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


opinion and it was at once admitted that such
accusation would be formulated unless it rested up
on the most serious grounds. Surprise was how
ever expressed at the channel by which the public
was made acquainted with fact OF such national
Importance.
It was soon learned that the of La Libre
Parole was correct. The name of the suspected Off
Ger was Alfred Dreyfus. He had already been ncar-
cerated in the military prison of Cherche- Midi for
more than two weeks He belonged to Alsatan
family and was of the most brilliant officers of
the French army. After graduating from the Ecole
Polvtechnque and the special artillery school at
Fontainebleau, he had for while served in artl-
ery regiment, and then entered the Ecoe Superieure
de la Guerre, which is designed to provide the Gen
eral Staff with officers familiar with every branch of
military science. 1t owing to the simple force of
his demonstrated merit that he had been called to
the confidential position he occupied in the central
Offices of the General Staff 1t also stated, and
not denied that he belonged to wealthy family, and
that his fortune placed him. in appearance at least,
above the reach of temptations of pecuniary
nature
There was, therefore, from the start in the case a
mysterious element. What motives could have in
duced of Asace to betray the country to which
Alsace remained passionately attached in spite of
it's annexa ton to Germany? What motives could
have induced Hebrew to betray the country which
of all countries in Eurspe had proved most generous
to his race? The anti Semitic papers had a ready
to these questions Captain Dreyfus
traitor because he Jew-that is, man with
out a country. But the credit of the anti-Semitic
papers then very small and in the press we'll
as in public opinion there was the whole wide
spread disposition to suspend judgment until after
the meeting of the military tribunal before which the
suspected captain to appear, and hope that,
after ALL it would be found that the ranks Of the be
loved French army did not contain any traitor
SECRET TRIBUNAL
This hope doomed to disappointment The
military tribunal met December 49, 1894 The
proceedings secret. 1t said that a publca-
ton OF the evidence might have brought a declara-
ton OF war OF Germany against France. Theculprit
was ably defended by the foremost criminal LAWYER
of the Paris bar Matre Demange and at the close Of
the trial found guilty as per the indictment
The charge was that of having communicated to
foreign power documents of such nature that they
might result IN declaration of war The penalty
was that Of degradation from the army and trans
portation tor life in fortified spot 1t is to be noted
here that one of the chief for the accusation
had been an officer holding high position in the
secret infor nation department of the War Office
Lieutenant Colonel Henry
What had been thus far the attitude of the man
who had just been declared by his peers traitor to
his country? Consistently, continuously from the
very first day of his imprisonment he had pro ested
his innocence, and no word had escaped him which
might be construed into admission ofgult What
his attitude after had been passed upon
him? In public it remained what it had been before
He went through the terrible ordeal of public degra-
dation in the presence of detschments from all the
bodies of troops then garrsoned in Paris surround
ed by thousands and thousands spectators, whose
hearts were filled with execration for the crime of
which he had been declared guilty, and who found
even his terrible punishment too lenient for such
crime. He never fnched. From the moment when
he brought before the troops to the end of that
terrible rching past in front of every detachment