McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1916-03-31

scooped out where the sap collects,
and is then sucked up through a long
tube by the greasers, who deposit the
sap in a goat-skin bag (which does
not improve its flavor | imagine) and
IN a few DAYS, in that hot climate, it
turns to curdle stuff with a sour vii
lainous odor, and is then in condition
TO fit a Mexican to serve on the staff
Of Villa orold Scratch himself, Mex
cal is a white, hot liquor, almost pure
which scalds the throat of an
American till the skin comes out in
threads, SO a man told me, who had
tried it. The peyote is the worst
thing of all. 1t is the undeveloped
flower bud Of cactus, growing in the
state of Tamaulipas, which when
dried and dissolved on the tongue,
puts man into delirum for a week.
and the use Of It brings on insanity
and death in a short time. These
"mezcal beans" as they are called III
New Mexico, wrought such havoc
among the Indians there that our gov
ernment has forbidden their use.
The prevailing religion is Roman
Catholic, but of a sort that may we'll
be called paganism, for they practic-
ally worship the fguros of their
saints, of whom there is one for ev-
cry day in the year. A child is named
for the particular saint who rep
resents the day on which that child is
born. For instance, July Is, is the
day of San Enrique; therefore if a
man was born on that day you may be
sure his name is Henry (Enrique).
Thus it comes that many men are
called Jesus, Mary or Joseph and
many a Jesus-Mary Greaser has been
hung for his meaness on the border.
There are l55 different tribes of
Indians in Mexico, each one speaking
a language different from the other,
and one, the Seri Indian, is one of
the fercest and cruelest in the world.
They fight like wildcats, and no tor
ment is too atrocious far them to in
flct on captive. If we ever buy
Mexico we will have task of many
years in subduing them, during which
the pioneers will have hard times,
But Che wealth Of that country, in
minerals especially will attract our
people there. My friend says that
gold is scattered all over Mexico,
while silver is there as nowhere else
on earth. Quicksilver, which now sells
at 5000 per flask Of sc pounds, is es-
pecially abundant in the states border
ing on Texas, as Nueva Leon, Chihu-
ahua aud Coahuila. Lead. copper and
iron are also there in millions Of tons,
awaiting the capital to get them out
and into the market.
The great mountains Of Popocate-
petl and other towering peaks, pierce
the clouds and are always snow-cap-
ped, while tropical heat burns in the
plains below. The delicious guava,
better than the peach grows wild in
the thickets; the ceriman, a vine
which climbs to the tops Of trees l0(
! feet high, bears a fruit that looks
like grass-green ear Of corn cover
ed with hexagonal scales, which wheI
ripe, surpasses the pineapple, straw
berry or any other fruit have, eve
tasted. The Mexican consul at Bal
timore told me there were forty diff
ferent kinds Of bananas in his coun
try, which never reach this market
some are not larger than your littl'
finger, and of flavor like spices an(
cream; others are as large as you
arm, and are baked for eating. Thel
there are the cassava, sapadillo, 10
] quat, Cherimolia, pepino, mango
, avocado, pitanga, sapote, mispenc
|, maranon, cacao or chocolate and doz
3 ems of other delicious fruits that ar
unknown in this country, but whic
: grow wild there, along with oranges
s lemons, lines and grape-fruits. Sul
phur is mined from the extinct vol
canos of Popocatepetl and run
n down the mountain side in thousand
g Of tons, and there are silver and gol
I mines in many places. but the lack c
r water, and above all, the want of
e a good government, hold back deve
9 opment. We really have enough {
q our own to look after, but if Unc
n Sam does 60 in there to stay, it ce
q tainly will mean the addition of u
!. told wealth to the nation which
h now the richest under the sun-ol
4 own America.
e, We must not imagine that the Me
9, leans are all without characte
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