New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-09-20
Tbe Story Of Capt, Dreytus,


A great many of our readers undoubt-z
edly have heard good deal about tile
late trial of Capt. Dreyfus, but as many
more have asked, what was he tried for?
Below we give history of the affair
which shows how much Dreyfus had to
do with it. 1t is as follows:
On October 81, 1894, Paris newspa-
per announced that an officer Of the
French army had been arrested for be-
traying army secrets. This plunged the
nation into wild excitement, which be-
came greater when it was limited that the
country which had benefited by this
treachery was frances great enemy
Germany. For some time past the War
Department had been aware that the
military movements were becoming
known outside, bat it had not been able
to discover the traitor. 1t was said now.
that spy had brought to Colonel Sand.
herr, chief of the Bureau of Secret In
telligence, some fragments of paper
found in the waste basket of Lieutenant
Colonel schwarzkoppen, military attache
of the German embassy at Paris. When
pieced together it was found to be a
memorandum-or bordereau as the
French call it-of five papers about the
French army, which had heen sent by
the writer to his correspon. Mt. Here,
indeed, was clew to the mystery the
War Department longed to unravel, for,
although the bordereau was neither
signed nor dated, if the handwriting
could be identified, the traitor might be
1un down.
Sandherr called to his assistance one
of his aids; Commandant du Patty de
Clam, who declared the writing bore
most striking resemblance to that of AL
bert Dreyfus, a Jewish captain of artil-
lery, who had been attached to the Gen.
eral Staff as reward for proficiency in
military studies. Experts in handwrit-
ing we're consulted, with the result that
an order was issued for Captain Dreyfus
to appear on the 18th of October at the
War Department IL civilians clothes.
He came at the appointed time; and was
closely and harshly questioned by Du
Patty de Clam in room which had been
hung with mirrors, so that his every look
and gesture could be noticed. Portions
of the bordereau were dictated to him,
and he was made to write some of the
words as often as sixty times, sometimes
rapidly and sometimes slowly, with
gloves on aud with gloves off, lying
down, sitting up, standing, with this pen
and with that one, any and every way
that his inquisitors could devise. Sud-
denly du Patty de Clam, with flashing
eyes, exclaimed in furious tones: "You
are trembling! You are guilty!" Drey-
fus demanded to know of what he was
accused; but this du Patty de Clam re-
fused to tell him. In vain Dreyfus pro-
tested he was innocent of any wrong do
ing, Cochefert, Chief of Police, was
called in, and, on warrant dated the
day before, he carried Dreyfus off to a
cell in Cherche-Midi, the military pris-
on, which had been prepared for him the
day before by order of the war minister,
General Mercier.
Accused of the vile crime of betray-
ing his country, not allowed to have any
communication with his family or
friends, not even to send word to his
wife to let her know what had happened
to him, D1eyfus was almost crazed by
the extent of the calamity of which he
had become the victim. He rushed
around his cell, oyerturning everything
in it and dashing his head against the
wall without seeming to feel any effect
from the injuries he received. i.
Dreyfus in prison, du Patty de Clam
went to his house to look for evidence
that would prove his guilt beyond ques-
ton. He told Madame Dreyfus that her
husband had been arrested, but would
not tell her upon what charge nor where
he was imprisoned. He made her swear
to keep the matter secret by the threat
that any disclosure of his arrest would
imperil the life of her husband. A most
thorough search was made throughout
the house, but nothing was found that
in any way showed that Dreyfus was in
correspondence with a foreign power.
Nevertheless, du Patty was firmly con-
vinced that he was gullty-his papers
had been destroyed, that was all.
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