The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-09-02
JUSTICE FOR
DREYFUS
Efforts to Prevent Re-
opening of His Case.
THERE ARE MANY RUMORS
Speculation Over the Motive For the
Suici1e OF Henry.
WIDOWS HANDSOME PENSION
WIDOWS HANDSOME PENSION.

Paris. Sept 2.-The same powerful IN.
nuences which from the start have
worked against Dreyfus are at work tc
keep him where he is. These influences
seem to be exerted in the interests OF
high army offers. The press OF the city
takes the confession and suicide OF
Henry as the turning point in the case.
The case presents no new feature: but
there is a plentiful supply of rumors
The first OF these is that Dreyfus Is now
dead. no lester having been received
from him for some weeks. Another re-
port Is that General Boisdeffre, who
has just resigned the post OF chief OF
the general STAFF. has committed suicide
Colonel Du Patty Clam is on a vacation
trip In Switzerland, and there is no con.
firmation of the ntatement that he hac
been arrested for completely in the
Henry forgery. General Gonse, assist.
fNt chief of the general staff, who ten
dered his resignation to the minister OF
war, has been persuaded to withdraw II,
as his retirement under the age limit
will occur next month.
Speculation is keen over the motives
for Lieutenant Colonel Henry's death
Looking to the view the whole nation
has adopted regarding the guilt OF Drey-
fus, II Is argued that Henry may have
supposed he was acting In the country's
interest even in forging the letter, which
would satisfy the nation Of the justice
or the sentence without production of
the real evidence, which would be unde.
sirable on the highest political grounds
In that case. Henry might have posed
as a martyr to misguided patriotism
The traditions of the intelligence de.
partment, which at the time of the con.
demnation of Dreyfus was under a con.
spicuous ant-Semite, Colonel Sandherr
would probably have led blunt mind
like Lieutenant Colonel Henry's to con-
strue the slightest hint from above of
the desirability of killing off the anti
Dreyfus agitation. into an order to do
so by any means.
Colonel Sandherr. who was then SUI.
fering froman incipient paralysis, seems
TO have been the head OF general con.
spiracy TO hunt Jewish officers out OF the
French army. Dreyfus, a. man OF I
naughty demeanor but OF vast strategic |
knowledge. would naturally be selected |
as victim OF those Vaccinations. Ii |
20 osoeitcu tudt OOionei cdnuncfrs = last Il
days were haunted by fear. amounting i
to terror. lest the illegal and fippant |
nature OF the evidence upon which Cap
tain Dreyfus was condemned should be
revealed and weaken the prestige Of the
intelligence department. and that he en-
Joined upon Henry. his subordinate, to
guard the departments traditions at all
cost.
The carelessness OF the authorities In
allowing Henry to have a razor and I'm
not watching him IL generally inter- |
preted as connivance. and, perhaps, as
persuasion. since officers under arrest
and likely to be condemned sf5uld. ac-
cording TO military regulations, be con-
stantly watched, while Lieutenant Col
onel Henry was left for hours alone and
allowed TO lock the door on the inside.
II there were persuasion. IL 10 not likely
10 have been difficult. Had Henry been
expelled from the army. both himself |
and wife would have lost all pension
rights As II Is. the widow becomes en-.
Titled 20 a handsome pension. This seems
4 more likely motive than the explana-
fion. based upon the alleged incoherent
etter left behind. that he had lost his