The Lamar register., 1907-03-20

e. IL tS not Beuerhliy huo"H eh<,t
lanes Stillman. president of the rich
est bank In the United States and re
puted to be the financial genius of the
Standard Oil company. was born in
Brownsville. Tex
In fact this little city OF 1000 peo-
pile. tucked away in the southernmost
tip of Texas, has been not only the
birthplace of many great men. but
lhe arena of events which not only
made history. but are doubly inter
estirg because of the element OF ro-
nance interviewer with them. AT
present it is city OF memories
dreaming on the banks of the Rio
Grande river. with wonderful soil
and climate capable OF supporting its
Population many times over. By rea-
son of President Roosevelt's dis
charge of the negro troops who raided
the town. many have first learned of
its existence and comparatively few
are -aware. of the important part II
has played in the commercial and
martial history of this country.
Iuqthe DAYS of the civil war. Mata-
rnuras. the Mexican city which lies
diraetly across the Rio Grande from
dirownsville. was a harbor OF refuge
for many who had excellent reasons
aor leaving the states and. with
Brownsville. offered practically the
only mort in this country from which
the .4dton crop of the south could be
exported.
By reason of these conditions both
cities attained large populations and
hid fair to be the commercial centers
OF that territory. but with the close
Of the war. when commerce returned
to It's normal channels. the twin cities
of tho border. as they were called.
sunk back to their normal quietude
aAsa Incidence.
Tnfs was in the days before the
railroad. when post wagon and horse
back were the only means Of travel.
and it was in these days that the IA
Their of James Stillman did a semi
banking and trading business. first
at Matamoras then at Brownsville
The house in which the great bank
er was born is a comfortable brick
cottage bat no more than Q cottage
and whsn q mere boy his father decid-
ed that because of the feverish con-
ditiOnsi in that section. 1t was best to
send che boy and his mother north.
The president of the City National
bank of New York has visited the city
OF his Blrtf1 but once since then and
though he owns large portion OF
the city of Brownsville. he admins
tiers his affairs through an attorney
Next to the house in which Stillman
was born Is another cottage equally
unpretentious. This was the refuge
Or one Porfirio Diaz. who after an un
successful attempt to become presi
dent of Mexico. crossed the river in
the night far above the city and ex
hansted both IN mind and body. strug
gled throuSh the dense growth which
screened him from his pursuers until
he reached his friends in Brownsville
There for many weeks he plotted and
planned until one dark night he
crossed the river with but few more
supporters than a corporals squad
and secured bloodless victory over
a .detachhent of Mexicans encamped
on the bank. This was the beginning
Of Diaz' successful invasion into
Mexico. and 1t is generally believed
to have been far more the result Of
currency artfully expended than mill
ta%y -force-o strategy. When Texa:
decided to cast its fortunes with the
United States. and in the genera
mix-up which resulted. Mexico con
tinued tta claim sovereignty owe
murh Of the Territory in which
brownsville is situated.
Diplomacy failedi TO settle the mat
ter and this little unheralded cit,
became what might be termed tn,
civic cause of the Mexican war. Gen
Winfield Scott, with his army. land
ed at Corpus Christi and from thence
marched to Brownsville,