The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1868-02-22
rHEsT.DOMiNGO MASSACRE.

IL SSllUttF III " Ia iANSSo
and brutality, yet, probably not more than
one man in a hundred of those who aIlude
to this terrible event knows anything OF ITS
true history. From a work by Bryant Ea-
wards, in three volumes, Published IN lShl'
we select the following synopsis, prem1S'''E
that the author, Mr.. Edwards, was an eye
witness of the Massacre. 10 will be seen
shat tie lnsurrection Of tlenegroeS Ill IT.
Domingo was produced by precisely, the
same agencies which are now e1nll"yCd
bv the Radical Republican Party to array
the black against the white rac' i'll the South
ern States. Fortunately for US, EoWe'"r,
while the proportion ofth" White to the black
population in st. Domingo Was one to SIN
teen. in the Southern States it IS TIVE to ole
At the commencement of the French Rev
olution in 1889, the Red Republicans of
France exerted themselves to excite Il spirit
of HOSTILITY towards the French colonies III
the West Indies, on account OF the existence
of slavery in those colonies. Their efforts
in this respect were power lily adc1by
'Thc British Association for the Abi&6 on
of the Slave Trade" which held it, Ert,
ings IN London, and by the so:iety s
STYLED, Les .Amis des Notes.-The IS
of the Blacks. The former of thei Ne'
ties, besides endeavoring to prejudice the
British people against the planters In the
West Indian Colonies, circulated throughout
those colonies, at an immense expense, mum
berless tracts and pamphlets, tending to rem
der the white planters odious and contempt
lille in the ewes o. their slaves, AND to excite
am no the latter such ideas of NATURAL rights,
and Of political and social equality IS would
be likely to lead them into open and bloody
rebellion. In a ~palaphiet addressed to the
chairman Of this society, an English clergy
man (of the Beecher and Cheeve ftripe) ut
ters a fervent prayer that the NJ ero might
destroy every white man, woma4 and child,
in the West Indies, and coolly& nquires II
they would not be excusabIe the moral
| Judgment of those who value tn e inestlma-
BILE blessing rational and reIlgiylS llberty?'
Besides distributing pamphletfo this char
acter gratis, throughout England and the
colonies, a medal was struck representing a
naked negro, loaded with cha1s, and In the
attitude of implorlng mercy NBthousands OF
which medals were circulatd& among the
colonial negroes for the instrt& tion of those
| who were unable to read. Bodies this, ma.
ny intelligent negro domestica who% annually
accompanied their masters II Europe, were
there instructed by emissa4 of the two
societies in the principles of neir o1ganlza,
ton, and returning with tt4 masters to
the West Indies served as LIN p instructors
to their fellow slaves. By tGfse means, as
we'll as by speeches in the british Parlla'
ment. the planters were rel esented as a
herd of remorseless tyrants, dS Deriving OF ex-
termination.
Backed by the example of British AS
| sociation. tie society of Les ~ as des Noirs
clamorcd not only for the ali lition of the
slave trade, but also of slavery &tself. They
began with the free mulattoes a France, who
agreed to represent their mot Ees to the ne.
groes in the French Colonies. Hitherto bit;
ter hatred and envy had ext ted between
the mulattoes and negroes. Hany of the
former were shareholders ins he colonies,
and were cruel taskmasters. Reconciliation
between these two classes WI gradually
effected. The negroes, dope ling on the
mulattoes and their connexid in France
for a supply of arms and a milton, sus-
pended their old hatred, and mulatoes,
depending entirely on the b~eration of
the negroes, courted their fav\ with such
assiduity that they gained ovd ne tenths
of all the negroes in the north province
of st. Domingo. At Rlat II the white
population was abort 10000 Mat of the
free mulattoes $4,000; and thatS of the he
groes, or slaves, 4S0, 600 ;-aH ut sixteen
colored persons to one white mn.
- At this juncture many null toes from
! st. Domingo and the other FIRE. eh islands
were residents of the French ca FOL. Some
of them were young people,. ser there for
education ; others were men of nsidcrab'e
prosperity. With these people he society
Of Les AIMS des Noirs became VII intimate.
They pointed out to them the v etchedness
of their condition, aroused the1 alton with
appeals in their behalf. and pou d out such
invectives against the white ~anters, as
swept away reason and moder lion. The
personal appearance of the mthattoes ex-
cited pity, and combining with the temper
of the times raised a spirit Of indignation
against the white planters in all the ranks
Of the people. a
towards IT, white colonists id the West
Indies the National AssemblyFote the
celebrated Deetaaation Of Ra4ts. This
I Declaration was calculated to bvert tn
whole system of government the coER
MES, and Immediately a gem Afa
prevailed among the French.
| St. Domingo. They maidV
Declaration was calculated q
peaceab6 and c0ntented negro
cable enemies, and torender tn
try a theatre eff commotion a1
Provincial Assemblies were
out delay in the northed =
southwestern districts of
purposes of interior
meantime th@mulaty
French nation ward the
a spirit of til ence anssssseditio1
ought the CON and determ
without delaySM the priv ~ IS
by the whites. Large bodice ~
peared IN arms in different localities, &
acting without sufficient concert or -
paration, they were easily overpowered
Strange as it may seem the ProE1ncial 4
semblies though justly iasaR agai
the instigators of these trouH 4 the md
er country wer in favor of RSderatA
ward the mulattoes themselves. YAN.
when the party which had taken arm at
Jackinel Was defeated and their chiefs i'm
prisoned the Assembly at Port-an Prince eff
fe>tually %interposed in favor of the whole
number !; and at Antibonite where the
revolt was much more extensive and alar-
ming a free and unconditional pardon was
cheerfully granted ON the submission of
the insurgents! This clearlylpro7esssthat no
cruelty by the whites induced the mulat-
toes to revolt.
ITO be continued
THE PLANTING ORDER OF
THE BUREAU.