Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-04-24
SSSa6O9So@6 @69oSO6~
[continued from last week !

The train is late ana sWe 90 not
move until midnight. 1t is 240 miles
to Queretaro. our next stop. We pass
through or rather by a number OF large
towns; at Iraputa, meaning ripe
strawberries, we are advised to get
basket; peddlers are plenty and we
buy basket for twenty-five cents,
Mexican, about three quarts with a
hand woven basket worth more than
the cost. The berries are green look
ing, but / have never before eaten
berries that were sweet enough with
out sugar-these were. They pick
| berries every month of the wear here
We are at Tueretaro. This place
has 40. 600 people and is noted for it's
opal mines. 1t was here that Max.
imilian was shot in 1867. 1t is this
that caused us to stop here. We get
out of the car and are surrounded by
opal vendors. They look very we'll.
and same as have seen worn in the
states with so much pride l offer
one. half what is asked for two and
he shoves them at me- Ipay for them,
knowing / am sold, and put them
away. 1 see all the Americans buying
and soon learn these are all made in
Germany and the real thing is not
peddled Friends at home, look to
your opals and see if you are not wear
ing a fraud.
We hire five hacks and drive to the
Plaza. where we have decided to en-
gage and eat dinner if it kills us.
With our young ladies (three of them)
seated with the driver. a thing
which, from the curiosity shown by
the people, had never happened there
before. we drive out on the same road
taken by Maximilian on his last ride.
AS we ride through these narrow
streets with the open shutters, heads
are ont at every opening. Let me
say here there is no window glass used
in Mexico except in the most eX-
pensive houses, tight shutters being
used and when shut at night and as
they are most of the time light is adj
mitted through rear openings. We are
out of the city and driving through an
immense field of Maguey, what we
would term century plant. Il will
later give description of it. as it is
the largest cultivated plant in
Mexico The road gets steep, our
mules stop, the writer gets out and
runs ahead. A chapel has been erected
on the spot Of the execution. sit
down on the steps and my mind
reverts back to when this happened |;
how Secretary Seward sent note to
Napoleon giving him TO understand
that foreign army would no longer
be tolerated in Mexico 1t is that
note which the Mexicans accept as
the cause OF their independence and
as having paid for the crime of our
despoiling their territory in lS4S.
1t was this note that caused Napoleon
to withdraw his troops from Mexico.
Maximiliau also would have with
drawn but his wife Carlotta insisted
they could not The republicans
captured Maximilian. He was tried
by law not nearly as severe as he
had been enforcing and he paid the
penalty. | remember how he stepped
down, shook hands with each of the
executioners, handed each handful
of silver and asked them TO shoot at
his heart that his mother might look
uIon his face He had been tcld
while in prison that his wife was
dead His two lieutenants fell at
the first volley; a second was fired at
him. Our teams are here We pay
So and are admitted to the chapel.
Three markers mark the spot where
Maximilian and his two generals,
Miramon and Mejia stood.
| We return by another route, follow
ing up stream, where the women are
washing. / have not seen stream or
pond where they are not. On their
knees, their head far down towards
the stream. with stone for a rub
hoard. they dip the garment in the
stream and rub it on the stone. How
they endure this fatiguing poise l
cannot understand 1t would kill
an American. l think there were 800
washing along this stream.
We are back in the city and we visit
the museum; here is the order for ex-
ecution, the pen with which il was
signed, tine inksiand, tine table, the
picture of the judge, the receptacle in
which Maximilian' heart was put
you have heard enough of this.
We take ride to the Hercules cot.
ton mills, operated by water power
carried in an aqueduct in many places
lC0 feet high. This aqueduct also
supplies the city. 1t is number OF
miles long and massive affair. The
cotton mills employ 1900 hands. In