("Quid coniuratio est?")
THE WAYBACK MACHINE
Here formally starts a fragile venture. The University of Illinois here at Champaign-Urbana has a good archive, on microfilm, of old newspapers dating back at least to the middle 1800s. I hope to dig out some of this material in the coming months.
The title "Wayback Machine" for this fragile venture comes from a spoof done on Conspiracy Nation (CN) via Internet. In the spoof (which I got a good laugh out of, by the way), mention was made of "Sherman" and "Peabody" and their "Wayback Machine". You see, Sherman Skolnick is a major contributor to CN, so that's where the "Sherman" came from in the spoof. And I suppose that makes me "Mr. Peabody".
I call this a "fragile" venture because it may not, for foreseeable and unforeseeable reasons, pan out. If you want to help ensure the success of this idea, well, you see, I have this little newsletter that you can write to me and ask for more info about........
I will be following an inductive approach in the Wayback Machine: that means I am just grabbing news items somewhat randomly, without, necessarily, a pre-set idea as to where it all leads. In fact, in some items, you might even exclaim, "Hey! What's this got to do with conspiracy!?" Have patience. We may eventually be able to, as "Debunker" Berlet has posited, "connect the dots" and uncover a new conspiracy.
A final note: printouts from the microfilm are not always 100 percent; I may have to surmise some words. In such cases, I will follow the doubtful word with a "(?)".
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
HAITIAN REBELS MASSACRED
(New York Times, February 4, 1904)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- Mail advices from thoroughly authentic sources which reached several persons in Washington today indicate that a terrifying state of affairs has existed recently in Haiti.
One letter from Port au Prince says: "Affairs here are in a state of wild and dreadful disorder." It tells of a plot to take possession of the city in the absence of the President, Gen. Nord. Gen. Maximo Monplaisir was one of the leaders in it.
"Learning of the conspiracy," the letter says, "the Military Governor of the city with a number of soldiers broke into the house where Monplaisir and a few of his friends were gathered. Orders were given to shoot all those within on the spot."
"Those who were killed were Monplaisir, his son, one or two other persons, and a servant. Among those who escaped was the writer. The owner of the house escaped by jumping out of a second-story window, and in so doing broke his leg, but managed to crawl to the house of a German who gave him shelter.
"The military authorities imprisoned his wife. Hearing this, the man informed the authorities if they would release his wife he would return to his(?) house. He kept his word, returning to the house, where the authorities found him in bed after a physician had set his leg. Without any ceremony they killed him by firing thirteen bullets into his body.
"The foreign residents then became alarmed, and the German Admiral informed the authorities if their action did not cease he would land marines and take possession of the city. This stopped further proceedings.
"Nearly all of the legations are full of refugees, even the American Legation has fourteen. Most of these reached the legation by scaling the rear wall, some seventeen feet high. The legation was surrounded by troops when the French steamer left, and a close watch is being kept on it."
I encourage distribution of "Conspiracy Nation."
See also: http://www.europa.com/~johnlf/cn.html
See also: ftp ftp.shout.net pub/users/bigred