The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-02
NOTES IF INTEREST ABOUT OLD MEXICO W, B, Reynolds Tells of Month
 Spent in Republic COUNTRY HAS A FUTURE Presidents of Five Railroads Were In Mexico at the Same Time-Moun'
 tans of Iron Ore Are
 Seen.
COUNTRY HAS A FUTURE

". B. Reynolds of the firm of Robbins X Reynolds has just returned from a months trip through Mexico and talks in- terestingly of what he saw.
 Mexico at present. says MT. Rev holds, lis a mixed proposition. That il has future was evidenced to me by the presence while l was there of five presi- dents of great railroad corporations from the United States with their private cars and coterie of capitalists, besides hun dreds of citizens who were looking the situation over. Among the number was c. E. Melen, president of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad
 Mexico has no such resources as this country but with the advent of Amer- cans it will experience great change and l am firmly convinced that it Is now on the eve of a great boonl Nothing will ever be accomplished by the native Mexicans. As a rule they are utterly unreliable, treaeherous and worthless. The railroads in Mexico are all in first class condition. built and managed by Americans exclusively, in fact no place of trust is ever given to the Mexican where an American is available
 T visited Monterey a city of s0,0OO people-with no water works nor sewer age of any description. The street cars are drawn by mules worked tandem, two to a car. In endeavoring to get a kodak picture of one of them on the principal street, the driver obligingly stopped his ear until l got through The place is infested with dogs and beggars. yet on the outskirts of the town Is a steel plant which has cost over sSOOO,OOO. They have mountains of Iron ore. superior in qual- ity and quantity to Birmingham. but no coal. Their coke is obtained from the United States.
 Modern City.
 Mexico City is a modern place of half a million inhabitants, but as usual in that country, the hotels are wretched and high priced. There are many points of interest there, however, and the tourists soon fall in love with their surroundings. 1 was honored by MT. and Mrs Malcolm Mastellar with a ride over the electric StANRN AehA oJ Sithl III lllNlI DIlNdlb GdT. This system has over 200 miles of track in and around the city and hauis freight as well as passengers. Mrs. Mastellar was formerly Miss Veda King of Monte vallo and Scottsboro, and is considered one of the most beautiful women in the American colony.
 Among the customs differing from this .t-- all close at 1 clock and open again at 3 o'clock. The entire force goes to lun- eheon at that time and takes sesta. A list of each days letters is posted at the postofhce in the general delivery and if your name does not appear on the list 1t Is useless to ask if you have any mail as you will be at once referred to the bulletin board. Public hacks gre of two kinds, blue and red, that Is, they carry small flags painted blue and red. The blue are allowed to charge $l per hour and the red 75 cents. It makes no difference if the party be one or four, that price covers the entire charges and Is strictly enforced. When you arrive at the railroad station all the carriages are In one enclosure and leave through one gate, where mounted policeman takes the number of the hack, the number of occupants and the destination. The street cars and railroads all run first. second and third class coaches with fares ranging accordingly. The railroads and street cars have no civil liability. If one gets hurt by them, no suit can be brought. This Is according to a clause in the con stitution of the republic, evidently made to encourage investments in enterprises of this kind. While l was there. three ''peons' were run over and killed by street cars immediately in front of my hotel and within a weeks time. Great crowds gathered each time but no one dared touch the bodies until the chief of police came and gave directions as to what was to be done. The motor man and conductor always run away as they are likely to serve a term in jail If caught
 Goes to Bull Fiaht.
 Nearly every American goes to a h,lI light. It comes on Sunday, but the aver age tourist forgets the day and goes. Very few Americans go the second time. went once and shall never forget the horrible and brutal spectacle 1 saw en- acted in the presence of 10000 screaming and applaudng Mexicans. Six horses and seven bulls were slaughtered during the performance. The Sunday before one man was killed. The horses are blind folded and have no chance. In the en- counter l saw bull rip horse open and the rider was thrown. He pushed back the horses entrails and showed in A bunch of hay to hold them in place. mounted again, and in few minutes the bull made another lunge and gored the horse to the heart. The bulls are let in the ring one at a time and the fight continues until 1.o Ic