Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-10
BY the Associated Press.


PORT AU PRINCE, December 10
Marine Corps authorities yesterday
made public the official reports by Capts
Roy Swink of the National Guards and
his fellow officers of the manner in
which the attempted attack of Aux
Caves was averted. This brush between
the Marines and natives has been the
most serious of the disorders in Haiti
with HaitianS killed and about 20
wounded.
AS described by the Marine officers, at
200 pm. on December 9, q corporal
of the Garde at the outpost ToroecS
telephoned word that $50 mounted men
had passed through that village ano
were marching on AUX Cages. A Ma
rine patrol was organized under Lieut..
pIanchard. with Chief Marine Gunner
Calvin Lloyd and % enlisted men, m
Guiding one from the naval hospital
They were equipped with one heaVy
Browning machine gun, five automatic
rifles. eight Springfield rifles and nine
automatic pistols.
Ordered to Prevent Entry.
Cant. Swink and Lieut.. Brown OF the
Garde went out on reconnaissance
The orders of Lieut.. Blanchard to the
patrol were that If the mob entered the
CITY IL would create a dangerous Situa-
ton, and they were to prevent 1t and
send the invaders home without blood
shed. There was to be no firing unless
ordered Twenty-three other men were
left at headquarters under Lieut.. Ber.
rover, with orders to support the patroi
| and to protect life and property in the
city.
Capt. Swink meanwhile had ordered
all Americans to assemble at headquar-
| tiers. On his return from reconnalS-
sance the captain estimated that more
| than 400 peasants on foot had joined
the advancing column.
The Marine patrol took position
| covering crossroads, stream and a
ravine near the home of Lieut.. Brown,
the first house within the city limits.
| The troops and guns were moved by
| truck. Lieut.. Brown, who speaks the
peasant dialect easily, told the leaders
Of the crowd that the recent strike Of
customs employees was over. The lead
ers replied that they had come to get
instructions on the plans of the strike
| committee and requested and received
permission for two of them to enter the
city on condition that the main body
remain beyond the river.
Bites Leg of Marine.
Capt. Swink and Lieut.. Brown es-
|
Swink had ordered Lieut.. Blanchard to
fire overhead If any attempt was made
| to cross the river at the ravine. By
| this time crowds had appeared on all
| roads and there were many in the
cane and brush on the TANKS, with ex-
element mounting. A few persons ad-
vanced on the patrol and in a hand
to-hand struggle one peasant bit ths
leg of a Marine.
Al -
leaders returned while Capt. Swink re-
manned at headquarters to look after
the reserves. There also arrived the
project, magistrate, commissioner and
several prominent citizens of, the city.
Stones were falling on the position
of the patrol internationally from the
brush. The city officials pleaded with
the mob to go home and said the city
was at work, but there were answering
enter to rob and loot. Lieut.. Blanch-
ard refused demand that certain pris-
oners be released.
Fired Shots in Air.
Several machine gun bursts were
fired overhead but the mob, with dark
ness approaching was not intimidated.
| 1t appeared that it was stalling for time
to rush into the city at dark. Capt
| SWl1k returned ana tOok CoIlildhA
while the Haitian officials went back
to the city. Automatic rifles and
Springfields were fired into the air
again, but there was no dispersal OF
the crowd and none left the roads.
The crowd began to cross the river
while stones were hurled from all quar-
tiers. At pm, with the darkness in
creasing, Capt Swink ordered effective
fire down the roads into the cane and
brush and into the ravine. At the end
OF few bursts, that took toll OF five
dead and 20 odd wounded, the crowd
dispersed and it was all over.
The total shots fired, including the
several overho ad bursts as warnings