The Treasure of Henri Christophe

[M. A. Nazario]

There has been a long-lasting rumor that Henri Christophe, the former monarch of Haiti in the early 1800s, buried a treasure by his summer retreat in the northeast point of Great Inagua. However, I cannot seem to find any mention of any searches or surveys of the northeast point. I was wondering if any of you knew anything about this particular legend.

 

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[Crow]

The treasure legend is connected to Henri Christophe (often Henry Christophe) (6 October 1767 to 8 October 1820) was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution, winning independence from France in 1804. On 17 February 1807, after the creation of a separate nation in the north, Christophe was elected President of the State of Haiti. On 26 March 1811, he was proclaimed Henri I, King of Haiti.

However the constant threat of assignation degraded his reason over time where he became a megalomaniac ruler. He taxed the population of Northern Haiti to the point of Bankruptcy. The fear of the French lead Henry Christopher to build the biggest Castle in the Caribbean Citadelle Laferrire.

The castle cost 30000 lives to build. Henry's regard for human life was irrelevant. It is well known that he had amassed a large fortune and did not trust anyone with it. But like all tyrants his end came up and the long suffering Haitians rebelled against him. Returning to his apartment when his most loyal guards deserted him he shot himself in a upper bedroom of his palace.

The fate of his treasure has never been fully accounted for. Is his treasure buried in his fortress or his palace? The Haitian government and treasure hunters have searched for this treasure for many years.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Bendigo Independent (Vic. : 1891 - 1918), Thursday 3 September 1903, page 7 reported several stories

here is an except of an alleged treasure discovery below.

When I .was in Haytien- '98," said the second member , of our party, a Canadian business man, "I came across, a curious , treasure-story. A poor man at Cape Haytien, who everybody knew had not a hundred dollars, to his name, suddenly blossomed out into a man of wealth, and 'went. in for land speculation.

He brought a property for a thousand dollars here, and 'another for. two thousand dollars there, a store, a couple of boats, -and horses and mules. It became the talk of the 'place. : Presently the secret leaked out.

The .House he lived in was a ruined French . chateau) -dating back to the days when, the French colonists occupied .the island ; a magnificent old ruin of the type one often sees in Haiti. Sawing through- the wainscoting one day to make some repairs, he., came -across a big oak chest filled with French gold pieces, gold and silver plate, necklaces, brooches, watches, and other valuables. The box was worth about, fifteen thousand dollars

A wealthy speculator in Cap Haytien, hearing of this find, concluded there might be some more cheats here? So 80 he offered to buy the house, and eventually did so for two thousand dollars.

The original owner naturally thought he had cleaned out the lot and was selling an empty shell, since he had searched high and low after finding the first chest. But the new man did more than search ; he pulled down the house, and in the end found four other chests worth, altogether nearly two hundred thousand dollars.

The first man got very angry, and wanted to share; but he came off badly. The speculator had political influence, and soon had him flung into gaol and despoiled of most of -his wealth for the heinous crime of concealing treasure-trove from the State.

That, speculator and his family to-day are among the richest people in HaitL" "How do you account for the chests being there1?" asked the American. " That's simple enough. When the negroes rose in rebellion, the French colonists, some of whom were immensely wealthy, hid their treasures- as best they could, and fled for their lives. Many of them were massacred afterwards, and could never come back to recover their hoards.

There must be many other treasures of the kind hidden in Haiti to-day, to say nothing of the immense hoard of King Christophe,

Which nobody has ever found?

Crow