The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1873-03-15
San Dominro.
ON y. Y. Evening MALL

4
pleased with the new land and !
called it HispanOla Tor Little
Spain,) by which name or as 1.-THE
Spanish Island" it was known to
the early writer's. The natives
called it Haiti, or high ground.
They were a simple people, of one
language and probably one race;
i'll these early years the popula-
ton was estimated at from one to
three millions. "I swear to your
majesties," wrote Columbus to his
king and queen, ''there is not i'll |
the world better nation nor a !
better land; they love their neigh |
bOrs as themselves, and their dis
course is very sweet and gentle,
and accomplished with a smile;
and though it is true they are ma
ked, yet their manners are deco
; rouS and praisewOrthy." This
was thought to be the very garden
of the tropics, and on his second
voyage Columbus undertook to
settle the island, building a fort
and city on de coast and sending
expeditions into the fruitful int
riOr. There were many dissen-
sions among the Spaniards and
bitter rivalry of Columbus and
his family; the tides of Spanish
r immigrants were largely of the
worst classes and, reducing the
natives to slavery, they maltreat-
S ed them frightfully, so that sui
cied became epidemic. In 1908,
, the million natives had become
but 60, 900; in 1914, there were
: only $4,000 left. This was but u
D sad prophecy of the history of the
island.
About 1900 the Spaniards,
claiming all the Gulf, began to
S stop ships of other ma atoms,
+ whereupon the French and En-
: ;gliSh took to priyateering. The
:. littla island of Tortuga, just of
t now San Domingo, became finally
y the resort Of these "brethren OF
l. tho sea-" French, English and
Dutch, a third of whom titled
It the island, another hunted cattle
l. OIL Tihe maiu land of Santo Domin
}: 90, which they cooked on a frame
c, Of green bOughs, called bOWcGn
II and were thence called bcucGAier,
n or buccaneers; the remainder sal
n lying out i'll their long trei botel
Il wheBce the terms frei bOterOS
Is and, late, tillibusters. Tht
- French settled on Sauto Domingo
e also, In the middle of the sew
- enteenth century, and thencefOr
ward boundary and conquest war;
IL between he two people were fire
" quent. Their part began to recOv
70 er from the depopulation of til,
Spaniards, the coffee plant WAL
" introduced, and i'll 1854 six mill
ion dollars worth was exported
There were 1900 whise; 400
he muIatto, and $4,000 negro inhab
= inants of the island; 500 Suga
in plantations, 1919 indigo places
It 6,300,607 coffee trees, $500
lie horses and mules, and $500
tx horned cattle. In 1776 the boul
C. dry line between the two part
IL was fixed.
cS The unrestrained intercours
between the whites and black:
u of this island had become frigh
70 fully immoral, led to the divisio
III of races into three, the creOles G
II II whites, the Inulattoes, and blac
'e slaves. The French Reyolutio
u. was followed by one i'll the island
y successfully waged by each {
10 these three races, allying then
w selves successfully with the Spar
u ish, French, and finally Englis
. forces. The blacks were final
III successful and the French mad
Toussaint HOuverture, i'll 179
General-in-Chief upon the islant
or which had been ceded altogetht
va to it. This great man, the blac
-. Napoleon whom Wendell Phillip
a. has made famous, united all und,
vi his perfect government, but /
g was taken to and died in Franc
and again there was terrible civ
war. The blOodshed was horribl
Finally the black General, DeSsa
Us ines, drove the French out of tt
ey island, and New Years Day 1SC
sh the republic of Hayti was declare
mt Christopher succeeded him; the
was more civil war. In 1S41, |
the treaty of Paris, the island WI
given back to Spain, but, in Is:
President Boyer saw the who
island again republic. The i
the dependence of the island was
last confirmed by treaty, bu.G
pc the27th of February, 1874, th3ea
the ern or Spanish end of the islaI