Great Falls tribune. [volume], April 30, 1887, Image 2

About Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
GREAT FALLS, MONTANA..
GOEAT FALLS is located atthe Falls of the Missouri which furnish the greatest available water power on the Continent. Is within seven miles of the most extensive COAL
and IRON district in the West, immediately beyond which are rich GOLD, SILVER and COPPER districts. It lays tributary the best agricultural and grazing part of
the Territory, and the pineries of the Upper Missouri and tributaries. It is especially adapted by its natural resources and geographical position to become the .leading
MANUFACTURING CITY between Minneapolis and the Pacific, and the principal RAILROAD CENTER of Montana.
The trip to Great Falls will amply repay tourists by the beauty of the scenery on the way, and they will find here the most magnificent series of waterfalls in the world,
while the surrounding country is rich in picturesqe scenery.
GREAT ;FALLS TRIBUNE.
WORSE THAN SLAVES.
The Peons of Mexico and Their
Helpless Lives.
EL PAso, Texas, April 19.--[Special cor
respondence.]-The citizen of the United
States who fondly fancies that since the
emancipation proclamation slavery has
ceased to exist on this continent has only
to come down here to El Paso, look across
the narrow ribbon of the Rio Grande and
see the institution flourishing in all its
pristine ugliness. The only difference
between the system of peonage of Mexico
and negro slavery is altogether in favor of
the latter. There were kind masters in
the south, of course, plenty of them, but
that does not alter the fact that when
slaves received good treatment, it was, in
most instances, because they were "prop
erty."' A likely negro, worth all the way
from $1,200 to $1,800, would no more be
mistreated or overworked than a thorough
bred horse of similar value.
Peonage (pronounced, by the way, pea
ovnage, accent on the first syllable,) is
simple in theory and complex in practice.
It is the attaching of labor for debt. A
species of judgment is oitained, and a
man's services ]*long to the creditor until
the debt is wiped out. So far it might be
worse, but (and here is the rub) the obli
gation does not end with the debtor, but,
like the witch's curse in "Ruddygore,"
becomes hereditary and descends from
father to son until satisfied. This fact,
and the further fact that the bulk of
Mexican peons are not the original debtors,
but the descendants of debtors, would seem
to indicate that a race'of active prodigals
had once existed in the land; but, on the
contrary, most of the debts are under $50. 1
The incredible poverty and ignorance of
the masses is the only explanation of this 1
state of things. Not one in five hundred I
can cast up the simplest form of accounts.
A peon is allowed, at best, only a few I
chackos a day, and a chacko is a cent and I
a quarter. Out of this his food and cloth
idg are charged up, and occasionally in- i
terest is added to the original amount. So
it can be readily seen that instead of de- t
creasing, the debt is gradually growing i
larger and larger and the condition of the i
poor wretch more and more hopeless.
poor wretch more and more hopeless.
Such is peonage, compared to which a
Russian serfdom was a pleasant state of 1
society. The further inland the more
peons, and the arable lands of Sonora and 1
Chihuahua are tilled almost exclusively c
by them. A large farm in these districts t
resembles a slave plantation, except that c
no care whatever is paid to the condition t
of the people. They are not worth it. a
At the mines the same state of things ex- f
ists, and whether in the shaft or chili a
patch the peon works on, doggedly, hope- I
lessly, helplessly, born to it, not knowing r
'better or beyond. Food and clothing are t
both kept near the vanishing point. A y
little maize and a few chili-pods suffice t
for one, and a pair of overalls, a cotton
shirt and straw sombrero for the other. A
pair of cowhide boots are a usual reward
of merit, and as they are used only on feast
days they will last a peon all his life, and
probably descend with the peonage to his
son. The women wear cheap calico gowns ,
and the children nothing at all. An out
lay of a few dollars will clothe a whole
family for a year, and an actual calcula
tion shows that they consume about eight
cents worth of food a week per capita.
Women can be peoned as well as men,
and the wife and children of a peon, re
gardless of'sex, share his burden of bond
age. The rich old Mexicans are generally
on the lookout for special victims, and if
they take a fancy to any pretty girl, no
time is lost in peoning her nearest male
iate. A good many of them are no
torious for this sort of thing. "Honi soit
qui mreal y pense." It is ostensibly done
in the letter of the law,: bt the heart
breaking stories of all human ties dis
severed, of families shattered and lives
wrecked would make many a sad volume
if half thetruth were told;
The first peon I ever aw was att Paso
del Norte, the leiacantown opposite El
Paos I wEs ltaking to a ranchan, when .a
his wagon was driveaap' by a native, the e
most etchedly clad that I had.ever seen.
The weather was rather raw, but all the c
man lad on was a pair of ragged and blue I
cotton a "hickery" shirt and a 1
iat. was bar and breathed t
into his numbed hands to warm them ti
while he waited. I had known the rancher el
as a liberal man and had{ no hesitancy in tl
expressing my surprise that he should al- ol
low one of his servants to go so dressed. o:
"Pshaw," he said, laughing, "he isn't a s3
servant, he's a peon." P
"But,why don't you dress him comfort- h
ably if he is?" P;
"He's dressed all right. Look at that 8
sombrero. I paid $3 for that."
The shivering wretch had on a gaudy
felt, trimmed with imitation bullion.
"But look at his pants."
"Confound his pants. I tell you these ec
Mexicans are like ostriches, as long as they p;
have something on their heads they don't Fl
care for their bodies. Give a man a som- st
brero with a few rosettes on it and a wo
man a shawl to wrap over her head and c
it's all one to them whether you give them s
anything more or not. Here Pedro," he
added, speaking in Spanish, "have you
enough clothes to keep you comfortable ?"
"Si senor," replied the man, with a grin.
I had no more to say. In the interior
no effort is madeto treat peons like human m
beings. If the smallpox, a common dis- tt
ease there, breaks out in a colony of them, of
they are driven off into the mountains to
die. At the mines, the barbarities are 20
hideous and revolting. A good deal has co
been told and written of the cruelties in
subterranean Siberia, but 1 very much Jc
doubt if the situation of any convict
chained in. an underground gallery is
nearly as appalling as that of hundreds
upon hundreds of those Mexican slaves,
toiling within a day's journey of the land
of the free. I do not say that this is true m
of all mines; at many of them, and par- h
ticularly those owned by American or
English companies, the management is N
humane and admirable in every particular, 8"
but it is true of some. In these it is no cc
unusual thing for a peon to be murdered
by some cruel taskmaster, in plain sight of a
his wife, who works by his side, hears his -
dying shriek, and. is p'ewerless to raise her
hand to save. This is no fancy picture,
but a dreadful and repeated reality. It is
surprising how little of this is known, but ed
it is surprising how little is known in m;
general of interior Mexico. There are t`
thousands of square miles where peonage Ci
is a sacred institution, and a "white man" en
is as great a curiosity as a hippograff or a a
unicorn would be. Their whole families
are wearily grinding away at debts they
had no more to do with than with the del- S
uge. Some ancestor they never saw or
heard of drank too much mescal one day,
or lost a few dollars at monte, or was
tempted to buy a gilded sombrero on
credit, and the mischief was done. That
they live in the darkest sort of ignorance
and misery goes without saying, else some
fivenmorning they would quit being peons on
and all the powers that be, at reast in
Mexico, could' not re-establish. ihe old
regime. It is like Mark Twain's bandit, a
who languished in a dungeon for eighteen l
years before he thought to see whether
the window was fastened.
EDGAR LEE VTANCE.
Rewards Offered.
Governor Leslie has offered retvards ag- I
gregating A1,100 for the capture and re
covery of convicts who have escaped from
the penitentinry during the last four years. 18
The priss.+rx i: question, who are now at N
large, are:
Joseph Scoittwho had been found guilty ec
of murder uand adjudged to be imprisoned Ti
for life. G
George Bell, who had been found guilty -
of robbery and adjudged to be imprisoned
for fifteen years.
Royal Towsley, who had been found
guilty of grand larceny and sentenced to
the penitentiary for seven years. fi
Thomas Murphy, convicted of catlle
stealing and under sentence for a term of C
years in the penitentiary.
.The reward is $1,100 for all the above,
or $500 for Scott and $200 each for the PI
other three. The reward is obtainable on as
the capture and delivery to the United
tates Marshal of anyor all of the fagi
tiviea naned.
Meteor Showers.
Prof. ichr A. Poctor maintains that
moatof the meteor streams with whick the .
,earth coein csicontact are derived from
the earth itself, that is, thrown off by vol- .
canic action at a tme when the internal
forces of our planet were sufficiently so
tive to give th itial velocity, some C,
tens.~$BMf~l7i~
i them beyond ths earth's attraction. Com
r ets, which he regards as the parents of
z the meteor streams, he thinks may have
originated outside our solar system. Most
of the comets whose orbits belong to our
a system, he thinks originated in the larger
planets. The sun is now, perhaps, giving
birth frequently to comets which probably
pass beyond the limits of its attraction.
t Scientific American.
Notice of Final Entry.
Land Offioe at Helena, Mont., ?
March 30, 1887. S
Notice is hereby given that the followiDg-nam
f ed settler hasfiled notice of his intention te make
final proof in support cf his claim, and that said
proof will be made before Probate Judge of
t Choteau nounty, at Fort Benton, Mont.. on May
14th, 1l87, viz: Isaac S. Carson who mode Home
stead application No. 3290 for the lot 1, 2 and 3,
Sec. 5, tp. 20 N. It. 3 E.
He names the following witnesses to prove his
continuous residence upon, and cultivation of,
said land, viz: David Thomas, Patrick McLeod,
1 Alexander C. Lux and William Anheier all o
Jomhstown P.P). Mont.
8. W. LA.monz.., Register.
Notice of Final Entry.
Lani Office at Helena, Mont.,
March 30th, 1S87.
Notice is hereby given that the following nam
ed settler has filed notice of his intention to
make final proof in.support of his claim, and
that said proof will be made before the Probate
Judge at Choteau county at Fort Benton, Mont,.
on May 14, 1887, viz: Byron Corson who made
Preemption D.S. No. 8079 for the Ss . SEl Sec. 31
SW8 SWbs Sec. 32 tp. 21N. R. 8 E. and lot 4 tp.
20 N. R.4 E.
He names the following witnesses to prove his
continuous residence upon, and cultivation of,
said land, viz: David Thomas, Patrick McLeod,
Alexander C. Lux and William Anheier all of
Johnstown P. O. Mont.
S. W. LixHOs-oE. Register.
INoti~e of Final Entry.
Land Office at Helena, Mont I
March 23, 1887
Notice is hereby given that the following-nam
ed settler has filed notice of his intention to
make final proof in support of his claim and
that said proof will be made before the clerk of
the 3d Judicial District Court in and for Choteau
county at Fort Benton on May 11th, 1887, viz:
Andrew Erickson who made pre-emption D. S.
No. 8111, for the lot 4 sec. 4, Tp. 20 N. R. 3 east:
S!Y SIW NE4 SWk Sec- 33 Tp. 21, N. R. 3 east.
He names the following witnesses to prove his
continuous residence upon, and cultivation of,
said land viz: Barney Murray, William R. Sel
lew, Charles A. Crowder and Timothy Sexton,
all of Great Falls, Montana,
8 W Langhorne, Register
Notice of Final Entry.
Land Office at Helena, Mont.
March 23. 187
Notice is hereby given that the following-nam
ed settler has filed notice of his intention to
make final proof in support of his claim, and
that said proof will be made before the Clerk of
tie 3d Judicial District of Montala in and for
Choteau county. at Fort Benton, Mont., on May
10, 1887. viz: Barney Murray who made pre
emption D. S. No. 8110 for the SE" SW4 Sbec.
27, NY NW14 & SE4 NWlVSec. 34 Tp. 21, N. R. 3
east.
no names the following witnesses to prove his
continuous residence upon and cultivation of
said land viz: William R. Sellew, Andrew Erick
son, Charles A. Crowder and Timothy Sexton all
of Great Falls, Mont.
S. W. LANIHona. , Register.
Notice of Final Entry.
LAgp OrICE AT HELENA, MONT.,
March 23. 1887.
Notice is hereby givcn that the folloing nan
ed settler has filed notice of his intentlen to
make final proof in support of his claim, and
that said proof will be made before the Probate
Judge of Chotean County, Mont., at Fort Benton
on May 11th 1887, viz: Alexander Carr who made
pre-emption D. S. No. 7852 for the NW1 Sec. 10
Tp. 20 N. R. 4 east.
He names the following witnesses to prove his
continuous residence upon: and cultivation of,
said land, viz: Charles A. Crowder, Timothy
Sexton William R. Sellew and Andrew Erickson
all of Great Falls, Mont.
S W Langhorne, 1Register
Notice afFinal Entry.
Lead Oflee at Helena Mont.
March. 23th. 1886. 1
Notice is hereby given that the following
named settler has filed notice of his intention to
make final proof in support of his claim, and
that said proof will be made before
John W. Tattan, Probate Judge in and for Cho
teau County at Fort Benton, Mont. on May 11th
1887, viz: William R. Sellow who made Pre
emption D.S. No. 8109 for the WV5 SW4. SW m
NWK Sect 14 and SE/ NEI Sec. 33, Tp. 21 N. R.
3 east.
He names ihe following witnesses to prove his
continuous residence upon, and cultivation of
said land vi't Andrew Erickson, Barney Murray
Timothy Sexton and Charles A. Crowder, all ot
Great Falls, Montana, -
S. W. Lewonoaix, Register.
NOTICE OF FINAL ENTRY.
Lad O8lce at Helena, Montana 1
March 23, 1887
Notice is hereby given that the following nam
ed eterhasfle1 notdce of his intention tomake
final proof in support of his claim and that said
roof will be made before John W Tattan
Probate Judge and ex-officio elerk,
Choteau conntr, Montana at Fort
Benton, Mont on May 0th41887, vlz: Charles A..
Crowder who made p D. S. No. 8149
for the 81t Se-. 1oP.2,N. . 4 east.
Aay Ort Farls, mo.t.
- lE S. W. Leasnghorne:&.o wlc a
,named s ner ha : notce of in, e
claim, and asaid proof ibe made eore Jo
-. W Iassam .. is
house, Sign & carriage painter,
Graining, Glazing, Paper-Hanging, Wall Coloring and Mural
Decorating, a Specialty.
.-----All Work will Receive Prompt Attention.---
Estimates Furnishen on Application.
Leave orders at Ben Lapeyre's drug stare.
GREAT FVLLS, MONT.
J. T. Shaw,
PRACTICAL
Brick -- Maker, -- Contractor
AND BUILDER
We are Prepared to Take Contracts for all Kinds of Brick Work
and Execute the Same. .
WEz CLAIM TO MAKE THE BEST BRICK IN THE MARKeT.
Great Falls, - - - - XMotanrs
Bakery a nd Restaurant,
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT,
Meals Served at all Hours, Day or Night.
FRESH BREAD, PIES AND CAKE EVERYDAY
Also Bar in Connection Stocked with the Finest Brands of UQuors and Cigars
Central ave. - - - Great Falls
James Mathews,
-DEALER IN
Wines, Liquors and Cigars.
istAve. South, Great Falls, - - Montana
S__T. LM HOTIEL
CREAT FALLS, MONT.
First-Class in Every Respect.
Centrally Located and Good Accommodatiods,
3 Mesdames' Dickinson & Dupont Proprietors.
e `Near Corner of 1st Ave. S. & 2d St..,
Rock For Sale!
Frank Huy has Building Rock
for sale of the very best quality.
Orders left with Judge Huy will
receive immediate attention.
Great Falls Blacksmith Shop,
WM. J. PRATT, PROP.
Blacksmithing and Repairing of all Kinds
I am prepared to any class of work in my line, an4 in a most thorough and
workmanlike manner. All work done on shortnotice ~.
piseases of the feet treated sucesisflly
Livery, Draft, andM ule .Shoeing.
O .i 1 I- MORT O