The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-26
Pen Picture of the Ruler of San
Domingo.
ABLE AND AMBITIOUS
EXPECTS TO RULE THE GREATER
ANTILLES.
He Is a Mulatto OF Polish and Gull
TUE and Condemns His Enemies
to Death With Such Grace That
the Poor Wretches Feel Flatrered-
Executed His Brother-in-law.

Copyright, 1888, by the Associated Press.l
Cape Haytien, Hayti, June 1.-THE
remarkable audiences President Heu-
reux granted on his gunboat, the Res
Cauracion, in this harbor on Thursday
last, deserve a special record. My ca
bic dispatch of that day has already
given a rather full idea of his state
ments regarding the recent attempted
revolution in Santo Domingo; but that
the interview may be properly appre-
ciated, it will be necessary to give it
descriptive setting
l went out TO the RestauraciOn &C
cOmpanied by the American consul.
DR.. Livingston, one Of the most
intelligent colored men, by the
way, who ever had an official
mission to this country, and Mr.
a. J. Redpar, who is in charge Of
the most successful foreign enterprise
here, and who met Heureux some years
ago in his own capital. We did not
need to send our cards ahead of us,
and were received on the quarterback
by Ulysses himself, the dreaded tyrant
president, clad in a modest naval uni
form, of which a short blue jacket with
small gold buttons and a white cap,
with hardly any gold lace, were the
conspicuous features. He greeted us
with d scrutilizing air, and, with a ges-
seated
The president is mulatto of medium
color, with rather regular features,
showing the blending of the African
type, a square aesarean brow, strong,
resolute lips, though with chin
slightly receding; a broad, heshy nose;
line, crinkly hair, tinged with gray,
and coarse and pronounced mustache
both cropped rather short. His eyes
are light brown, and at first glance
appear mild, almost benevolent. They
look at you straight and continuously
while he is talking to you. Unlike the
eyes OF most of his race in these lati-
tudes, the whites are not injected with
blood and bile, and the pupils at times
express a contagious geniality that
even the poor prisoner, eXpectant OF
death, recognizes. HeureuX's manner.
even in his most dangerous moments
it is said, 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 fiattered when he
tells them personally he cannot afford
To pardon them. 1t is no wonder his
astuter friends, as well as his 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 dis
abled from the effects of two old
wounds near the elbow, and of deliber-
ate movement for the most part, as if
all that he did in public was nicely
calculated. Yet he is capable of great
animation, volubiIity and vivacity even
He spices MS talk with satire and
irony. and occasionally laughs broadly
at his own joke or epigram. 1t is i'm
possible not TO be impressed by the
strong grasp of his mind and by the
subtlety OF his cunning
All the time our conversation went /
ont was something over an hour.
first with myself, and, at intervals, /
with visitor after visitor, who came /
to pay his eSpectS-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 imperturbabie dictator /
to determine whether they should live |
or die. /
The president SPOKE without reserve
of the errors Of the Hayden nation and
denounced the unwisdOm of their repel- /
liant attitude toward foreigners He
recognized the fact that the future pro-
grsss of his own country lay in the
encouragement Of foreign enterprises
within its borders. Above all. he would
be chary Of provoking the iu-wil Of the
United States of America. Some day.
he declared, all of the greater Antilles
would either belong 10 him or be under
the prOtectOrate of ihe American repub-
lie. There was but one sensible course
for Santo Domingo or for Hayti That
was 10 cultivate the best political and
commercial relations with the United
States
On the subject oc neutrality Presi-
dent HeureuX was somewhat ambigu-
Gus. He was indisposed, he said, 10
offend either Spain or the United
States. The enmity of the former might
be as disastrous to his government as
Of the latter. Still he allowed it 10
be understood, if it came 10 choice, he
must decide to stand with the Ameri-
cans.
Il was when the conversation turned
10 the late abortive uprising at Monte
Cristi that the real opportunity to study
the character of the muIatto dictaor
presented itself. To begin with, il was
curious to observe the words and man
ner of certain of the Domincans and :
prominent Haytiens. who came aboard
tc pay homage to HeUreuX. Some of
The former had been hand in glove with .
the conspirators. l know personally {
that this was the case. One in particu- ;
lar, bosom friend Of a relative of the
president, who had interceded fer him. y
appeared with a most exquisite bow
and a careful smile, both learned in I
Paris, and addressed some honeyed 7
PHRASES 10 Lie SItdl man III d voice I
pitched high in an effort TO hide its lack
Of assurance. {
President HeureauX seemed to recog-
niZe the futiiity of the Vaccinations Of j
and had a prohetic vision /
IF the fate he might mete out when this ]
same boyish nleddler again engaged in I
4 revolutionary undertaking. 1t Ger /
ainiy would matter very little to Heu- t
-eauX who OF his own family inter-
eeded with him il favor of one of his Z
ere mics. His conduct towards his own
is still wildly remem-
lered. He took the man to live with '
Tim in the presidential palace at Santa
Domingo, clothed and fed him and gave
lin official dignities. Twice the bene-
iciary conspired against the benefac- s
or The first time he was forgiven. The S
econd time HeureaGx called him TO |,
lin and said: h
4 have tried TO make &, gentleman of d
-ou. Now / want you to put on your g
Ull dress costume. In one hour you /,
will be shot. There is no use for you Il
0 say anything. 1t must be. Only 1 d
PARTICULARLY request that you behave il
ike a gentleman n
And the brother-in-law was shot dead II
I the hour and minute n
The prominent Haytiens who visited fl
he president all hold offices, are re- &