The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-08-20
on Train for Mexico,

for passports for Or. Pinson and Miss
Case, which had not reached Ell
, iPaso when we left this morning.
, Finally after waiting for two days,
we went after the red tape yesterday.
land secured n TEN porary permit for
them. and we started this morning,
: and are now crawling along Mt about
fifteen miles an hour over tho desert
There fs a little cactus and mesquite
and they say cattle can eat enough
7 to live and fatten. The mountains are
all barren and look rather desolate.
| but the breeze coming from them
| help oct very much, and while ii is
very hot in the sun, the breeze has
made II pleasant so far on the train
We have just stopped, and n young
! Mexican has ridden M on fine horse.
: with "A genuine Mexican saddle and
| a blanket Strapped behind. with
spurs and a, Iasso at his pommel lie
looks quite sporty for a Mexican, and
the girls pn the train are chatting
with him pleasantly. Some of our
Mexican girl church members are as
pretty az any of our American girls.
The blending OF the Spaniard and the
Indian results oftentimes in very
handsome men and women. In the
car behind us there are about fifty
~rurales Mexican soldier militia
las a guard for our train. The Villa
bandits have been active recently, and
held up the train south of Chihuahua
killed fifty or sixty government SOL
diors and hung them TO the telegraph
poles. In view Of that fact l have de
cided not to go below Chihuahua at
this time, but to go back to San An
tonic and <xeross at Laredo, going from
there tQ Monterey, Saltillo, Torreon
and Dhrango. The most dangerous
part of the country is between Chi
huaGua and TurreoH, in the northern
part OF the republic 1t is about 225
miles to chihuahua. The charge for
first class is about $7.15, and it usual
Ily takes all day to make The trip. and
sometimes all night. We left about
" A. NJ, and have come about thirty
miles in TWO hours, and are waiting
by the roadside for no apparent rea-
| son. The second class car is an inter
esting sight II has a seat running
he fun length of the car on each side.
aud then n row of short seats, back to
r back right down the center Of the car
from one end TO the other.
when We got on the train this
morning this car was so full that we
had great difficulty in securing seats.
- Bat as soon as the train started and
the conductor came in and looked al
the tickets. the crowd literally
swarGned out, they had second class
- tickets, but hoped to get by with them
81 When they had been properly thinneo
uut we all had two double seats apiece
aud il is now really fairly comfortable
s. We have just learned that the cause
Of our delay is the passage of a worn
> train which has come in from the
d south, after clearing up wrecl
.caused blythe roadbed. AS we passed
We saw a mass Of overturned car
, aud Learned that two men were killed
NJ, have started again ana ar
sr'< To
p aud things are rather jerkey. tn
houses $50 far are one story, about ten
- foot pitch. and are made OF iarG
brick baked in the sun, and the wall
are about eighteen inches thick. Tn
e. roof is made Of cross beams coVeFe
# with strips or with boards, which ar
covered with about ten inches of DIR
y, pounded compactly. and that is cover
,.y ed with cement. They are said to b
cool in summer and warm in w1nte
y hut they do not look very attractive
~ | and the poor people in them 100
dirty and ignorant, The childrel
as however. look bright, and If we ca
,,a only get Il chance to educate the
''0 and free them from the dominate
rk Of Romanish superstition, they WI
,,u make good citizens. 1t is n horrib
~ fact that the Roman church, callir
is itself Christian, should have deVelopf
a people SO ignorant and helple
aftcr rule of four hundred year
I a The result is that the more intellige
Mexicans despise the Catholic HE
archy, and the new constitution TO
- bids the holding Of any property
the church, and forbids any foreigne
to exercise the functions of the mini
try They do not object TO my talkin
- but they are not willing for me
RS. ordain preacher or to administ
baptism or the Lords supper T.
er- reason for this is that the Romi
lat church has controlled the people
telling them that unless they parta
we Of the Sacrament, or unless the prize
m holds mass for the repose Of the sol
of the dead they viii be kept forev
'P~ in purgatory.
20 The government has endeavore
therefore, TO break the control of Il
'rk Romansts by forbidding any foreit
,es priest TO administer the Sacrament
teach primary schools.
To- After six hours We have reach
ma MonteZuma which is 115 miles,
half way from FL Paso to Chihauhu
The latter part of the way the side
,ro the road has been lined with the ir,
rails torn up from the roadbed at L
beginning of the revolution, and be
.ra and twisted into such shapes that tn
Z could not be Strengthened and 2
ties back into place The wonder is tn
bed itself, but that doubtless involv
but more hard work than they had (
nxx, time or the inclination to perfor
The stations along the road were d
ore stroyed, or practically So and thin
-, are not yet sufficiently settled
u justify the rebuilding.
lcy The city of Montezuma consists
about thirty or forty adobe one-st O
NOV houses. which swarm with men, W
act men and children. There is a de
well here which furnishes good wat,
"S A number of mules. burrus tsm
md donkeys) and a hog gave some varie
to the landscape. The north a
southbound trains meet here and 81
thirty minutes for dinner, for viii
a charge is made Of sl.00 (Mexica
which is equal TO about SIS Came
'7 cam, The restaurant is managed
Chinese, and they are said to serve
DRY good dinner for the money. r
ION. small boys and women and some m
$50 surround the train and pass throu
1t at every station, selling a kind
uc- cottage cheese. tortillas (corn cake
hat milk in bottles small green appl
ng- pies. sugar cane, coffee. etc. O
me would not starve. even in the count
w. but we had not trusted to the d
iof they might offer US and had broue