Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-09-19

and no sides. This entirely filed.
just leaving aisles for the purchasers.
| with stands containing every imagin-
able article and some that one could
| not conceive even with the widest
imagination. Watermelon was to us
thing CT the past, but behind a
cracker box stood gray haired hon.
ore with fan trying his feeble best
TO keep the flies from a dozen pieces
of watermelon just about two and
one half inches square-and the rind
was the biggest part of that. But
were everything else to go out of
season. were a great flood or fire to
destroy the country, | believe one
would still find peppers and chiles
where Mexican market once stood
L never saw SO much of one kind of
vegetable in my life. They were
everywhere and in everything by the
wagon load. Ii MeXicanS have any
theory on the subject 1 am sure they
say that the moon is made of green
peppers instead of green cheese.
After leaving the market we went
TO the jail. Up and down in front
p; ced armed sentinalS and the hall
was lined with the same grim-yiSaged
soldiers. We had notion to take to
our heels but less awesome looking
senior addressed US in English and told
up TO follow him. He took Us through
a guarded gate, across small court
yard and to a cell where handsome
young man chung to the bars and
looked at US with great appealing
brown eyes as though asking US, in
the language the Spanish know best.
not to judge him harShly. The guide
told US that he was sentenced to be
shot for killing his sweetheart because
she refused to marry him but a few
days before the expected wedding.
| His friends, who it seemed were in
tluentlal, were doing all they could to
procure his release but he feared that
all their efforts would be in vain.
Next we were taken to a filthy pen
where the women were kept but of
the inmates we saw nothing but con-
fused mass of brilliantly colored rags
huddled together in one corner for at
sight of US they hid their heads in
shame. After this we were taken to
large open enclosure surrounded by
a high stone wall with tiny cells
opening from it on one side. This
was filled with Mexican 'hombieS' of
every size and description and among
them were three fine looking Ameri-
can boys hardly more than twenty
years old. When we drew near they
all tiocked to the gates and cOntem-
plated us with evident curiosity not
unmiXed with awe. Several of them
thrust their hands through the bars
and jabbered away in their peculiar
mixture of Spanish and Indian that
alone belongs to the very low classes
of MeXicanS. We could not imagine
what tney wanted but the guide took
some little dice from one of them and
told US they wished to sell them. He
also told us that these poor prisoners
are given no clothes nor in fact any
| thing but Scanty ratiOnS of the poorest
and cOarSeSt of food and then added
with mirthless laugh as though
| trying to look on the bright side,
''they can live on it for time"
Whatever else they get they have to
earn. They have no tools of any kind
not even a knife-but with a fine
example of "where there is a will
| there is way" they take the bones
they find Strewn on the ground and
rub them on their prison walls until
they make tiny cubes as smooth and
shiny as glass and then in some way
that could not understand they in
sert designs in red, white and green
the colorS of their nation. They sell
them two for sun cuarto peso" Ia
quarter of dollar | bought some
and was rewarded with 'graias,
mucho gracias, Senorita." We could
not help but notice our young country
men who stood back of the other with
hanging heads. We learned from the
guide that they had got into a fight
with some MeXicanS and being the
hated "Americans" were thrown into
prison. They certainly deserved a |
better fate.
From here we went to the
drunkards dungeon. 1t was a |
black, damp, filthy cellar with moth
ing but rough planks for beds and a |
thin guny sack for pillow. One had |
better lie on the floor but for the
water standing in pools all over it. |
The cold chills chased one another up |
and down my spinal cOlumU as [ gaZed |
in horror on the drunken wretches |
stretched out on the planks, sound |
asleep. The dampness penetra ted one |
and the musty odOr was so sickening |
that we did not wish to go any fur
ther but crossed the SUNNY courtyard |
and went out, through the big iron
gates, to life and freedom. What had |
before seemed d narrow, dirty street |
now appeared broad thoroughfare,
fresh and clean and the cool air was
never more welcome.
We had heard of the Old Mission
'Guadalyse" built nearly four humid
red years ago, and were anxious to see
it. 1t was large structure of adobe,
the plastering having turned yellow
with age and in some places great
pieces had fallen off. Part of the bell
tower was crumbled away but the bell
still hung there. There was a wide
cement rostrum in back of the church
and in this, as well as in the ground
surrounding, were inserted great slabs
of stone. At first wei did not notice
them for they were on leve, with
the ground and most of them were