Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-09-13
The Ebon Amazons or Ha,tI.

The war in Hayti where the alleged
rightfh ruler Legitime is being driven
into his last ditch by the alleged revo-
lutionary leader Hyppolite, has devel-
oped an interesting feature in the
drafting OF women into the army OF
the former. Legitime has been worsted
on every field and driven back until his
domain is limited pretty nearly to his
capital city of Port-au Prince. AS his
army has dwindled away largely by
desertiOn TO the other faction, he found
himself without troops to man his for
tifcations, for his city was long ago
strongly fortified by the Spaniards and
French who held ii at different Pc
RODS.
In this extremity Legitime has hit
upon the plan of filling up his depleted
ranks with women. There being a sur
plus OF the softer sex in the capital of
the negro republic, il has been possible
TO enroll quite number of these ebony
amaZons, who are not embodied in eX-
| elusive battalions of their own sex. but
are distributed among the men. These
women are dressed in masculine cos
tune, and said to look very much like
/ y
he Haytian negroes, where they
have been amalgamated with the native
Caribs, have become almost beardless,
particularly when the men are young,
and hence these Haytian amazons are
said to be distinguishable from the
males when all are standing in line to-
gether, chiefly by the fact that the faces
of the women are more pleasing and
less hard and brutal than are those of
the men. Every person who has seen
our own fair amaZons on the stage or
engaged in a broom drill, will have no.
ticed that in the peculiar conformation
OF the sex, the superior swell at the
launches and the lesser breadth of
shoulders combine TO exert special eff
fects upon the manual of arms.
When the guns are brought TO a
carry" being rested against the hip
and upon the shoulder, they do not
stand erect but incline at an angle
towards the head of the fair soldier.
Moreover, when the troops are aligned
in position of the soldier" it is more
easy for them TO touch hips than
elbows rs required by the code, and
should the time ever come when the
armies OF the white nations are TO be
made up of women, it is to be hoped,
in the interest of grace and symmetry.
that somebody will design special
arms and manual for their use suited
to the conformation of the beautiful
SEX When the masculine creature
takes up the trade Of soldier he goes
in for show and gets himself up us
gorgeously as possible. II we are TO
have hereafter an army Of amazons,
they should be made up altogether
lovely. Fortunately, the ancient
style of eXcision of the breast will not
be perpetuated That was done to
enable the fair warrior TO draw the
bow to its utmost reach. Now, the
drawing of the beauX is done in quite
different manner as the ancient
weapons OF barbarism have all been
discarded.
But TO return to the Haytiens, those
sable Moll Pitchers and maids OF Sara
gossa have not yet done any fighting;
but il they should be driven 10 it they
will probably display as much bravery
as women do in an emergency. 1t
seems brutal outrage TO drive the
softer sex into battle. but if we are TO
credit ancient traditions it has been
often done, and in view of the fact that
the entire civilized world is accumu-
lating a constantly increasing def
cheney of men and a corresponding ex-
cess in the number of women, il is not
out of the reach OF possibility that the
myths of the Old World amazons may
be realized in fact as time advances.
What has been, will be again. New
Orleans Picayune.