The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-29
A Kansan Tells Of His Expert
ence on the Trip.
Fully Two Centuries Behind
American Progress.
CAUGHT SMALL SHARK
Had a Narrowing Experience at
Small Town.
Arrested for Picking Flowers
From the Cemetery.

Chanute, Kan. July 29.-The Sun
says:
T. F. Morrison. delegate to the ma
tional Elks' convention, which met In
Dallas early this month. returned home
yesterday noon from a side jaunt
through picturesque Old Mexico. He
made the journey in company with
eight New York Elks and their wives,
and has a rich store of exciting exper-
fences to relate. He also brought back
few odd bits Of Mexican pottery.
Mexico is 200 years behind the
times,' he remarked this morning.
They still fashion pottery with their
hands from the crudest kind of clay
and bake it in the sun. Matamoros.
town only twenty-five miles from the
border of the United States, is fully
two centuries behind American prog
ress. At the close of the civil war the
town had a population of $4,000 1t has
now dwindled to 5000 natives, poorly
dressed and poorly fed, a town without
waterworks, street lights, telephones
OF a single modern convenience. Half
the town exists by grating American
tourists, and the other half lives by
hauling drinking water to the first
half. ~
ct made several fishing trips and
consider that 1 upheld the reputation
of Kansas in each instance. The first
morning of my arrival 1 was invited
by the exalted ruler of the Dallas lodge,
who was interested in the fish markets
of the town, to accompany him out in
boat to land monster fish which
had been caught five miles from shore
the preceding night. The fish was
beauty, and tipped the scales at 700
pounds. When he had weighed and
stretched him out to his full length my
friend tried to make me say that 1t
was the largest fish had ever seen,
but I wouldn't do it. told him that
up home we had fish producing river
named the Neosho, which was inhabit-
ed by a catfish the like of which had
never been recorded.sI had never be-
fore had an opportunity of making
comparative estimate of the old fell
lows weight, but II that sea FISH
weighed 700 pounds, my best judgment
would place our Neosho cat at approx
imately 300. 1 caught a shark during
one of my mornings at bait casting.
OF course, 1t was little fellow, about
two feet long, but vicious and as full
Of fight as the Kansas Democrats this
year. a., .rs.-s ..r
Our most narrowing experiences oc-
CURED in dilapidated little hamlet in
the interior Of Old, Mexico, where the
whole party was arrested and, held
prisoners for TWO hours. in the most
vile smelling and darkest little court
=
ing the ladies, had gone out to wander
through a. century-old cemetery, and
being attracted by the gorgeousness of
the flowers, asked permission Of the
guide to pick some. We men saw the
women gathering the blossoms, so
plucked some ourselves. As we passed
out the gate a member of the Mexican
soldiery, in a faded uniform and resem-
bling for all the world a scare-crow
from a Kansas cornfield, placed us all
under arrest for desecrating the graves
of the dead We were hustled uncere-
moniously to a dingy little courtroom,
having more dignity to the square inch
than our supreme court, and placed on
trial. I told our guide that 1 was a
lawyer and commanded him to repeat
to the court what I should say. I made
an eloquent plea for the stranger in j
strange land and our total innocence
Of any wrong intentions. After two
hours deliberations the learned official
returned us our bouquets and allowed
us to depart with a reprimand. We
had a number Of equally exciting ex-
periences before finally crossing the
border into Gods country. had
glorious time, and expect to attend the
convention again next year"