The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-18
DREYFUs IN BRIEF.
A Possible Revision Calls Out "a sum-
mary OF the Case.

Golfers Weekly.
The Court OF Cessation having granted
the application for revision of the Dreyfus
court-Elartial and as consequence the NTH
act OF the grand melodrama being about TO
begin, a summary OF the antecedent action
is in order. Nearly five years ago there was
taken from the scrap basket of the German
ambassador in Paris a manuscript outlining
the mobilization plans on the Vosges from
tier. 1t was the janitor of the embassy, a
maa in the pay of the French War Office
who aid the trick. At the head of this
office was General Boisdeffre. Among the
SubalternS was DreyfuS. The latter was
triply unpopular First, because he was d
jew; second, because he was a Hebrew;
third, because he was Semitic. On the man
uScript General BOiSdeffre instantly scented
the foetor judaicus. But two noses being
better than one, it was submitted to Patty
du Clam. He also thought it pungent. Co
bert, the expert of the Bank of France, to
whom II was then sent and with it a speci-
men of Dreyfuss handwriting, smelled rat
indeed, but where or what ne could not say.
The report of Bertillon was equally incon-
elusive. But at the War Office the odOr was
patent. Dreyfus was summoned and or
dered to copy the manuscript. His palsied
hand refused. In place OF a pen he was
given q revolver. Again his hand refused.
Paragraph of the Constitution of 1S4S had
abolished the death penalty for political OF
lenses Behind the law it was obvious that
ne proposed to sltulk. You are scoun-
drel said Bois0eILre. Il arrest you.
Dreyfus tossed thereupon into prison, was
put through the third degree. 1T resulted in
did his acquittal seem that ii was expected
he would receive the Legion of Honor. 1t
was another cross he got. At the last mo-
ment there was produced a letter from Col.
Won Schwartzkoppen, military attache to
the German embassy, in the course of which
the writer, after touching not over deli
cately on certain indicate matters, wound
up as follows: lie (sic) c9naille de D
deVient trop eXigeant." This letter, alleged
to have been found in the rooms of Major
PaniZZardi an Italian diplomat, to whom
1t was addressed, was not communicated to
the accused or to his counsel. 1t constituted
what has since been known as the piece
secrete," the secret document on which
DreyfuS was condemned. A month later in
the square of the military school the pris-
Oner was degraded. Without the mob cried,
fus answered. Il am innocent" That in
nocence his brother, Matthew Dreyfus, pres
entity set out to establish. With the aid of
the last of the Alsatian
deputies still sitting in the French Parlia-
ment, he succeeded in having EsterhaZy
up, charged with the authorship of the
waSte-basket manuscript. Acquitted at
once, embraced by the judge and hailed by
the mob had that swashbuckler but
mounted a charger and pranced on the
boulevards he might have been proclaimed
dictator. Yet meanwhile a doubt faint at
first, then famed into flame by Zola, had
been expanding. To extinguish 1T M. Ca
Vaignac. minister of war in the recent Bris-
son Cabinet stated to the Chamber of Dep
uties that apart from the manuscript, ir-
REPUTABLE evidence of Dreyfuss guilt was
contained in a second piece Secrete. That
acknowledgment document
partment, recently admitted that he had
forged. In view of the facts one may Won
der which is the more curious and typical
of France, the story of the iron mask, the
Torquemada trial and torture of this hap
less Jew.