The Washington herald., 1914-03-29
Since Day Christopher Co
lumbus Landed There His
tory of Country Has Been
Written in Blood.

American interests At Cape Haitien,
Haiti. are being protected by United
States marines from the cruiser San
Francisco. who have been landed to in
tervene in the interests Of United States
citizens in the conflict between the Hal
tien federal forces under Provisional
President Zamor and the power of Gen.
Theodore, who has set up separate
government at Cape Haitien.
When the conflict between the two
forces now fighting for ascendancy in the
black republic" takes place, II is safe
to say 1t will be a bloody one. All revo-
lutions are in strict accord with the
precedents set down In former ones, and
the little republic Las been the scene of
more bloodshed than any other place in
America
II has even outdistanced Mexico In the
number of its revolutions and the cruel
manner in which they have been con-
Quoted.
Cruelty of Spaniards.
Since the days when Christopher Column
bus set foot upon the island o, Haiti. the
name given 1t by the Caribs who in
habited it at that time which signifies
mountainous" or high land" the his
tory of the island has been written in
blood
Tne SDdnldIOE SelIleu Int BlNlIlk
Il the name Of Santo Domingo. Their
method of colonization was to infiict such
cruelties upon the natives that they were
practically wiped on the face Of the
earth.
Negroes from Africa were imported to
take the place Of the Caribs and they
seemed to thrive under the cruelty of
their masters.
Given Up to French.
Early in the last century the name
Haiti was once more given to the whole
island and to the black republic at the
western end of II. The name Of Santo
Domingo was given to the republic oc-
cupying about seven-elevenths OF the
island at the eastern end.
Haiti is situated half way between
Porto Rico and Cuba. II is about 400
miles in length and varies in width from
twenty-four to 1s5 miles. The highest
point of the island is Iona Tina, which
towers 10000 feet above the sea.
About two centuries after the discov-
ery and colonization of Haiti by the
Spaniards the men of that nation left
the blacks, who formed the greater part
Of the population Of Haiti. to them
selves.
French buccaneers found it convenient
to make their headquarters on the west
ern end of the island and forced some
sort of government on the negroes. A
PROSPEROUS and wealthy French colony
grew up. but the negroes and the dis
contented free mulattoes caused many
disturbances.
Revolt Against French.
The spaniards ceded the part Of the
island settled by the French to that gov
ernment in 1897.
During the French Revolution there
- dissensions between the whites on
-Nr island and, encouraged by the re-
-ration accorded their appeals for free
~ to the French people, the blacks
10 the mulattoes revolted-
D., I7S3 the commissioners of the French
carvention proclaimed the freedom Of
InS blacks. This revolution In Haiti was
marked by the most bloody excesses.
The British invaded the island in an
attempt to bring about peace and stop
the bIoodshed and, incidentally, acquire
territory. The blacks, under the leader
ship of Toussaint LOurerture, whose
assumption of the name OF the BLACK
Napoleon won him the enmity of the