The Jewish South. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1893-1899, 1899-01-27

. mere sham, accused the War Minister and all the
officers of the General Staff of being members of
conspiracy 6ffraud and deceit, proclaimed Dreyfus
Innocent, and dared the Government to prosecute
him.
lola PROSECUTED.
The challenge was answered. The prosecution
Of lola was decided upon but it was determined to
base the accusation simply upon few lines OF the
letter. charging the judges in the Esterhazy trial with
having acquitted upon orders, aman whom they held
to be guilty, and not upon the whole letter
In the trial. which took place before the Court OF
Assizes of Paris, every effort was made by NJ zolas
counsel Maitre Labor, in order to bring about
complete examination of the Dreyfus case but these
efbtts generally thwarted by the presiding
iudee Justice Deegorgue, and the trial resulted in
Zola's conviction He was sentenced to one year OF
Imprisonment and fine Of five thousand francs, for
libel against the military court. A sensational incl
dent of the trial had been the assertion by OF the
witnesses General de Pe1lieux that there in the
War Department a letter, written in 1896, which
contained additional and absolutely convincing
proof of Dreyfuss guilt General de Pelleuxs
ton was corroborated by the Chief of the General
Staff, General de Bosdeff1e.
One of the results of the trial that it began to
be generally admitted that Dreyfus's conviction had
been procured by of secret documents which
had not been in evidence at the trial Upon this
Madame Dreyfus based request for revision,
which answered negatively by the Government,
as they held that the fact of the introduction of
secret documents had not yet been proved.
Upon appeal. the Court of Cessation annuled the
proceedings against Zola upon the ground that they
ought to have been initiated, not by the War Minis
ter but by the beled court ITSELF and when at
tempt made to begin new trial, Maltre Labor
managed to force postponement OF the same, and
lola disappeared from the country.
In the meanwhile new elections had taken place,
and new cabinet of more radical tendencies than
the Meine Cabinet, had come into office. 1t had for
its War Minister NJ Cavaignac, who, few days
after taking Office delivered before the House speech
setting forth of the proofs of Dreyfus's guilt
Among these proofs he quoted the letter of 1896
which had been alluded to in the lola trial. The
next day, in open letter. Lieutenant Colonel Pic
quart who had been retired on account of his advo-
cacy Of Dreyfuss case, offered prove that this let
ter forgery.
A few weeks later Lieutenant Colonel Henry adj
mitted that he had forged the letter himself Hewas
instantly put under arrest and few hours after
being led to the Mont Valerien fortress committed
suicide.
HENRY's CONFESSION AND SUICIDE.
Colonel Henry's confession and suicide brought
about complete revusion of public feeling IRE
spectve of their opinion about Dreyfus innocence
guilt the people insisted that trial in which self
confessed forger had been of the principal wit
tesses must be revs ed, and it known that
the Cabinet agreed with the people.
In spite of the opposition of two successive War
Minister'S the first steps prescribed by the law for
the revision of a criminal trial were soon taken A
letter of the Minister Justice placed the whole mat
ter in the hands of the Court of Cessation.
On October 25th, the Houses, which had adjourned
for their summer vacation three months before,
sumed their sttings. Their first session will ever re-
main memorable one in the parliamentary annals
of France. Goaded into complete loss ofselfcontro
by an insulting attack of the anti-Semitic leader,
Paul Derouede, General Chanoine announced from
the speaking stand his resignation of the office of
War Miaister-nnt however until after asserting