Page:Notes of the Mexican war 1846-47-48.djvu/412

406 the Mexicans as well as we do, if they did, they would not get alarmed at every little report they hear.

Col. Gorman's Indiana Regiment is stationed at the Mayor's palace, as a guard, and the way things look now, is, that we are going to have a fight.

At noon it is reported that Gen. Paredas is in the neighborhood.

To-night having plenty of candles, we devoted our time to writing letters and straightening up our notes of our campaign. We are listening for Gen. Paredas' attack on the city, but all is quiet, and nobody is asking us any questions as to who we are or to what regiment we belong, and we aint foolish enough to tell anybody who we are, would you?

Wednesday, December 8, 1847.—This morning we find the excitement is still at fever heat, owing to the orders issued by Gen. Lane concerning the procession the other day.

The orders read: "That on, or hereafter, all Mexican processions or parades, either religiously, politically or otherwise, will be entirely prohibited in this city until further orders; otherwise, they will be arrested and punished as violators of law and the public peace."

So the patriotic Mexicans will have to behave themselves, or else they will be put in the chain gang, and made to sweep the streets.

This afternoon we noticed some of the Ohio regiment men wanted to rob a poor Mexican woman who keeps a shop close by our room, but our mess interfered and would not let them commit the outrage, and told them, that they should be ashamed of themselves to attempt to rob this poor woman; they wanted to know what we had to do with it, and what we were doing here; we told them, that was none of their business. Seeing that they couldn't make anything of our crowd, they left the woman alone and said no more. She thanked us.

To-night about 10 o'clock, the Indiana picket-guards were driven in from their posts by a few Mexicans; this raised a