Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-27
2,250 HAITI NATIVES
S[A|NbY MARINES,
|. BARNETT TEST|F|ES
First Report of $3.50 Due to
Clerical Error, He Says, as
Inquiry Opens.

ia Iiaili duTlnS american occupation,
from July 2S, 1915, to June 80, 1920,
was 1880. instead Of 3.250. as pre-
Vionsly announced by the Navy De-
partment, it was disclosed today when
the court of inquiry appointed by Sec
retary Daniels to investigate the con-
duct of the naval and marine forces
IN Haiti began its hearings
Brig. Gen. Barnett, former com
mandant of the Marine Corps. who
submitted the report on the killing of
natives in the island republic to Sec
retary Daniels. was the first witness
called. He testified that a mistake in
adding up the killings in the various
years had led to the erroneous an
nouncement
Maj Edmund n. Mcclellan, the Of
noer In charge of the historical sec
tlon OF the Marine Corps. on duty
mere, VINO had charge of the compila-
tion OF the record of killings caught
the mistake yesterday in checking
over the list. and Immediately noti-
ned the court of inquiry through Mai.
Cen LIE Jeune. commandant of the
Marine Corps, and Gen. Barnett.
Nearly All Killed In Action.
On the stand today Maj. Mcclellan
testified also that mistake had been
made in adding up the figures for the
Killing in the various years.
Very. very few natives il any,
killed other than in action were in
| cluded in the list" said Maj. McClel-
Ian. He said that a few might have
been killed in attempting to escape
after being captured. By very few,
he said. he meant twenty-five or less.
Questioned by Mai. Jesse F. Dyer.
U. S. NJ c.. judge advocate of the
court of inquiry, Gen. Barnett testi-
fed that he had been terribly shocked
by conditions in Haiti as disclosed at
the trials of Private Walter E. John
Marine Corps in 1919. He said that
he reached a conclusion after read
ing the records in those cases. and
the statement made by First Lieut..
+. l. Speare. counsellor johnson. that
there existed a state Of mind" in
Haiti which might have made it pos
sible for any one to be killed.
"killings Without Jadgment.o
Gen. Barnett asked that the state
ment Of Lieut.. Speare and the records
| in these two cases be given special atS
tention by court of inquiry; that 1t
was with the records Of these cases
before him that he had written a
letter to Col. Russell, U. s. n. c..
brigade commander in Haiti. in Sep
| tember. 1919. in which he said that
the evidence practically shows me
that practically indiscriminate killing
The two cases in question. he said. re-
hated particularly to the unlawful
killing of two natives. Gen. Barnett
said that Speare stated he was pres
Ant when other natives had been KILL
| ed unlawfully.
Cen Barnett said that he felt that
he could not do too much to check
unlawful killings in Haiti, even if
| they were few in number. When he
used the word "indiscriminate." he
said, he did not mean promiscous
killings, but killings without judg-
ment"
| The witness said that the letter
containing the phrase indiscriminate
killings had been marked personal
and confidential" but that he had
ordered a colJ placed on file, which
was found Immediately available
/ ten his formal approval Of the findings
of the court -martials, he said.
| Took Only Course Open to Him.
II was writing to express my per-
sonal feelings in regard to these two
cases." he said. They had been called
to his attention through regular
channels. he said.
A ruling by the Secretary OF the
Navy in 1917. he said. had been to the
/
| Of the Marine Corps could do little
beyond formal comment upon court
martial findings
II decided that as commandant of
| the Marine Corps I was not only
| justified but called upon to make COM
ment upon and write my personal
views to the brigade commander in
Haiti. I took the only action l could
! take according to regulations" said
Gen. Barnett. He said that all the
/ tn ho had haon
ly forwarded to the Secretary of the
Navy.
| 'sDo you know of any other inde-
scriminate killings of natives outside
of Lieut.. Speare's statement" asked
| Gen Barnett said that Capt Hamil-
| ton had been tried and acquitted, but
the case had left bad taste in his
mouth" He said he did not know of
any other such killings. and that he
had absolute confidence in the brigade
commander and was sure that all
such cases had been brought to trial.
| "On what did you base your state
ment in your letter that the Marine
| Corps has been sadly lacking in right
and iystice?" asked Maj. Dyer.
| Had No Personal Information.
| ct was referring to these two cases."
replied Gen. Barnett. There was no
question about the whole Marine
Corps, but of certain individuals.
| The Marine Corps did splendid work
| in Haiti. I was trying to correct
fault brought to my attention for the
| first time"
| In reply to another question, Gen.
Barnett said that he had obtained
/ the data for his report to Secretary
| Daniels from Maj. Mcclellan.
| Answering Rear Admiral Mayo,
chairman of the court of inquiry, the
| witness said that he had no personal
| knowledge Of killings of natives in
the field or otherwise. and no knowl-
| edge except what he had received
from others in the service.
| Attention was called during the
hearing to the fact that in his re-
mort Gen. Barnett had spoken of 1,763
natives being killed during the at
rack on Port-au-Prince and subsequent
actions. The records show that the
attack on this best-known place took
| Dlace in 1920. and that only ninety
natives were killed in this year. Maj
Mcclellan said there was another at
| tack on Port-au-Prince in 1918. but 1t
| mad not been mentioned in the report.
The hearings in the inquiry. which
are conducted in the Navy building,
will be continued at 10 o'clock tomor-
row. Gen. Barnett was on the stand
for less than an hour.
There was put IN the record a list
of courts-martial and convictions
against the Navy and marine per-
sonnel, in cases involving i'll treat
showing there had been only twenty
seven convictions and only about q
dozen other cases.
CHEER FOR MONARCHY.
BERLIN, October 27.-Dr. Karl Helf.