The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-06-10
A VERY FEAST OF BLOOD
Indulged in by the Presi-
dent of Hayti.
Men Shot Down Like DOQS
in the City's Streets.
Over Three Hundred Citizens
Already Murdered,
And Still the Saturnalia Con-
tinues Without Check.
The Goriest Event Since the Barthol-
omew Massacre.

4
canoe beside the scenes enacted here in
the last few days.
For the lat two-or three weeks there
have been rumors that revolution against
| Hypolite was imminent in the capital and
these having reached the ears of the chief
executive he caused the arrest of about
| eighty suspected persons, dragged them
! from their homes and put them in irons
| in prison.
Among the suspected was Gen Sully,
who, hearing he was wanted, hid himself.
| Failing to secure the general himself, his
| wife was taken instead and thrown into
prison.
The outbreak of the rebels occurred on
| Thursday, May 2S. while President Hyp-
polite was attending church a former cab
| met minister, at the head of eighty follow
ers, all we'll armed. stormed the prison and
released 200 politica! and other prisoners.
| The released prisoners were provided with
arms, and when Hypolite's troops arrived
on the scene there was a bloody battle.
| Hypolte, fearing he would be shot down
by some of the rebels if he appeared on
the street, remained in the church all day,
guarded by soldiers. He called out the
| reserve committee and the rebels were
soon routed. The leader of the rebels,
the former cabinet minister, whose name
is not learned, was captured and shot at
| once.
By the night OF Thursday forty OF the
rebels had been captured and put to
death. Others we're captured and shot on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Every man suspected of being in SYM
| pathy with the insurgents was put to
| death without trial as soon as captured.
| Most Of he O00 rrisonarc ralaaGad from
| jail by the insurgents were recaptured and
shot
| The outbreak seems to have been pre-
| cipitated by the killing of Earnest Rlgaud,
the largest merchant at Port-au-Prince,
by order of President Hypolite. Rigaud,
| who alleged that he was French subject,
had been in Paris some time
and had only recently returned to
| Hayti. Ex-President Legitime is in
Paris and is supposed TO be in secret COM
munication with his sympathizers in
Hayti. Rigaud was suspected of being in
sympathy with the Legitime party and OF
aiding them. 1t was believed that he had
| brought from Paris a cargo of arms for the
rebels. On Thursday morning, May
| 2S, President Hvpolite went to the
house of Rigaud followed by detachment
| Of soldiers. The soldiers remained out
side while the president entered alone.
| He asked the merchant if he did not have
guns concealed in the house. Rlgaud an
| swered that he had no guns in the house.
Then you have them at your store"
said the president.
The merchant replied that he had no
| guns concealed anywhere, but 1t is said he
inSulted Hypolite and ordered him out of
the house.
Putting his hand on Rigaud's shoulder,
the president said: "COme with me-"
They left the house together and stepped
out on the street in front of the waitin z
soldiers.
Hypolite stepped aside and gave the order
to fire.
| The soldiers raised their guns and fired
a volley into the body of the rich mer-
chant. He fell dead in front OF his house.
| Hyppolite, no doubt, thought this would
frighten the friends of Legitime, who
contemplated on outbreak, but it seems
to have aroused them to fury and the at
| tack on the prison and release OF the po-
| litical prisoners followed in few hours.
On Saturday morning, May 80, nephew
| of Ernest Rigaud, who was associated with
him in business, called at President Hyp-
olite's house to ask about the killing of
his uncle. The young man did not know
that his uncle was shot by order
| of the president. He believed it was
done by the soldiers without orders and
he intended to demand an investigation.
| AS soon as he addressed the president and
stated the object OF his visit, Hypolite
ordered him shot. He was al once dragged
into the street by the soldiers and shot
| dead.
| The outbreak caused great excitement
| in Port au Prince and greatly alarmed the
1 police and the government. The full
military reserve force was called out, the
custom house and all public bui dings
were closed and no one was allowed to
leave the city without passport from the
government.
| About the same time Mr.. Alexis Ros-
signot, an inoifensive and much esteemed
man, was executed in the streets; another
man was put up against the cathedral
| wall and shot
Seventeen were executed in a batch.
And even at this date an occasional volley
tells that another poor wretch has been
cent to his doom.
There is no fighting in the streets to ex
cuse this massacre; every execution is
carried out in the most cold-blooded way,
the executioners being soldiers belong
ing to the most degraded type of
men, who seem to enjoy the bloody
task Day and night the troops OF Hypo-
lite patrol the streets searching for per-
sons suspected OF being in sympathy with
the insurgent party. Business Is prac-
ticaily suspended.
The bodies OF the rebels shot are left
lying in the streets for several hours ms a
warning to their friends. The officers of
some OF the German vessels in port went
on shore to look at the dead bodies.
Today grand festival OF peace, so-called,
is ordered by Hypolite. The festival is to
celebrate the fact that the rebels had been
defeated and peace established.
It is impossible to enumerate in detail
all the murders that have been perpetrated
under the color OF law. 1t is estimated
that from May 2S to June l, 500 persons
have been put to death.
No one can say how long this state of
affairs will last. or what the result will be-.
Nor can any one who has not been an eye
witness of the scenes OF horror enacted,
| t1au If "a forxfGo1 onnIttscx, of