,ny 10 do was for one of our party
n returu with an extra mule for our
senedict Arnold Indian. We had
"a snccumb, however. for he alone
knew the way to our objective point
sunday night We shared the hos
n,taltty OF Jaun Cruz. who lives az
.senatno. He is native of the oes'
class and very wealthy. To our m
.eypreter he told that his porch oos
and orange grove were at our com
msnd and that he wished our parry
TO have a cup Of coffee with him and
his wife, which the coffee drinkers
OF our partyssay was genuine treat
After leaving the stage route we
Sad all natives sleep on the or.
aoor Of their houses. We have had
TO sleep ont on porch floors. since
We left ocampo. Notwithstanding
the hardships Of orr trail route, our
par,y remains in good spirits. Mon
a.v noon we arrived at Battapillas,
I where we failed to md anything to
est for man and beast, except IN
nedigreed meat. which has ;t'st been
mt on line today. We bought a few
mounds Of the meat and continued
.our route until we had mountain
grazing for onr burros. Here We
;;,s,smounted and broiled out unpedi-
creea meat and thought Of the fine
IL c.a+as (lf,r next point
!. = reach was Arechuyva, very nice
ssevey plateau of land, of which 50
l,ttle is seen on our route. We
made snis point one hour after DARK
In The rain, had to depend solely on