Imperial Valley press., 1914-05-16
Ell PASO AWAITING
THE SPARK TO IGNITE
Omitted Press Day service)

III PaS0, IeXaS, May l6.-All things
considered it is rather a remarkabl,
thing there nave not been serious out
breaks between Mexicans and Amer
leans here and in Juarez which il
just across a short bridge over the
Rio Grande. Ell Paso's population Of
10000 is largely Mexican, and there
are great many Americans in Juarez
At various times, strained relations
between the Constitutionalists or the
Federals and the American admins
tration have seemed near the break
ing point, and Ell Pasoans have looked
for trouble, that has never come.
1t costs only five cents on the troll
ley line to cross the national boundary
into Juarez. In that Mexican city
now controlled by Constitutionalists
are gathered hundreds of gamblers
from North America, racing men, pro-
moters of cock fights and bull fights,
and the usual hangers-on of these
amusements.
The racetrack is only a short dis
tance from Juarez. 1t can be reached
in less than an hour from almost any
point in Ell Paso. Instead of being
limited to period of days, the race
meetings some times are stretched
out ever a period of months. 1t is
pointed out here that the easy money
of the race track affords considerable
to the funds of the Con-
stitutionalists-or to the Federals, for
that matter if the Federals happen to
be in power at Juarez.
But the race track is not the only
attraction for gamblers and other
lovers of "sport" which Juarez holds
out. There are the cock fights, the
roulette wheels, the faro banks, "no
limit but the ceiling" poker games, and
last and most important of all "Keno."
Keno has all the advantages of i
lottery, in that large number Of
persons can play at the same time
and get instant action. If the "sports"
are interested, settlements take place
every few minutes. With the odds
large because of so many players the
winner draws down a considerable pot
for the amount invested. In playing
this favorite of the Juarezites, every
player is given for a small fee, usually
ten cents a card which bears from fif-
ty to one hundred numbers. With one
hundred persons taking part, this
would make a pot of $40 from which
would be deducted the banks commits
sion.
A "house" employee draws duplicate
numbers from a box slowly, calling
them out to the waiting men, who
have their cards before them, with
little bits of gun wading ready to
be stuck upon the numbers upon their
cards, as these are announced by the
caller. The. first man to complete a
row of three numbers covered with
gun wadding shouts "Keno," and he
gets the pot.
AS in all gambling games, the pos
sibilities for an argument resulting in
a general melee are tremendous, es-
pecially when the character of the
hot blooded Mexicans is taken into
The trouble about such
a fight is that the Mexicans want t.
get their knives into action, or in
dulge in little shooting, in which
latter phase the cowboy element from
Texas is only too ready to accommodate
them.
Then there is no police force wor
thy of the name in Juarez and in
the event of a real riot lasting over
a period of days the only appeal which
could be made would be to Villa. And
many of the Mexicans themselves
would rather their city be pulled down
about their ears than appeal to him,
knowing full we'll what would prob
ably follow should the soldiers be
''turned loose" following the Saving"
of the city. They figure that while
the city might be saved, it would be
saved for the Constitutionalist soldiers
and not for the inhabitants.
= With all the gambling, cockfghting
and horseracing that ones heart could
wish, if ones heart desires this sort
of thing, the very character of men,
usually, who are most prone to trouble
Of more serious character, has been
drawn to the little Mexican city.
Zapata to Bar Huerta.