The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-14
ONE OF EACH 400
'HAYTIANS SLAIN
BY U. s. MARINES
Former Head of Sea Sol
diers in Report Reveals
1880 Death Toll.
OUR FORCES LOST 13
Sadly Lacking i'll Right
and Justice Decision
Reached by Barnett.
MUCH STILL WITHHELD
Navy Gives Out But Two Parn-
graphs Of Resume of Mill
tary Operations.
MUCH STILL WITHHELD
s,ce,a1 Despatch to T1rx HERALD.

! Spe1ia1 Despatch TO TIE IIERALD.
| WASHINGTON, Oct. 13.-Publication Of
f., fragments of an official report on the
activity Of the Marines in Hayti made
public by the Navy Department to-day.
mas resulted in bringing the course Of
! the Administration in Hayti and Santo
Domingo into startling relief.
Only two paragraphs of the report,
(; which was made by Brig.-Gen. George
| Barnett, formerly conmandant Of the
Marine Corps, are given to the public,
but this small revelation OF what it
contains carries the startling informa-
ton that in the five years Of American
occupation Approximately" 3.250 ma
tives of Eayti were killed by marines
and the gendarmerie OF Hayti.
! Gen. Barnett says it is impossible to
! fix the number OF wounded. He gives
indirect testimony as to the expertness
Of marine craftsmanship by saying
that only one marine officer and twelve
enlisted men were killed in action with
! iIaytian bandits.
| The number Of 1850 killed shows the
completeness with which the situation
was dealt. 1t means that about one out
G every 400 inhabitants was exter1ni-
mated to bring about the reign Of peace
J ~, t,e t,<
Much OF Report withheld.
Tho uncertainty about the wounded
probably also applies to the number ac-
/ tually killed. During the whole period
/; OF occupation it was next TO impossible
! even TO approximate the number OF ma
! tvos wounded as they either were
carried Off or would drag themselves
/ away. How many OF the wounded died
| In ne.ghboiing woods can never be
J known, and II the facts were attainable
/ il is assumed the number OF killed would
total q much larger figure than those
! given by Gen. Barnett.
| The report OF Gen Barnett includes
dispatches and orders, not made pub
lie, which would tell the story OF this
application of force to the ignorant na-
tives, and details the various con-
| ficts with Haytians. All OF these facts
are ignored in the summary given out
by the Navy Department. The depart
rnent summary says:
Gen. Barnett reviews the entire ac-
| tivitles Of the marines In Iiayu in re-
| storing order. protecting cities and in
/ habtants from attacks. organizing tho
I Haytian gendarmerie and combating
! tho banditu who preyed on the peaceful
! population. He presents official des-
| patches and orders and gives details
| OF the many conflicts with bandits and
/ engagements Tough. In defending cities
| and towns that were attacked, and in
destroying the bandit strongholds. I'm
! concluding his report Gen. Barnett says:
| MARINE Corps records at headquas
ters show that of those armed Haytian
bandits who actively opposed the Cow
| eminent of the Republic of Hayti in tho
field operations and incidents described
| above approximately 1880 were killed
either by marines or the personnel OF the
Gendarmerie d'IIayti. II Is impracticabkr
| to state how many were killed by the
marines and how many by the gendar-
merle Reports received Of Haytlan ban
| dts wounded in the operations and incl
dents consist in the majority or cases
either OF nero estimates or general state
ments, and are not sufficiently complete
upon which even 70 approximate the
total number wounded
u. =. Casualties slight.
lone marine officer was killed in ac.
| tion and two officers wounded In action
with Haytian ba ndits during this period.
Twelve enlisted men OF the Marine
Corps were killed In action or died OF
wounds received IN action. and twenty
six were wounded In action with Hay
tian bandits during this period. This
makes total OF forty-one battle casual
ties suffered by the marines during
this perioh. There have been two ma
rine officers and thirty-four enlisted
men of the Marine Corps to die from
other causes, such as disease. accident,
&c, In the Republic OF Hayti during
this period.
"Tn summarizing the facts reeited In
the above report I wish to invite the at.
tention OF the Secretary OF the Navy Ia
the fact that from military point OF
view the operations IN Hayti may ee
divided into two periods. The first
period, 1876, when the marines were
first landed In Hayti. and during which
time n state of anarchy existed In that
republic. and the second period, 1888,
which period started by concerted at
tack In force by the bandits on the city
OF Port eu Prince. or the total mum
Der killed during tho five and han
years the marines have operated IN
Hayu considerably more than half, In
fact 1873. were killed In the repulse n
the attack on Port All Prince and dur
ing the operations Immediately follow
Ing and made necessary by this attack.
During the periods mentioned n state
OF actual war existed but during the
whole time the bandits we're mostly en-
gagged In bushwhaclslng. While the
total number killed may seem large IL
should be remembered that these opera
tons extended over a period Of five and
half years and / believe that with
out tho operations by the marines a
much larger number Of natives would
have been killed by the bandits during
this time.
"shocked Beyond Expression"
Evidence at the trials OF two marine
privates for the killing OF natives
'shockcd me beyond expression" Gen. I
Tarnets said IN letter Of September ~
10 Gel John VI. Russell commanding IN
FIayti ordering an Immediate investi- 1
conhnned on BsrfA Pd0s
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