Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-07-10
i, TELEGRAPH.
ma. ssssErr TALKS
Ab ,us Hgppo,its ard tbs casdition Of
Affairs n Hsyu-

Affairs n Hayu-
Nxy HAyxx, July sc d. BAsseff.
ex-minisaer TO Hsyti and row psivate sec
retary to Minister Fred Doustsss, 10 IA tkts
c;ty. He vas ssked sbou, shsirs u Hayn.
He declined 90 talk Oh 5at them and ciisi-
cixed Mr. Douglass for allosis himself to
be inssrsissed His ocIy Expression bear
irg On the matter in question vas thss
be asreea With everything Mr.. Douglass
had ..ia. Ssvsrsl tines since Nj. Bssseft
has hssa aaestioc ed, bat he hiss refused to
talk on thu sahjsc. even to bis moss int
mxte friends.
This mcrrirg the story told to the Sun
by 4 Hsytian refugee Was shovo 20 Mr.
Bauet. he read il and pronounced IL
false in every detail ard particular. A'tsf
reseedsng the NJ -icla, ha said
..Hos couli me Uaiied States minister Or
bis private secretary be eulpAois for the
massacre? Il was done before they knew
anything about il, and IN 70 minutes al
firing va, over. The vi ole firing was very
painful TO US, and oil the influence we &C ND
WELD WAS used later TO prevent further
massscfss. But, ~ l say, se could nov
prevent the massacre on May "a AIRY more
than auy Of the other fo'sisn ministers vino
we're p,esen. coalc, and they are NOS
blamed.
.srhen they say that Mr.. Douglass is
completely al my mercy. He Is . ms,
thoroughly capable of fciing for himself
and dos. 30 act. | generally accompany
him 10 ie CATION meetings because they are
COZ aeted in French, of which be knows
nothing. Aheu. the negotiations for tue
purchase of the Mole ST. Nicholas, thAt Is
all untrue, because never had lire Of
core sponieuce with the United States III
referer &c to It."
MI. Bassett characterized the statement
that bis flee lad not me. with his expee-
tstions as insulting and said that he had
never PLAYED in gam where over So was
won or lost in his life; bot he did not deny
,hs. he ~as fsid Of 10 cent poker.
THE statement" co,tir led Mr.. BaHett.
.'thag am reported to have made a. that
meeting to the effect that Hyppclts was in
the right, and was justified in killing ~
many white people as he chose, and that
the oaly fault he'd to find was because he
did not shoot every white man in HsJti, Is
wholly untrue. Those are not my senti-
ments, and / never uttered them. Then
they goon to soy that the authority for this
state ment is one Arthur CrosSeil, attorney
for the British and Spanish leg atoms. Thst
mus. be false. In the FIRST place, Mr..
Cfoswell is not an attorney for the lega
tons, and, in addition. is one Of my pei
sonai friends, and am Confident he never
said any ,hing ike that about me-
After this explanation Mr.. Bassett gave
his version of the massacre.
"None of u.s." he said, suspected that
there was going to be an uprising that day,
though Cen. Guerrier was seen in tor
early in the ornir with band Of about
thirty or forty folio 1t WAS greN
religious feast day, the streets we're crowded
with women ard children, the churches
were filed. and ia many place. in the open
air affairs had been erected so that all coulc
wtr.hip. | remember that on that morn
| ing started for the office. thinking that l
| would have good chance to be alone snd
could get q good deal Of business off my
hands. Iremained in the Office only b
short time, however, for | was not feeling
bike Sb!k. and so / started for Mr.. Crsue's
livery stable, q place vhsre quite number
Iof Americans used to congregste Just IS
III reached the st ,ps of Mr.. Cranes house |
heard hundreds Of shots. stopped to look
| AUOut Inc iOI ohh - va SuAf'
time Mr.: Crane came running on; Of the
| place and said:
Come inside Bsssets, don't you zee you
are in ranger
| II went in thea and sat down stairs for
50 minutes while The firing was going or
curing which time the stray bullets struck
he side of the house or Came through thu
widows When the firing ceased starte d
for the hotel across tquNs. On arriving
at the hotel I took dinner and in the after
noon while 1uulber Of us were sitting out
on The veranda discussing the probable
cause of the fifitg, Mr.. Douglas was seen
coming Down the Roadway Ii was tine
| fifs.iime had sesn him that lay. | got b
chair for HIM and he sat down but scarcelY
had he done so when the sound of firing
was heard agaia. Thi, lime il was from a
eating gun. | took Mr.. Douglass by the
arm ard said We will Lave t, get Gus Of
\ here
THAT is all know about the massage
thst day | did not even know v here The shots
came from, but | surni.ed that they wer,
FIR, m the government troops Later It was
learned shat the handful of tneu under Gen.
| Guerrier had made an stack on the prisons
Al liberated the pfisonera, while a nuwber
of others had KEEP. up continual firing
against the srsensl gates to proven,
aid from being sent ont from there,
The place had not been attacked. Soon
after that the Governors troops were or
deied cut TO quell the uprising, and TIE
shooting that heard in the morning wac
the firing Of the Governors troops to sui
due AID put to death the rebels and those
who hsd escsped from prison
. Nov about the shooting in the after
Io,n The government claims that il bad
! positive prof ha. band Of 80 rebels were
to station themselves at certain point
which President Hyppolite and hi, ministers
ard re hue we're 10 pass IN reviewing the
reha oas parade aud = ere to shoot the Pres
| ideuis party all down rs they rode by. Ac-
| corpingly the governor determined to head
| off his scheme and at certain point in the
| parade the troops opeued fire On the Gro Td
ard killed be.seen 40 and so
Mr.. Bass,tt denies that Hyppoiite is in
sane. but admits mat the shooting was a
cruel thing, done to fill the people with ter.
ror and prevent further iisings against the
government.
| Mr.. Basseit also told about the confer
ence between Hyppolite ard the foreign
consuls at the palace. He said they were
all cordislly received by the President, and
that Hyppolite made them long and elo.
quent spec h sgsinst the right of asylum,
contending that by harboriDe refugees they
we're assisting refugees in undermining the
government.
1.-The European consuls replied" said
Mr.. B,sse,t, THAT they could not think OF
abandoning that right at that time, snd
Hyppolite got up and walked across the
room. Il seemed to me to be An set OF
nervousness. On reaching the door at the
further side of the room he turned around
to come back. But just before he did so
the French consul rose up in anger and
said:
IF Hyppoiite leaves us. Why, we will
leave, too
| Scarcely had he said thi, when the
President came back, and begged him and
the other European consuis vho had started
to 20 to -emsin in their seats. Mutual
apologies followed, and then business was
taken up again. That was mere inciden,
in the meeting, yet it i, the only thing that
can serve IS prets 4. for articles published
some time ago in which it was stated thai
Hyppoite left the eonsuls in rsgs snd re-.
paired to another room to console him elf
by playing he flute