1914, September–October 29: (The Shoestring Frays Through: World War, Coffee Collapse, and the Fall of the Zamors): By ordinary rules, Théodore’s rout should…

1914, September–October 29: (The Shoestring Frays Through: World War, Coffee Collapse, and the Fall of the Zamors): By ordinary rules, Théodore’s rout should have signaled victory for the Zamors, but the times were not ordinary — the Zamors, absolutely strapped, were down to $62,000 cash on hand. Consistent with past policy and future hopes, the Banque again declined to advance collected revenues before the end of the fiscal year. The outbreak of war in Europe — almost as if the Banque had planned it — simultaneously tied up foreign-exchange transactions in Paris, which in turn provided ready-made excuses for tight money in Port-au-Prince. War-shipping dislocation and blockade cruelly impeded the export of coffee, and hardest of all, France stopped buying Haitian coffee. By mid-October 1914, the Zamors’ shoestring had frayed through. During his momentary improvement of fortunes in August and September, Oreste Zamor had made himself scarce when the U.S. minister came north to reinforce Livingston’s suggestions of customs control — now Charles Zamor dropped all face-saving pretense and guaranteed to have the views of the United States government adopted in return for U.S. assistance in keeping the Zamors in power. It was too late. On October 18, Charles Zamor evacuated the Cap by sea, and Oreste withdrew south over the mountains to Ennery. The next morning, as soon as the gunboats were out of sight, Dr. Bobo grandly emerged from the German consulate, announced himself chef civil de la révolution, and greeted the advance guard of Théodore — the latter, proclaimed president on the spot, appointed Bobo Minister of Interior. The only casualty in these proceedings was a donkey, whose rider — a rebel officer flushed with victory — tried to ride down a Marine sentry at the American consulate; with a bayonet thrust the sentry speared the unfortunate animal and unhorsed the general. Oreste Zamor’s soldiery forsook him at Ennery, whereupon the president made tracks for Gonaïves to join his brother, and there on October 28 the Zamors boarded S.S. Prins Willem V, bound for Curaçao via Port-au-Prince. Within hours the teledjòl flew from Gonaïves to Port-au-Prince, and at four o’clock in the morning of October 29, a fusillade of machine-gun fire and rifle fire announced the fall of the Zamor government.