The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-09-20
WICKED WAS BAGDAD, MEX
CITY PROSPERED, THEN WAS
WIPED OUT IN A NIGHT.
Had Population of 10000, and Muir
derers, Thieves and Riff-Raff OF
Seven Seas Gathered There.

dererS, Thieves and Rlff-RaH OF
Seven Seas Gathered There.
There are a few people still living
in Matamoras who remember the
riotous town of Bagdad, which at the
height of it's prosperity had popula-
ton of nearly 10000 and was the
neutral port through which practical
Iy all the cotton from Texas and 9TH
err Southern states was exported dur
ing the civil war when the southern
ports were blockaded.
Bagdad was on the Mexican side of
the river, about % miles east of Mat
amoras With the closing of the
southern ports by union blockading
vessels the necessity of finding an
outlet for cotton and an inlet for
supplies became urgent. 1t was in
response to this demand that Bagdad
came into being.
The population of Bagdad was cos
mopolitan. Thieves, fortune hunters,
bandits, adventures and the riffraff
Of the seven seas gathered there and
reveled in the gold that flowed
through the place. Finally the town
met the fate of it's Biblical predeces-
sor in crime, Gomorrah, and was
completely destroyed. In October,
1867, Bagdad was swept away by a
combination hurricane and tidal
wave. More than 5000 lives were
lost, and not a vestige remains to
mark the site of the town. 1t was
annihilated in one night.
R. NJ. Miller, who went from New
Orleans to Matamoras in 1868 and
established a merchant business
there, is still resident of the town.
During the latter days of the civil
war" said Mr.. Miller, "and immedi-
ately following the close of that strife
crime and chaos ruled this part of
the border, both on the Mexican and
Texas side.
II remember that shortly after my
arrival in Matamoras I had business
that took me to Bagdad. A regular
stage line was operated between the
two places, and taking this lumber
ing vehicle one morning I and sever
al others started on the trip to the
wonderful port. A few miles out of
town we were held up by a band of
brigands led by Juan N. Cortina, the
notorious bandit chief, and robbed of
all our money. A little further on
another band of thieves stopped us
and relieved us of our watches.
Il had friends in Bagdad, and de-
cided to continue on the journey.
Arriving in the town I found cOndi-
lions the most remarkable, I be
lieve, that ever existed in any place
of similar size. The narrow streets
were thronged with hundreds of
drunken and vicious people. All ma
tons were represented in the uncon-
trollable mob. Negroes from the
West hides, Frenchmen, Cubans,
Greeks, Italians, Spaniards, Portu-
guese and men of nearly every other
nation were represented in that riot
GUS population.
Murder and robberies were of al
most hourly occurrences. Gamblers
piled their yocations upon the streets.
One night in the town was sufficient
for me. I wildly remember. how
ever, the scene presented in the har-
Dor. counted twenty-five steam
ships and many sailing vessels wait
ing to discharge and take cargoes.
'Bagdad was believed by the peo-
pie at that time to have promising
future as a deep water port. Mil
lions of dollars worth of traffic pour
ed over its wharves, but with the
closing of the civil war and the end
ing of the efforts of Macmillan to
obtain control of Mexico the future
of the mushroom port and town did
not seem to be so bright. 1t could
not have survived many more years
even had it not been DESTROYED by
the great storm"