The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1920-11-13

II got eighty-nine OF them before
a marine officer bumped me on the
head and laid me out. There was eX-
element to peddle and for a time II
be hell in general. You know we
really were at war with those Hay
tians; they were killing us and we
were killing them. j guess was a
bit hasty. but-well, 1t was all in the
game.
81 was court-martialled, Of course.
But the action against me wasn't very
spirited. Our FELLOWS knew that the
every opportunity that presented IT.
self to bump off marines. and that's
why, / guess, the only punishment
receive was a reduction from top
sergeancy TO be buck private"
He boosted OF another exploit. This
one was enacted in Santiago, near
Fort San Luis, where the marines
wers stationed. He was guarding hVe
The five broke for freedom. None
got away. To quote him again:
'I knew they were going to try
and j was ready. Before they had
gone thirty yards I had dropped every
one of them, and not one required
more than one shot
He is quoted here merely TO show
the conditions that obtained at the
time OF the writer's presence In the
country-late in 1913. At that time
where for evidence that the Domini-
cans were possessed Of arms There
were no criminal courts; everything
was attended TO by the Judge advo-
cate in the northern section OF the
republic.
He wasn't especially enamored Of
his job, either, A decent, fair minded
man, withal a good soldier, he did
not believe in doing as some OF his
predecessors had done-sending ma
tive to prison for from twenty TO
forty years merely because a rife or
revolver had been found in that ma.
tive's house or possession. He tired
to temper justice with mercy; and
the same was true Of the commandant
of the northern provinces OF San Do
mingo.
Only PerfunctOry Inquiry.
But these conditions did not OBJ
tain in all parts OF the Island. ] have
in mind what happened down at San
to Domingo city, the capital OF the
republic Some twenty-five or thirty
bandits ~ had been rounded up and
Jailed. The night Of the capture the
captain Of the Guardla Macdonald at
Santo Domingo city was murdered.
This captain was n marine sergeant
who had been placed at the mead OF
the Guardia-- a body somewhat sim
liar to our own State constabulary-
and was very popular with his dusky
subordinates.
That same night the twenty-five
or thirty prisoners were taken OUT
to a point two miles from the. jail
and executed. Nobody appeared to
know who executed them or who
gave orders for the crime. per-
functory investigation was proceeded
with, but nothing ever came OF the
matter.
The day before Thanksgiving, 1918.
a Second Lieutenant and a detail Of
marines went out into the country
to search the house Of native sus-
pected OF possessing firearms. talk
ed with the Lieutenant shortly before
he left the fort. ] talked with him
when he returned.
How did you do?" I inquired. Did
'Did we get him7'-..this with a
smile: II should say we did. Got him
Bring them in?" was the next
Nope: left them there to be bu-
And so Il went. The statement in
Col. Russelrs letter that only twelve
marines have been killed during the
occupation OF Hayti Is at variance
served there with Waller and Butler
and who appeared tn know whereof
they spoke. / can recall the night we
stopped at Monte Christi en- route Tor
Puerto PIata-On our way from the
States a sergeant coming aboard
with other officers reported that on
the night before a party OF marines
had been waylaid and seven Of them
killed. There was in the party the
wife OF a Major. but she had es-
capped unhurt.
suffered PrOyocatiOn.
Doubtless the marines-Ofiicers as
well as men-suffered great provo
cation-not doubtless; they did Lit
tie wonder then that their morals as
well as their morale suffered to that
extent that the Navy Department felt
impeIIed to despatch a special agent
to the island in an effort to work
out the salvatiOn-physical and splrlt-
ual-of the men quartered there;
That special agent was P1ttsDurS-
or His report submitted after sever
al months in Hayti caused a Juror OF
doubt and excitement in official CIR
cles. At once preparations were MADE
TO ameliorate conditions. and begin
ming late in 1918 some Improvements
Young men who went to Hayti
clean and wholesome remained clean
and wholesome only for a. brief. brief
time. Many Of them left there wrecks
such condition as TO be better dead.
Others-and many OF them-were sent
home raving maniacs. ] have IL upon
the best of authority that one con-
Segment OF nuts" coming to the
states aboard a transport included
But none OF this ever came to the
public. The strfctest OF censorship
was maintained both in Hayti and
in Santo Domingo. This censorship
can learn. Nor did a special cor
respondent who spent a week or two
in Hayti a few months ago learn
anything but the nice things" dur
ing his outing there.