The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-06-26

talking to you. Unlike the eyes Of most OF
his race in these latitudes, the whites are
not injected with blood and bile and the
pupils at times express contagious gent
atty that even the poor prisoner, expectant
of death, recognizes.
Heureaux's manner even In his most dan
gerous moments can be bland. caressing and
patronizing and they even have saying in
Santo Domingo that many of the poor devils
he sends to the tragic blank wall or freshly
opened wayside ditch feel almost hattered
when he tells them personally he cannot
afford to pardon them. 1t Is no wonder his
astuter friends, as well as enemies, have
learned to study his smile more closely than
his frown.
The President is about five feet eight
inches in height, of athletic mold though
his right arm Is still half disabled from the
effects of two old wounds near the elbow,
and of deliberate movement for the most
part, as if all that he did in public was
nicely calculated. Yet he is capable of
great animation, volubility and vivacity
even. He spices his talk with satire and
irony. and occasionally laughs broadly at
his own joke or epigrams. 1t is impossible
not to be impressed by the strong grasp Of
All the time our conversation went OMIT
was something over an hour-first with my
self and at intervals with visitor after WISH
to- who came to pay his respects. there
were three or four poor fellows down in the
bowels of the ship, revolutionists taken
with arms in their hands. who were waiting
the word of this impe-turbable dictator to
determine whether they should live or die.
pras w
the errors of the Haytien nation and de-
nounced the unwisdom Of their repellent at
titude toward foreigners. He recognized the
fact that the future progress of his own
country lay in the encouragement of for
eign enterprises within its borders. Above
all, he would be chary of provoking the III
will of the United States Of America. Some
day, he declared, all of the greater Antilles
would either belong to him or be under the
protectorate of the American republic.
There was but one sensible course for Santo
Domingo or for Hayti. That was to Guilt
vats the best political and commercial re-
iations with the United States.
On the subject of neutrality General Heur-
eaux was somewhat ambiguous. He was
indisposed, he said, to offend either Spain
or the United States. The enmity of the
FORMER might De dS uSdStlouS " his soN-
ernmen. as to the latter. Still he allowed
it to be understood, if it came to choice, he
must decide to stand with the Americans.
1t was when the conversation turned to the
late abortive uprising at Monte Cristo that
the real opportunity to study the character
of the mulatto dictator presented itself. To
begin with, 1 was curious to observe the
words and manners Of certain of the Do
mnicans and prominent Haytiens who
came aboard to pay homage to Heureaux
Some of the former had been hand In glove
with the consprators. I knew personally
that this was the case. One in particular a
bosom friend of a relative of the President
who had interceded for him, appeared with
a most fetching" bow and careful smile
both learned in Paris and addressed some
honeye phrases to the great man In voice
pitched high in an effort to hide it's lack Of
assurance. Just before, the President had
been talking easily and evidently much to
his satisfaction about the attempted revolu-
ton. Instantly as his eyes rested on the
Dominican, a shadow, dark, almost menac-
ing and ugly, fitted across his face. but 1t
was only for an instant The next. one
might we'll have felt establishment at the
paternal quality Of the smile, not unmixed
with a suggestion Of pity. with which he re-
garded the young man. 1t was as If he real
lied the futility of the Vaccinations of per-
sons of this type and had a prophetic vision
of the fate he might mete out when this
same boyish meddler again engaged in a
revolutionary undertaking.