Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1914-04-30
SOME STORIES
ABOUT MEXICO


Austin, Illinois, but whose work for the
c. & n. w. takes him to many points
on the system, is spending a few days
il Baraboo. Not many years ago Mr..
Bevington was engaged in overseeing
some railway construction work in Old
Mexico and in view of the threatening
condition that now exists between that
country and the United States, a recital
of some Of the facts about that country
as told to representative of this paper
will not come amiss.
Mr.. Bennington is most interesting
! talker and some of the adventures that
he experienced were indeed thrilling.
| He stated that when he first arrived in
Mexico he did not even have a smatter-
! ing of the native language and came
near starving because he could not
make his wants known in the restau-
rants His first order cost him three
dollars and all he got that he could eat
! was bread and coffee, and having spot
ted these articles ION the menu he sub
sisted on them until he became better
acquainted with the way of ordering.
He told of one or two encounters he had
with the native Indians. 1t seems that
! the latter often take liking to certain
| articles that strangers in the country
may have and when a large band ap-
pears on the scene and the chief tells,
you that heSlikes your watch ETC., as
happened in the case-of Mr.. Bennington
when he and his construction force were
out in the wilds, the best thing to do is
to send the Indians on their way rejoic
ing and avoid unpleasant consequences.
In this instance the Indians were salts
fed with few Ingersoll watches, six
scrawny mules, sack Of corn meal
and some other articles. At another
time, however, Mrs. Bevington, who
had come down from Chicago for a visit
with her husband, was the object Of
admiration and long line of Indians
filed by to look at the white woman and
her clothes. The lady decided she would
9part on the morrow for her home.
An American dollar, although con-
tanning less silver than the Mexican
dollar, will buy two dollars worth of
Mexican money and Mr.. Bevington
stated that for $500, more could be seen
in Mexico than could be seen for $1,000
in Europe In speaking of the bull
fights he said he never wanted to see
another, but to go to Mexico and not
see one was not seeing Mexico. The
beef from the slaughtered bulls that
prove to be aggressive fighters are fed to
the soldiers to make them ''brave."
Mr.. Bennington told how it happened
that so many S%prisoners were killed
''while attempting to escape. He
said that the rurales, or mounted police,
who are instructed to bring back their
prisoners, dead or alive, seem to prefer
to do the former and one of their num-
Der, after a capture is made, will ap
parently connive with the prisoner to
allow him to escape. 1t is needless to
say that the latter gets but short
distance before he is shot down.
The Mexicans are a most suFerst
tious race and it is one of their beliefs
that persons accidentally killed should
be buried where the accident befell
them Mr. Bennington knew Of an &C
cident near one of the state lines where
man was killed on the railroad, one
part of the mangled remains alighting
on one side of the state line and the rest
on the other The authorities in Meth
er state would give up the remains and
consequently the victim was buried in
two places. Funerals are held via
street cars, the weather. class having
more street cars in the procession
When the casket arrives at the GENE
terry gates the mourners return home
and the services are concluded by the
undertaken and his assistants, none of
the relatives being permitted within
the cemetery probably because the re-
mains of the dead man are not inferred
in the coffin in which they lay, but are
transferred to cheap receptacle
for collins are not sold in Mexico, but
rented and the same one does service
many times.
Mr.. Bevington stated that it was no
crime to steal in Mexico, the crime lay
in being caught. He told of large
ships anchor that was stolen in Vera
Cruz and taken all the way to Mexico
City toebe disposed of. The police are
equipped with white lantern to aid
them in their work and there is a stand
ing reward of $50 toFanyone who can
steal policeman's lantern and bring
it to the project of police.
In Mexico it is not the land that is
taxed, but what is raised on the land. |