The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-05-25
Keen Sidelights on Mexico

The report that Private Parks was
temporarily insane from a poisoned
cigarette given hi mby a Mexican girl
when he rode straight into the Mexi-
can lines ON the back OF one blooded
horse and leading another. is highly
creditable to those who have travelled
in the land of the greasers" The
Mexican women have often given this
poison to their lovers out Of jealousy.
The Hindu women use 1t for the
same purpose as their Mexican sis
tiers, to cause their lovers to lose their
minds. Hindu robbers mix it in candy
and give it by some tricks to the in
mates of house. The eaters of the
candy are thrown into deep sleep,
under cover of which the burglars
loot.
Toloachi is a low-growing plant
with white flowers and curious seed
vessels projecting much like the horns
of a steer. The seeds are pounded
and mixed in the tobacco of a cigar
cite. Usually melancholic idocy and
slumber are induced, but sometimes
there is violent madness and even
quick death. 1t has been used by Mex
lean men to kill rival.
Toloachi must not be confused with
| maringuana, of which Mexicans are
SO fond that they form clubs to smoke
it. The Rio Grande border authorities
are active in checking the use of
mariguana for it often arOuses the
basest passions and leads to lust and
bloodshed.
Even jackson Succumbs.
That there are other dangers than
bullets in Mexico, Stonewall Jackson
| learned in the Mexican war, according
to the account Of Lieutenant Colonel
Henderson. Jackson fell beneath the
charm of a Mexican beauty.
who the magnet was he never con-
fessed; but that he went near to los
ing his heart to some charming senior.
ita he more than once acknowledged
and he took much trouble to appear to
advantage in her eyes. He not only
, learned to dance, an accomplishment
which must have taxed his persever-
ance to the utmost, but he spent some
months in learning Spanish; and it is
significant that to the end of his life
he retained copious vocabulary of
tender diminitives which fall sc
gracefully from Spanish lips"
| Brains OF Arms.
In the heat of bitter controversy
William Wallace Wotherspoon, major
general and head Of the general staff
i has been called an arm chair soldier
But this was grave injustice to per
haps the most efficient man in the
army. If Wotherspoon sits in an arm
chair, there is a telephone at his ell
bow, two rows of push buttons on the
! loci i'm md hot o1i ~
subordinates nearby who step mighty
lively when w. w. w. speaks.
! The general staff is the brains OF
the army. 1t is the office organization
in time of peace and war for all the
land fighting forces of the United
States.
Wotherspoon has always been the
thinker, the director. For this rea
son his nomination as major genera
was vigorously opposed two years
ago. But it was due to Wotherspoor
in large measure that the genera
staff was re-organized Before Major
General Leonard Wood, backed by
Wotherspoon. put up their great fight
all correspondence Of the general stat
had to go through the adjutant gener
ais department. This purely clerica
department saddled a kind of veto
upon the general staff. If it didn'
like the general staffs orders the!
didn't go through. Imagine such bi