The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-07-15

Innocent as will all who know me- The letter written after his trial read as follows;
 II suffer much, but pity you stll
 more than myself, I know how mucf you love me, Your heart must bleed , on my side. my adored one, my though
 has always been of you night and day
 To be innocent, to have lived life 5 without a stain, and to see ones sell condemned fo the most monstrous crime that soldier can commit! What could be more terrible! It seems to me al times that I am a victim of an awful nightare.
 'It is for you alone that have resist ed until to-day; it is for you alone my adored one, that I have borne my long agony Will my strength hold out to the end? 1 cannot tell. No one but you can give me courage. It Is only from your love that I can draw 1t.
 Above all else, no matter what may become of me, search for the truth; move Earth and Heaven to discover it: sink in the effort, if need be, all our fortune; to rehabilitate my name, which now is dragged through the mud. No matter what may be cost, we must wash out the unmerited stain.'
 The following Is taken from a letter in the same strain written a few days later:
 'I do not sleep, and it is to you that I return. Am I then marked by fatal seal, that I must drink this cup of bit terness? At this moment I am calm. My soul is strong, and it rises in the silence of the night. How happy we were, my darling. Life smiled on us; fortune, love, adorable children, a united famly-everything! Then came this thunderbolt, fearful, terrible. Buy l pray of you, playthings for the chill dren, for their New Years Day; tell ] them that their father sends them, It must not be that their poor souls, just entering upon life, should suffer through our pain.
 "Oh, my darling, had not I you how gladly would I die, Your love holds me back, it is your love only that makes me strong enough to bear the hatred of a nation.
 And the people are right to hate me; they have been told that am a traitor. An, traitor, what a terrible word! It breaks my heart
 T traitor! Is it possible that they could accuse me and condemn me for crime so monstrous "Cry aloud my innocence; cry it with all the strength of your lungs; cry it upon the housetops, till the very walls fall
 "And hunt out the guilty one. It is he whom we must find.
 "I embrace you as I love you.
 Alfred"
 After his fate was sealed and he had been removed to Devils Island, his de- termination that the truth shall be brought to light is stronger than ever. From the first of the letters written from Devils Island we select the follow ing. which is in itself sufficient evidence of the bold and undaunted resolution with which he faced his fate.
 T made for your sake the greatest | sacrifice a man can make in resigning | myself to live after my tragic fate was | decided. did this because you had in- | culcated In me the conviction that the | truth must always come to light. In | your turn, my darling do all that is | humanly possible to discover the truth. A wife and a mother yourself, try to | move the hearts of wives and mothers, so that they may give up to you the key of this dreadful mystery. l must have my honor if you want me to live I must have 1t for our dear children. Do not reason with your heart; that does no good. l have been convicted. Nothing can be changed in our tragic .,% |. .s,t- .l..x 1. l been reversed. Reflect, then, and pur- sue the solution of this enigma That will be worth more than coming here to share my horrible life. Say to yourself that it is a question of life or death for me, as well as for our children"
 And what could be more touching than the following letter to his little boy, written from Devils Island: 'Cher Petit Pierre:
 Papa sends good big kiss-s both to you and to little Jeanne. He thinks very often of you both. I trust you will show little Jean how to make big high towers of blocks, which it is such fun 70 tumble down. Be good children, and = pet your mother when she is sad Also 4 De kind to grandfather and grand mother, and play no bad tricks on your lunts. When papa returns from his ourney, you will come to meet him at he station with little Jeanne, with and all the rest.
 More big kisses for you and for came.
 "Your Papa" The last letter but one that is in- luded in the book is as follows: "1 have written very many letters uring these last months. To add any hing to these would be superfiuous ave told you concerning all the ap- calls which I have written since last November to demand my rehabilitation, or justice at last to SO many innocent ictims. In one of my last letters 1 told ou that the last appeal which I had ant to the government was stronger nd more determined than ever. l am xpecting every day to hear that my 9storation has taken place, that our as terrible as it was un- lerited, is at an end, that the day of ,stice has come for us. I desire to-day nly that I may kiss you with all my cart as I love you, as also dear and l. lored children" -
 Your devoted
 Alfred" J In conclusion, if there existed the