Mr. Moore to Mr. Léger.
Washington, May 3, 1898.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 25th ultimo in which you state the result of your conferences with the Solicitor of this Department in regard to the claims of Bernard Campbell against the Government of Haiti.
In reply, I have the honor to say that the Solicitor has made his report of the negotiations with you, showing that the claims of Bernard Campbell against the Republic of Haiti has been adjusted by the agreement of Haiti to pay to the United States legation at Port au Prince $10,000 in American gold, to wit, $5,000 June 1, 1898, and $5,000 June 1, 1899, with 6 per cent interest from June 1, 1898. The report further shows that you, in making this settlement, stated that it should not be taken as an admission that the assault on Campbell was committed by order of the supreme authority of Haiti, while the Solicitor maintained that the evidence on which the claim was founded proved that the assault was committed by common soldiers in consequence of threats made against Campbell’s life by the captain of the Haitian war ship in which he refused to accept service.
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An instruction will be sent to our minister to Haiti in conformity with the foregoing report of the result of the negotiations, which is approved by the Department. While there is some slight discrepancy between your note and the Solicitor’s report as to all that was said in [Page 398] the course of the negotiations, this does not affect the substantial adjustment so happily agreed on, on the foregoing terms, and I join with you in felicitations on the happy solution arrived at.
Accept, etc.,
Acting Secretary.