1914, February 8: (The Zamor Brothers Take Power: Leech’s Portrait and the Education of the Mountains): Within less than twenty-four hours of the Caco army’s…

1914, February 8: (The Zamor Brothers Take Power: Leech’s Portrait and the Education of the Mountains): Within less than twenty-four hours of the Caco army’s entry into Port-au-Prince, the National Assembly — routed out of hiding — chose Oreste Zamor as president. British Minister Leech described the brothers: Oreste Zamor, a ferocious-looking Negro who seemed to be a man of little education; Charles Zamor, lighter colored and of considerable refinement, well-educated and intelligent, evidently the right-hand man; and the third brother B. Zamor, a weak creature with little if any intelligence. The differences between the first two brothers were not a matter of color — Charles, the elder, had been educated at St. Martial before his Bazelaisist family fled Port-au-Prince during Salomon’s time and settled in remote Cerca-la-Source, while Oreste, born later, had only the education of the mountains and of Hinche. Rising to influence in the backcountry near the Dominican frontier, the Zamors were strong Lecontists with the usual Dominican ties. Whether the Zamors would now be strong enough to rule remained to be seen — American Minister Smith gloomily predicted prolonged civil war likely. On February 5, Davilmar Théodore and his men reached the Cap, which they looted and set afire — it would have gone worse but for the Marines of U.S.S. Nashville, whom Consul Livingston called ashore. Like the psalmist lifting up his eyes unto the hills, Théodore occupied Grande Rivière du Nord and began organizing sanctuary areas among the Caco strongholds, and within less than a week also took over Port-de-Paix. As Charles Zamor slowly moved north, Foreign Minister J.-N. Léger confided to Leech that the only obstacle to settlement was price — Théodore asked too much.