New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-11

office of Chief Of the Intelligence Department. in
succession to Colonel Picquart.
Conviction prevails that the forgery was per
petrated by Colonel Henry In obedience to or
Gers. and there is but one voice TO the identi-
~ OF the officer who gave these orders, for it is
very Justly assumed that no one but General De
Bo.SdeTIe would have yentured TO assume the
resrcr@ b.ity r. giving any such orders or
would nave been obeyed by a man possessed
OF SO strong sense OF honor as Colonel Henry.
THE SCION OF A MILITARY FAMILY
General De Bosdenre being, therefore. justly
or unjustiy. looked upon by his countrymen az
the principal figure in the Dreyfus case a pen
sketch of this most accomplished officer of the
French Army may be of timely interest. Like
almost every other member OF the General stan
of the French Army. save Dreyfus Picquart and
the late Colonel Henry. ne belongs TO a house %
the nobility. the members Of which fought
against republican France and in behalf Of the
monarchy sometimes la German. sometimes in
Russian. and In other instances in Austrian
ranks. just a hundred years ago AS said by a
witty republican writer the other day. the mem
bers of the French Headquarters stan are in
almost every instance the grandsons Of soldiers
who came back to France after the defeat Of
Napoleon In the artillery wagon Of the foreign
invaders.
General De Boisdeffrc's ancestry goes back TO
the famous Marshal DE BainTc. and liis
chateau. situated on the borders Of Normandy
and Maine. has been in the possession Of tits
family foe nearly three hundred years. lie
comes from race OF soldiers. and throughout
period of four centuries the French Army has
never been without the name Of BoiSdefire on
its rosters save during the period which inter
,,..l,. Ia,.ia
XVI and the restoration Of the Dourbons in
1915. With family traditions of this kind. it is
easy to conceive how cruelty bitter must be b
General De I:osdeffre the circumstances under
which he has been obliged to retire from the
highest place in the French Army aud 10 ter
inmate his military career
HE WAS CIIANZyS ArTACHE.
He first came into prominence "a Military At
tacht II the French Embassy at st Petersburg
during the time when General Chanzy was Am
bassador. and it is impossible to deny that he
achieved there among Russian military men
popularity never before acquired by any foreign
officer General Chanzy particular ia
vorite both OF Alexander /, and Of Alexander
III. who recognized in him one Of the few re-
n,arkable commanders well as one OF the
most gallant officers. the French side la The
war Of 1870 De BoiSdeFre came In for some
OF the reflected glory OF his chief. used TO
know him we'll In those days and can recall
that lie passed Tor man Of extraordinary
cleverness and quickness of intellect apparently
jovial bon vivant and frce-spoken. and yet who.
somehow or another never gave himself away.
while encouraging the confidence OF others. The
only faults that could be found in him were
lack Of exaCtitude In his statements and IN
formation-Such. for instance a. that which
he SO striklngly displayed in The unjuslhabe
charges against Captain Borup. Of the United
States Legation-a certain degree OF Incidence.
which he apparently imagined could be atoned
for by his clcyerness aud fJndneSs Tor IN
tr.gue
II may be recalled that General Chanzy "aJ
one Of the original champions of an alliance be
tween France and Russia, and he incuicated
this idea into his military attache. who. soon
after his return from Russia. was appointed by
General DE Miribe at that time chief OF The
general stan his principal lieutenant and
adlaius From that time forth. that ~ 10 say.
for the last sixteen years General DE BUisdeGrc
has always been connected with the headGuar
ters staff at the War Department. eventually
succeeding General De Miribci as lis chief Most
Of his annual vacations were spent IN Russia.
nearly every year ne secured for himself the ap-
pointment as frances military representative
at the grand nanruyreS Of the Russian Army.
and keeping up all his connections and friend
ships at st. Petersburg. he neglected no oppor-
tunity IL furthering the object which he had
in view namely the conclusion Of an alliance
between his country and Russia
HIS CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE KAISER
II was at one OF these grand man euyres OF the
Russian Army that he made the lcauainlancc
OF the German Emperor. who at the time took