El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-09

Alfred Dreyfus is the son of wealthy
Hebrews of Mulhausep. His father
was an Alsatian who elected to re-
main French citizen at the time Of
the transfer of Alsace and Lorraine to
Germany at the close of the Franco
Prussian war.
Alfred refused the brilliant opening
which his father offered him in bust
ness to enter first the Ecole Poly
technique, then the Ecole d'Applica-
ton d 'Artillerie at FOntainebleau, and
finally the Ecole de Guerre. At his
final examination he graduated ninth
in his class, and was appointed to a
post in the bureau of the general staff,
with the rank of captain. He married,
in 1890, Mile. Hadaward, daughter of q
wealthy Partisan man of business.
On October 25, 1894, the Libre Parole
of Paris announced that an officer of
the general staff WAS accused Of trea-
son. Patrie and Eclair also limited
more vaguely at the same news. Then
on November 1, 1894, Libre Parole
printed definitely the news that q Jew
lsh staff officer named Dreyfus had be-
trayed France, and was confined in the
prison of Cherche- Midi.
These facts led up TO the arrest. In
Septemp Der, 1894, the secret service of
the French war department received,
with other papers, one which had been
written three months previously,
enumerating certain documen.s de-
livered by an unknown spy to Major
Won SchwarkOppen, the German mill
tary attache. These documents con-
stitute the memoranda, or famous bOr-
dereau, which has figured in the case.
Searching investigation revealed no
trace of the guilty person. But finally
the late Marquis de Mores, a fanatical
Jew-hater, in discussing the case, eX-
claimed:
The traitor can be only the Jew of
the general sta1!
Dreyfus was the only Jew on the staff
and from that moment he was doomed.
Du Patty de Clam, an agent in the Sc
cret service, and Colonel Ssndherr,
head of the bureau, at once believed
they recognized the handwriting OF
Drey fus in the bordereau. De Clam
was entrusted with the task of making
a searching investigation and the result
was that when Dreyfus appeared be-
fore the minister of war on October 10
to undergo examination he was placed
under arrest On a warrant taken out
two days earlier, charging him with
treason.
No information was given to him re-
garding the basis of the accusation.
and he was shut off from all communi-
cation with the outside world, save
through De Clam, who called on him
daily at his prison and eudeavered to
extort q confession.
He was put on trial. Novem Der 10.
1894, the proceedings being secret, and,
although the best expert witnesses OBJ
tainable had declared the bordereau
was not in his hand writing, he was con-
victed, protesting his innocence all the
90 lie and SPntoppp0 tn 0aOrRQ 3tinn
snd Danish ment. Apparently his
downfall was complete.
At the same time Lieutenant Colo
rel Picousrt, a gallant and popular Of
ficer, was put in chsrge of the Third
Bureau. He was wishout interest in
Dreyfus-did not even know him. His
duties made him familiar with the
famous case. however, and he had no.
been ip office long before he was
struck With the similarity of the hand
writing of one Court Ferdinand Eester-
hszy,snd that of.the writing in the bor-
dereau.
Investigations which he set on foot