The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-01
Boastings of Men in Service
Reveal a Non Observance
of Ethics of War.
PROvOCATION SUFFERED
Only Perfunctory Investiga-
ton Follows Unauthorized
Execution of Thirty.
BY DAVID J. DAVIES.

maTlueS IN f1dytI anu odu DoilllSO.
appear to be dissolving. Tho letter
written by Major-Gen. George Barnett
q year ago, calling for a full and COM
plete investigation has focused pub
lic attention upon matters and condi-
lions in the Black Republic; and once
the probe is properly inserted and kept
at work revelations Of a startling ma
ture are inevitable.
The writer. in a lengthy article pre-
pared for THE NEW York HERALD, and
which appeared under date Of Sept. IA.
1919, said:
Some day the history of the United
States occupation Of Hayti and San
Domingo will be written. Tho names
victims to the bullets or knives or
machetes Of the natives will be made
known. The almost unbelievable hard
ships suffered by our men will be de-
scribed and then we will ask our
selves: What was 1t all about. any,
howT"
In that article certain charges were
made. Attention was directed to al
legations that the marines were not
observing the niceties or ethics of
civilized warfare and that the people
of the States would be shocked were
they to learn real and actual condi-
tons affecting the stay of the marines
in Hayti.
That article. as stated, appeared under
date of September IA. 1919. Very shortly
thereafter Major. Gen. Barnetts letter
to Col. John H. Russell, commandant Of
the Marine Corps In Hayti, was written.
That fact. the close connection of dates.
may be significant and again it may not
be. In any event, we reserve the right
to believe 1t was.
Stories of Eyewttnesses.
Marines who have served in Hayti and
In San Domingo are not loath to tell
what they learned while there. The
writer, although he spent but q short
time in the twin republics" was sur
feited with the stories Of eye witnesses
and the boastings Of others who had
been through certain happenings there.
During my stay at Santiago de los
Caballeros, in San Domingo, l encoun-
tered a marine. a former resident Of
Homestead, Pa. He was serving his
third "hitch," and he had been through
most Of the trouble in Hayti And the
stories he told caused one to wonder
why such things could be. Always tallSa-
tive and given to Boosting. the one time
steel worker appeared to take delight
in describing scenes and incidents that
had come under his notice.
why" / can remember that man
saying I'VE were ordered up through
a valley near Port au Prince, with or
ders to kill and burn everything we
came across. We did. we killed every
- 4t~~-a.
we killed others than men. We burned
houses and we burned other buildings.
We were ordered to put the fear of God
into the hearts Of those niggers,' and we
surely did
His great delight appeared to be in
describing how certain of the "niggers,"
as he insisted upon terming the Hay
tians were bumped on Just for 1.-The
fun of the thing" The marines lorded 1t
over the natives In real swashbuckler
fashion. and woe betide the luckless
Haytian. no matter of what sex. who
incurred the III will of the wearer of
the khaki uniform.
In the article referred to above by the
writer. he was quoted as follows In his
description of one trick he turned:
"I had a buddy, of whom thought
the world. We went through the rough
We worked together all the time after
the orders came to Cleanup We slept
together and we came to think the world
OF each other.
During the raid we made lot of
our fellows were bumped off Then and
there my buddy and made an agree
rnent that n either Of us was sent west
the survivor would not rest until fun
ana complete revenge had been taken.
And what made me ro GRAVY after
my friend had been picked on by
skulking assa ssin at Port au Prince was
the fact that we had gone through so
much and bad come through alive But
an amigo hiding behind the walls OF
an adobe shack got Tommie. and then
well. 1 didn't care what became Of me
"I Got 80 OF Thcm.v
that night picked up few tumblers
OF rum and after thinking the matter
over decided I WAS gong to start
little war OF my own. You know how
they do down In these countries: how
they plaster on the taicum powder until
II In almost an inch thick and then
start on their nightly parades around
the town square or plaza. Sometimes
there IL band concert and sometimes
there isn't. But. concert or no. the ma
tives keep milling and milling and mill
Ing.
The moon wasn't shining that night"
continued this Jack the Avenvcr. 80
i was In luck. had determined to get
as many as possible of them before they
got me. I fully expected to 30 along
with them. but didn't care.
AT first I considered the idea Of pick i
ing them or with a rifle. This wou'd
be too slow. SO grabbed off machine
gun and swung into action.
II got eishty-nine of them before
marine officcr bumped me on the head
and laid me out There was excitement
TO peddle and for n time It looked as
though there was going to be hell in
general You know we really were nj
war with those Haytians they were
killing us and we were killing them.
guess I was a bit hasty. but--well, II
was all In the game.
Il was court-maritalled. of course
But the action against me wasn't very
spirited. Our fellows knew that the
Haytians were taking advantage OF
every opportunity that presented itself
20 bump off marines. and that's why. l