the true motive of the crime.[1] Desecrations of graves in Haiti, as in the United States, are of exceedingly rare occurrence. And it would be highly unjust to hold a whole country accountable for or sharing in the evil actions of a few depraved members of its community. Depravity of morals and sentiment exists everywhere. The characteristic traits of a people cannot be found in the morbid or wicked passions of a handful of bad men. For instance, not long ago twenty persons were arrested at Jaszbereny (Hungary), charged with having killed and eaten many children; the leader of the band alone is alleged to have eaten eighteen children.[2] Must we infer from this that all Hungarians are cannibals? Certainly not. Why then do writers generalize in speaking of crimes committed in Haiti! If there were occasion for it they might agitate for the proper punishment of crime when the offenders can be found. But there is no necessity for any such outside agitation as this duty is well discharged by the Republic. The juries and the courts have never hesitated to sentence to death assassins even when they pretend to have acted under the maddening influence of superstition; nor are women spared; found guilty of murder they are publicly shot. Such severity is the best evidence that superstitious beliefs have not a strong hold on the conscience of the people. In reality, crimes inspired by witchcraft are exceedingly rare. As a rule, murders and poisonings are not common in Haiti; and, all things considered,
- ↑ An Englishman, Mr. A. S. Haigh, from Huddesfield, speaks as follows of St. John's book (The Tribune, Nassau, N. P., Bahamas, February, 1904): "I have read Spenser St. John's book, 'Haiti or the Black Republic,' and it was indeed surprising to me to find things in Haiti so very different from what he had written. I can illustrate this work in no better way than this: a person having been entertained by another in his parlor, in the best of style, on going away writes a description of his host's ash pit and back yard. I do not hesitate to say that the books written about Haiti show up the very worst side, and that even is, in some cases, exaggerated. It is like writing up the slums and calling it a representation of London. The glaring and preposterous accounts of belief and practises in witchcraft and obeah by the Haitian have been very much exaggerated by writers."
- ↑ New York Herald, June 29, 1905.
