The Mankato free press., 1921-03-11
MANKATON|AN IN MEXICO
z. T.. BROWN WRITES INTER-
ESTINGLY OF TRIP
Trains Tied Up BY Strikes So
Slow Progress Is Made
In Travelling

kato branch of the Northern States
Power company is enjoying trip
through portions of Old Mexico.
whore he has land interests, and it
is for the. purpose of looking over
the same that the trip is being made.
drs. Brown and family have received
several interesting letters from Mr..
Brown which we are permitted to
publish. The first was written from
Tampico, and follows:
When / arrived at San Antonia,
Texas, l found ! could not get into
Mexico as my papers were not right.
But / went to Laredo. which is on
the border of the Rio Grande and
through a friend / met on the train
who lives in Laredo l got an emer-
gency pass, by working all day and
to attach TO my passport, S1.50 for
six taken by a little Mexican boy,
about twelve years old. finished in
thirty minutes. | had to leave my
automatic in Laredo as il would have
been taken away if had not. | went
out TO Big Camps at San Antonia,
the largest now in the country.
Stopped at Oklahoma City day as
Byllesby owns this property. II is
in the center of the largest active Oil
wells in the state.
"All Texas is oil, cotton, steers
and corn. At the border they open
and examine all baggage and see II
all your property is o. X. The train
stops and you stay about am hour,
you then go on TO Laredo in Mexico.
There are thousands of Mexicans
here and the dirtiest people you ever
saw. Toughs, drunks and gamblers
are in evidence everywhere. 1t is a
great place for Americans to go aS
they can buy whiskey. beer and poi
son IL you have the cash. 1t is a
common thing for a fellow to come
over with thousand or fifteen nun
idred dollars and drink and play cards,
get beaten up and come home with
out a cent, and bruised up besides,
often killed.
High Cost Of Living There.
Sunday morning at two O'Clock l
got into Monterey and stopped at a
regular low down Mexican hotel. Al
eight thirty i got up and went down
town about three miles and got into
decent hotel for Sunday night.
This town is where l saw the bull
fight about twelve yeas ago. At the
border you give fifty dollars OF
American money and they give you
a hundred dollars of Mexican money
in return. but | tell you 1t goes
mighty fast as everything is awfully
expensive here. These are some OF
the common prices: Coffee, forty
cents: milk the same; small piece of
rood fish. is $3.50; baked beans
sixty cents: grape fruit, forty cents,
etc. good tea lone steak costs
SO so in American money. The Zig
church across the street from the
hotel is open all day Sunday. Mass
held every hour, bells ring each hour,
some ten or twelve OF them. Ine
hoy takes hold of the clapper and
hangs II against the bell. AT six p
m thew rang for thirty minutes.
Fine Band at the Plaza.
"Tbere is a dandy band at the
Plaza. 1t plays from nine until ten
a m. in the afternoon from two un :
t;l ave. and from seven until ten IN
tbe evening. / went to the movies
but il was all in Spanish and rotten
NV feet got so cold / left after two
hours of IT, / saw celebrated COCK,
fight. Lots of game cocks mere ano
hitched to a tree. l got INTO am
nico at two a. m, when ] went out
INTO the country about six miles
and while there got some danoy
n;ctures. one of myself and one that
looks like an army. / am IN the
midst of hundred Mexicans WITH
drawn. blades, and machetes. Inc
last is a long weapon ABOUT lhree
feet in length which they use TO cur
honebs and trees down. here are
several mules with the outfit. The
man who drove me out is in charge
of the building of the road in this
Mace and II was his outfit l snap
ned Several pack burros are IN the
picture.
when we got to Tamplco tne
hotels were all full so we were com
neIled to put our money IN the
vaults. and go and sleep with oul
clothes on in a corridor of a tough
ioinf run by Mexicans. We were or
cots. and two thugs came in ano
started q rough house by saving one
of them had been robbed the nigh
before while sleeping there. we ex.
pected shooting to begin/so duckeo
out. But one man did nave all nls
clothes stolen and had to 20 10 tne
office in his pajamas: There are
thousands out of work here now and
the oil wells are shutting down. Some
people. who know, say there are more
fouehs here now than any place III
the world. Two or three reVoiu'
tionists were shot here within sew.
eraI days. Mr. Smith, the man
will visit in the country tomorrow
and who has been taking care or IN!
land 1Or nearly ten yeas, CoAu hAN
today that a man will arrive in towr
tonight with another fellow, and II
the regular thing is done with him
he wIl be shot also.
"The railroad trains strike today sc
they tell US here. I want to go to
Mexico City Saturday if possible.
did not &c there when ! was in Mex
leo before. / went out to the Gulf OF
Mexico and saw the same sight
saw when there years ago. The big
Standard OIL refneries are here, the
biggest shirTi1g point in the way ol
oil in America" .>
Writes From Hacienda.
The second Letter was writer
from Hacienda, "Buepos Aires" un
der date of February 25th, and fol-
well today / have been riding
all day in the Ford with Mr.. Smith
We went to Los Estros and Colum
bia. two small stations near here
we passed. an oil well of which
have a picture They got down 1,70(
feet when the revolution started and
stopped at that time and will con,
,tinne when things are quiet again.
cat Columbia there nssd to be
seventy five American families. The
whole Town is taken away by the