New-York tribune., 1919-06-22
I Glimpse
Of Old
.Juarez

'uarez mas let big chances 70 by
in the past just because Juare,
was fond of revoluting, there csu
be no doubt that just at present Juar.,
has been very shortsighted, indeed
If Juarez only had the divine CAPACITY
Of keeping still, if the citizens ot
Juarez could only be induced to mack
their predatory instincts and their
hardware permanently away In their
timeworn and she'll shocked adoba
domiciles, Juarez might be the right.
est, tightest little town that ever bios.
somed south of the Rio Grande Juare,
has stood to have all the glitter that
once was Babylon's and all the glory
that once was Greece's, and enough
gold or legal tender of the same to
stack up against the personal property
Of the Montezuma himself. Juare,
might have been the centre of all the
sporting life Of America, the home Of
the forty-round prizefght, the roulette
wheel, the fugitive cocktail and all
other forms of spurious liquor, not to
mention light wines and beer. Hotels
and high mansions might have adorned
the unpaved streets. Irrigation bitches
might have run far back toward the
stark hills which loom up gold and
purple to the south.
Think Of it! On one side of the Rio
Grande stands Ell Paso, with its villas,
its perfect streets, its high Office
buildings, it's huge smelling plant and
its imposing hotel-El Paso, the city
beautiful of the Southwest, and ye.
bounded with all the restrictions Of
restrictive legislation. And on the
other side of river, shallow and mar
row and muddy, not quarter of mile
away, stands Juarez, in another coun-
try that holds delightfully."- broadmind-
ed views as to vices.
And Juarez has found out that Villa
and Utopia cannot rest side by side.
Somewhere out in those purple and
ing to visit Juarez, and when Villa
visits Juarez death follows in his wake
You can see one example Of one Of
Villas former calls on Juarez close by
the railroad that runs into the town
from the south. Once Villa captured
the town and two hundred Maderistas
to boot. He caused them to dig trench
beside that railroad of suitable length
and depth. Then, having lined them
up in front of the trench, he turned
the machine gun on them. When they
had all fallen into the trench, he caused
| a team of mules and road scraper to
| drive by and cover up the grave. The
prospect Of visit of Villa to Juares
hardly promotes business enterprise.
On one side Of the river Ell Paso grows
daily. On the other side of the river
Juarez, once one of the brightest, gay.
est and most licentious cities of Mex
leo, has lapsed back into pitiful list
lessness. Ever since the fall Of Diaz,
even in the brightest days of sunshine,
cloud Of impending tragedy has rested
over the adobe town. Murder has been
rampant in its streets, for human life
has become very cheap in Juarez. i's
graveyard is lined with the graves Of
political offenders, who have stood IN
front of the white wall. It's houses,
even it's cathedral, with its famous
| wood carvings and its sturdy towers
are pitted with bullet marks and tori
by light artillery.
| Yet not so very long ago every man
who watched the horses run knew o.
the racetrack at Juarez. 1t was one
of the best in the Western continents
where fortunes were won and lost eaen
year. The horses and the stables we1'
Of the very finest. 1t is years no"
since any race was run there. The track
is a weed-grown wilderness and the
grandstand and all the other buildings
are falling to pieces. The same is true
with all the rest of the town. Ever!
house has q curious unkempt look.
Even the bullfght, if there is any
is not worthy of the name. The cos
tunes of the toreadors are gone, anu
they bait the bull, very poorly sea
bull in overalls, which is hardly roman
tic. And the bull ring, once a very I'M
posing structure indeed. has gaPihs
hole in it's side where she'll to'e
through in yester years battle.
Juarez bears all the marks oil
deserted city, but what makes 1t WORSE
Juarez is inhabited. Socialists ~n'
wish to see limit set on wealth q"
find it there. 1t does not pay to 20
rich in Juarez, or even to have the aP'
pearance of prosperity. The brieh.
colors of Latin America are faded anu
covered with Chihuahua dust. The faces
are coarse and stupid, for nesf''
every one of wealth and position mas
left years since.
Once the gayest city OF Mex'eo
Juares lies quiet and exhausted. Sn''S
its grestest chance Tor lame slips pS