The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-05

claimed, Gentlemen, you may proclaim
10 France and the world that 1 am inno-
cent"
his words were greeted with groans as
he was hurriC d into the van.
At this juncture it is alleged that the
condemned man gave utterance to a con-
tession, the making which is entirely
out of joint with his persistent protesta-
tons and conduct since the morning Of
arrest.
1t was reporte that just as he was about
to step into the van he exclaimed to the
gendarme at his elbow: "Ah, well, If l
have delivered any documents to the Ger
mans it was for the purpose of obtaining
others from them of more i'm portance.
This quotation is the one most frequently
used by the radical press in their defense
of the justice of the sentence. 1t has not
The slightest weight, since the assertion
that Dreytus gave utterance to 1t, made
by policeman infected with the hatred of
the mob, is In no manner zorro borated.
Moreover, II is absurd 10 think that Drey-
fus would have made such an admission
to one of the be OF keepers of the peace
at street crossings stranger to him.
No time was lost IN hurrying him to his
misera bic asylum at the equator. "Secu-
ritv" group is composed OF three islands
off the coast of French Guiana, named
Royal, st. Joseph and Devil. The two
former, nearest the continent, are reserved
for incorrigibIe convicts; the latter had
been used for the isolation of lepers until
Captain Dreyfus was sentenced. The leper
colony was then removed to Masonic
Heights. from the habitable point OF Dew
lis Island, which faces Royal Island. The
grounds were cleaned and the buildings
the lepers had occupied were burned to
make way for new ones erected for the ac-
commodation of the exile and his guard.
Owing 10 reefs and pre- CT pitous shore lines
Devils Island can be approached only by
a narrow, dangerous passage at Prison
Point, which is overlooked by the north
promontory of Royal Island, not to ex-
coed $50 yards distant. There a sentinel
is stationed night and day.
Some time ago the London newspapers
! gave currency to a romantic fiction pur-
! porting To relate the dramatic rescue of
| p,eyfus from Devils Island by the dar-
| ing captain of an English schooner. The
circulation of this tale excited France
! greatly, and as a consequence the Gov
|
francs. for the construction of an enor-
nous iron cage to surround the quarters
! of the exile, in which it was decreed he
should be confined till death.
All Paris and + rance seemed to be graft.
fed at the outcome of the court m ar lial
| The unfortunate artillery captain had
| been made a vicarious sacrifice TO the pre-
JUDGE against the Hebrew race. The al
most forgotten populations of the Rouviel
period, the commissary thefts and abuses
of the Franco German war. the discredit-
able operations of the Tonquin statesmen
of Jules Ferry's encourage, Remach'
crafty avariciousness, the shady trans
| actions of the Panama canal clique, in
TACT every offense committed against the
state and society with which the name OF
/ a French Hebrew could be identified, were
invoked as evidence that Dreyfds, being OF
| Jewish ancestry, must have been wicked,
| dishonorable, corrupt and lndefensible.
For weeks the remains of his i'm notation
were picked over by the crows OF the
socialistic press. while those editors repre-
/ senting the middle and moderate factions
OF the Assem- bly, gave tacit approval to the
! spectacle by silence.
In time, however, a reaction began to
| set in. The relatives and friends of the
unfortunate man were active, particularly
| his vile.
| The German Emperor had not been ap-
/ pealed to in vain during the trial. He is
said 10 have given personal assurance to
| Casimir-Perier, then President, of the
guiltlessness of Dreyfus. Either because
OF political pressure or from conviction OF
the business OF the sen lence the President
approved the decree of the court Atrial.
The protest of the Emperor is said to have
been part of the record OF the trial
when Casimir-Perier resigned. This per-
emptory action is applicable only on one
hypothesis His retention OF office under
the circumstances would have been an
affront certain TO be deeply resented by
the Emperor. 1t will be rem M bered that
the motive assigned for his withdrawal
! from tne Presidency was trivial and pusil-