Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1908-10-01
interesting Letter About Mexico.


written them an interesting letter
about recent trip through Mexico,
from which we make the following ex-
tracts. Mr.. Byerly, who lives in
Kansas City, is connected with the
Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Rail-
way, and his trip was made on busi-
ness of the company. He says:
1 left here for Mexico July 3lst.
arrived in chihuahua Sunday even
ing, August I'd, in time for part of
the band concert on the plaza. They
have these concerts on the plaza every
Sunday and Wednesday night. The
Mexican people are lovers of music
and musicians and they have partic-
ularly fine military band in Chihua-
hua, which is headquarters of the Sec
ond military zone. Everyone prom
enades around the plaza while the
band is playing. The band stand is
in the center, with a broad walk all
around the outer edge of the shrub
berry and statues in the plaza. The
girls all walk in one direction and
the men in the other, always keeping
to the right. Couples walk in the
same direction as the ladies.
spent Monday in the City Of Chi
huahua, which is the capital Of the
state of the same name, the largest in
the Republic of Mexico. chihuahua
is a city of about $1,000 or $4,000,
and there are some 5000 Americ ms
there. They have very fine theater
and beautiful cathedral which was
built by special tax on the Batopi-
las mines, one of the richest silver
mining properties in the world. Chi
huahua is an old city, and at one time
had population Of something like
200, 900, large part Of them being
Indians. The chimes in the tower Of
the cathedral are cracked, having been
shot at and some of them hit by the
French when they were having mix
up in Mexico at the time Macmillan
was shot. Consequently, the chimes
are not as musical as some I have
heard. In Guaymas, Sonora, on the
West Coast, they have some bells with
such good healthy tones that you can't
hear yourself think while they are
working.
One Of the first things that attracted
my attention after going to my room
was the long-drawn whistle Of the
night policemen, which has a rather
peculiar sound, especially in the night,
when everything is still. This com.
msnces at 9 o'clock p. m, and every
time the cathedral clock strikes the
hour and the half hour these police
men must signal to each other sort
of all's well, passing it up and down
the line, beginning at the plaza. These
policemen do not walk beats like ours,
but are stationed at q corner, about
every other block in the down town
district, and they must not leave un-
less duty requires. They have Ian.
tern and there ia reward of $40 for
anyone turning in one of these to the
police headquarters, 80 that Mr.. Po-
liceman is not likely to stray away or
20 to sleep at his post. When man
is arrested they do not send for the
patrol wagon, or take him in to head.
quarters, but take him up to the next
corner and turn him over to the man
there and thus pass him along until he
reaches the police station. Great sys-
tenn
Tuesday I went out over the Orient
line east Of Chihuahua to the Conchos
river bridge at Falomir, which hssjust
been completed since l returned to the
States. There Is nothing particularly
interesting on the east end, that is the
line east of Ohihuahus, except the
fruit farms near Aldama, where they
raise peaches, figs, melons, etc. Twen-
ty-fve miles from Picachos station
there are some zinc mines that must
be very rich, because they pack the
ore to the station on wagon trains or
burros and then pay freight on it to
Kansas.
I left early the next morning for the
mountains on the line west of Chihua-
hua, and arrived at Sanchez, at pres.
ent the end Of the line, about 9.30p p.
m, and left half an hour later for our
engineers camp about seven or eight
kilometers beyond. After riding sev.
eral hours in the rain, We arrived at
camp. near Los ojitos mountain, the
highest in this part Of the country,
over 5000 feet. The highest noun
tains Of Mexico are in the southern
part, and these are more individual