Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-09-10

n event are matters OF such recent his
! tory that they need not be retold. The
Al detai lis as recounted below were secur-
Il ed last January by Mr.. Robert II. She
Ii Sard for McClure's Magazine. Mr.. She
" rard visited Paris for the purpose of
e the inquiry, and exhausted all avalla-
81 ole sources of correct Information.
What he says, therefore, has the conf
Abined merits Of authenticity and nom
4 craftsmanship.
81 rHE FIRST OF THE CASE.
ststfO On November 49, 1894, M. Edouard
III Drumont. editor of La Libre Parole of
Is arls. received an anonymous letter an
n nouncing that an officer had been ar
crested for high treason. On the goth
,:es a an ambiguous note appeared in that
N journal asking IL 1t were true that an
v important arrest had recently taken
81 place.
SKIS Excitement in Paris was at fever
N pitch when, on November ., the name
sof the. officer who had been arrested
was made public. 1t was then learned
q LorG the first time. although his arrest
X uated from October Ia that Capt AL
y fred eDreyfus. of the Fourteenth Regi-
4 ment Of Artillery, was the man charged
win the terrible crime of high trea-
Z son.
s AT that time 1t was currently report
s3ed that the foreign government with
"a which Dreyfus traflcked WINS the Ital-
Il Ian government, and though since then
NJ mas been stated. and is generally ac-
sScepted that 1t was with Germany that
these dealings took place, no actual in
formation on the subject has ever been
4 given. From the very beginning. and
with one exception only. policy of abb
q solute secrecy has been observed by the
a successive French ministries, for, rs
IN. Meline pointed out at the Senate,
y any indiscretion on this subject might
a ssln1lall5the 2graYest consequences ont
= tlon.
81. 58 NO MOTIVE SHOWN.
~ Q valid motive why Dreyfus should
v nave committed these acts of treachery
was put forward at the time of the ar
n rests or ever has been since. He was
aaman Of considerable private means
& Ills own private Income exceeded $40 900
u . year, and his wife. the daughter of
Sfcne OF the richest diamond merchants
d IN Paris, had large fortune of her
S$ own own. Indeed. at the time of her hus-
IS pand.s arrest. Nine. Dreyfus had a sum
~ Ss0,o0o lying at her bankers waiting
On the other hand, AL
II Ired& Drsyfus was not n spcndthrift.
Il lie was passlonately devoted TO his wifs
land children, and had no liaison out
s SIDE OF his family circle. He was not
"a gambler, but man of steady habits.
VINO returned home directly his work
Il Was over The only luxury he allowed
s himself was his stable He had some
~ peautlful horses. Al school, as I'm the
"a arm army. ne was reputed hard worker.
'Sttli VIE was never very popular with his
Il comrades, who accused him OF naughty
sGmanners.
5Es HIS SECRET ARREST.
s.s.lt has since transpired that for some
lime lime previous to his arrest, in conse.
-Guehee- OF q constant 'Ieakage" Of doc
y nlIInents which had been noticed al The
y Hsecond bureau, Dreyfus had been UNI
ger suspicion of his chiefs. This sus-
s picloh must have become a certainty.
Il iWhen, ton October !, he was detached
b from the ministry of war an(, npnoint.
s5edeB ITO service in the Thirty-ninth Regi-
S|m men at the Ecole Militaira, for, ms
STATED, period of three months. On
Lille Lille morning of October II he received
"a az nome, a luxurious apartment near
ssfftiime5 Irocadero. q summons to attend a
~ Inc ministry on the following morning.
sst1e GieIt nome to go to the ministry In
u consequence, on the morning of Octo-
Il per 10 and was not seen or heard of
&again until the news Of his arrest wo
e made public on November i.
$50 "a eanwhile Alfred Dreyfus had pre-
q scented himself at the ministry OF war
sSde. Clam. '''
!; am am very glad 10 see my dear com
n Taeae.. said the major 1--WE will no Out
ssdogethers directly and I Will then foil
q you 59What have asked you to come
mere tor.g just now am very busv So
sSsRspuld you be so good ms to take down
) 81 81 .is LEI ter which will dictate to Won
sNY'nist ! am sorting these papers. 1t IS,
B as ls tier to Gen. de Boisdcffre abo,It
some documents which he has asked me
for. 4 !, {s, ''>' ' ''ie
There were three other people IN Tho
i room. all strangers to Alfred Drevf,,s
1 ANA circumstance which only struck
1 A 9In prisoner afterwards-certa mir.
1 TOTS mad been SO arranged that every
ft!noYement OF his features could be seen
4 everybody present. -
ssS Dreyfns sat down and took IN q non
fssST The major began to dictate: "AI.
sthough ] have had no news from Won
line fect that you wish to see mo T
S sssn.;r send you. sir. some infor-
melton OF interest. -,
TT hen interrupting himself suddenly
ne cried, OUT: Write properly, my
Sgood fellow. What is the matter with |
you our hand seems to shaken
'ssSs " fingers are cold" said Dreyf,,s.
~ re very carefuli' said The major |
PHI y 1s q very serious business" Then
;heSe0ntlhued his dictatlon as follows:
SO t5s Blrstsi Q. note on the hydraulic brake
ON II worked when experiments
we're made. q a l 3 - -
econdly, q note concerning the COW
erirsg forces Several notifications will
bS made, by he new pan
aaee note relating to 8Mada-
Tifthiv&tf the draft OF q manual fof ar.
tiiiery field practice, March IA, 1894.
& This SlaatG dccumentyEts extremely
si9ss TITO Y,racu re and ! can only have