TRICKS OF ROBBERS. 237 





pete with any other people. Nothing indeed 

 can be left exposed or unguarded without 

 great danger of its being immediately stolen. 

 No husbandman would think of leaving his 

 axe or his hoe, or anything else of the slight- 

 est value lying out over night. Empty wa- 

 gons are often pillaged of every movable piece 

 of iron, and even the wheels have been car- 

 ried away. Pieces of merchandise are fre- 

 quently purloined from the shelves, when 

 they happen to be in reach. In Chihuahua, 

 goods have actually been snatched from the 

 counter while being exposed to the inspection 

 of a pretended purchaser. I once had a trick 

 of this kind played upon me by a couple of 

 boys, who made their escape through a crowd 

 of spectators with their booty exposed. In 

 vain I cried " Agarren a los ladrones /" (catch 

 the thieves !) not a single individual moved 

 to apprehend them. X then proffered the 

 goods stolen, to any person who might suc- 

 ceed in brinsrinir the rogrues to me, but to no 



O^'^O "■' -"D 



purpose. In flict there seems to exist a great 

 deal of repugnance, even among the better 

 classes, to apprehending thieves; as if the 

 mere act of informing against them was con- 

 sidered dishonorable. I heard a very respecta- 

 ble caballcro once remark that he had seen a 

 man purloin certain articles of merchandise, 

 but he could not be induced to give up his 

 name ; observing, " O, I can't tliink of expos- 

 ing the poor fellow !" . 



The impunity with which delinquencies of 

 this description are every day committed is 



