The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-07
ZOLA'S TRIAL THIS WEEK
NOTED FRENCH NOvELIsT's CASE
COMES UP IN COURT TO-DAY.
French Government DEGREES IL Shall
Basis of Prosecution.


reaching as any ever held in France, will
/ be conducted behind closed doors, and it is
more than likely that the distinguished de-
PENDANT will not be allowed to prove his
charges, and will wind up in a prison cell,
despite his gray hairs and his prominence
| as novelist. The prosecution of NJ Zola
| 1t will be recalled, is due to a scorching let
| ter issued Jan. 13 1t was headed, Il Ac-
| cuse, and was addressed to NJ. Faure,
President of the republic In it NJ lola
| said in part:
Monsieur lie President-Permit me- in my
Sratltude Tor the kind reception with which
you on one occasion favored me, to be
anxious ABOUT your just glory and to tell
you that your star-so lucky down to the
presents threatened with the most shame
| ful, the most indelible of stains You
emerged sale and sound from low calumnies,
you have conquered hearts. You appear
RADIANT in the apotheosis of that patriotic
festival which the Russian alliance has been
Tor france, and you are preparing to pre-
| SIDE at the solemn triumph of our universal
| exhibition which is to crown our century
| OF work truth and liberty. But what a
| splash OF mud has been cast on your name
L mad almost said your regn-by this
accountable Dreyfus AFFAIR. A council of war
mas Just dared by order to acquit an Ester
hazy, thus giving a fearful blow to all truth
| and justice. And it is now over France
f~Who mas the pollution on her cheek while
history will write that it was under your
presidency such a social crime could be per-
| petrated.
well, as they have dared also will dare.
| shall speak the truth for / have promised
to speak If if justice, regularly informed
rails to bring 1t out full and entire. My
DUTY is to speak out. / do not want to be
an accomplish My nights would be haunted
! by the specter of the innocent man out there
| who is expiating, amid the most horrible of
fortunes, crime which he has not COM
mtted And 1t is to yOu monsieur lie Presi-
dent, to whom intend to cry out this truth
| with all the strength of my revolt as an
honest nnrtc G1Iro /
| convinced that you are ignorant of the
| truth. And to whom. then, shall / denounce
| the maletlcent mob of real culprits, if not to
| you, who are the chief magistrate of the
country?
HIGH OFFICIALS ACCUSED.
Il accuse Lieut.. Col. Du Patty de Clam of
| having been the diabolical worker of a judi
cial error, unconsciously / am ready to be-
lieve. and of then having defended his ne
| farious doings for the past three years by
the most absurd and culpable Vaccinations
II accuse General MERCER of being the
accomplice, at least through weak intelli-
| gence, in the greatest inquity of the cen
fury.
Il accuse General Pilet of having in his
hands the certain proofs of the innocence
OF Dreyfus. and of having suppressed them,
thus rendering himself guilty OF treason
| against humanity and justice for political
reason and in order to save the compro-
missed staff.
| eral GonSe of being the accomplices in the
same crime, the one through religious ami
mostly; doubtless. the other perhaps
the War Office the sacred and unassailable
ark
II accuse General De Pellieilx and Com
mandant Ravary of having made a fagi-
tious investigation. whereby | mean an in
| quiry of the most monstrous Partially,
| whereof we have, in the report of the last
mentioned, imperishable monument of
candid audacity.
II accuse the three experts in handwrit-
lngS - the men BelhOmme, Varinard and
Couard = of having drawn up false and
fraudulent reports. unless a medical ex-
animation shall prove them to be victims of
disease of sight or judgment.
Il accuse the officers of the War Minis
try of having organized q press campaign
in order to lead public opinion astray.
Finally, | accuse the first court-martial
of having condemned "a man on document
kept secret. and accuse the second court
martial of having covered this illegality by
order and of committing in it's turn the
judicial crime of knowingly acquitting IL
| guilty person
I'm bringing forward these accusations
know that am exposing myself to the pen
alties of the press law of 1881 but / am vol
UNFAIRLY running this risk I do not know
the persons whom | accuse, and bear
them no rancour | ask for light in the
name of humanity; my protest Is the cry
| bring me before an aSsize court, and let
| light
IAurore, and the editor of that paper will
be tried with lola. The three handwriting
| experts have also proceeded against NJ
lola. ana their suit will begin in the cor
rectional police tribunal Feb. TO- Messrs
Belhomme Varinard and Couard maintain
that they have been Ibeled by NJ. lola
who publicly accused them of having made
| false and lying reports" They accordingly
claim as damages 100000 francs each.
EXPECTED AN OPEN TRIAL.
| When NJ. lola defed the authorities to
bring him to trial in the Assize Court he
supposed that as matter of course the
proceedings would be conducted in public.
1t was on an open trial that he relied to
prove his charges, the government would
not dare to resort to trickery when it's
every move was watched by the entire
world. The novelist also expected by the
force of public sentiment and because of
the developments of his trial, to compel the
government to produce the proof ON which
1t convicted Captain Dreyfus a few days
ago, however, the government announced
that the trial would be secret and now the
friends of M: lola and the for whom
he has sacrificed his career fear that moth
ing Will be heard of the proceedings except
the verdict, and that that will be adverse
to NJ. lola.
OF course the friends of Nj. lola and
Captain Dreyfus will rot be satisfied with
any adverse verdict secured by star-cham-
Der methods and by the suppression of tes-
tlmony the publication of which might
prove embarrassing. While a majority of
the French people believe that the convic-
ton OF Captain Dreyfus was secured on in
dlSputable proof, there is Il growing feeling
| that the uncertainty on that score ought
TO be removed by the publication of all the
facts. A vote in the chamber the other day
was significant as showing the growth of
the sentiment III IRvCr of q clearing up of
the mystery. Out of a. total vote of $50 the.
advocates of Il rehearing of the case SCI
cured u little over 200. This is u great gain
over the last preceding vote, and it is APP
parent, If the government does not soon sue
coed in stopping the agitation, it is likely
to upset the Ministry
1t is now generally admitted that the
power to which DreyfuS is supposed to have
sold army secrets Is Russia. Germany for
a long time was thought to be involved and
then Italy was mentioned Both these DOW
they have ever had any transactions with
DreyfuS Russia maintains silence and her
UncommuntcattveneSS is believed to amount
10 guilt. Said member of an embassy to-
day: 1T is the knowledge of this fact
which has paralyzed the French govern
any action in the matter The government
is placed in Il very difficult position. If the
facts are made known, every Frenchman
would be wildly indignant at the idea of
their friend and ally obtaining French mil
itary secrets by means of brides and spies.
So great would be the disgust that the al
lance would probably be in danger. Thus
the government has to prevent the truth
coming out at all risks. 1T is therefore inn
| possible to produce the real evidence which
would bring out clearly the fact that
Russia was employing system of espion-
age in France, and equally impossible TO
order a new inquiry.
AS far as my infclnaa ton goes, the facts
of the appear to be these. AS is 50
often the case in France and elsewhere.