The Ocala evening star., 1908-02-10
THE MEXICAN BORDER
How ECth Sides CT the Line Are
Watched and Guarded.
UNCLE SANS CRAVE RIDERS.

The Work That Is Performed by These
Well Mounted, Well Armed and Cour-
aseous PatroIs-The Mexican RuraIes
and Their Methods
II business Or recreation should take
you down to that long line which forms
the boundary between the United States
and Mexico, you may by chance meet
well mounted rider, armed with rife
and pistols. pacing ObServantly along
some byp3th or canyon. He is one Of
the United States boundary riders ap-
pointed by the treasury department to
patrol the border Oh the lookout for
smugSers, cattle runners and other
persons whose presence on the Amer
lean side is generally undesirable.
For this position the man selected
must possess courage, judgment and
no little physical endurance. for his
duties may call him forth at all hours
and seasons, and he may be response
ble for Il stretch of border land many
miles i'm length.
the Pacific coast of California, and
Yuma. in Arizona. there is but o.e
boundary rider to patrol Il line of over
100 miles. and this is i'll part over
a SparSely settled mountainous region
and partly through the waste of the
Colorado desert.
AS opposite him. on the other size OF
the line. the Mexican government mI;n-
tainS from fifteen to twenty ruraieS
for the same work, il is good illus
tratiOn OF the trust rcpOS2d in Il single
American citizen by his government.
1t is probable there is no other man
in the United States whom it would
lie harder to find ut a given moment
than the boundary rider of the San
Diego YuDla district.
He MAJ he down on the Colorado
desert. watching near some water
holes for q venturesOlnn band Of cattle
runners. or in some canyon Of the noun
tains on the lookout Tor wagon load
Of prohibited Immigrant Cinnamon;
but. wherever he is. one may be fairly
sure it is not where the transSressor of
the customs laws expect him to be.
That he must possess both Judgment
and courage the following incident.
which took place during the career of
the former boundary rider in this dis
trict. will aptly illustrate:
For some time band of cattle run
ners had been working successfully
back and forth over the line In spite of
the boundary riders vigilance. They
seemed to be able to divine his move
ments. so that while he was watching
trail through the mountains they
We're rushing bunch Of cattle over
the fcccrt.
Pit ut last hc managed to surprise
tie land AID. rife il hand. drove two
of them into Campo.
Then. however. arose the question as
to the method cf taking them down to
the coast He hired q double seated
vehicle. the only one in the place.
But at once another question pre-
sented itself How was he to seat His
prisoners. for either they must be
placed together on the front or the
back seat Or separated. both seemingly
a hazardous choice?
lie finally decided to separate them
and so. with one On the front seat With
him and the other behind, he started
for the cOaSs.
The two cattle runners managed 10
communicate with each other by signs
and at rough Fart of the road made
hn hn 1pr IN,
prisoner. Needless to say. they then
made the best Of their opportunity to
escape over the border. Tut as they fell
into the hands of the unsympathetic
rurales they would have been better
of If they had submitted to the law Of
their own country.
This brings one Of the somewhat diff
ferent methods pursued by the MeXi-
can government in guarding their side
OF the border. From q c,IrSOry inSIec-
tiOn of the line one might suppose that
the Mexican side is not guarded at all.
You may cross the line ten times at
different places and never set eyes on
q rurale. bot it is we'll known that YOU
have done SO nevertheless, and on the
eleventh excursion You are likely to
find yourself surrounded by a pictur-
eSGue group, W no will carry you off to
Jail il yoUr explanation is not salts
factory.
AS rule, the ruraleS patrol back
and forth fn detachmentS at distance
of from ten to fifteen miles from the
actual border. Many headlOng dash