The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-02-04

all along this boundary is the pre-
vention OF smuggling, and also the
keeping out the Chinese, Hindoos and
others who are trying to sneak across
into the United States contrary to our
exclusion laws. Within the last two
or three years many Chinese lave
been smuggled across. at the rate of
$500 per man, this being the price
paid by each Celestial for his sue
cessful landing. It is different now.
The government has a band Of
mounted scouts. who are under the
Department Of Commerce and Labor,
and whose only business is to run
down and capture such characters.
One Of these men, Tom Gurley, has
taken sixty-fOur Cinnamon within less
than a year, n in addition has cap
tured a large number Of Smugglers.
The Chinese T still attempting to
cross over, and they are now offering
as much as a thousand dollars apiece
for a successful landing.
Right here at Laredo l met a large
party Of HindOOs who were trying to
get into our country. They were on
the southern side of the bridge, in
the plaza which forms the center Of
the Mexican own Of Nuey Laredo.
They were tall. dark-faced, strong,
husky East Indians, IN h chief
was q turbaned Hindoo from the
Puniab.
/ asked him where they were go
ing, and he told me he had brought
the gang of forty-three with him from
the Panama canal. They had Travelled
first to Guatemala, and had come by
the Pan-American railway from there
into Mexico. They a gone clear
across that country to Laredo, and
are now hoping to go through Texas
to California to find work on the
&c arm on1 roi1rNa1o fharo Tho chief
complained to me that the authorities
at Washington had kept his party
waiting for two weeks at Nuevo La
redo, and that he could not learn
when they were likely to leave. I
photographed FOUR OF these Hindoos.
They were f~ine-looking fellows. all
wearing turbans and Indian dress, and
it seemed to me as though they might
have been lifted up bodily out OF
the streets Of Delhi and dropped down
into this Mexican town.
The Only Gateway to Mexico.
During a part of the past year this
crossing Of the Rio Grande at Laredo
has been the only gateway to Mexico,
Vera Cruz was closed by the revolu-
ton OF Diaz. and Ell Paso had a long
period Of Interrupted traffic on ac-
count Of the rebels of Chihuahua and
other parts Of northern Mexico. The
bridge at this point, over which tn
railroad trains went, has been poorly
guarded, and / am told that the rebel:
with a few sticks Of dynamite might
have blown it to pieces. Uncle San
has a fort here under the command
Of Colonel Brewer. The force consists
OF about 900 cavalry, who have re
Gently come from h Philippines
They are husky ~fine-lookinE fellows
, and are ready to move at & oment
!. notice. In case of trouble their frs
' work would be to seize aud guart
the railway bridge.
1 am surprised at the Mexicans
find down here OF the United State
: side Of the boundary. The trains com
ing in are packed with poems or In
: dams. who are coming into Texas I
u work on the farms. I am told tina
v something like $4,000 came into tn
e United States last summer and fal
to aid in harvesting the cotton am
: other crops. Thirty thousand cam
d by way Of laredo and more tina,
h 1900 by way OF Brownsville Thes
: men were scattered all over Texas
J. and they got good wages during tn
& harvesting season. Many Of ther
It have returned home loaded wit,
# money. The current wages for farT
O work in Mexico are something lk
% cents gold a day, but here j
Texas the price for picking cotto
y is from 90 cents upward per nuHurc
@ pounds. Many a man can pick two
II three or four hundred pounds in
day, and these Mexicans, with thei
families. often make from three t
Is six dollars a day, and some eve
n more. They spend almost nothin:
IS and as a result are able to so bac
IF home with enough one TO kee
d them for the rest Of the ear I'll
Texans are glad to have them, and
., Cn1 fn16 thar there they q ra pn1DlOVS
It by the hundreds on certain estates
a.. II addition to this there are man
to M~exicans who have come over to az
as servants in the towns of souther
in Texas. I heard of one who, with h
% family, was so employed in Brown!
" Vile. His wages were about SIS gol
m a month, and he had served the fan
d lily at these wages for wv years {
I'd more. Last sumner he asked his en-
"A nLoxcr If he micht have q NaCatiO