The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-27
ZOLA'S FAMOUS LETTER
FOR WHICH THE FRENCH GOVERN
MENT WILL PROSECUTE HIM.
Charges Are Specific, Not General
The striking Passages of the Let
ter Are Those Given Below.
To NJ. Felix Faure. President of the Re-

once gave me, to say to you that your star,
so lucky until now, is threatened with the
most shameful, the most ineffaceable of
stains?
What a mud stain on your name-I had
almost said on your reign--is this abomin-
able Dreyfus AFFAIR." council of war, under
orders, has just dared to acquit an Ester
hazy-a final blow to all truth and justice.
And ii Is ended. France has this stain upon
her cheek, history can write down that un-
der your presidency such social crime
could be committed.
Since they have dared, /. too, will dare,
even /, / will say the truth, for I have
promised to say it in case that justice in its
regular course. should not disclose it whole
and entire. My duty is to speak. / will not
be an accomplice. My nights would be
haunted by the specter of the innocent man
who, far away. is expiating. in the most
frightfu of tortures, crime which he has
not committed.
The man of evil who directed ev-
erything who did everything, is Colonel du
Patty De Clam, then only a major He is.
the whole Dreyfus affair. He
seems to have mind clouded and compli-
Gated to the highest degree. haunted by ro-
mantle intrigues, taking pleasure in the
maneuvers of penny dreadfuls-stolen doc
uments, anonymous letters, rendezvous in
deserted spots. mysterious women that
hawk about, by night, overwhelming
proofs 1t is he who imagined the dictation
of the bordereau to Dreyfus 1t is he who
thought of studying him in room cased
in by mirrors; it is he whom Major Forzi-
netti has shown US armed with dark Ian
tern, wishing to break in abruptly on the
accused man when sleeping, TO throw upon
l. u foo a-aNf46 nfah ta0 a.
surprise his crime in the emotion OF the
able things. dangerous things, fit TO set Eu-
rope on fire. which they have been forced
to bury carefully behind their closed doors?
No! There was behind them nothing but
the romantic and crazy imaginations of
Major Du Patty De Clam. All that has
been done is only to hide the most pre-
1t you have only to read with attention the
act of accusation read before the Council of
War.
A WORTHLESS DOCUMENT.
All, the nothingness of his act of accusa-
ton! That a man could be condemned on
such a document is a wonder of inquiry.
/ defy honest people to read it without their
heart throbbing with Indignation and cry
ing out their revolt at thinking of the
boundess expiation far away in the Isle
du Diable. Dreyfus knows several Ian
guages-it is crime; they have found no
compromising paper about hm-crime he
goes sometimes to his native country
crime; he is laborious, is anxious to know
everything-crime: he does not show him
self troubled-crime: he is troubed-crime.
Then the simplicity with which it is drawn
up and its formal assertions about nothing.
We had been told of fourteen heads of ac-
cusation; we find only one when all is over
that of the bofdereau.
There remained then only the bordereau,
about which the experts had not come to
an understanding. 1t is said that in the
council chamber the judges were going to
acquit, as a matter of course And. from
that time on. how we understand the des-
perate obstinacy with which, to justify the
condemnation, they declare the existence of
q document, secret and overwhelming, the
legalizes everything. before which we ought
to bow our heads as to some kind deity
invisible and unknowable. | deny it-this
We now come TO the Esterhazy affair.
Lieutenant Colonel Picquart had be-
come chief of the Bureau of Information.
In the exercise of his office there came one
day into his hands letter-telegram adj
dressed to Major Esterhazy BY the agent
to begin an investigation. He accordingly
submitted his suspicious to his superiors in
rank-to General Gonse, then to General
who had succeeded General MERCER as min
lister of war. The researches lasted from
May to September. 1886, and-somethng
which must be declared very loudly-Gen.
Gonse was convinced of the guilt of Ester
hazy, and General De Boisdefsre and Gen.
Billot did not express a doubt that the
bordereau was in the handwriting of Ester
hazy. The investigation made by Lieut..
Col Picquart had ended by establishing this
for the condemnation of Esterhazy involved
inevitably the revision of the Dreyfus case.
and this the general staff would have at no
price.
There must have been then a psyche
logical moment full of agony Notice that
General Billot was in no wise compro-
missed. II had just come into office. 1t was
possible for him to know the truth He
dared not, doubtless. in his terror of public
opinion, certainly also in his fear of de-
livering up the whole staff, General de
Boisdeffre. General Gonse, not to speak of
ute of struggle between his conscience and
what he believed TO be the interest of the
army. This minute once passed. it was al
ready too late He had entangled himself
he was compromised. And from that time
on his responsibility has kept on growing,
he has taken on himself the crimes of the
others. he is guilty as they, he is guiltier
than they-for he had it in his power to do
Justice, and he has done nothing: Do you
nerss feF Efhr sd o Bot b ana
known that Dreyfus is innocent. and they
have kept the fearful thing to themselves
And they sleep, and have wives and chill
dren that they love!
ESTERHAZY'S PROTECTORS.
Men asked with stupefaction who were
the protectors of Major Esterhazy. 1t was
first of all, back in the shade, the Lieuten-
ant Colonel du Patty de Clam, who has man.
aged everything directed everything. His
hand is known from his preposterous ex-
pedients. Next. il is General de Boisdeffre
1t is General Gonse, it is General Billot
himself. They are indeed obliged to bring
about the acquittal of the major. since they
cannot allow the innocence of Dreyfus to
be acknowledged without the war offices
crumbling beneath public contempt
How was it possible to hope that coun-
Gil OF war would undo what a council of
war had done?
They have pronounced an ubiquitous sem
tence, which will forever weigh on our
councils of war, which will henceforth
throw suspicion on all their decisions. The
nrst council of war may have been without
understanding. The second is necessarily
guilty Its excuse, / repeat il, is that the
supreme chief had spoken, declaring the
holy and superior to men, so that no in
feriors could speak to the contrary.
| accuse Lieutenant Colonel du Patty de
Clam OF having been the diabolical work
man or the judicial rror-unconsclously /
wish TO believe-and OF having afterward
defended his nefarious work, during three
years. by the most preposterous and culpa-
BILE Vaccinations.
/ accuse General MERCER of having be-
come an accomplice, at least by weakness
of mind. OF one of the greatest iniquities of
the century.
I accuse General Bfllot OF having had in
his hands the certain proofs of the inno-
cence OF Dreyfus and of having stifed
them, OF having made himself guilty Of the
crime OF treason against humanity ard JUS
tice for a political end and TO save the
compromised staff.