CHAMAL, MARCH 23, 1903

Last Saturday was a great day for Chamal.  For one week had been advertised the first auction sale ever had in the state of Tamilipas (sic).  Early Saturday morning men, women and children began to arrive from the settlement down the river, and were soon mingling with the city people (city De Chamal.)  A meeting of the directors was held at which meeting there was ordered sold all personal property belonging to the Chamal purchase except one rice mill, horse power corn crusher, corn, houses, wagons and carriages.  This, the first meeting on our own domain, was a very interesting one and continued in session till 11:50 a.m., and the sale of mules and horses was announced to begin at 1 p.m.  Promptly at that hour a nice, trim iron gray mule was led to the block and was soon under inspection of men who can tell the age of an equine anywhere from fifteen minutes to double that number of years.  The bidding was spirited, the bidders being informed by the auctioneer that this sale was simply taking money from one pocket and putting it into the other, as the property was ours to begin with and the money would be ours after the sale.  John Rose and others couldn’t see it that way, but John was one of the liveliest bidders and was accused of bidding on many animals not wanted, but sorely wanted by others, thus causing a larger price being paid than would otherwise have been done, and from the way John winked one eye over toward the spring it may be that the accusation was correct.  The first mule sold brought sixty-five big Mexican dollars, and the price ranged from $10 to $72.  John Rose bought the $10 mule and was glad the boys thought he was just bidding for fun.  This purchase is a beautiful white of very uncertain age and has a way of looking very sleepy.  Horses and mules only were sold as it took up the entire afternoon.  Thirty mules and nine ponies brought $1,480.  Next Saturday was named to include five more mules, many plows, harness, dining room fixtures, kitchen and other household goods bought with the place.

Much fun and merriment prevailed during the sale, all of which was observed by the peons, and after the sale closed a noise commotion was noticed on the Plaza.  Some thirty or forty men and boys were congregated in a circle waving blankets, sombreros and bare arms.  Then it was discovered that a wild bull was the center of attention.  Soon a hardy son of Montezuma had the bull by the tail, then a grand rush was made and Mr. Bull found himself powerless in the hands of his tormentors.  Soon a rope was tightly drawn around his body behind the shoulders and a voluntary rider mounted.  When all was ready, every rope except the one used as a hand hold for the rider, were loosed, and our first sight of a truly wild ride began amid the cheers of both Mexican and Americans.  Mr. Bull used all tactics known to his bullship to unseat the rider, all of which were futile.  Finally a break to the woods, one-half mile away, was made and the hardy rider, with his wild mount, was lost to view in the brush.

The first religious services were held yesterday.  Short talks by several, who asked to be put on record as having brought their religion to Mexico and were now ready to show their works by their ways.  A number of sweet songs of Zion were sung, everybody joining in.  Next Sunday we will have preaching by Bro. Talley.  A Rev. Cameron, Presbyterian, has promised us an appointment in the near future.  Bro. Grimes, of Mexico City has promised to see that our religious wants are supplied and we expect to hear from him soon.  Bro. Grimes is presiding elder of the M.E. Church South, with headquarters at Mexico City.

Our train, while at Monterey, was visited by Mrs. Moses, Christian missionary to Mexico, and this good woman has sent for free distribution each week sixty copies of La Via De Paz, a nice little religious paper, published by the Christian church at Monterey.  As it is printed in both Spanish and English we take pleasure in handing it to both our people and the natives, who we are glad to know, have been seen reading with interest.  Our people are, we believe, becoming better satisfied with Mexico.  Some disappointment was manifested when we learned Surveyor Putnam was not coming, and to relieve this George Moore and James Young volunteered to go on the hunt for a surveyor.  This very important personage they failed to find, but found a surveyor’s outfit, bought same for $250 and are now doing the work ourselves,  George Moore being surveyor in chief with Tolman, Young, Martin, Thomson and others as assistants.  Owing to the peculiar lay of the land selected for our town it was found impossible to survey the town as the plan decided upon before leaving Oklahoma, but a plan was adopted which we believe will meet with the approval of those to come when they get here and see it.

The writer will start out tomorrow with the old man to list all the farms of the hacienda.  During the inspection all land that belongs individually to the ranch, this land upon which leases have expired or where tenants have been paid for their work of clearing, etc., or in some instances where the owners have put in lands by hired labor, this land will be as carefully itemized as possible and it will be rented to our own people, as all such lands were excepted when we promised the peons they should stay and cultivate such lands as they had held as homes, but who pay a rental.  Several nice farms, some with more than one hundred acres, have been located and many of our people are expecting to turn some exceptional fine black land in the near future.

No sickness in the colony at present, but our Dr. Porter has had a few calls from the natives who seem to have much faith in the new method of treating diseases.  The boys still bring in deer, turkey and fish.  The writer tried very hard to buy a deer from a native, but said native appeared to understand what kinds of a statement would be made on our arrival at the ranch and absolutely refused to sell.  John Rose was seen leaving the ranch this morning with four mules, two axes and five peons and reported he was going to build a house.  If this was facts this is the breaking of ground for the first house by the colonists.  Hurrah for John Rose.

GEO.E. BLALOCK

LETTER FROM UNCLE TALLEY.
CHAMAL, March 22

There is a very decided improvement and work in various lines has been started, including a blacksmith shop.  One wagon wheel that was broken down on the way has been refilled, using wood found on the place that is found to be of most excellent quality for making spokes, equal probably to bois d’arc.  Blalock and Parmer have ordered a stock of goods for a general supply store.  Turkey, deer and other game killed.  The piano, organ and singing is often heard and murmuring and complaining is seldom heard.  Two babies have been born since our arrival, a boy at San Gabriel and the other at the old sugar mill on the river.  Mrs. Snell’s baby is a boy and her sister, Mrs. Wilton, has a girl.  I saw them yesterday, they are doing well.  The old mill dam and race can be repaired and much land irrigated.  It must have cost much labor and is said to have done well.  It has not been run for eleven years.  There have been thousands of dollars expended in improvments  (sic) that are not now being used to any profit.  I was surprised to find a printing press in the store-room.  Next Saturday there is said to be a sale of many things, and we can then form some idea of what we have got besides the land.  The sale of mules and horses last Saturday amounted to near fifteen hundred dollars.  The cattle will probably bring five thousand dollars.  The magnitude of the purchase is not realized by any of the colony.  I find that the tract of land is not less than thirty-eight miles long and about twelve miles wide at south end.  The map shows that it contains 706,632,902 square metros.  A long bed of lava extends across the tract from the canyon on the west to east side.  The townsite is on the north side near the lava bed which was possibly the old bed of the river or probable line of railroad.