The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-05
rms DREYFUS INNOCENT!
TME ALLEGED TRAITORS CAREER
REC0UxT9D NJ 4 FnIESD.
Correspondence New York Sun.

Correspondence New York sun
AZ the Dreyfus affair has entered on
new phase. and public opinion poth IN ana
out Of France has been greatly excited on
account cs the doubts that have sprung up
through the intervention IN favor OF the
rrsssner of NJ. scheurer-KestDer. vice pres
ident OF the French senate. venture 20
ssEd you some information about Capt
Dreyfus with whom have been on terms
Of friendship from childhood, and at the
same time my opinion on his guilt or inno-
eence.
Alfred Dreyfus vas born at Muihausen.
In Alsace. in October, is5s In 1856 he en-
tered school In his native city and remained
there until 1872. At that time the system
OF teaching was changed TO German IN ali
TIE schools OF Aisace, and Dreyfus was
sent by his father to the Ste Barbe scnool
Ia Paris to complete his studies. During
the scholastic year is7s-isT7, when he was
preparing for his examination for the de-
gree of bachelor OF science. not being IN
very good health, be asked his father. a
rich cotton spinner OF Mushausen, to allow
him to leave the school and return home.
After working for three months In his
fathers factory. in spite OF the certainty
Of quickly making for himself a brilliant
position, he decided TO take up again his
studies and to try to enter the Ecoie Poly
technique OF Paris. He returned to that
for the bachelors degree In the month or
November OF the same year. and entered
the classes preparatory for the great
school, TO which he was admitted In the
following year. ISIS.
The statement OF these facts VIII show
you that Dreyfus gave up voluntarily a
commercial career In which he might nave
obtained position worth more than lve,oeo
francs year az his brothers did, In order
.t..sa ~rpsa n
there. hard and steadily, with the pros
pect Of devoting himself later to the serv-
Zee OF his country All officer with pay
amounting 10 $500 francs year. This is
I'm reply to the attacks of which he has
been the object In many newspapers which
represented him as greedy for money, and
looking only after money.
He remained two years at the Ecoie
Polytechniaue, where he was but little
liked by his comrades; In fact. though
preysus was always an excellent comrade
with his old friends and with those of
whom he was especially fond, he had
naughty, sneering and hooking expression
for all new acquaintance This Is the
cause of certain indifference with which
many OF his former comrades received the
dreadful condemnation which overwhelmed
him later.
He was appointed sub-lieutenant and at
sached to the Fontainebleau school In 1850,
left that school In 1852 and was appointed
lieutenant In an artillery regiment sta
toned at lie Mans. He was sent with a
detachment TO Paris and remained there
until he was appointed captain in 1872
Then he m lrried Mile. Hademard daugh-
ter OF a very rich diamond merchant or
Paris. and have always heard II said that
his bride brought him a dowry Of 5oo.oyo
francs.
The death Of his father besides. had just
put him In possession of his inheritance,
which was large one. He must certainly
have enjoyed at that time an income of
5N01 francs a year was not n gambler.
and was devoted to his wife. He became
d candidate for the school of war. was adj
mitted. and left Il with a ver> good rank.
captain III the staff at the ministry Of
war. Tie rest is we'll known.
When he was tried several newspapers
asserted that he had brothers serving in
the German army. The statement IL abb
aaiutely falsa. Capt. Dreyfus Is the young
est of four brothers. who are all now alive.
The eldest. Jacques Dreyfus is over so
years OF age and since the annexation of
Aisacc to the German empire, has had no
military service To perform. His two other
brothers, Leon and Matthew Dreyfus al
though all their interests are in Muihau-
SEP. have not feared TO perform their mill
tary service in France, and both served in
the Ninth Regiment of Hussars at vesoui
about 1874. at the risk of being forbidden
10 dwell in Aisace-Iorraine by the German
authorities. and thus losing the fine posi-
tions which their father had prepared for
them In his factory. These three brothers
form the firm of Raphael preyfus 4 Co,
Of Mulhausen. They have also an impor-
tant establishment in France Mt Beifort.
The elder son of Jacques preyfus was a
pupil In the i.ycee of the Istter city when
the captains trial was held. and was pre-