Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1910 — ONE JOY IN A MEXICAN JAIL. [ARTICLE]

ONE JOY IN A MEXICAN JAIL.

r *°* «»d Beddinsr Scanty*, Set Tkere’s Honey tor Cigarettes. “Beating tme’s way through Mexico*” said the man who had been there, according to the Detroit Free Press, “is a snap compared with the same unconventional method of traveling In the United States. Tn« engineers and brakemen on the freight trains are nearly all Americans, and they rather welcome a fellow from home. “There’sone drawback, though. The authorities are tickled to death to catch an American breaking the law In that way. It means a jail sentence every time, with hard labor, and it is hard labor and no mistake about it. “At a watering tank near Hermoslllo, in the State of Sonora, I braced the engineer of a freight train for a ride. He was a gruff sort of chap and seemed to have a bad grouch on that day. “ ‘I don’t give a curse what you do,’ he said, ‘but I won’t have you in my cab, and all the cars are sealed. Ride on the cowcatcher, if you like.’ “I was foolish enough to follow his suggestion, and had a great time for an hour or so. But I wasn’t familiar with the country, and we were sneaking into Hermosillo before I realized that it was time to remove myself. A policeman caught sight of me and waved his arms frantically. As upon as the train slowed down a bit I mads a jump for it, but the Mexican cop was right there. Before I know where I was I found myself sentenced to twenty days or a S2O fine. "They shoved me into a cell already occupied by six Mexicans. They seemed to be half starved, but I was surprised to notice that they were all smoking cigarettes. "For supper they served us red beans —frijoles is the native name—boiled In plain water. No meat oi bread and only a limited supply oi salt. A ragged quilt was given me as my only covering, and I was supposed to sleep on the floor among my Mexican cpmpanions. “The next morning I understood the cigarette game. As they marched us to work the commandants handed each man a 10-cent piece. ‘For cigarettes,’ he said, with an amiable wave of his hand. Later on I discovered that ths custom is universal. "I saved up my cigarette money set a few days and paid a boy to take a message to a gringo friend who lived In Hermosillo. He paid the balance of my fine and took me home to a good dinner.” '