The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-11
From Pearson's weekly.

 M1 which public attention has just | recently been directed. has been the scene of more massacres than any other place on earth.
 They began with the coming of Colum- bus and the rabble rout that followed him. In a few years it's 100000 of gentle, brown-skinned inhabitants had perished ut- terly, exterminated by fire and sword, and by forced labor in the mines, to which they were utterly unsuited In all history is no tragedy more colossal and more pitt iful than this one.
 Next the buccaneers seized the unhappy island and wrecked vengeance on the Spapiards in such a manner that even the old chroniclers tell of the worst Of the atrocities only in the Latin tongue.
 Presently came the French, and for brief space there was some semblance of peace. But in 179s the negroes revolted and murdered practically all the whites, the scenes enacted resembling those that took place at Cawnpore and elsewhere during the Indian mutiny, but magnified a thousandfold.
 On account of these atrocities, frightful reprisals took place when France, in due course, reconquered the island. But the negroes bded their time, and presently rose again under Tuffian named Des- salimes.
 This time they did the thing thoroughly. Not only were all the Europeans put to death, but all having any admixture of white blood in their veins suffered like fate. Many of the victims were burned alive, after having been first tortured.
 In all, it Is computed that 5,OOO,O0O or men, women and children have met with violent deaths on this island of mas- sacres since the intruding white man first set foot on it's palm-fringed strand.
 The present disturbances center around the struggle between President Nord Alexis and General Frmin, which has been in full swing eyer since the former President, Simon Sam, retired to Paris with as much money as he could lay his hands on.
 Both Alexis and Firmin were anxious to step into his shoes, and, as the latter had possession of the only warship, the Crete-a- -Pierrot, it seemed at first as though there were little chance of Alexis attaining his ambition.
 In an evil moment however, the Crete- a-Pierrot held up German vessel, which was carrying arms and ammunition to the other side. and the Emperor Will liam set the mailed fist to work in the shape of the cruiser Panther. Captain Eckmann, who was in command of the latter, brought his vessel alongside the Haytian ship and ordered her to surren- der.
 The crew of the Crete-a- Pierrot, with true Haytian heroism, promptly rushed for the boats, leaving only the brave skipper, Killick, who was half a Scotch man, and two other men on board. Rather than surrender, Killlck then blew up his vessel, which went down while the Ger man gunners gallantly plazed away into the burning wreckage. With 1t disap- peared the hopes of the Firmin party.
 Since then the disappointed general has spent his time wandering about among the neighboring islands intriguing against his successful rival Firmin poses as the champion of the -blooded negro ele- ment, while the Presidents leading sup porters are found chiefly among the mu- lattos.
 The danger of the white population lies in the fact that when the Haytians be- come excited they are no better than the most bloodthirsty savages. Except for the brutal and autocratic power yielded by the President there Is no pre- tence at either law or justice through out the island.
 When not fighting or drinking the Hay tian negro spends his time lying in the sun smoking innumerable cigarettes. All over the island the roads made original ly by the Spanish and French have fallen into ruin, and the. thick forests in the interior are peopled by depraved savages.
 A story told by Mir. Sandman, the we'll known American artist, will illustrate