Weekly Trinity journal., 1867-03-09
From the Lake County Qll.) Patriot.]
THE JOKERS OF "BAGDAD."
by 7. z. JONES.

| 1t Is not of the far-famed city of the Caliphs
that am writing, as the reader might think
from the title of this piece, nor does my story
date back to the time when Haroun Alrasched
and his Grand Vizier disguised in such costume
as best suited their purpose, patroled the streets
OF the Arabian city, that they might be the un-
known witnesses of scenes which otherwise
would be kept from their knowledge. Nor does
my story have its scenes laid in the classic
regions of the East, but on the contrary, in that
land toward which according to the poets pre-
iction,-the q star of Empire takes its way"
Bagdad is the name of o little town situated in
the mines and mountains of California and
once famed in mining tradition, for the rich pla-
GERS by which it was surrounded. How it came
to receive its appellation | cannot tell, but sup
pose it originated in freak of some of the ear
lier settlers. The nomenclature of mining towns
in this country is sure to excite merriment among
new corners, yet in almost every case the name is
such as to afford some clue as to why it is
bestowed. Thus we can readily imagine why
| One-horsetown, - Brandy City" and " Shirt
Tail Canyon received their cognomens, and we
know that g Piety Hip called from the
religious character of those who first struck the
t diggings" there. But we have no clue to the
origin of the name g Bagdad," and as it has
been dropped of late years for the more appro-
pirate title of North Fork We will not spec
ulate further about it.
| Bagdad, as have said, was noted in an early
day for the richness of the placer mines which
SURROUNDED the locality. Thither the miners
| hocked from every quarter, and to supply their
needs the inevitable trader and butcher soon fol-
lowed The @ Forks,' where the two streams
ioined their waters was selected the site of the
future town, and trading post, furnished with
all the necessaries of mining life, not forgetting
a plentiful supply of the ardent, was soon in full
blast. As was usual in those days, the first set
tiers of the new camp were wild, reckless, jolly
set, ready to fight Indians prospect some unex-
plored creek or river, or go on "b bust" for
weeks at a. time. Withal they were a good
hearted set, ready to show "strapped" miner
where he could strike good claim, share the
last dollar with those who they thought needed
it. Even in their frequent "sprees" they were
good natured, and quarrels were almost un-
known. So Bagdad grew and fourished, and as
the keepers of the trading-post were reported to
be liberal in the way of giving credit to any
who were 60 broke" and were willing to prospect
and work, it had a good name among the
mining fraternity generally. There was one lit
tie set back however, and that that the COM
munity would stop at nothing in the way of
practical joke. Very few entered the place and
stayed night but were victimized in one
way or another. So staid, sober, quiet hombres
seldom honored Bagdad with a second visit, and
it soon earned the reputation of having the
q roughest set about there of any place in the
country
| In due time some of the citizens sent tor their
families, and Bagdad blessed with female
society. When enough ladies had moved into
the place to form quadrille, dance began to
be talked of, and now the honest miners became
aware that dancing part of their education
which had either been entirely neglected, else,
| from want of music forgotten. Here di-
lemma. They wanted to dance, but ddn't know
how all expressed readiness to go to the ball,
but what kind of ball would it be without
dancers? As if fortune wanted to favor them a
San Francisco dancing master was getting up
schools in other parts of the county, and readily
agreed to open one at the "Forks." A rough
old school it was, but it flourshed. Go in on
the nights of practice and you could see thirty
or forty old bucks, in red, blue grey shirts
Staging" it through every variety of quadrille
and fancy dances, as waltzes, polkas &c. were
called. The ladies took lessons in the after
noon but the dancing master announced that on
the last night of the school, the ladies and
gentlemen would be brought together and the
school would wind up with grand ball.
As the term of the school drew near its close
and the night fixed for the ball drew near, a
question arose in the minds of the honest miners
which from lack of OCCASION had never dis
turbed them before. This very question was
how to dress. Was it necessary to do honor to
this occasion that the miners usual holiday rig,
j. e. clean blue or grey shirt, and pants should
be put aside, and something more pretentlous
and more pleasing to the eye of woman be dom
ned for the dance? A few, very few in fact,
thought that it should. But the majority of
the boys had no more use for suit'of ball
room attire than a hog has for holiday or dog
has for two tails. Jim Bates, long, gaunt
Arkansas chap, put the subject in the light in
which he viewed it at the last meeting but one
of the school, and nearly all present agreed with
him. "We're goin'," said he, to this ere
shindig. It's the fust we've had at the Forks
and it may be the last for good while. don't
feel like giving seventy-fve or hundred dollars
for lot of fancy duds that would 60 to the devil
the fust day you wore 'em in the diggin's. Them
fe1lers that want to look pooty may get 'em, but
/ don't want to look pooty These yere wimmin
wots cumn ai'nt such fools to expect it
neither Some of EN- has seed me most every
day the last six months, and they never seed
billed shirt on me yet and reckon they never
will. And ef there's any on 'em as don't want
to dance with me because don't happen to be
dressed to kill, let 'em just signify as much and
they can set without dancin' till the nigger is
hung for all of my akin 'em out" There was
no getting over such logical reasoning as this,
and it was decided mem. com. that the clothes
they usually wore were good enough.
But when the long expected day arrived q
| rumor was circulated that one Of the scholars
had got ball rig which would leave the others
entirely in the shade. It reported upon
credible authority that Hank Smith had been up
the river to where one of the pork-rejecting
descendants of Abraham kept store and had laid
out seven ounces of clean dust in all sorts OF
store truck. A coat for which sixty dollars cash
down was paid, mentioned as one OF tne
Hiubbubs' which was to dazzle the eyes OF all
beholders. Great was the Indignation OF the
Bagdad school when the fact became known
Jim Bates was of opinion that "of course any
Teller had a right to put on as many scoilops as
he liked but Hank Smith was no better than the
rest Of US. and hadn't aughter done it, George
Fossen thought that Hank Smith was putting on
frills over the others and ought to be set back
little. This was the conclusion to which the
others soon arrived, and those of the school who
were there present at once resolved themselves
into committee of the whole to discuss the
manner in which the " setback" could be most
properly effected sraE
The dancing master was on hand at the ap-
pointed time with some additional musicians