The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-05
SouIoQQue.

Speaking Of the death of Soulouque the CoWrie
deS Etdts URts says: "We are assured that Sou
louque, called Faustin l., is dead. In this age O
negro reha abilitaticn the figure Of Soulouque is
grand one. His life presents some striking
features He was born in 1789, the day OF tn
taking OF the Bastile, date full OF happy omens
At first slave, he was accustomed to contemplate
| nature and to sound its mysteries by picking OF
| caterpillars from the cocoa trees OF his master
| They say in Hayti that he one day met in tht
| woods an old negress, come from Martinique who
prophesied great future for him. 1t was the
same negress who had foretold her Future elevation
| to Josephine Tascher de la Pageric
| In 13O3 the young Soulouque, hardly fourteen
years DID, took part in the war against the French
and made himself remarkable for cowardice
| which in no wise controlled his inhumanity. We
have no intention of reviewing his military career.
| He served in turn all governments and took all
| the oaths that were required with a somersautic
| facility worthy of moro advanced countries Hav
ing attained the Presidency by stroke OF luck, he
| did not long content himself with this modest
| post, but naturally dazzled by famous examples
he put the Constitution in his pocket, manufactur-
ed new one, and became Emperor like any one
else by the Grace Of God and the national will.
The black party supported him assisted by the
sect OF the Vandoux. The muattoes were trodden
down. Soulouque Triumphant, wished to surround
himself with brilliant aristOcracy. He wished q
court and he had one. "Me wish little counts,
big marquis and great dukes" as he eloquently
said to the Senate. And in effect by tue of his
sovereign power, ne created Count Cry Baby,
Duke Salt-Cellar, Prince Sugar Plum and so on.
If fortune had favored him in his against the
Dominicans he would have decorated, with the IL
ties Of his battle-felds, some Of his generals.
This is pious custom to perpetuate the memory
OF blood split and Of the massacres Of thousands Of
men.
Soulouque had many manias. Like all his
crowned brothers he delighted in tinsel, feathers
and plumes. General Boum, of the Grand Dach-
ess of Gerotsein would not have been out Of place
at kNf Or1a ,a1
diamonds he ornamented his officers with pieces
cut from tin sardine boxes an elegance little fas
tidious which proved that he loved order and
economy in his finances: After the exam,
pie -! Of Henry ~, Of Louis XIV; and
men and he espoused great many over the
left shoulder in spite Of the leonine rage Of
Adelina his legitimate wife. These morgan
attic marriages became more and more fire.
quent toward the end Of his reign, but
Faust by Mephlstopheles and he contented him
self with what our fathers courteously called des
menus srages. The marriage Yas nqnsa the e. lA7s
eW fod G now wife to me you faithful to
me or you couac." And this couic was accompan-
led by gesture as signiticatlve as the famous
twinkiing of the eye of the joyous King Louis
XI' to his boon companion Tristan. All this is
The last wives of Soulouque lived as
yestal virgins.
less innocent mania Of Souiouque's consisted in
ShOOt1nR mQlbcluumtttis tip ChShnSs A.o
friends. He has been justly blamed; for if it is
useful to suppress ones adverssries, IT seems i'm
bite to attack ones supporters. Those VINO
knew Soulouque best never knew exactly if he acted
thus from rashnoss or from ov iahty or irom an
innate fondness for blood letting. The most IN
dugeut Judges would have some trouble in admit
ting any of these excuses. Perhaps, however, it
is not tor our age to judge. In less than eighty
wears we have seen the mQst civilized people ON
the earth massacre their king, their queen, their
great poets, their men OF science and crowd OF
innooept beings. People have been killed every
where on various pretexts. Recently even gen
erous prince has bepp assassinated lsit fair then
for an age covered with crimes and blood to judge
so severely the defunct Sovereign OF Hayh
sOoqe amhitoned always the gofy 81 cg9
read print not without difficulty, and more erudite
than who could sdd only Ss sea Sn1W 5s beW
sneIl and SIGN his own name fall of stature, he
was not among the pgliest Of his race although he
was much further removed from the Apollo OF Bel
above his fellow mortals when be was drunk-a
superiority which he enjoyed over other princes