Evening star., 1934-09-30
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stided shrek. Christophe fell gasping to the
hoor-haf his body parayzed.
The fateful news of King Henry's stroke
spread across Haiti with the wind and the tom
tom telegraph. ChriStophe was the state, the
law, the heartbeat and the will power of the
nation. If he slipped the whole tyranny-built
structure crumpled. He knew, and Haiti knew.
Consequently, paralyzed not, he must
maintain front. He had his soldiers drawn
up before the palace and prepared himself, by
means of supreme effort, to mount his horse
and ride before them, to show his army, to
show himself, that he was Christophe STILL
But his effort was to no avail. His legs would
not obey. Clutchng at his saddle he COL
lapsed and lay helpless in the dust.
Among those who saw him fall there was no
pity for the King, only rejoicing that this
despot who had driven them so mercilessly
was stricken and defenseless The packs Of
his revengeful subjects began to close in on
the wounded lion. In few days more the
army, released from its brutal discipline, was
swept by the wildfre of rebellion. On hearing
this good news the thousands of slave-l e-laborers.
struggling with their cannon up the trail to
the citadel, dropped their hateful burdens with
shouts Of joy and rushed down the mountain
side, brandishing clubs and bricks and
trowels, to swell the forces of destruction.
The yelling and exultant mobs were pounding
on the very gates of the chateau. Christophe
had seen other victims torn to pieces under his
OWh OiuClo, W yuot QUILL ulOpS dS tlleSC. k1C
knew what to expect Better go painlessly and
decently and quickly before the door was broken
down. Alone in his bed room, he took from
its case his favorite weapon q silver mounted
pistol given him by an English admiral. With
it went supply of silver bullets He fired one
straight into his heart.
In an effort to preserve the Kings body from
the rioters the Queen, the crown prince, Ame-
thyste, Athenaire and one faithful mu-
latto companion hurriedly lifted the corpse
onto litter and escaped from a rear door Of
the chateau. started OF with their heavy
burden to climb to the citadel where Martes
Louise hoped to be able to bury her husband.
IA 18TH the savage shouts and the flames Of
w Sans Souci behind them, the pitiful
cortege struggled upward. They passed cannon
and cannon balls bricks and stone, abandoned
in the middle of the path by the suddenly lib
Grated slaves But there was no time to take
notice of this-the mobs were in hot pursuit,
shouting for the black Kings head. Desperate,
stumbling and almost spent, the three women
and two men reached the citadels towering
PROV just ahead of the rebels. They staggered
through the entrance across the inner moat
and bridge along the first cannon gallery into
the central court. The gravel underfoot in the
court yard was hard as stone. There was no
opportunity to dig a grave-the rebels were
running headlong through the lower gates
Then Marie-Louise noticed, to one side, a huge
vat of liquid lime, left there by the runaway
plasterers. Into this white and all-consuming
bath the black corpse of Christophe was
dropped and pushed downward until it dis
appeared.
The bullet that killed Christophe killed his
kingdom, too, which, without him, COLLAPSED
like q stuck balloon and was annexed BY q
rival neighbor. In the anarchy that followed,
Marie-Louise and her daughters escaped 70
Europe. but the crown prince was murdered.
The dukes and duchesses took of their shoes
again and went back to work in. the fields Of
cane.