New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-24
Sg4w OrlGans 4ailp Greatent.
FRIDAY MORNING, AUGUST "A, 1856.
LETTERS FROM TmE RIO aKANDI
speaial Correspondence Of the New Orleans Crescent


BAGDAD, MEXICO, August Z, 1866.
Yesterday at noon the Liberal garrison here
fired salute in salyos Of musketry, flags were
thrown to the breeze, and the little church bell
rang jubilee fit to break its capper. l went up
town to see what all the row was about
The soop Tampico, Capt. Wilson, had Just got in
from Tampico, with the news that the Liberals,
5000 strong, had taken and were occupying that
city. They entered the city on the first instant
The lmpeIialist garrison consisting of 200 Ameri.
can contra-g uerrllas and 200 French chasseurs d.
Antique under the French Col Dupin, made no
resistance but retired to one of the forts oyer.
looking the city. There was considerable alarm
among the inhabitants, they not believing the I'm.
perialists too humane to lombard the city since
the Liberals occupied it. This was the state of
affairs when the sloop left.
1t was believed that Col. Dupin had put himself
IN defensive position in the fort in order to com
pei parley and fix the conditions for an honor
able and unmolested retreat like that of Gen.
Meja from MatamorOs.
Day before yesterday Sunday in the evening
there was great piece Of fun il Bagdad. Some
Wag got up 5a1TeAer0 race, or race between
the Mexican Water-haulers with their barrels and
Jackasses. Here where the sand is so soft and
deep the gre2sers have donBeys to pull their bar
Tels, while they walk ahead and pull the douieys
IT was in fact sort of jackass steeple-chase.
Entrance was free, and the prize was a purse
OF S., and 81 50 for the second Jack, put up by
the Bagdad J0cky Club. The distance to be run
was about half amile and through one OF the priu-
cipal streets of the town.
About fifteen greasers appeared on the ground
mounted on their lacks, each Jack with his water
barrel in tow. Some of the owners substituted
boys to ride their animals that they nigh tremaiu
on the ground and keep up a good clubbing in
the rear. Whenthe start took place, the fun com
menced. In minute all was chaos. Such an
ENHANCEMENT; such bumping and humping
OF the barrels against each other. Such club
bling and Spanish oursing; the stubbornness of
some jacks, the fright of others, and the comica
looks Of a the shouts and yells Of the spectators
it was a scenCe 10 which ito pen could possibly
do Justice. One man in clubbing his jack made a
mi5lick and came near killing the boy rider. At
last they became diseutaugled, and strung out
along the street; and the purse was taken III gal.
liant style by the most ridiculous looking animal in
the lot. q black skeleton donkey with one ear,
whilst othersa werel still atangiinga and wrangling
at the starting point.
Afterwards there were match races without the
barrels, and the fun was kept up till dark. One
of the funny things connected with this race was
that one Cd the jackass owners who, previous to the
asked friend what he should do with'his jack
beforehand, to make him run well in the race. He
was toidtO wash certain parts Of the animal with
decocton Of salt and petroleum oil, and he did SO
<did it up brown The result was, that when the
race came off, donkey didn't run, for the simple
reason that he couldn't! 1t was as much as ht
could do 10 walk poor beast!
The day before yesterday (saturday)'there wa:
an unusual bit of excitement in Bagdad A negr
workman in Cooper's ship.yardstruck the foreman
of the yard in the back Of the head with cau
der's mallet, wounding him very seriously. TIL
white men in the yard started to seized the negro
lie ran, and great chase and hueand-cry fol
lowed. The negro being very active, athleti
fellow, scaled fences, ran through houses jumpe
out Of windows. and kept well ahead of his pul
suers, now swelled to a mob, by the addition c
everybody in the streets. Finally, the negr
rushed in at the back entrance of Mooney
hotel aud barreaded himself in on
Of the boarders's rooms. The door coul
not be opened without smashing and when I'll
mob were about to do this, a posse Of MeXica
police, with Sharp's rifles, and reyo!yers an
swords, in frighttul display, reached the SPOT an
arrested, or rather rescued the frightened Sa1nb
ii he had fallen into the bands IT the mob,
would have been ali day " with him.
1t Is decorating to think that the freedmen's b.
reau has no authority on this side Of the Il
Grandv, and cannot extend It's protection to tn
poor, prosecuted African, who now languishes
loathsome prison, audw probably be punisht
somewhat for nothing in the world but near
numbering d white man. I. G..