The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-10-01
LEGITIME IN NEW YORK.
He Gives a Brief Sketch of the Conflict
in Hayti.

in Hayti.
New York, Sept. 5.-Legitime, ex.
President of Hayti, arrived this
morning on the steamer Manhattan,
accompanied by his family and sew,
eral officers of his army.
The party were transferred from
the deck of the French man-of-war
to the Manhattan at Santiago.
As soon as the Manhattan was
made fast she was boarded by Con-
ul-General Weglandes of Hayti and
Stephen Preston, Minister.
The ex-President looked tired and
worn out and eyes bloodshot. He
would talk but little, but made few
epigrammatic remarks which were
interpreted for the benefit of the re-
porters. my people called me and
I came" he said. "They deposed
me and l left; not because was
compelled to, but to avoid further
bloodshed. On Saturday shall go
to France, where 1 will remain a
short time. I may return to Hayti
as a private citizen, or / may go to
Cienfugoes to establish myself in
business"
In an interview Legitime gave the
following history of events in Hayti
during the past year: ''On October
Z, 1888, I was elected President of
the Professionally Government of
Hayti. Everything was done fairly
and squarely in my election, but in
triguing spirits in the North accused
me Of fraud and cheating, and Genl,
Thelemaque came down with an
army to declare himself the desired
President of the North and South.
II, of course, resisted his attempts,
and about week before the general
election my troops and those of the
North under Thelemaque had an
engagement and Thelemaque was
killed.
II did not conspire for his assas-
sination. He was killed in battle,
but my enemies in the north turned
Thelemaque's death into a deliberate
assassination on my part and kept
up the cry against me.
"We had heard that four deputies
from the north were on board the
steamer Haytian Republic with
evil designs, and of course it was
prudent for US to seize them. The
seizure of this vessel was entirely
a mistake for which we
were sorry, and this is evinced in the
speedy manner in which we turned
her over to her owners, together with
a large indemnity.
II was duly elected President of
Hayti, on December II, 1888. My
election was formal and regular.
War, you might say, was begun at
this period, and soon after my &C
cession to power the circumstances
and my rights, and my peoples
rights, forced me to engage in 1t.
The war has been bloody one and
of long duration.
''Hippolyte came down from the i
north, sweeping destruction before
him, and spilling blood in a most |
shameful and diabolical manner, and
l can assure you that the loss of so
many lives panied me.
Finally, finding that an increas-
ing number of the northern army
threatened my southern country with |
destruction, l decided the wisest and |
most proper course for me to pursue
was to resign and retire quietly and |
peacefully from the country. I was
not forced to leave Hayti, nor was
here any surrender. My departure
rom Port-au-Prince was indeed an
ovation to me.
Il love my people and I have every
reason to believe they love me.
at is possible shall spend year
n France and then, perhaps, return
% Hayti. My return, however, is
Undecided, and depends entirely on
he state of things in my island
lome."