How exaggerated many such claims were, is
illustrated by a story told by the Danish consul in Santo Domingo. A
Danish subject came to him and complained that government soldiers had
invaded his store and carried off merchandise. He begged the consul to
present a damage claim of $10,000 gold, which was equivalent to
$50,000 silver. The consul listened to his story and said: "You are
asking for a large sum, I cannot get you that. I doubt whether I can
get you more than $40, silver." "Make it gold, consul," was the
immediate reply. Many other claims would not have suffered by a
similar scaling down. Most claims were for houses burned, cattle
killed, horses commandeered and fences and other property destroyed by
government forces or revolutionists.
The other declared claims arose principally out of alleged violations
of concessions or other contractual obligations. The Heureaux estate
claim, advanced by creditors of the Heureaux estate and based on the
practical identity of the accounts of Heureaux and those of the
government was later rejected by the Dominican courts.
Pages:
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563