Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-24
FORT IS RENAMED
IN HONOR OF SLAVE
Haitian Shrine Atop Steep
Peak Was Constructed
100 Years Ago.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the associated Press
CAPE HAITIEN, December 24.-Ths
mighty citadel of King Christophe,
perched on peak 5000 feet above the
sea. has become a shrine Of Haiti.
Known hitherto as the Citadel la
Ferriere-after the Scottish engineer
Terrier, who built it with the aid OF
10000 impressed peasantS-the fortress
was renamed Citadel Christophe No
vember ID by order of the President,
Louis Borno.
A huge Haitian flag, the first to float
over it's ramparts, was raised. Honors
we're paid the long dead ruler by mil
itary band and gardes from the cape
Haitien command.
Work was begun on the citadel, Is
miles south of Cape Haitien, In 1904.
Christophe once slave and a waiter
in a cape hotel, was hard pressed by
his enemies and wanted place Wnere
he would be safe in last stand.
He Feared Napoleon.
There was always in his mind the be-
lief that Napoleon void dispatch an
other veteran army to wipe out the oe-
umns led by Touissant, Dessallnes and
Christophe.
AS soon as the walls of the citadel
began to rear themselves above the
Jungle he posted Sentries there to watch
the horizon to the north for the top
sails of French armada.
Recently it was established this IRON
willed ruler had issued orders that,
should the French land, the city was to
be burned, and all plantations between
it and the slopes Of the citadel were to
be ruined.
Napoleon,s veterans were to have a
touch of the Russian tactics at Moscow.
In 1920, with the fortress approach
ing completion, Christophe shot himself
with a silver bullet in the palace of
Sans Souci, at the base Of the trail that
now leads to the citadel.
Profiting by his illness, his troops
had deserted to the colors Of Gen. Boyer,
the leader from the south. He was car
ried by night to the citadel and there
buried in quicklime.
Back of President Borno's selection
of November 10 for the ceremonies this
year is an interesting episode from his
tory.
1t was on November 10, 1903. that
Capt. Gen. Rochambeau Of the French
army made beau geste worthy Of a
Bayard.
He was attacking at Vertieres, the
only Haitian position between him and
decisive victory. Gen. Capois la Mort
and his small command fought with
tigerish bravery. La Mort had his
mount shot out from under him and
was leading a desperate charge on foot
In tribute to his bravery Rochambeau
ordered his troops to cease firing, and
under cover of white flag, sent an aide
with his own mount to be placed at the
services of the Haitian leader.
win Repair Structure.
The battle continued after thi:
amazing interlude, and on the following
day Rochambeau withdrew his troops t
Cape Haitien and there signed treaty
delivering the city to Dessalines, COM
mander-in-ch Of the Haitian forces
On the anniversary Of the hour anc
day of Rochambeau's chivalric act the
Haitien flag was raised on the eastern
wall of the citadel, towering over the
abyss of the Grand Boucan, with &
sheer drop of TOO feet from the base o.
the f1agpole.
In view of the increasing interest II
the citadel the Haitian government ha'
begun steps toward repair of the famous
structure.
The earthquake of 1912 and the gen
eral ravageS of time have made such
action imperative, and steps, based OF
a recent inspection of the citadel havt
been initiated toward a government APP
preparation to that end.
Maj. Joseph G. Fegan, United State
Marine Corps, now commanding tn,
military department of the north, will
the rank of colonel, in the Gard
| d'Haiti, conceived the idea Of a fiaI
raising.
| When the project was presented {,
President Borno by Col. Frank E. Evans
commandant of the garde with the ranI
of major general, he greeted it with en-
| thuSiaSm.