1914, January 4–27: (The Caco Onslaught: Two Factions, the Loss of the North, and Oreste’s Last Dinner): Three days after Thomazeau, the Cacos were heard fro…

1914, January 4–27: (The Caco Onslaught: Two Factions, the Loss of the North, and Oreste’s Last Dinner): Three days after Thomazeau, the Cacos were heard from — Trou du Nord was seized in the night while, deep in the mountains near Vallière, so was Monbin Crochu. To confuse matters, not one but two factions were in arms: those owing allegiance to the Zamor family and the other to Davilmar Théodore of Ennery, the old Salnavist who had later become one of Leconte’s political managers. Because of doings at Thomazeau, the government was alert and for the moment reacted vigorously — troops and arms were rushed by ship to the Cap and Fort Liberté, each arriving in the nick of time to chase out newly arrived Cacos, Zamorists at the former and Théodore’s men at the latter. But the Cacos could not be contained: government troops soon joined them and by January 23 the entire North and Northwest were lost. Elsewhere too the sands were running out — Port-au-Prince experienced fires, and amid rising disorder, press gangs and firing squads combed Jacmel and Jérémie. Without precisely choosing up factions, the Môle, Port-de-Paix, and Gonaïves pronounced for revolution. Then on January 27, Charles Zamor landed at the Cap from exile and convinced Davilmar Théodore that the two Caco factions should make common cause. The night of the 26th, Oreste — bon vivant to the last — had a few friends in for dinner. Midway, an aide brought the fatal word that St. Marc had declared against the government. The president finished dinner, then announced he would resign next day. His last official act, according to the British minister, was to try to rent the National Palace to the American, German, or British legation as a residence or chancery — an offer all politely declined. Then he called for pen and paper and wrote a brief resignation concluding that history would say he only sought with great sincerity the good of the Haitian people and that he did all he could to realize it — the people never understood.