The evening times., 1899-07-07
DREYFUs PRlsoS LIFE.
The Alleged Cruelties Endured by
Him ON DeyiI,s IAIand

-~. -
The Alleged CrueIties Endured by
Him on DevH's y4Iand.
New York. July THE World prints
| the following special cablegram dated Par
is, yesterday:
"Maitre Labori, one of Dreyfus' counsel,
| returned from Rennes today. The World
correspondent Immediately interviewed
him.
'Dreyfus' mind has now quite recov-
| cred its equilibrium said Maitre Labori.
In fact. l saw him laugh yesterday. 1t
was the first time he had laughed in near
| ly five years. was telling him Of Du patty
de CLAIMS interviews with Esterhazy in
the cemetery. when they disguised them
selves with false boards and goggles Drey-
fus suddenly burst out laughing
=" Has Dreyfus described his treatment
on Devils Islands? the correspondent en-
quired.
Yes; he has told us of the devilish
| to rtures to which he was subjected 1t is
long tale Of unimaginable cruelty, La
| bori added sadly His guards were the
rougheSt, most heartiess ruflianS that
could be picked out of the Guiana police.
| They imagined that they would gain favor
with the authorities by treating the pris-
| oner with violence and meanness. | IAN
| not tell you all the extreme vexations
| Dreyfus described to u.s. but here is an
| example:
'' One day. when he was in high fever,
| he accidentally upset jug of water near
| his bed. His punishment was that 10 wa
ter was given to him to drink for twenty
| four hours. By noon next day he was al
| most raving mad with thirst. When let
| ter was sent pretending to warn NJ. Lebon,
| then the Minister of the Colonies. that
Dreyfus would attempt to escape, although
the letter was proved forgery Lebon or
dered that Dreyfus be put in irons. Not
withstanding he was very i'll, he was
| strapped and chained to his bed. Thus he
was left twenty days without medical at
tendance. But this outrage, Dreyfus says,
| saved him. He was so sick at heart so
| i'll OF body, that he was willing to die. But
| when he realized there was a plot TO kill
| him he gathered all his energy to resist
So he lived
| is it true he was confined in a cage?'
| the correspondent asked.
| No: the story about the cage is not
true, NJ. Labori answered. But the tor
turer, NJ. Lebon. devised for Dreyfus a
palisade-like enclosure, a tall fence, that
was little better than a cage. Imagine
| the refinement of cruelty that shut out
even a view of the sea, that kept man
baking in such a trap, scarcely larger c.an
an ordinary room!
| Another idiotic measure was to keep
| a lamp burning over Dreyfus' bed all
night long. NJ. Labori went on, indignant
| ly. The preteXt was that his every move
ment must be watched. What could the
| prisoner do in such lookup? But the
light attracted swarms OF the fearful tropi-
| cal insects that eat a man alive. They
| turned sleep into nightmare. Dreyfus
| dreaded night more than the broiling sun.
" Four years of that exclaimed NJ.
Labori. raising his fists TO heavee in in
dignation. And more! Those hyenas stole
Dreyfus food and fed him for weeks on
most revolving messes, telling him his
family had ceased to send money TO him.
. Did not his wife's, his famiIys, let
ters reach Dreyfus?' was asked.
" For months Lebon suppressed letters
to him. Then, again, his guards were in
structed to poster and harass Dreyfus to
make a confession Even your family has
abandoned you" they constantly said 20
him. Better own up, Contest"
"a The fact is, Dreyfus became the play
thing of his coarse, idle jailers. He often
heard them making disrespectful remarks
about his wife; he heard their persistent
intimations that she was anxious 10 remar
ry.
" Dreyfus wrote urgent appeals. asked
for explanatiCns. His letters were never
forwarded. So he was left despairing un-
til, wild, he was his guards plaything.
For days they locked him in his cabin and
barred the doors and windows, until the
heat drove him nearly insane.
" Dreyfus was SO eXasperated that once
he threatened to strangle one OF his tor
turers. But he Immediately realized they
would welcome the slightest pretext TO
shoot him So he afterward submitted to
all their infamies. And one such infamy
cried NJ. Labori, himself furious, was TO
take from him an unfinished letter TO his
wife--a letter full Of love he felt-to read
it aloud in his hearing. to laugh at his
expressions of emotion, TO make vile COM
ments on them. But when NJ. Lebon was
overthrown more humane guards were
substituted
How did Dreyfus exist: how did he
pass the time?' the correspondent queried.
AT first he read and wrote and tried
to bury himself in mathematics replied
| NJ. Labori; but he has confessed ,he lost
hope as the climate and the tortures un-
dermined his health and he became less
| capable Of intelligent occupation. For
months he passed several hours of the day
pacing the fenced enclosure like Gagged
lion. Finally he had not even energy
enough 10 do that. Painting with heat he
crouched in corner, moving only as the
sun moved, that he might keep in the
shade. AT the last he had become so bruti-
fed that he neglected the most elementary
cares of the toilet.
Did the thought of suicide ever come
| to his mind?'
Yes, often during the last two years
But it would have been impossible for him
to have taken his life. Since the agitation
in his behalf began in France his guards
have most dreaded his suicide lest they
should be accused of his murder.
'Dreyfus is now studying his case after
plan / have mapped out. He has al
: the documents. The trial will probably
not take place before August.
"'Are you confident of the result?
CONFIDENT
''Labori arose. and with combative tos!
Of his defiant head exclaimed:
IF they want fight, now is the time
Let them all come onv"
A Water Cress Trust.