1930, March 20 – May 15: (Borno Departs: The Théâtre Parisiana, Russell’s Iron Hand, La Bête Est Morte, and Haiti’s Third Constitutional Transfer of Power): …

1930, March 20 – May 15: (Borno Departs: The Théâtre Parisiana, Russell’s Iron Hand, La Bête Est Morte, and Haiti’s Third Constitutional Transfer of Power): Neither side quite knew how to end the Borno regime with dignity. No sooner were the Forbes Commission beyond the horizon than the opposition, though it had won everything it wanted, gave in to the temptation to flout Borno even at the price of bad faith — on March 20, at the Théâtre Parisiana, Borno’s foes convoked a meeting whose proclaimed purpose was to elect Roy provisional president and thus render moot the prearranged constitutional election by the hated Conseil d’État. Borno made one final attempt to clutch the power that was slipping away, spreading word that the Roy deal was unconstitutional — at that point, in early April with only a month of the president’s term to go, General Russell for the last time used his iron hand, telling his old friend and faithful collaborator that if matters came to it the United States would simply install Roy as president on May 1. On April 21, rammed home by a final shakeup to replace ten intransigents, the Conseil thereupon met and elected Eugène Roy. The remaining weeks passed in a flurry of sedition and disorder: scurrilous handbills papering Port-au-Prince with mourning notices — La bête est morte, foudroyée par le plan Hoover — for Borno’s forthcoming funeral, and a rash of fires such as the capital had not known since 1915. On May 15, 1930, Haiti had its third constitutional change of power in 126 years. Eugène Roy took the oath of office at the Autel de la Patrie, then went to the cathedral through cheering streets for a very grand Te Deum such as the hierarchy had never given his very Catholic predecessor, and returned to the Palais National where, with full honors and gun salutes by the Garde, Borno received the new president and took his leave — as he passed through the palace gates, the crowds that had acclaimed Roy roundly booed him.