Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-13
In Fort de France Martinique
and Their Causes.
KILLED BY THE SOLDIERS
Unruly WOrkmen Made an Attempt
on the Life of Lieutenant Kahn
All Efforts to Keep the Peace Were
Unavailing.

Fort de France, Martinique, Feb. IL.
Correspondence of the Associated Press)
The following particulars about the
riots and incendiary fires which have
spread terror all through this island
have been obtained. In the rioting at
the village of LIE Francois. Lieutenant
Kahn was threatened, at a distance, by
the strikers and he believed his life and
that OF his soldiers seriously threatened.
He fred his revolver and killed n man.
At the same time the soldiers fired and
eight men were killed outright and some
u wounded.
The mayor Of LIZ Francois, NJ. Clement,
was present at the riot and ~courageously
placing himself between the strikers and
the soldiers appealing to both sides to
remain calm, he wou W. been shot
down but for the devotion of a young
friend of his, who covered Mr.. Clement
with his own body and received a bull
let fired at the mayor.
The socialist agitators allege that his
incident supports their charge that the
military is responsible for the cata-
strophe. The ~nationalists or anti-min-
isterial partisans, in the turn. accuse the
civil authorities of having brought about
by their %incapacity and their completely
with the radicals, the r~egretable condi-
ton Of affairs in Martinique, as they are
charged, with having caused a similar
crisis in Guadaloupe. where in~cendiary
fires and riots prevailed last summer.
The Jewish question might not have
been mentioned at all, in connection with
the riots and incendiaries and been added
10 the other elements of discord. but for
a., fnok that r ,,fo~or Lvohn 10 on~0
sented as being a Jew in certain narra-
tives of the riot, while this is denied in
other circles. He is really a Jew
On Feb. 5, bands of from 500 to 1000
strikers from the sugar plantations, arm
ed with their long knives for cutting the
cane and with sticks, formed themselves
in the communes-township of Lorrain
and Sainte Marie. These bands ran over
all parts Of he country, destroying the
workshops and threatening with death
the laborers yet working in the sugar
mills, unless they cave off work imne-
diately. hat movement extended rap
idly to the neighboring agricultural CEN
tiers. notably at Basse pointe. The aim
an increase of two or three francs a head
for a days labor Formerly the laborers
received 20 cents a day. but he had only
300 canes to cut. now for a few more
cents. he must cut from sever to eight
hundred canes. This is no longer lone
and paid by days work, but at the task
and inasmuch as it takes two-days or
more to cut that number of canes, the
workman hardly gets the 20 cents he re-
ceivel formerly.
death TO the Whites and announcing
their Intention Of cutting off the heads
of the whites If their demands We're not
granted. The negroes believe all kinds
of stories which are told them.
Thus Mr.. knight anaturalized English
man, who was elected senator of Martins
ique to the Paris chambers, has return
ed this. week. He caused to be posted
everywhere a proclamation counselling
the strikers to avoid any conflict with
the troops and reminding them that he
remains the same friend of them as be-
fore, but this does not prevent thousands
of blacks believing the story told them
to the effect that Queen Victoria had sent
to Senator Knight two million francs to
be distributed among them and that, in
stead of distributing the money, Mr..
Knight had divided it between himself.
his friend, the governor, Mr.. Gabrie, and
the civil f~tnctionaries of the island. The
blacks of the colony who are quite indif-
ferent as to what power owns their island
and were struck by the English name of
the senator they had been told to elect
two years ago, We're quite ready to cred
1t the story of Queen Victoria's funds. 1t
Is hard to imagine the credulity of these
black laborers and this disposition of
their mind is to be feared, especially
during the electoral periods.
Municipal elections will take place next
week in the of Saint Ispril. in
which is located the village of Lee Fran
co.'s and the political parties try to in
Huence the voters by throwing the odium
or the late massacre upon the shoulders
or their adversaries. The whole garrf-
son of the island consists of one hat1al;nn
or marine infantry of about 600 men, two
battalions of naval artillery and 100 gen.
darmes.
At lie Francois on the day When the
strikers bands mentioned above reached
!nere, no more thar 20 men of the
islands garrison We're stationed in the
place. "
They had been sent to the village, for
tunately. a few days previously on ac-
count of the agitation which had prevail
&c for some time at Saint Maritand.
Robert and other places. The strikers
finally Went to lie Francois, after COM
pelling the closing of many sugar mills
and the destroying of much property. At
lie Francois, Lieutenant aim had eight
OF ms 20 men lined in front of the prin-
cipal gate of a sugar mill threatened by
about 900 strikers. The latter made sew.
eral attempts to force an entrance. de-
spite the entreaties of Mayor Clements.
Two or three times a collision was about
TO take place for the strikers nearly
touched the drawn bayonets of the SOL
GERS. Suddenly a revolver was fired nv
Lieutenant Kahn, who believed his life
placed in jeopardy by the threats of a
bully striker and the soldiers in their
turn fired a volley. Twenty-one rioters
Were lying on the ground. nine dead and
~ Of these five are already
out of the hospital. but under suryeii-
lance of the police, for they will be in
aleted at the next session of the courts.
Some men were arrested by the gepdar-
me. When the prisoners arrived here
there was great excitement upon the
route, followed by the strikers. They
were hailed by the populace as the VIC
Tins OF the white men. "whose heads
should be cut off" ~