El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-15
Y ZAsHNGTON, D. c., April Is
~ Chihuahua city Is figuring


with almost as mucn persist"
ence in the news dispatches Of today as
did Veracruz during the 'Iamplco Incl
dent vet the average Americans only
mental association with the name OF the
capital of the largest state in the Next
can republic is that its the place the
funny little dogs come from, says a
primer issued by the National Geo
graphic society of Washington, which
tells Of the Importance OF this city OF
40, 900 inhabitants, whose history ante
dates by more than quarter OF cen
tury the first permanent settlement
made by Europeans in the United
States. at ST Augustine, Fla. in 1865.
The march of Gen Pershing $ punl-
tive expeditionary force marks the
! third visit of a body of United States
soldiers to this center OF the mining
industry Of the state OF chihuahua,
which is as large as the combined
areas of Ohio and Pennsylvania, con-
tinues the bulletin. During the MeXi-
can war. that unique Missouri lawyer
Col: A. ". Doniphan' captured the cry
with a force of less Khan 1O0O men IN
1S47. and in the same war it fell agaln
before the Americans under Cen Price.
Scene Of HidalgO's Execution
chihuahua is more accustomed. how
ever. TO seeing its people engaged IN
internecine strike than in opposing
foreign foe. Tt was here, for example,
that the patriot priest Hidalgo, was
executed i'm 1911. following the failure
of the revolution which he led in an
effort to throw off the Spanish yoke.
'eThe most imposing monument in the
citv is in memory of this beloved ma
tional hero. the incidents Of whose
death are as pathetic as the passing
OF any martyr since the days of Joan
% Arc The priest was condemned to
die at dawn. While being led TO the
place OF execution he remembered that
he had left some sweetmeats under his
IF r,Ts
Ia return for them and when they were
brought he distributed them with his
blessing among the members of the
firing squad knowing that the misty
light of dawn would make il difficult
for the soldiers to aim accurately the
priest calmly placed his hand over his
heart against the black robe. so that
tbev could locate the vital spot
while the mining industry in the
territory contiguous to Chihuahua city
is four times as important as the ag-
ricultural interests, nevertheless the
raising Of corn. fruits and cotton is i'm
portant and an interesting feature OF
the last named product is that its
manufacture into cloth dates back to
the DAYS of COrtez, who sent to his
sovereign. the king OF Spain. some of
the finely woven material from the
land which utilized cotton for clothing
even before Europe knew its uses.
The Homo Of the CochineaI.
"Iegends Of the TolteCs, recorded in
their sacred books tell us that Quet-
zaIcohuatl. god Of the air, grew cot
TON Of All colors in his garden, and
teught its many uses. AS to colored
cotton. the MexiCans have never felt
tbe niDch Of a dyestuff famine. Mt
least red dyestUff. for this country is
the home Of the cochineal, that odd
insect whose dried bodies furnish such
n wonderful and lasting scarlet color
inrr matter 1t was not until 1908. the
ver,- year i'm which the Spanish settlers
reached the present site of Chihuahua
city and discovered the Santa Eulalia