1919-04-12: (The Four Market Women of Petit Goâve — Louise Ismael Marilia Lindor Claircia Delva and Claircilia Telisma Arrested for Obstructing Traffic and P…

1919-04-12: (The Four Market Women of Petit Goâve — Louise Ismael Marilia Lindor Claircia Delva and Claircilia Telisma Arrested for Obstructing Traffic and Peddling Without a License, Released Without Paying a Fine Then Arrested Again Before Sundown on the Same Day, the Report Not for Their Arrest but to Bring Charges Against Gendarme Bernadel Who Had Simply Sent Them to Pay for a License Failing to Impose Punishment — the Women’s Knowledge and Repeated Offenses Used as Evidence Against the Haitian Soldier Who Showed Restraint): On the morning of April 12, 1919, four young women — Louise Ismael, Marilia Lindor, Claircia Delva, and Claircilia Telisma — were arrested by gendarme Bernadel, charged with obstructing traffic and peddling without a license in Petit Goâve. Hours later they were released without paying a fine. But before sundown, the same four women were arrested again on the same charge. The US military official concluded that the peddlers knew they could escape punishment, making it difficult for the gendarmerie to maintain order. But the report was not for the women’s arrest — rather, their knowledge, repeated offenses, and release were used as evidence to bring charges of negligence against Bernadel. He was punished because he had simply sent them to the Bureau Communal to pay for a license, failing to impose punishment. His commander explained it was necessary to impose a fine or some other punishment so that other peddlers would obey the law. The available evidence suggests a greater tax should have been levied, or the women should have been subjected to physical assault.