New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-30


hogan crusade against General MERCER, whom
they accused CT wishing to aid Dreyfus TO escape;
against hostile experts in handwriting, who
were said to have sold themselves 10 the Jews,
and against the future judges. who were to be
paid for his acoui:tal The names OF the family
Of Dreyfus ard Tat Of his wife. previously
blamoless, were now dragged IN the mire "Ith~
out a voice to defend them. With this tremen-
dous pressure brought TO bear on Genera! Mer-
cicr. he was inciinng moro and more toward
conviction. even though President CasiiIlr-
Perier had pointed out the slender founiation
of the ir lictment and NJ. Hanot2ux who h2d
been warned by Count Munster that Dreylus
had had no connection with Germany, had begged
the Minister Of War TO give up the proceedings
But he turned deaf ear TO their reasonable
requests and sought further proof against Drey-
fus New handwriting experts were sought NJ
Pelietior sided with NJ. Colbert. M ChaVaFa9
declared that the memorandum might he 10y
tho same hand as the specimens OF handwriting
submitted as that OF Dreyfus. The last Nj.
| T-evssonni;res who was afterWard disqualified
for improner proceedings sided with NJ. Der
,vlor Reneated efforts to extort q confession
Of guilt from Drcyfus were all unsuccessful.
Accused every day 10y the anti Semitic press OF
trying to save the traitor, General MERCER
finally declared in interviews that he was GER
tain of Dreyfus's guilt. This he did though
stcadly refusing to see Dreyfus. Such deciar-
alton from the Minister of War made an hh-
Martial court martial impossible without its be
inc ~, ofront TO the Minister and to the officers
who had condu ted the preliminary inquiry.
The trial began Nov Der 10 1891. 1t was
conducted behind closed doors. despite the pro-
tests OF Dreyfus's counsel. The only iact inc
| only definite document on which the indictment
was founded was the memorandum, and tha'
| two experts ont OF five, and the TWO VINO cdIrieu
| most weight denied 20 le in Drcyiuss manu-
! writing. Thc rest was made UP OF vague III
situations as 10 his morals which the proceed
ings proved to be false. When NJ. Beitlllon
explaiped his peculiar system the Court was
annoyed at its chldishness and an acqui''a'
seemed certain At the last moment docn-
ment was sent in mentioning a certain ~ az
having furnished information to a foreign
Power AS the members OF the court were
afraid of causing the downfall Of the Minister
Of War and Of giving offence 20 the General
staff. who had conducted the preliminary in
auiry and as they feared the clamorous press
which would surely charge them with cor1up-
tion they crasped this new evidence. trivial as
it vas. and voted for conviction. 1t is possible
!
fus. and. soldiers as they were and not lawye
they did not scrutin D. this last secret document
Lut Jumped to the conclusion that il could reier
only to Dreyfus At any rate they wanted 70
he convinced and the condemning Of an inno-
cent man was as nothing to them compared
with the fear Of being accused of selling them
selves and giving the lie 10 their superior
officers.
| EN'NfJ.tY \ y.
The Minister Of War felt so strongly the
weakness Of the evidence against Dreylus tbat
he directed Du Patty de Clam 10 attempt To
obtain confession from Drcyfus. Du Faty
visited Droyfus and asserted that German SPY
had denounced him, that the Minister knew
him to be innocent. and that If he had iuT-
| nishod documents to Germany they Ead peeh
documents Of no importance, and That he had
furnished them only in order to obtain more
! important ones j. return Dreyfus replica
that he had committed no such imprudence
He asked in vain to see the Minister ana as
serted his absolute innocence Again, on Jan
nary 4. 1885, Count Minister declared to Presi-
| dent Casimir- Pcrier that the German Embassy
! had had no relations with Dreyfus
on January Dreyfuss degradation took
pIace on the Champ dc Mars. He never waV-
! cred but declared to the freDzed crowd shout-
! ing for his death: 81 am innocent-NNe Ia
France" While awaiting this ordeal he told
! his custodian Captain Lebrun- Renault, Of the
| visit of Du PatJ de Clam, and said: "Ihe
! Minister knows that am innocent. and that II
! I furnished documents, etc" These words were
repeated to General Gonse and by him reported
IN the Minister. In reporting them General
/ coree ,nintontjonally isolated the words, III j