The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-10
Alleged Heads of Student
Strike Say Teachers
Ignorant of French.
ST 'RlES ARE GENEROUS
All Assert Their Innocence
of Any Attempt at
Conspiracy.
BY SAM LOVE,
United Press Stan Correspondent

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, Dec.
10.-A group of political prisoners
alleged instigators of the student
strike which precipitated the pres
ent crisis in Haiti, charged from
their cells today that nearly a
dozen American instructors of the
Damien agricultural school and
practical farm extension work are
drawing generous salaries and eX-
pense money while unable to speak
the native French, and otherwise
are untitled for their work.
The United Press correspondent
interviewed three employees of the
Service Technique, which admin
listers the farm extension work, who
were arrested after martial law was
declared last week Immediately after
students and anti-government lead
ers joined in a series of disorderly
demonstrations. Two newspaper
editors, confined for their activity
against the marine-supported ad-
ministration of President Louis
Borno, also we're interviewed.
Also Draw Expenses
The instructors named by the
prisoners were said to be drawing
salaries ranging from $4,000 to
$4,000 annually in addition to eX-
penses paid by Haitian taxpayers.
The prisoners were interviewed in
the national penitentiary, yellow
painted, rambling masonry structure
about a half mile from the presi-
Dental palace. The first three pris-
Oners were members of the employ
erS' committee of the Service Tech
nique, who voted to strike five days
before martial law was declared.
1--WE don't consider ourselves po-
litical prisoners" the three said.
I'VE don't know what we're charged
with"
CASTOR Woel of Port Au Prince,
one Of the trio, was sitting on a
straw mattress furnished in lieu of
beds because of the crowded con-
dition of the prison. He was read
ing "Thais."
Placed Under Arrest
Il was arrested Friday morning" :"
Woel said. Il had driven to my
office in the Service Technique at
Damien school to obtain personal
papers from my desk. I was stopped
by the garde at the edge of the city
and told I was under arrest.
"Our association is entirely nom
political. It's chief aim is to i'm
prove the members and to correct
grievances. We held no public meet
ings before or after the strike"
Woel and his companions then
named ten professors of the Service
Technique and charged that not one
of them could speak French and
that usually they did not appear at
classes, but merely wrote out their
lectures and had them translated
to the students by assistants. On
the other hand all three had high
praise for some of the American in
structors, including some whose
French was poor.
some are InemClent
"Some of the inefficient men can
be replaced by Haitians," Schiller
Nicholas, president of the commit
tee of employees, said. We've been
five years now preparing men to
work into places, but haven't OBJ
tanned a chance yet"
"LaSt Wednesday, We decided to
visit General Evans General Frank
E. Evans, commander of the garde
of Haiti and colonel in the United
States marines) to protest. Evans
said he had instructions from the
government not to see any COM
mittee and asked to speak to me
alone. He then told me that I was
the cause of all the trouble hap
pening Wednesday. He told me I
was under arrest"