, 1888-12-19
The Bombardment of HaytI.

N
New York, Dec. lS.-Capt. Kelly of
the steamer Saginaw, which arrived to-
day from Hayti, will not make any report
Of Haytian affairs, but it is learned from
other sources that the steamer Haytian
Republic was still in the harbor of Port
au Prince when the Saginaw sailed. A
passenger on the Saginaw brings this i'm
portant news from Hayti:
On the morning of the 9Th Of December
four OF the Legitimes men of-war, the
Dessalines, Belize, Toussaint. Lover
teure and one other, bombarded Cape
Hayti. The gunbosts dropped anchor
four or five miles off shore, lying broadside
onto the town. TIE guns were fired with
blank cartridges to give notice of the
warlike intentions. The foreign c~onsuls
in the city sent out a petition to the COM
mander of the feet asking time to get out
of the city. They were gwen thirty-six
hours to acuat the town. The people
fled into the hills, taking all the posses
slons they could conveniently carry. The
supply of pack mules being limited to
fifty or sixty animals, they were in great
demand and fabulous prices we're paid to
convey a single mule load OF the more
valuable effects of the wealthy residents to
a place of safety. Those of the poorer
classes who were fortunate enough to W
a mule preferred renting it out to using
the animal to save their own goods.
Shortly after: daybreak on the. second
day after the arrival of the feet the Hay
tan officers turned their guns on the town
and the bombardment commenced.
Operations were begun at this early hour
because the favoring tide enabled the
four vessels to lay broadside to the town.
The Toussaint fired the first shot, which
went whistling through the air and bur.
ried itself in the sand on the beach, lust
in front of the frail structures of the
bamboo houses of the poorer natives.
The other vessels followed suit and fred
widely. In a few minutes, however, the
shots began to tear through the town,
denolishing the trail structures. The
bamboo houses succumbed easily, but the
stone buildings in the central and more
elevated portion of the town were not SO
easily destroyed, the heavy walls resisting
the fire for several hours. Despite the
warning they had received to leave the
tated town, many of tho residents
chung to their habitations, in fact it was
impossible to remove many of the sick in
the city within the time allotted.
On the top of all of the houses in
which a sick person was known to be a
white flag was placed, but shot and shell
were no respecters of the appealing en-
blems. None of the people who arrived
to-day could estimate with any degree of
accuracy the number killed, but it is
thought fifteen or twenty at least sue
cumbed to the deadly fire. The Legitime
is by degrees losing the confidence of
the people and most all the sympathy is
with the north. The agents in New
York OF the steamship Haytian Republic
are much surprised at the report that
their vessel will sail from Hayti to-day in
charge of the American crew which
sailed from here last week on the Atlas
line ship Alene 10 be delivered at an
American port, subject to the disposal OF
this government. Mr.. Austin, one Of the
agents. says:
II don't see what either the Haytl or
Atlas people gain by this. l doubt very
much whether they can bring the Hay
tian Republic up here. She has no
stores. no fuel, nor anything else on
board aud she must be in a bad condition.
They say she will leave this morning. The
Galena ought to be there to-day and will
probably reach them before she can sail.
| suppose the Galeua will take possession
of her at once"