New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-11
=, GENERAL DE BOlSDEFFRE.
,,osr or THE BRILLIANT CAREER
or FRANCES MOST DASHING AND
CLEVER GENERAL.

80, De BosdeGire. the Chief Of the General
49, Of the French Army. had come from faris
'' 10 the young Emperor the good wishes
,,ronch Government his accession "
,.,e and at the same time to represent
u 80, ARMY at the obseQuies OF his prede-
' ,,erore leaving the banks of the Neva.
,o,rination Of his mission. he inquired
y" no might he permitted to pay his re-
~, "a The widowed Czarina and the latter
49,, ha, readiness to receive him.
".;,nately devoted to her big. buriy husband.
-. ,orne up until then with fortitude
e"e .,.,,ess that not merely astounded but
,.....;o.. alarmed her relatives Al The appoint
~. General vas admitted 20 her pres
% . h. bent los over the hand which
CIV oxtsnded for him To kiss the rcnem-
'' :, the prcyiOus occasion when they had
Of the deep affection which her hus-
..n. had always expressed for the General
0~"N - ha, mind and without rejecting what
- mas doing. she suddenly seized hold Of the
Wv 49,. bowed head between her TWO hands.
,..ssa him again and again on the forehead and
...t and burst into IA fit OF passionate and
...,sr;cal weeping. which seemed absolutely 10
Aeorye her Of her senses IL was most p'tla-
s,'.oo,sc,e for ALL present-the first time that
.he had shed tear since her husband'S death
- ~. incident was brought to close by the
,oor woman being horne haif-ta'nt'ns anu SOD
s,,c ,y;,d,,, from the audience chamber BY her
am the Gar. and by her ladies.
7, Is this same General. admittedly one ~ the
o,syeres, ard best born officers Of the French
Army who has just been compelled 10 retire
from a Mac. which was virtually that OF com
uander- in hef of the military forces of ms
.oun,ry under az sombre a cloud as has ever
aarkened the good name Of a wearer Of the
enanlets For. although the matter has not
been brought home to him yet. 1t Is ncVerthe-
,ess UPON his shoulders that rests the cntire
huren Of the responsibility for the terrible
nreyfus scandal II is he @ho has been from
m. very outset the prime mover Of the persecu-
,on against the unhappy prisoner Of Devils
Island
HE SELECTED DREYrUS'S JUDGES.
II VAS by General De BoisdeNre's orders that
preyfus was arrested without either the kno~i-
.dee or consent of the Military Governor General
~ Paris whose sanction should have been OBJ
tanned Il was he. too Wh0 selected the mem
hers OF ne court martial that convicted ORGY
t,s OF A crime which it 3 now generally ad-
mttod he did not commit. And it was De 8olS-
derre again Who chose the officers OF the mill
tary court Of justice that acquitted the iSooble
Colonel Tstcrhazy in ne face OF most conciu-
sjye evidence Of crimes which he is Known 10
have committed Finally on the occasion OF The
trial Of lola for charging the Headquarters
Staff with conspiracy 70 defeat the ends OF JUS
t,ce IN the Dreyfus case. it was General De
Boisdefre once more who. in the witness box.
pledged his honor as a French officer that Drcy-
fus had been justly and lawfully convicted and
punished, that ZOids assertions with regard 10
the existence OF conspiracy at the War De
partment to debar the ex-captain from receiving
Justice were untrua and that il the Court and
fury showed their disbelief in his statements by
acquitting Zola lie himself and all the principal
members Of his stan would resign on the ground
that they would be unable TO fulhl their duties
unless they could feel that they enjoyed the
fullest degree Of confidence of their felow-coun-
trymen
The General clnched the matter BY intmat-
Ing that inasnuch as it was ne himself and his
colleagues who had devised the system of
tional defence. and who had In hand the whole
secret plan Of mobilization. the resignation Of
the heads of the staff would practically leave
the country defenceless in the face Of the foe
In fact. as acknowledged at the time, the Cen
Tai terrOrZed Coufs anu jury ihto fThuei'"6 q
decree against lola. The ground being taken
that from the moment the country vas ia dan
ger it became a patriotic duty 10 put aside
every other consideration even that Of ordinary
Justice.
The Dreyfus story has been related so often
that 1t would be superfiuous to repeat IL mere.
II has been manifest for long time past 10 all
unprejudiced people that Dreyfus had been IL
legally convicted. and that the safeguard pro-
vided by statute has been neglected and set
aside in the most shameful manner No one
dreamed. however. until recently that the evil