The Washington times., 1914-02-06

way, TO pick up smattering Of mcdica
kT HT!cdGe.
Hayti was French island, the Wes
Indies at that time being chiefly divided
among France, England, and Spain, anC
all three nations ever reaching out tC
a'C 10 their loral territory.
A Slave Who Became Ruler.
The IIayti negroes in 1921 rebelled
Toussaint warned his master and helped
him and his family to a place of safety
Then he threw in his own lot with the
insurgents. He entered their army as
q doctor. but fast rose to the rank ot
brigadier general Like Oliver Crom.
well, he knew absolutely nothing about
military matters until he had reached
middle age. and like Oliver Cromwell ht
proved to be born general.
The insurgents threw off their loyalty
to France. A French force under Gen.
eral Brandicourt opposed them. Tous
saint captured this whole army with.
out striking a blow.
The English invaded the island. Tous.
saint. why by this time was comman-
der-in-chief OF the negroes. beat them
back and then thrashcd an invading
Spanish army. Some of the insurgents
rebelled against his authority and he
defeated them, too, with heavy loss
By 1901 the entire island of Hayti was
under his rule, although. through
diplomacy, he consented to acknowledge
France as a sort of "overlord.' At
fifty-one this former slave found him.
self undisputed master of a rich coun-
try. He was elected President of Haytl
for life.
At once Toussaint set about improving
education and commerce and in every
way strengthening the dominion he had
won.
Then it was that vanity marred an
otherwise flawless career. Though he
led the simplest and most orderly
private life, Toussaint began to main
tain pose worthy Of an emperor. In
public he wore gorgeous clothes, as
sumed the air OF a porn monarch, and
never stirred abroad without an escort
of nearly ZOO showily uniformed horse
men.
AL this might well have done him no
harm. But he went a step farther.
In an official letter to France he re-
feTred to himself as THE Bonaparte Of
the Negroes"
This was too much for Napoleon Bo-
naparte, who was then in the zenith
of his power. That a negro should call
himself a Bonaparte seemed to Napo-
leon the deadliest of insults and one to
be wiped out in blood. A French army.
$1,000 strong, under Eapoleon's brother
in-law, General Ieclerc. was sent to
wage a war Of determination against
the presumptuous Toussaint and his
followers.
The Fate of Hero.
Lcclerc attacked the negroes with
vindictive fury. He captured a few
seaport towns. but lost about one-third
Of his army. Toussaint. secure in the
mountains, proceeded to give a new
angle TO the war of determination" by
Strengthening thousands of the French
troops. Leclerc was alarmed At this
rate his whole army would soon be
wiped out. Force having failed, he tried
strategy.
Toussaint was invited TO a conference
under pledge of safety. Scarcely had
he entered the room where the confer
ence vas supposed to be held when
he was seized by a squad of French SOL
diers. hustled aboard a fTigate and
carried to France. There he was thrust.
without trial into an underground
dungeon that swarmed with hungry
rats. After he had been left for four
DAYS without food or water the old
hero was found dead in his cell, on
April q. 1906.