The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-11-10
Horrible Hayti.

An American traveller in Hayti says
we left Jamaica, however, i'll late July
or early August and steamed acros,
through indigo seas to Jacmel and other
Haytian ports, making the circuit OF
the entire island, shooting into shelf.
cred harbors here and there. Nearly
always the mountains lay like great
iridescent lizards against the horizon
| mOnStrOuS SaurianS SpraWling III blue
or in bronZe-green against the edge of
| the sky; singular and fantastic noun
tain piles in whose hidden gorges the
half-wild negro tribes live aad spawn.
The infamies said to be practiced by
this population are beyond description.
| Cannibalism is said to prevail; the white
man is held in the greatest adherence;
and we heard Of the rooted determine
ton of the jet-blacks to exterminate
the yellow-sknned, feeble, mulatto
castles of the sea-ports. Our captain
warned us not to spend the night on
shore in any of the ports we visited, for
fear OF personal violence or Of simple
malignity. The island is pretty thicl1ly
peopled and is divided between the
IIaytians of the West and the light
skinned, intelligent, French-spealSing
San Domingoans of the East.
The greatest dissimilarity exists be-
tween these geographical divisions.
The San Domingo people are full of
energy and push, eager for railroads and
telegraphs, enlightened and more or less
civilized. The Haytians are reported
by those who know them Intimately to
be savage, depraved, opposed to every
form ofwhite civilization, and devoured
by the most baleful vices and diseases.
They speak French jargon very hard
to understand, Il lingo made up Of lacer-
ated French conjunctions and gendcrs
plentifully sprinkled with words Of their
own coinage. There arc peculiarly hor-
nble maladies prevailing among them;
their sense Of dccencY is Of the slightest
and their reputation for trlclkery is such
that we had to guard ourselves con-
Stantly against their cunning aud fraud.
The country is one of striking love-
illness, a flOWer-garden stocked with the |
rarest growths. We saw the finest
grOwths of rosewood and mahogany,
woods smothercd III imperial vines, an |
lodcn with suggestions of |
spices; but to get to all this, |
nothing but difficult bride paths or in
accessible lanes, with here and there a
road wide enough for a carriage. We
met troops of silent, Notwithstanding,
blacks as we rode on
horseback or wandered through the
towns; creatures that gazed with
and horror to see white
people invading their demesue. One
Old woman riding Oh Il tall horse was
50 startled by our cavalcadc that she
forgot herself and was suddenly taken
under the chin by al -arching limb,
lifted off her animal, and deposited not
very gently OIL the ground below, to
1t was palnful and shocking TO hear
The stories Of Haytian depravity to
which we had to listen-the foul Su-
the rank barDarism, the to-
tai illiteracy and Indifference to educa-
Cion prevailing IN the country. We
were told that Il traveller had discovered
human flesh for S;llc at one Of the mark
cts of the interior, and had bought a
piece of it to bring away with him as a
and as Il piece Of evidence OF
the state OF things there. Witchcraft,
nameless immortality are
If there is any Christianity
it is of the lowest type. The grossest
testers in the municipal OF
ganiZation and III The administrative |
if there is anything that can
be called such.