The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-02
NINE. DREyFUs as A HEROINE.

NINE. DREYFUS as A HEROINE.
The world is ringing with the name OF
Captain Alfred Dreyfus. and a charac-
ter sketch of his heroic wife will there
fore be read with special interest just
now. Few instances of womanly devo-
ton and sacrifice equal and none sur
pass in tragic nobility the example of
this French wife and mother.
1t was at the end OF 1889 that Mile.
Lucie Hadamard. daughter of NJ. Hada-
mard. d Paris diamond merchant, met
Captain Alfred Dreyfus for the first
time. The two young people became en-
gagged and were married some two or
three months later, April Il. 1850. Their
early married life was not without its
troubles. Nine. Dreyfus was delicate.
and the health of her little son was a
constant source of anxiety. There came
in due time period Of many months os
happiness. which was unbroken until
Oct. Is. 1894. when Captain Dreyfus re-
ceived a letter ordering him to call at
the ministry of war. The arrest and
what followed are now matters of his
tory. Account books and private CORE
Spondence were seized beneath the eyes
of the young wife of "a Not even the
letters written by her 10 her husband
before marriage were respected. After
three months torture Nine Dreyfus re-
ceived permission to see her husband
Soon afterward he wrote 10 her. That
which did me most good was to feel
that you were so coura geous and so
valiant. so full of affection for me-"
The wives of French political prison
ers are usually accorded the privilege
Of joining their husbands in exile if
they so wish. and there was a time
when Nine. Dreyfus hoped TO be grant
ed that privilege on the fun under
standing that she would submit to the
same rigorous discipline as that i'm
posed upon her husband at the lie Gu
Diable. But her request was refused.
Since that time she has realized that
she could best serve her husbands in
terests at home in those ceaseless eff
forts to obtain revision with which we
are all acquainted. Deserted by many
of her old friends, she has lived alone
with her two children, from whom she
has succeeded up to the present in hid
ing the true nature of their fathers de-
parture from France, alternately pass
ing her time in the suburbs of Paris
and at her fathers house.
Nine. Dreyfus has all along retained
the hope of eventually proving the in
EQUITY of her husbands condemnation.
and never has she let an opportunity
slip of applying to the minister of jus
tice for a revision Of the 1894 trial
whenever a reasonable plea could be
brought forward. She has never lost
hope-not even when Esterhazy was
acquitted-or neglected to demand more
light.
During the early part OF Captain
Dreyfus' captivity there was fairly free
communication between husband and
wife. and Nine. Dreyfus obtained con-
ISOLATION from the thought that books
which she had read would be handled by
her husband, that the passages in them
which she bad marked would be read
over and over again by MIN. But about
a year ago the government informed
her that she would not be allowed 20
send any more books TO the lie du Di-
able in future. a short time afterward
she received another communication to
the effect that only copies of her hus-
bands letters would in future be hand
ed to her. Captain Dreyfus telegra phed
TO his wife on one occasion that all was
well with him in reply to a letter in
which she anxiously inquired after his
welfare. 1t will hardly be believed that
the telegram was kept for several
months by the government before IT
was delivered to her
One who saw Nine. Dreyfus shortly
after the court of cessation had given
judgment in favor of revision of the
trial of 1894 describes the impression
made upon her by the decision. A little
Of the sorrow in her sweet. distinguish
ed face had fed at the good news and
for the first time for years a look of Joy
in her frank. intelligent eyes.
She spoke of the long. weary waiting
for the judges TO return into court MY
very life and the lives of my children"
she said, were in the balance at that
Now, however. every hope IL
given to us. From all sides | have re-
ceived sympathetic congratulations
am extremely moved at the manifesto
tons of interest which have been shown
toward me-" Having every reason to
believe that Captain Dreyfus is limo
cent of the crime of being a traitor TO
his country. his wife would none the
less have acted the part of noble and
devoted woman IL he were really proved
10 be guilty.