Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-07-16
SOLDERING IN HAYTI.
HUNGRY PRIVATES SUPPORT Them
SELVES BY BEGGING.

Queer Way the Haytian Authorities Hav
r of Taking Care of Their ConvIcts an,
Warriors-They Travel in Pairs ant
Beg in the Streets Day by Day.
Philip Mcdowell is an old and vel
known New Yorker. He was volun
, teer fireman once, and all old New York
ers know what that means. OF late
years Mr.. Mcdowell has travelled exten-
sively abroad. He visited Hayti A
day or two ago a reporter asked him
what was the most striking thing he
saw in the black republic.
81 saw many strange things in Hayti
but the strangest of all was the way the
soldiers and prisoners are transformed
into beggars and are forced to live on
charity. When prisoner is sentenced
to do time there he doesn't have a uni
form, he learns no trade and he doesn't
get anything to eat from the govern
ment. He is allowed to beg, though,
for money and grub, and if he won't beg
well, he can starve.
This begging is funny kind of bust
ness Take the prison at Jacmel, for in
stance. Well, every morning they fire
the prisoners out to pick up whatever
they can get, and each fellow has a SOL
dier along with him to see that he
doesn't run away. The two beg together
all day and whack up in the evening.
Then the soldier brings back his prisoner
to Jail and goes up to the fort to show
that he has his musket all right, and
hasn't sold it for drinks or square meal
during the day."
SOLDIERS GET NO PAY.
But don't the Haytian soldiers get
pay?"
mo, they don't. Any money there is
in the army goes to the generals, and of
them there are enough to command the
combined armies of Europe and America.
Once In long while the Haytian soldier
gets a dollar, which is worth about
seventy cents in our money, but he and
the prisoners live by begging. They go in
twos from house to house and from store
to store Sometimes they have a good
day and make dollar and sometimes
they don't make fifty cents, but what
ever it is they must live on it.
''The soldier himself is scarecrow.
He has never been drilled, has no uni
form to speak of, and if he hadn't a
musket to carry around with him YOU
couldn't tell him from the prisoner he is
taking care Of You recollect the old
Long Toms we had in our army before
the war? Well, that's the kind the Hay
tan soldiers carry. They are all old |
cap and ball cerncerns, as like as not to |
go off at the wrong end.
Take soldier, a sailor or a fireman |
with US, and they all have a pride In
keeping all their tools neat and clean;
but military pride isn't in the game that
the Haytian soldier plays. When he
gets home after a days begging he
pitches his old musket into a corner lust
as laborer in the street cleaning depart
ment gets rid of his shovel 1t may be
rusty and honeycombed, but as long as
he can show up with it at the fort and
the government that it hasn't
gone to the junk shop he's happy"
DEATH OF NO ACCOUNT.
AhO oOANiOAo anu ILO pIlSOutrS IuuSI
be pretty good chums?"
"Well, that's very much as you take
it. It's a common sight to see the guard
and the prisoner reeling home together
if they've made out well.
81 suppose you'd imagine that prison
9rs would often get away with these
Kind of guardians, but they don't. When
ever the soldier takes it into his head
hat the prisoner is going to escape he
ust shoots him dead, and that's all there
S to it. No coroner comes around and
Dost mortems are unknown. Why, | |
vas walking one day with friend on
me of the chief streets of Jacmel.
Right in front of us was drunken
older and drunken prisoner. Now ,
aid my friend, you watch that fellow
nd see if he doesn't take it into his
lead that his prisoner is going to escape,
nd if he does he will shoot him. Sure s
nough, minute or two after the ,
runken prisoner staggered into the mid
lie of the street, and the equally drunken {
older ups with his Long Tom and ,
boots him dead. }
Lungs hiO HoI qulCo DIS Ddu aG FORT
u-Prince as they are at Jacmei and the
mailer towns on the island, but the diff f
erence is not worth talking of. Hayti '
ollects plenty of money in duties, but it
all grabbed by few men, while the 4
lass of the people are left to get on as
est they can, and are forced to support
ut of their pockets as objects of charity
oldiers and convicts. New York Re {
order. n