Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-09-16
THE DREYFUS MYSTERY.

The article entitled "The Dreyfus
Case Complete" in the Worlds Sum-
day Magazine, rehearses in full detail
at just the wight moment the whole of
the drama of Dreyfus as far as it has
been enacted, intensified as it is to-day
by the news of the resignation of the
French Minister OF War, NJ. Cavaignac.
Here are the facts to which all the
details may be fastened:
l. That Capt. Albert Dreyfus, of the
French Army, was in 1894, by Sc
crct court-martial, convicted of trea-
son to France. He was condemned on
a single Documents bordereau or
memorandum of French military Sc
crets of no Importance or value, al
legged by one of the subordinates of
Col. Patty du Clam to have been found
In the waste-basket of the German
Ambassador.
2. This memorandum was, the
army's experts contend, in a hand
writing identical in all essential points
with the handwriting of Dreyfus.
The opposition experts contend that it
was in the handwriting of Major Es-
terhazy, French military spy.
3. To influence the court-martial
two secret documents were laid before
them, but not shown to Dreyfus or
his counsel. These were two letters
written by the military attache of the
Italian Embassy at Paris and referring
to French secrets sold by a French
spy, cd" The army now admits
that one of these letters referred to
another person and not to Dreyfus,
and both the Italian attachc and the
German attache, to whom he wrote,
have pledged themselves convincingly
that neither letter referred to Dreyfus,
and that they had had no dealings
whatever with him.
4. In 1896, two years after Dreyfus's
condemnation and when the agitation
for retrial began in earnest, Col.
Henry, who had just become the head
of the Intelligence Bureau, forged a
letter purporting to be third in the
Italian attaches series. In this forged
letter Dreyfus's name occurred in full.
This forged letter was put forward
as the conclusive proof that Dreyfus
was guilty. Confronted with a
charge of forgery, Col. Henry killed
himself and it is accepted that "sui-
eide is confession"
5. When Patty du Clam was pro-
NOTED in 1894 for catching and con-
victing Dreyfus, Col. Picquart became
the head of the Intelligence Bureau.
He was dismissed for collecting proofs
that showed or tended TO show that
the bordereau was in the handwriting
Of the French spy Esterhazy, and that
Esterhazy had said French secrets to
the Germans and the Italians both be-
fore and after Dreyfus was arrested
and imprisoned.
6. The explanation put forward by
the army and the Government for
Esterhazy's published letters denounc-
ing France and for his selling secrets is
that he did it in the regular course OF
his business, the better to get hold of
the secrets of other governments. The
explanation of the resemblance of the
handwriting of the bordereau to
Esterhazy's handwriting is that Drey-
fus, knowing Esterhazy's business,
initiated his handwriting the better
to conceal himself.
7. The army and the government
have alleged from the first that there
is other evidence against Dreyfus,
which can in no circumstance be dis
closed for "grave reasons of state"
They allegc that these reasons are so
grave that any act to suppress the
Dreyfus agitation would be justifable.
On the other hand, the friends of
Dreyfus allege that these so-called
"grave reasons Of state" are merely
the cover for clique OF disreputable
army officers and their dupes who
have been conspiring not against
France directly but first against the
Hebrews in the army and latterly to
defend themselves from exposure and
disgrace.
When Dreyfus was publicly de-
graded he cried out, In three years
the truth will he known" This seems
to indicate that he knew the real
cause of the attack upon him and that
there was some definite specific reason