Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-22

an important arrest had recently taken
place This set everybody talking. for In
France anything concerning the army is
considered of paramount Importance. The
widest stories We're afoat Many declared
the story TO be the pure invention of the
polemical journal.
excitement in Paris was at fever pitch
when, on November 2, the name of the
officer who had been arrested was made
public 1t was then learned for the first
time, although his arrest dated from Oc-
tober IA. that Captain Alfred Dreyfus of
the 14th Regiment OF Artillery was the
man charged with the terrible crime of
high treason On the previous day a cabi-
net council had been held under the presI-
dency of NJ Charles Dupuy at the minis
try of the interior, in the course of which
General MERCER had informed the govern
ment that he had given orders to the mill
tary governor of Paris to make an inquiry
into the conduct of Captain Alfred Dreyfus
who was accused of having supplied infor-
nation concerning documents of a conf
Dental nature, belonging to the ministry
of war.
At that time it was currently reported
that the foreign government with which
Dreyfus had traffcked was the Italian
government. and though since then 1t has
been stated and is generally accepted that
II was with Germany that these dealings
took place, no actual Information on the
subject has ever been given. From the
very beginning. and with one exception
only. policy of absolute secrecy has been
observed by the successive French minis
tries, for. as NJ Melne pointed out at the
senate on December of this year, any
indiscretion this subject might entail
the gravest consequences on the nation.
Dreyfus' Personal History.
Alfred Dreyfus was the son Of rich
spinner of Mulhouse. who in 1871 had de-
clared for French nationality. The mill
at the time of Alfred's arrest was being
worked by Matthew Dreyfus. his brother,
who has been actively employed Of
late in endeavoring to establish his BROTH
er's innocence. He was born October 0.
1859, and entered the Ecole Polytechnique
In 1878. He afterward attended the mill
tary school at Fontainebleau, and In 1882
was appointed second lieutenant Of artl-
lery- In 1887 he entered the Ecole Supe-
rieure de Ia Guerre with excellent marks
and passed his examination for a cap
taincy In 1880 He was then appointed
stagiary in the second bureau of the gen.
eral staff corps, a position of great trust,
for the purpose and work of this bureau
Is to collect information concerning for
eign armies by any and every means In
other words, the second bureau is the
headquarters of the French military Sc
cret service 1t organizes military mis-
sions abroad 1t purchases the reports of
foreign spies.
This service has never reached in France
the development that characterizes 1t in
other countries The French ministry of
war only disposes Of an annual sum of
service in which. more than any other
money is essential. Germany on the other
hand. applies to her secret military SER
vice the entire revenues of the kingdom of
Hanover. which exceed $1,000. 600 The or
ganization OF the second bureau Is kept
profoundly secret, and no reliable inforna-
ton of its methods and resources is any,
where obteinabIe- A book of $40 pages
purporting to describe the system of milf
tary spying as practiced in France, was
published In December of this year. 1t
was written by a French military officer
but contains nothing but generalities
The fact that Dreyfus, II guilty might
II he escaped revenge himself by reveal
ing to a foreign government the workings
and methods, as well as the names of the
agents Of this second bureau, to which
he was attached. is one of the reasons
why he is being so closely guarded and ex-
plains the greater severity Of his treat
ment as compared to that of Adjutant
Chatelain, who is not possessed of infor-
nation so dangerous.
No Motive Shown
No valid motive why Dreyfus should
have committed these acts of treachery
was put forward at the time of the arrest,
or ever has been since. He was a man of
considerable private means. His own pri-
vate income exceeded $4,000 a year. and
his wife, the daughter Of one of the richest
merchants IN Hdr1s, naQ q large
fortune OF her own. Indeed, at the time of
FER husbands arrest. Nine. Dreyfus had q
sum OF $4,000 lying at her bankers waiting
Tor Investment On the other hand Alfred
Dreyfus was not spendthrift. He was
paseionately devoted to his wife and chill
dren. and had no iaison outside his family
circle He was not gambler, but a man
or steady habits. who returned home
directly his work was over The only lux
Ury that he allowed himself was his stable
He had some beautiful horses. At school
as IN the army, he was reputed a hard
worker. He was never very popular with
his comrades. who accused him OF naughty
manners Since his arrest many charges
OF extravaganza have been made against
him. but not one Of these has ever been
proved
II has since transpred that for some
lime previous to his arrest, In consequence
OF constant leakage" of documents
which had been noticed at the second
bureau. Dreyfus had been under the sus-
picion of his chiefs. This suspicion must
have become a certainty when, on October
], he was detached from the ministry of
war and appointed to service In the 18th
Regiment at the Ecole Militaire for as
stated. a period of three months On the