Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-01-12
DEGRADATION OF OREYFUS
The Sword Of the Disgraced
Officer Broken.
Buttons of Rank Cut From the
Traitors Coat.
The Condemned Man Marched Arouno
the Four Sides OF n Square OF Sol
diers-Protests His Innocence
and Is Answered With,
.silcnce, 1raitor!"

ton Of Captain Albert Dreyfus, who
was recently sentenced TO depriva-
ton of his military rank and title and
confinement in n fortress for life fol-
having divulged government secrets,
took place at 0 o'clock this morning on
the parade ground of the Ecole Mill
tairc, in the presence Of 5000 troops.
The weather wap clear and bright but
cold.
At $3.50 this morning General Darras,
commanding the troops, arrived. lie
was assisted by Colonel Fayctte and a
number of the Paris garrison. The
troops formed a square facing the main
entrance TO the parade grounds, where
was stationed a band composed oil
drums and bugios.
The Thirty-ninth regiment, having
Captain Dreyfus in charge, was one OF
the first bodies Of troops TO arrive al
the parade grounds.
At precisely 0 o'clock the prisoner
was led ont from the left win of the
square. lie was accompanied by o
squad of artillery soldiers. lie was
pale, but with n firm step he marched,
with his sword i'm his right hand, to
the center Of the square, where he was
awaited by General Darras. lie halted
before the general, and stood Mt "At'
tention." Tho ndiutant of the repub'
lican guard then pronounced the ver'
diet of the courtmartial which had
condemned Captain Dreyfus.
Dramatic Scene.
After the reading of the verdict, Cen
eral Darrns addressed the prisoner, say
ing: "Drevfus, you IRE unworthy TO
carry arms. In tho name OF the peo-
pie of France we degrade you" The
adjutant then walked mp to Dreyfus
and took from him his sword, which
with "A quick, sharp movement, he
broke across his knee, cast
ing the pieces upon the ground.
of rank from the uniform
them also upon the ground. At this
point Captain Dreyfus was for a mo-
ment moved by q sense Of his humilia-
ton, hut he quickly suppressed his
emotion and shouted In "a loud voice,
"Vive la France" Continuing, he said:
''You have degraded an innocent mar
| swear that / am innocent" lie
seemed about to speak further, but his
voice was drowned by the rolling of
the drums. which was not loud enough,
however, to drown a ringing shout
from the crowd on the rear OF the sol
diers of "a mort lie tra.tre!' The cere-
mony up TO this time had lasted four
minutes.
Parade de rExecution.
The drums then beat and the degrad-
ed man began his march along the four
sides of the square in what Is known as
lie parade de l. execution" The
scene was very impressive, and many
Of the younger soldiers turned their
heads away. Captain Dreyfus marched
firm and soldierly, with a quick, short
pace, and when he reached the delega-
ton of officers from the reserves raised
his hand and said: Tell the whole of
France that ! am innocent" Turning
to the left from tho position of the rc-
serve officers he came before the
members Of the press, to whom he said
In a firm voice: II declare that l am
innocent" The end of the march was
reached Mt 0:20, after which tho con-
demned man was taken TO the barracls
gates and turned over TO the civil au.
thoritics. A large crowd of people had
gathered at the entrance to the parade
grounds and from among them came
not one word of sympathy, but the cry
OF "A Mort 10 traitre.' was taken up
by them and repeated until the miscra-
BILE man was ont of the hearing of his
tormentors.
Dreyfus was received from his escort
at the barrack gate by four gendarmcs,
who placed him In an ordinary prison
van, and at $40 the troops marched
out of the parade grounds enroute TO
their respective quarters.
IL is stated that when Captain
Dryfus spoke TO the officers u
the reserve, protesting his innocence,
the latter retorted: Down
with the Judas."' ''Silence traitor!"
etc. Dreyfus became greatly excited
at this and turned again appcalingly
to the officers, but the soldiers escort
ing him quickly seized him and forced
him to continue his h%umiliating march.
Before the ceremony of degradation be.
gan tho vast space in the Place de Fon-
tenoy facing the court yard Of the
Ecole Militaire was crowded with men
and I'M Many persons climbed
the base OF the hexagonal gran.
lite monument erected to the memory
Of tho Parisians who were killed in
1870 and others hired 81 places upon
step ladders and maintained their posi-
tions throughout in the biting wind.
Toward the end of tho ceremony the
sky became overcast with snow clouds
which the sun occasionally pierced, but
the air was extremely cold.
SnnIYsfOrm lu HunUarx