Arizona republican., 1898-09-08

suspicious, because Dreyfus spoke Ger man perfectly. The fact that he was Jew and found people of his own religion at the club, instead of relieving him of suspicion had the reverse effect.
 He was watched carefully, and in Oc- tober, 1894, was arrested. It was asserted that the proof of his guilt which caused his arrest consisted chiefly of copies of documents which he had furnished the enemy and which were in his nandWrst- ing, though unsigned. It was when this statement was made public that the peo- pie of France became wildly indignant against the accused. His assertion that the discriminating documents had been written in imitation of his style of pen rnanShip in order to screen the real crlIn- inal was derided.
 About this time the foreign representa- tives-notably those of Germany and 1taly-denied receiving any such docu- i11ents from the accused or any other per son, but in reply to that came the start ling information that the documents on which the government relied to convict the accused had actually been stolen from the desk of the German military attache in his office in the German em- bassy in Paris.
 The next thing that happened inffamed the public more than ever It appeared that Germany had protested, 1hoer threat of abandoning diplomatic rela- tions with France, against using docu- menfs obtained by violating the rights of the embassy. The people thought that Germany was interfering to save tra1- tor who had benefited her, and the cry for the head of Dreyfus was almost in- eessant, while along with this arose such denunciations of Germany as threatened war within a brief period.
 The condition of public sentiment on one side and the attitude of Germany on the other seriously embarrassed -the French government, and the state of af- fairs was the worse for the reason that the cabinet were not unanimous in their belief in the guilt of the accused.
 However, the trial was brought on in secret, so that it should not publicly ap- pear that the stolen documents were used against the accused. Dreyfus de- nied his guilt and brought experts to combat the testimony of those who swore the documents were in his hand writing, but without avail The court, when the case was ended, retired for an hour, and then came back to the place of trial and unanimously declared that sthe accused was guilty 'of having given to a foreign power or to agent of foreign power documents concerning the national defense.
 The public had been admitted to hear the verdict, although Dreyfus was not present, and when it was pronounced there were loud cries of 3'vive la Patrie.'
 Then the president of the court said:
 "The sentence is that Captain Dreyfus be imprisoned for life in fortified place.
 Dreyfus heard both the verdict and the sentence in the courtyard, after the pop ulace had been sent to the streets. It was then night, and he was taken to the center of hollow square formed by the guards He listened in silence, but with tears running down his face This was on December 9. 1894.
 Later-in Januery-Dreyfus was pub licly disarnled. his military insignia torn off and his sword broken in the presence Of of of
 Parisians. He cried out that he was in nocent. but drums drowned his voice. He was finally taken to Devils Island, off
 the coast of Cayenne.
 His wife was not permitted to join him, as was first expected, and precau-
 tions were taken which rendered his es- cape from the one of the Safety Islands called Lille du Diable out of the question Nevertheless, about two years ago a story obtained circulation that Dreyfus had escaped from the island through the instrumentality of his devoted wife, who was known to have gone to Cayenne. 1 That this story should have obtained be- lief seemed absurd, in view of the fact that the poor Jew on Devils Island was
 more closely guarded than was Napoleon at St. Helena. No boat or vessel was al- ! lowed to approach within fifteen cables Of the island, which is about twenty ! seven miles northeast of the town Of ] Cayenne. The island was formerly a leper settlement. Dreyfus has been for over ; three years it's chief if not it's only pris- i oner. A dozen other Frenchmen are
 made miserable in order to keep him i there. The climate is probably the worst | in the world, and it is supposed Drey- i fus' accusers hoped it would drive him l to suicide. ! The world. if not France, might per ] haps have forgotten about Dreyfus ii | Zola had not taken up the cudgels fol 1 him last December and challenged the verdict of the court-martial which hao been presided over by Count Esterhazy | Zola was too late. By this time it was not the guilt or the innocence of Dreyfus ] the Jew, but the honor of the French 1 army which was at stake. The French ! government dlscerned this, hence tho l scant justice with which Zola was treat ] ed. Even Dreyfus got more. Spit or | Zoid," represented the attitude of tho government. as it did that of the Paris | populace. Frances most popular novel i ist, although not in the academy, is nov 1 ul exile-he concluded it would be use
 less martyrdom to serve the sentence O. | his second trial