The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-18
The Story Of a Hero VIII Col. Picquart
BE Reinstated?

1t Is now taken for granted that Capt
ALFRED DREYFUs will be acquitted by the
new court-martial. and that, as a necessary
consequence, he will be reinstated in the
military rank OF which he was unjustly de-
prived. There ia reason, also. to believe
that his principal prosecutors will be dealt
with ultimately as they deserve to be-
Two OF them have already received an in
stallment OF punishment: Gen. ZURLIN-
DEN has been removed from the military
Rovernorship OF Paris, and, according to a
recent telegram, Gen. PELLIECX Is to be
relieved of all his functions. To complete
the triumph OF right. however. some
thing more will be needed than the re-
Mobilization of the original victim and
the chastisement Of the chief conspirators
What is to be done about Col PICQUART
who has been fifty described as the "heroic
partisan Of revision" and who. for express
ing his belief in the innocence Of DREYFUs
has been dismissed from the army and
imprisoned for almost q year; and who,
although he has been lately released from
Jail, Is still exposed to trial upon two
trumped-up charges3
The case Of PICQUART Is scarcely less re-
markable than that OF DREYFUs himself.
The former was not always convinced OF
the latters innocence. Like almost all his
countrymen. he for long time accepted
the sentence Of the court-Inartial and be-
lieved that the condemned Captain was
traitor OF tho BLACKLIST dye. In March,
1896. however PICoUART, having been ap-
pointed head Of the Intelligence Depart
ment Of the General staff. received horn
| containing fragments Of paper which spy
| had brought to Col. HENRY (who after
ward confessed forgery and killed him
| self, stating that they had come from the
same wastepaper basket, belonging to Col.
| NON SCHwARZKOPPEN Of the German
! Embassy. in which the bordereau had
been found. When pieced together these
fragments were found to make up
petit bleu1 or post card, which was addressed
to Monsieur lie Commandant EsTERHAZY."
| Up to that time PICQUART had never heard
OF EsTERHAZY, but, upon learning that his
character was disreputable, he obtained a
sample OF his handwriting, compared it
with that Of the bordered,t, and detected at
once that the two were identical On the
same day he asked for the so-caled secret
dOssier relating to DREYPUs. which was
said to have been privily shown to the
Judges at court-martial He examined
1t. but could find nothing therein which
seemed to be proof OF DREYFUs's guilt.
Later in the same year, PICQUART pressed
| on Gen. DE BoIsDEFFRE and Gen. GoNsE
the necessity OF the Governments taking
| the initiative in a revision Of DREYFrS's
| sentence and a considerable correspond
| cnce ensued. What he said seemed only to
irritate his chiefs. The two Generals, in
deed. never ventured to give him an open
rebukc, but they represented him as per-
verse man difficult to deal with and indis-
Greet. More than this, a low private detec-
tive was employed to spy upon him, and,
presently, the report was made that Pic
QUART had said that, in difficulties he was
in the habit of consulting his old friend. VI.
LEBLoIs, an advocate. and he had done so
with regard to the secret dOssier in the
| Dreyfus case.
In consequence OF this report or OF some
| representation from Col. HENRY that
PICoUART was n tell-tale, Gen. GoNsE with
drew the secret dossier from PICQUART at
the end Of October. 1895. about the very
time that HENRY, in order to brace up Gen.
BILLoT, then Minister Of War, who was
wavering, committed tho forgery known
by his name. The authenticity Of the
forged document was at once challenged by
PICQUART, but it was accepted by BILLoT,
who determined that the Office inquiry
against EsTERHAzY should be dropped. To
do this required the removal Of PICQUART
the head Of the office. Accordingly, on
Nov. 10. 1896, two days before IN interpret
lation concerning the Dreyfus affair, of
which notice had been given in the
Chamber Of Deputies, PICQCART was or
dered of upon mission, ostcnsbly tenn
porary one, first to the provinces and
then Ia Algeria. Tho moment his back was
turned his private letters were opened in
his Office and copied before being sent to
him. Nothing discriminatory being found, a
suspicious letter was concocted and sent TO
him through the mails; it was not for
warded, however, but put by in the Office
for future service, Nothing particular oc-
CURED during PICQUART's mission, but
there were various petty annoyances, and
one day toward the end of May, 1897, he
lost patience, and wrote sharp letter to
HENRY. complaining OF the mystiacation
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