Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1898-12-01
THE DREYFUS AFFAIR.
MOST REMARKABLE STORY OF MOD
ERN MILITARY ANNALS.


The truth about the Dreyfus case is
bursting upon Paris, and Paris is
stupefied by the sensation.
-Four years ago Captain Albert
Dreyfus was found guilty hJ French
military tribunal of selling plans and
descriptions of French forts and their
management to foreign power. The
foreign power was then naturally sup
posed to be Germany. Later there
was reason to suppose that it was
Russia, or perhaps Italy. Frances
ally, it was said, wanted to know how
she was fortified against the enemy
with which she had quarrel to the
death, not being willing to engage IN
a fruitless fight for her sake. Ger
many denied that she had bought any
secrets from Captain Dreyfus; of
course, Russia did the same.
Dreyfus apparently owed his con-
viction to the fact that he was Jew.
Had Dreyfus been Christian it is
probable that he would not have been
sent to DEVILS Island. Germany and
France may be at odds as nations, but
as peoples they are united in their ill
will toward the Jews.
The story of the conviction, sentence
and degradation of Dreyfus was one
of the most remarkable known to
modern military annals. Suspicion
fell upon him at first only because he
visited resort frequented by known
spies He was tried in secret and
convicted on circumstantial evidence
that, as far as made public, was not
conclusive.
Suspicion was first fastened on
Dreyfus about year before his
arrest. There were clubs in Paris to
which the foreign element, and
especially the Germans, resorted. So
to them were sent numbers of War
Department spies. One of the spies
found Dreyfus at one of the most
noted German resorts. 1t was alleged
that Dreyfus explained his presence
there by saying he was there to prac-
tice the German language. This was
deemed suspicious, because Dreyfus
spoke German perfectly. The fact
that he was a Jew and found people
of his own religion at the club, in
stead of relieving him of suspicion
had the reverse effect.
He was watched carefully, and in
October, 1894, was arrested. 1t was
asserted that the proof Of his guilt
which caused his arrest consisted chief
ly of copies of documents which he
had furnished the enemy and which
were in his handwriting, though I'M
signed. 1t was when this statement
was made public that the people of
France became wildly indignant against
the accused. His assertion that the
nominating documents had been
written in imitation Of his style of pen
manship in order to screen the real
criminal was derided.
About this time the foreign repre-
enthusiastically those of Germany
and Italy-denied receiving any such
documents from the accused or any
other person, but in reply to that came
the startling information that the docu-
ments on which the Government relied
to convict the accused had actually
been stolen from the desk of the Ger
man military attsche in his Office in
the German Embassy in Paris.
The next thing that happened in
| famed the public more than ever. II
appeared that Germany had protested,
under threat of abandoning all diplo-
matte relations with France, against
using documents obtained by violating
the rights of the embassy. The people
thought that Germany was interfering
to save traitor who had benefited her,
and the cry for the head of Dreyfus
was almost incessant, while along with
this arose such denunciations of Ger.
many as threatened war within a briei
period.
The condition Of public sentiment
on one side and the attitude of Ger.
many on the other seriously embar-
raised the French Government, and
the state of affairs was the worse fol
the reason that the Cabinet were no,
unanimous in their belief in the guilt
Of the accused.
However, the trial was brought on
in secret, 80 that it should not public.
ly appear that the stolen documents
were used against the accused. Drey.
fus denied his guilt and brought ex.
perts to combat the testimony of those
who swore the documents were in his
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 the accused was guilty ''of having
given to foreign power or to an agent
of foreign power documents concern.
ing the national defence"
The public had been admitted to
hear the verdict, although Dreyfds was
not present, and when it was pro
nounced there were loud cries of "Vive
la Patrier'
Then the President of the court said
"The sentence is that Captain Drey.
fus be imprisoned for life in fortified
place"
| Dreyfus heard both the verdict and
the sentence in the courtyard, after
the populace had been sent to the
streets. 1t was then night, and he
was taken to the centre of hollow
1