17967: Corbett needs help with question on the War of Knives

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

>From Bob Corbett

Folks, I am currently reading a play entitled DESSALINES by William Edgar
Easton, published in 1893.  He has a scene in which Dessalines is fighting
a dual with Rigaud.  I believe the scene is set in the War of Knives
period of the revolution.

Was this duel a device of Easton's invention for his play, or did
Dessalines and Rigaud ever fight such a duel -- either in the War of
Knives or any other time??

Easton includes at this section what appears to be a quite old lithogragh
of an artist's conception of these two in that battle.  I have no memory
of reading of such a one-on-one battle and wondered if this is just
Easton's creation, lithograph and all!

Please, if anyone can help me with this, I need to find this out
relatively soon.

Thanks very much,

Bob Corbett