The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-09-20
FINDS TROUBLE
WITH MEX|CANS
SOUTH CAROLlNIAN DISCOVERS
REVOLUTIONS REASCN-PEP-
PER is CAUSE.
NEWS FROM BORDER CAMP
A Weekly Letter, Prepared Especially
For Our Readers, From the SCUM
Carolina Guardsmen Encamped at
Fort Bliss, Texas.

Fort Bliss, Texas.
In Camp with the South CaroAna
Brigade, in the Ell Paso Patrol Dlstrlct'
Il Just discovered the trouble with
the Mexicans and can understand why
thew 'revolute' so much and so unanl'
mously," remarked a South Carollnlan
during one of the daily discussions Oh
the troubles Of our neighbor wen,
for goodness sake, tell U.s." choruseo
the ones who were talking with him
when he made the startling declara-
ton. Its because they eat so mucn
pepper" said the Columbus OF the
camp, and while every one laughed at
him, subsequent observations have
shown that his opinion is at least
worth considering.
If you should happen to cross the
international bridge, about the only
impressive part of which structure IS
its imposing name, and get by the
American soldiers and custom officials
and run the gauntlet of the Mexican
braves and customs collector on the
other end, get in Juarez and visit
their marketing place you would De
strongly inclined to come to the same
conclusion as that of the South caro-
linian. that the trouble with Mexico
is too much pepper.
Pepper is the only thing "hlcn
abounds in greater amount IN MEXICO
than flies. Just stroll through the
market and when you look over the
a,ples. fruits, watermelons, sand
witches and other things which they
have for sale you will be impressed
first by the swarms Of flies which COW
er everything and everybody and next
YOU will remark to your companion
YOU have never seen so much pepper.
Everybody has 1t for sale and no stand
IS complete without it. 1t is the only
thing which must be universally de-
manded on every Mexican table and
at every Mexican meal.
Naturally with so much pepper IN
their system the Mexicans are hgnt'
ing people. They prefer to fight for
eigners but when they are not haady
they fight one another. They must
fight and they have fought so much
that their finest young men have been
killed and. to judge from what one
sees in Juarez, they have only the
old men and boys left but still they
fight. 1t is presumed that when the
old men and Loys have been wiped out
the fighting will pass to the women Dut
as long as they stick to pepper they
will fight and there is no indication
that pepper is waning as popular part
Of every meal.
It takes one who sees beyond the
surface and can look beneath the
! darkened skin OF the Mexicans to rea
son out their fighting proclivities and
to lay it on the pepper, for certainly
surface indications are all against this
proposition. This was impressed on
me during trip I made into Juarez
the other day.
To get into Mexico you have to
cross the international bridge across
the Rio Grande, the bridge patrolled
on the American end by soldiers OF
Uncle Sam and on the Mexican side
by soldiers Of that nation.
No soldiers are, Of course, allowed
across the line and only citizens in
citizens attire can get across the
bridge. In approaching the interna
tional bridge from the American side
you are first examined by an Ameri
! can soldier. a member OF the de-
tachment which is kept constantly on
guard here. The bridge is patrolled
about one-third Of the distance from
the American side by American sol
diers and two-thirds across on the
Mexican side Mexican soldier PAGES
up and down, day and night. After the
American soldier finishes his examina
ton you undergo inspection by ar
American customs official to make
certain that you are not smuggling
! anything across and carrying in some
thing that you have no business K
carry. After running the gauntlet O
! the Americans you get to the Mexican
end where the soldier gives you the
"once over" and then you undergo ex
animation by the Mexican customs OF
fcials. The first personification OF au
thority, however, is the Mexican sol
der and there you get first hand ides
of the fighting arm of the de facto gov
ernment.
was not impressive in appearance
This particular representative o
the military department Of Mexico
He was young in years but his clothe:
or uniform hung loosely about hlm
He. like all the Mexican fighters, car
ries his cartridges in a belt sluns
around his shoulders just as one woui'
carry a kodak, and his rife was IN
position Of half way order arms. Ill
) whole appearance was lfeless am
homeless and he looked as II MS las
: SQUARE meal was several months age
He was typical of the soldiers OF GU
neishbor seen on the streets OF Jua'e