Puebla, the misgoverned—Justice under Colonel Cabrera—Royal Family of
Chihuahua—Tampico—Presidents Diaz and Madero.
In 1909 I went to Puebla, to take charge of a large contract there, and
came in contact with another kind of governor from our old friend Don
Miguel Ahumada. He also was an old-time soldier (friend and supporter of
Diaz), General Mucio Martinez, but as different from Colonel Don Miguel
Ahumada as night is from day. Puebla was the most misgoverned state in
the country, and the barefaced robbery and oppression openly carried on
was a revelation to me. All the butcher business, public coaches, the
best of the liquor business, and the theatre were in the hands of a
clique headed by the governor. The _Jefe Politico_ had bought from the
state the right to all fines. The effect of this was twofold; habitual
offenders, drunks, thieves, ladies of the Vida Alegro, &c., were turned
loose as soon as their friends paid the fines, and never got jail
sentences because they were such a profitable source of revenue. They
would soon err again, be rearrested, and fined once more. I was told
that any policeman who did not make a certain number of arrests in the
month lost his job. On the other hand, the casual offenders (more
especially those with a trade) always got jail sentences, which they
worked out on private jobs or contracts of the _Jefe Politico_. This man
made a fortune in less than six years, and skipped for France when the
revolution broke out.
The _Jefe’s_ assistant, Colonel Cabrera, was the chief of police till
killed by one of the members of the Serdan family at the outbreak of the
revolution. I found this was the man who could either be of much
assistance or annoyance to me on the contract, and I went to call on him
to find out what could be arranged. I told him, in the course of
conversation, that I needed three watchmen on the job, and he at once
offered to get them for me. He asked as to pay, &c., and then sent me
three of the city’s secret-service men, and, I presume, pocketed their
pay, as he was more than friendly to me during the time I was there. On
one occasion a man of some importance in the city walked across the
fresh asphalt and one of my men spoke rather rudely to him about his
lack of brains and culture. He promptly had my foreman arrested, and in
the argument that followed two or three more of the men got arrested for
taking the foreman’s part. As I was riding down the street I met them
all on the way to the commissaria, and had the matter explained to me. I
rode on ahead, and went to see Colonel Cabrera. When I had finished
explaining the matter to him he called an assistant and told him to go
down and tell the judge to turn my men loose as soon as they arrived
without further investigation. I thanked him and went down to see the
order carried out. When we arrived in the court-room the complainant was
in the middle of his speech, and the assistant, instead of going up and
whispering the order in the judge’s ear, said, in a loud voice, "Colonel
Cabrera’s compliments, and you are to turn these men loose without
further investigation." Such was the justice one could get under these
men; but it was really comical to see the complainant’s face at such
summary methods.
On another occasion I went to see him about one of my men that I had
discharged, and who had gone up to my office and scared my clerk nearly
into a fit by waving a pistol and saying he wanted to kill me. Cabrera
asked me if I had a pistol, and on my replying in the affirmative he
said, “Then it is very simple, you shoot him the first time you see him
near your office, before he can shoot you.” I told him that was all
right, but I did not want to get into jail. “No,” he said, “that need
not bother you, as he has threatened your life before witnesses.” I
happened to meet this man a day or two later on the street, and went up
to him and said I had heard he was looking for trouble, and that Colonel
Cabrera had told me to shoot him if he came near my office. But he
denied all enmity, &c., &c. I have always found it best to tackle these
cases at once, for if you do not treat them with a high hand you are
liable to get shot in the back some night.
From Puebla I went to Chihuahua to take charge of a contract there. The
town and state of Chihuahua used to be run by what was known as the
Royal Family. The head of the family is Terrazas, who owns in ranches
almost the entire state, and the balance of the family consists of the
Creels, the Munoz, and the Quilty, and I was told that there were 116
first cousins. All these, of course, had to have a living, and they were
all provided for. One of them was building a large edifice at the time I
was there, and was using one of the principal streets as his stoneyard
to cut the stone for the building. He had the street closed to traffic,
and was getting along very comfortably; unfortunately, this street was
one that was in our contract to be paved. When we had completed nearly
all the other streets we asked him to please move out and let us in, and
his answer was, “I wish to get my work completed by a certain date.
Naturally it will inconvenience you, but that cannot be helped. Of
course if you think that you can have me moved, why, go ahead and try,
but I think you will find that I am a man of some importance.” So the
interview closed, and we found that he was indeed of some importance,
and that nothing could be done. I was told that the only way to go into
business up there was to get some member of the family in with you, and
the facts bear this out. They own the street car-lines, the brewery, the
lumber-yard, the brick-yard, the biscuit company, the electric power and
light company, and the slaughterhouse, and if they missed anything it
was because it was not worth having. Yet, with it all, possibly because
of it, the town is a very busy one, though it was this state of affairs,
and the way things were run in Puebla, that brought about the
revolution. The people had nothing to lose, and might gain by a change
of government.
From Chihuahua I went first to Durango, where I only stayed a short
time; and then to Tampico, where we had another large contract. Tampico
is only a small town of possibly 35,000 people, but one of the busiest
towns in the republic, with an American population of about 1000 people.
The main industry, of course, is oil, and most of the men are employed
or connected in some way with that industry. But of late years many
settlers have gone into the country to buy farms, and cultivate tropical
fruits, and some, at least, seem to be doing well. But the country has
many drawbacks, at least for a Saxon; for, though the climate is not at
all bad, the insect-pests are numerous, and keep one too active for such
a warm climate. The soil which is so good for the tropical fruit is also
good to raise tropical jungle, and the jungle of the Tampico country is
something that one must see to believe. However, those that have taken
up farms seem to be well satisfied, and are making money.
For sport, Tampico and the surrounding country can hardly be beaten in
the Republic, both for fishing, hunting, and boating. While I was there
the record tarpon up to date was caught (7 feet 5 inches long); but
besides tarpon there are many other game fish—the yellow tail, black and
red snapper, various kinds of rock-fish, and I caught one shark, 7 feet
long, which gave me plenty of fun. Tampico saw nothing of the
revolution, though after it was all over we had one day, or rather night
and day, of rioting, which kept everybody in a state of anxiety. Of the
revolution every one has no doubt read in the papers more than I could
tell. On the whole, I think it passed off very well, all except the
horrible slaughter of helpless Chinamen in Torreon, of whom 303 were
killed in cold blood for the money they were supposed to have. One
American there saved the lives of thirty-six of them. He was the
yard-master, and got that number into an empty box-car, which he
switched round all day long while the rioters searched the trains for
them. For a little while the changes were rapid, and both in Guadalajara
and Morelia they had three different governors in one day. Diaz was not
beaten when he finally decided to leave the country. He had been kept in
ignorance up till the last moment by his friends (?) as to the true
state of affairs, and when he found out that the people as a whole were
against him, he resigned to save further bloodshed. Since then we have
had rumours of counter-revolution after counter-revolution, but none has
so far materialised, except the fiasco of General Reyes, who could only
get together seven followers. He is another “grandstander,” and when he
gave himself up he said he had decided not to go on with the “War.”
One hears much of the uprising of Zapata, but Zapatism is not a
revolution against any particular government but against a condition.
The people are demanding that the land shall be divided up amongst them,
so that they will not be slaves of the _hacendados_, and when once this
is done we shall hear the last of Zapata.
At first the feeling against Diaz was very strong in the country, for
the people did not understand, then, that it was his so-called friends
who were to blame, and not he. Now, however, this feeling is dying out,
and you hear many people talking of Diaz, and agreeing that he has done
much for his country, for which the country should be grateful to him.
Many people are fond of decrying Madero, saying he is not a man of
force, but if he had been a second Diaz they would, on the other hand,
have been crying, “We have exchanged one tyrant for another.” It seems
to me, an outsider, that he will “make good” if allowed the chance, but
any man who tries to fill Diaz' clothes will have a hard job of it.
I am still seeking fortune in America; I have sought it in Canada, the
United States, and Mexico, but it appears as far off in 1912 as ever it
did. America is a land of great opportunities, but rarely for the Briton
or the man without capital. I have written my life to date, attempting
at the same time to depict my surroundings, and if any one has got half
the pleasure out of reading these rambling reminiscences that I have had
in going back in spirit over the old scenes, I am satisfied.
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Edinburgh & London
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Transcriber’s Note
Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and
are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.
23.15 they can hold their own even now[.] Added.
266.17 Except during the rainy season it seldom[s] Removed.
rains