The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-08-26
Ranch King. OF Mexico.

From the New York Press.
Mexico is the land 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 Ameri.
cans. For instance, z. D. Morgan 10
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. tt company
has 10000 e of cattle on this grant,
and its mines employs 800 men. One hun.
dred and seventy-five miles OF private rail.
road transports the ores, cattle and sup
plies Of the estate. Among the mines 10
one the San Pedro, which is worked Out,
having been exhausted by the natives
years ago. In the depths of this mine ID
an ancient Catholic church. 1t IL no more
h a chamber in one OF the slopes Of the
mine, but 1t is whitewashed and always
Illuminated with candles. There is an
altar and a confessional there, an offciat-
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 it needs very
few repairs.
But, enormous as are the holdings Of
the Corralitos company, they pale into in
significance when compared with the es.
tate of their next door neighbor, Senior
Tarrazzas. This lordly Mexican holds un.
disputed sway Ger a territory larger Than
the whole of e England. Upon his
illimitable ranges roam 100000 cattle, 1,OOO,-
600 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
number. He arranged a series of festiv-
tiles at one of the home ranches on this
enormous estate in celebration Of the
happy event. At a certain railway station
the guests from the city were met with
c%onveyances to a them to the RANCH
and as q guard of honor. escorting the
wagons, there were 500 vaqueros. all in
pure white clothes n mounted on pure
white seeds. They were ''all 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 est.
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 100000. The stately old grandee Is
the greatest cattle and land owner in the
world. and one Of the richest men on the
western hemisphere. He is g~ray-haired.
dignified, reserved. No one knows how
much money he has. nor where he keeps
1t. nor what he intends to do with 1t. He
lost 100000 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, it is said will get
rid Of 1000 O at the gaming tables in a,
single night. The youngster went on a
prolonged spree lately and. 1t Is said, blew
in $150. 600 in one drunk. j
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 q
governor OF Chihuahua In the revolution
airy days. when there wasn't much law to
bother anybody, and he came into possess
sion OF his vast estates in those troubled
times.
chihuahua, by the way, which has per-
haps 100000 Inhabitants. has a capital
town of the same name, containing 5000
people. and here the state government has
Just completed al opera house which IL
one OF the largest and finest in America.
Its stage is the second In size in the world.
claim the Chihuahuans. and the whole
cost $500. ooo. with peon labor. This seems
for a moment to lift art to a level with the
church In Mexico. 1t IL Of a piece with
the great cathedral in Mexico City, where
you will see the poor, ragged, filthy natives
kneeling to pray before that
golden altar, hundreds Of feet high. Yea,
our %neighbors to the south are a curious
people,"