Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-07-18
TIA JUANA
Truth About the Notorious Mexican
Town on Pacific Ocean.
SALE OF LIQUOR is LEGALIzEn

Down Dwellinss-Hard to Find
Something Fit to Eat There-Run
Mostly by Crooks.
Karl H. Kitchen in New York World.
II you expect to read about beautiful
dark eyed senoritas, stalwart soldiers
in brilliant uniforms, bewitching Span
ish dances and popping corks because
the name Tia Juana suggests "a bit OF
quaint old Mexico" let me warn you
before you begin that you will be dis
appointed.
For what am going to set forth are
facts. d, And the facts about Tia Juana
are very different from the lies-par
don me, mean fictions-that nave
been printed about it.
Before visited Tia Juana pictured
II in my minds eye as an exotic oid
World city. nesting in the Mexican
hills, studded with fountains and PAIN
trees and brimming over with lille ana
gayety. / pictured it's beautiful streets
throngcd with lovely ladies in pictur-
esuue nantillas, bands playing In the
ulaza and fat padres basking III the
ambient spring sunshine. In fact
could almost hear snatches of passion
ate Spanish songs among the clihKihs
of glasses in the cool cafes. And pic
tured to myself how 1 would join the
eager crowd of well-dressed Americans
in the Casino where roulette was the
only game.
This is what thought l would ma
at Tia Juana. And before l tell you
what I found let me advise you TO re-
main away from Mexico if you want 10
ApreseiMe' your illusions. But as II Is
NV belief that it is best to know the
worst I'll carry on.
Picture the cheapest looking movie
set" of a frontier town you've ever
seen in Wild West picture, with the
main street lined with "honk- -tonks
and saloons and with ragged poems ana
sloyenly Mexican soldiers lounging on
it's sidewalks-and you have closeup
more dreary and desolate-lookns
village than "the old town OF TIA Ju-
ana" would be hard to find anywhere
;r The world. It's one and two-story
frame buildings are of the himsiest
construction. It's Mexican inhabitants
are of the most forlorn variety OF the
genus "bum." And its soldiers-they're
the biggest laugh Tve had on the coast
and I've been to Hollywood.
Why the Mexican government MAIN
tains a military establishment at the
border is mystery. There's nothing
here to protect-in fact, nothing that
any one would accept as q gift Without
a protest. And 1 doubt if the soldiers
would eyenS be ian& good. at thinning
Those | saw were practically barefoot
ed, and their uniforms were in rags.
Far be it from me to cause i1terna-
tional complications, to break up the
friendship between sister republics ano
all that sort of thing, by setting forth
the facts about the Mexican military
establishment at Tia Juana. But even
a "cocoanut rider" like Bill Hart could
90 down there and chase the entire
army over the hill with his unloadeo
rovolyer-and, his stiff upper lip. The
only drawback to such proceeuihs
would be the unintcrestinS ride BACK
There are not more than four or ilVe
struggling blocks of houses in all tine
old town" of Tia Juana. And these are
nothing but a succession OF gin mills
dives and honk a -tonks, run by Amer
leans. There is practically no native
population-the town depends on one
day tourists for its prosperity. say
zone day tourists" adviscdly. Any one
who has been there once never returns
Why, then, you ask, is Tia Juana
worth writing about? l hasten to an
sKer. because 1t is the nearest anf
most accessible spot where Americans
can buy a drink without breaking the
law
,Fhat's the only excuse for Tia Juanc
there's no reason for its existence.
Pia Juana is just across the dividing
line between Mexico and California
some sixteen miles from San Diego A
Mexico IS legally wet and California H.
legally dry, and as passport formah'
ties have long since been abolished i
is not surprising that a good man!
thousand thirsty Americans visit
daily. Just why IL is crime to buy
glass of beer on one side of IN imag
mary line and legitimate, even llaud
able act to purchase it on the othc
side is something l will not discuss a
this time. But it is fact. And wh!
it is illegal to return from Tia Juan;
with a pint of liquor in flask, al
thohgh it is within the law to cross TIT
II