The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-08-26
Ranch Kings Of Mexico.

. ..H .FTOm the new 1OTk HTeSS.
Mexico IL the I'M OF vast estates"
said a New Yorker just returned from
there, the other day. There are, In the
rural portions Of the country at least,
only two classes Of society-the very poor
and the very rich. Many Of the pro-
~prietors of these great estates are Amert.
cans. For instance, e. d. Morgan IL
president Of a company which owns and
operates the Corralitos grant. This grant
comprises a million acres OF land, located
In the state of Chihuahua. The company
has 10000 head of cattle on this grant,
and its mines employs 1, 500 men. One I'M
bred N seVenty-five miles of private rail-
road transports the ores, cattle and sup
plies of the estate. Among the mines Is
one, the San Pedro, which is worked out,
having been exhausted by the natives
years ago. In the depths Of this mine Is
an ancient Catholic church. 1t Is no more
than a chamber in one Of the slopes Of the
mine, but II Is whitewashed and always
illuminated with candles. There is an
altar md a confessional there, an ~officiat-
ing priest, and regular services, attended
by the poems of San Pedro, a typical Mex
lean town. 1t Is a rather popular church.
as the roof does not leak, and II needs very
few repairs.
But, enormous as are the holdings Of
lHS SOEIdillO5 COLupdhgg lICy PoNS ~ III
significance when compared with the es-
tate of their next door neighbor, Senior
Tarrazzas. This lordly Mexican holds I'M
disputed sway over a territory larger than
the whole of New England. Upon his
illimitable ranges 100000 cattle, 1000
coo sheep and 100000 goats. As for the
number of horses In his modest bunch, an
incident which occurred on his birthday. a
few months since will illustrate their
ntlrnhar He arranQad a aarfaa 0f festive
tiles at one of the home ranches on this
enormous estate In celebration Of the
happy event. At q certain railway station
the guests from the city were met with
conveyances to take them to the ranch,
and as a guard of honor, escorting the
wagons, there were 500 vaqueros. all in
pure white clothes and mounted on pure
white seeds. They were ''al the kings
horses and all the kings men," and the
size OF the herd that could furnish 500
white horses for the occasion can be esti-
mated.
'"Tarrazzas has several palatial ranch
houses scattered over his vast domain, but
his official home Is on the outskirts of the
city of Chihuahua, and was erected at a
cost Of 500, Co.,, The stately old grandee Is
the greatest cattle n land owner in the
world, and one Of the richest men on the
western hemisphere. He Is gray-haired,
dignified, reserved. No one knows how
much money he has, nor where he keeps
II, nor what he intends to do with 1t. He
lost $1,000, 900 worth of cattle last year by
drought, and 1t never feazed him. But he
takes no stock In either of his sons, not
because they spend money, but because
they spend 1t foolishly. The older one Is a
confirmed gambler, and, 1t is said will get
rid of 100000 at the gaming tables in a
single night. TIL youngster went on a
prolonged spree lately and, 1t Is said, blew
in $4,000 In one drunk.
However, the old senior believes in keep
ing the money in the family. The Oldest
son married his sisters daughter for this
laudable reason. Senior Tarrazzas was a
governor of Chihuahua In the revolution
airy days, when there wasn't much law to
bother anybody, and he came into posses
sion Of his vast estates in those troubled
times.
chihuahua, by the way, which has per-
haps 10000 Inhabitants, has a capital
town of the same name, containing $4,000
people, and here the state government has
Just completed ar opera house which is
one Of the largest and finest in America.
It's stage Is the second in size In the world.
claim the Chihuahuans. and the whole
cost $500, 600, with peon labor. This seems
for q to lift art to a level with the
church in Mexico. 1t Ia Of a piece with
the great cathedral in Mexico City, where
you will see the poor, ragged, filthy natives
kneeling to pray before that enormous
golden altar, hundreds Of feet high. Yes,
our ~neighbors to the south are a curioua
people"