Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-08-24
DOCUMENTS IN THE DREYFUS
CASE.

| OOOO III - 11N LII OLO
CASE.
| The bordereau, go often mentioned in
the Dreyfus case, is memorandum OF
notes on military subjects. 1t was ad.
dressed by some French officer or other
person having access to French military
secrets to Col. SchwartZkoppen, the
military attache at the German Embes sg
10 Paris. The French secret service
discovered the. bordereau in the Ger
man Embassy before it had been seen
by Col. ScHwsrlzkoppen. 1t was CHA &.
| ed that Dreyfus wrote the bordereau,
several hsndw i.ing experts saying that
Cne writing was identical with that Of
the accused man. The bordereau,
which was written and discovered in
September 1894, reads as follows:
Sir: Though have no news indicat.
ng that you desire to see me, never.
theless l am sending to you some inter
esting bits Of information.
l. A note on the hydraulic brake OF
the 120 and the way this piece behaved
2. A note on the covering troops
(some notifications will be entailed by
the new plan).
8. a note on o modification OF aril-
lery formations.
4. A note relsliveto NJ, dagascar.
5. The project of the firing manual
for field artillery March IA, 1891
The last document is extremely diff
cult to procure, and I can only have it
at my disposal during very few days
The Minister of War has sent limi ed
number OF copies to the several corps,
and these corps are responsible for its
return, each officer in possession Of one
10 return it after the manoeu7res.
siIf, then, you would like to take out
OF it whatever interests you and holi
it afterward at my disposal I will take
IT, unless, indeed, you would like me
TO have it copied in extenso and then
address to you the copy.
l am just off to the manoeuvres.
Two years after Dreyfus had been
sent to DEVILS Island, Lieutenant-Colo
rel Picquart, then at the head OF the
secret service department OF the army,
made discoveries which led him to in-
vestigate the record of Count Esterhszy,
a major in the Fieach army. These
investigations showed that E5terhaZy's
handwriting was identical with that OF
the borderesu. A search of MS house
revealed note paper OF the same pecu-
liar kind on which tho borderesu was
written. Colonel Ficquart
communicated his suspicious to his su
periors, and he was warned to keep
silent. When he displayed an inclina-
ton to carry the matter further be was
suddenly detached from his department
and sent to Tubis, where hs
was kept for year The facs
discovered by Lieut.. Col Picquart had
however, become known, and it be-
came necessary to court.martial Ester
hazy Oh the charge of writing the
bordereau. He was acquitted on jan
uary II, 1898, but it was made so un-
pleasant for him that ne fled to England
the following Septem Der. There be
confessed in the office OF a London
newspaper 10 being the author OF the
oordereau.
The petit bleu is the name of the
postal card sent through the Pneumatic
ubss of Paris. Tne petit bleu, however,
nes really 10 direct connection with the
sullt or Innocence Of D. .es lus. One o.
Colonel P,cquart assistants, in May
1896. brought him uumber of papers
which had been surrep;itiously remov'
cd from a waste-paper basket in the
office OF the German Embassy. These
! papers contained the scraps of one OF
me familiar little blue postal cards
Lieutenant-Colonel Picquart had the
scraps pasted together and found
hat the card vas addressed to
Major E3ternazy. On tha other
side was this message: II expect
above alI q more detailed staten sni
than The one you recently gave me con-
| corning the pending question. l ask
you, consequently. to give it to me iD
| writing, so | can come 10 some coLclu-
sion whether or not 10 continue my re-
latiors to the house of B."
1t was this card that caused Col, Pic
| quart TO make careful investigation OF
| Esterhazy and his affairs. 1t was while
examining speciments OF the letters
| writing that he Was struck by its resem
| bsnce to that OF the bordereau and
| subsequent Investigations convinced
him that Esterhazy and not Dreyfus
was the traitor.
The secret dossier, which means q
secret record OF the case, includes some
400 papers or documents. 1t has boen
carefully guarded from the first, and
never had been exhibited except to
comparatively few persons who have
first made oaths not to reveal lis con-
tents. Reasons OF state are given iol
the secrecy observed. The dossieI
figured prominently in the Original
conviction of Dreyfus, aud was the cniel
factor in effecting the order OF revision
granted by the judges of the Court Of
Cessation. Many of the papers in inc
dossier are said to be forgeries, and 1t
is believed some of them have been de-
stroyed since the original presentation
to prevent complications with foreign
powers.
The Court of Cessation, which revts-
ed the verdict OF guilty reached by the
first court-martisl and ordered tnat
Dreyfus be retired. is the highest Ju-
dietary tribunal in Fraucs, the equiva'
laut of the United States Supreme