The Portland daily press., 1898-02-25
THE DEGRADATION OF oREyFus.
Story as Told by the Reporter of Paris
Newspaper the Morning After the Mill
tary Ceremony--Good Example OF
French Reporting.
(From the Republique Franchise. }


Many 1arces are making their way TO
the Champ de Mars. Along the streets
officers are hurrying in dress uniform,
the collars of their coats turned up about
their ears. And, in all directions are to
be seen the detaohments-old soldiers IN
marching order, fresh recruits in jacket
and cap-which are to be present at the
performance.
The civilians who have been allowed to
penetrate to the inner court are not nu-
merous. The military government OF
Paris has distributed but a limited num-
Der of tickets. giving them only to the
press, certain official personages and ceie-
brated authors curious to study the psy-
chology of the condemned man. The bulk
of the crowd has had to stay without the
gates. You can tell that it is rough and
ready to display its indignation.
8.45. The last of the troops have ar
rived. The are drawn Up on the four
sides of the court, and presently Dreyfus
will have to pass before them, subjected
for more than half a mile to the silent
scorn of these thousands of men. What
a Calvary! Some hundreds yards have
been reserved for the reporters. who draw
up in line and toe the mark like common
soldiers.
Meanwhile the time draws near. We
have seen the arrival of the prison van,
which has been drawn up by the side OF a
building. 1t is he. We imagine him
there. awaiting the moment. He hears
from afar the click of the bayonets, the
tread of the soldiers, summoned to be
present at his fortunes. 10 what an
guish must he not be prey? Will he not
wear the paIlor of death when he is
brought before his judges? W Ill he be
able to stand upright? Or will he not
give way for one moment? And at this
thought Notwithstanding our horror Oh
his crime. we are overwhelmed with pity
for the unfortunate man, so cruel does
his expiation seem.
8. Barely has the first stroke sounded
from the great clock of the b cole Mill
tajre when Gen. Darras lifts his sabre.
The trumpets sound; and we perceive in
m angle OF the court little group, con-
sisting of four artilerymen commanded
nv a sergeant and surrounding an officer
in full uniform.
This officer is Alfred Dreyfus.
He raises his head, his bearing is as
sured, but perfectly natural; ne does not
oyerdo his calmness. You would say
that he was making his way TRANQUILITY
to the drill ground. At 20 PAGES from the
general the group halts. The general
Dronounces in loud voice the regulation
phrase:
"Alfred Drefyus, you are unworthy to
bear armsH
A police adjutant at once steps for
ward, and the hideous torture begins.
Braid and buttons are torn away, the
regimental number removed from the
cap. Finally. and this is the hardest
moment, the adjutant draws Dreyfus'
sabre, breaks the blade over his knee, and
| filings the fragments at the traitors feet.
Dreyfus is too far away for US to be able
| 80 make out his expression. He seems
agitated and gesticulates. When the
| general uttered his damning apostrophe
| he raised HIS arm, and in voice straineo
and piercing cried out:
s's'Vive Ia France am innooentl
| The adjutant has finished his task.
| The gold which covered the UNIFORM lies
| heaped upon the ground; they have not
even left to the condemned man those rec
bands down the trousers which indicate
his branch of the service. Dreyfus in hill
| 12ckRE, now poIlC0UlS O1doAJ WAoh 1A
dark CAD. seems already to have assumed
| a convict's costume. The sinister escort Ii
once more set in motion. The traitor il
to pass before our eyes, and we are i'm
| natient to see him. Here he comes
| Dreyfus is more and more agitated. Ht
continues to cry, II am innocent Vivt
la Francep' And, on the other side o.
the gates the crowd, vaguely discerning
his form, let's fly fierce volleys of boot!
| -; nraufua haarg thnsa
| cations and they increase his rage.
1 AS he passes group of officers, thi
phrase is audible:
'iOH with you, Judas r
Furious, he turns on the speaker, ant
repeats with redoubled energy:
i ii am innocent | am innocentp'
Now we can discern his features clear
~. and for moment we closely scrutl
riize them, hoping to find there gu
preIne revelation, reflection of that SOU
whose inInostswindings only the mem
bers of the court martial have thus fa
been able to penetrate. That which !
most prominent on the face of Dreyfus i
anger, anger almost beyond the point Q
control; the lips are parted by an invol
untary grimsce, his eyes are bloodshot
We realize that if the condemned man Il
| firm and walks with SO proud bearing
| it is because he is dashed by that fur.
which is straining his nerves to tn
| breaking point, and putting him besid
himself.
He passes by us; he disappears; and h
leaves us bewildered and deeply ant
/ strangely moved. What is in the hear
of that man? What motive power is b
| obeying when he protests thus Of his in
nocence, with the energy of despair?
he hoping to deceive public opinion, fl
us with doubts, excite suspicious witt
regard to the fidelity of the judges VIII
have condemned him? And like light
ming flash this thought crosses our minds
eff he were not guilty, what frightfu
agony p
But we repel this thought. Reason. re
gains the empire over our feelings whicl
| had been for moment disturbed. No
we cannot and do not have any doub
THAT Dreyfus has been branded by tn
purest and most honest element in th
French army. He was condemned with
out dissentient voice. He did reall,
sell his country.
And instead of bowling his head unde
his Just disgrace, he >dares to protest, t.
utter grandiloquent phrases, to gesticu
late like third-rate actor, and pose as
martyrl
This Dreyfus is really the lowest Of tn
low
! =. e.----.--------------------. -
Diphtheria relieved in twenty minutes
II raCt1 n