The Washington weekly post., 1899-05-30
Strong Grounds for Revision
of the Dreyfus Case.
CASE REVIEWED By u. BEAUPRE
Report of the Findings of the Civil Section
of the Court of Cessation Laid Before the
Full Bench-Appreheusion of Popu-
lar Demonstration at the Palace of jus
tice Proved GrouDdless-Judicial HIS
tory of the French Cause Celebre.

| lOtDleS OF the Palace Ol JGGNANts Jul hAAN
crowds in the vicinity were not large. Inc
| Colonel commanding the guard at the
! palace had been given special fe-entorce-
ments, and considerable forces OF MILL
| tary and mounted police had been as
| sembled at the barracks in the vicinity
of the court. Spectators about the palaee
we're selling seats at points OF vantage
for from 10 10 70 francs each, put the
business done was not as good as during
the Zola trial. when they easily obtained
40 francs for seats.
The courtroom was filed with Partisan
celebrities, the greater part OF the hall
having been reserved for ticket holders.
There were about twenty ladies' among
the audience filling the galleries.
Amid profound silence, NJ. BeaupTe, the
President of the civil section of the court
read his report on the case. After recall
ing the conditions under which the prose-
cution of Dreyfus was Instituted IN 1871
he read a number of eulogistic reports on
Dreyfus. when the latter was a military
school probationer on the genera! Stau'
his interrogatory by Lieut.. Col. Gu Patty
de Clam, in which Dreyfus persisted IN
DENYING having had relations with any
foreign embassy, and his statement that
he had not given any documents to any
agent relating to the defense OF the coun-
try.
Dreyfus' Declaration of Innocence.
The reporter afterward described the
scene in du Patty de CLAIMS office, IN the
presence of the Chief of Detectives, NJ.
Rochefort, and eketched the history or
the Dreyfus family. According to du Patty
de Clam. Dreyfus, when he saw the re-
semblance to his handwriting, eXclaim-
ed: They have stolen my handwriting"
1t was also pointed out that Dreyfus,
when the report of Ormes-Chevilles was
presented at the cOurt-martial, protested
he had never seen the 120 short gun used,
and that he did not know before July OF
the disposition of the frontier forces. The
prisoner also said he had not had copy
OF the firing manual, knew nothing OF the
documents respecting Madagascar, and
said TO the reporter of the court-martiai:
Il have now been more than six weeks in
confinement. / swear l am innocent. The
son of an Alsatian Protestant, 1 aban-
doned everything to serve France, and |
am to-day worthy Of leading her soldiers
on the battlefield. The martyrdom l
suffer is atrocious."
II. Ballot de Beaupre then dealt with
the Ormes-Chevilles report and DreyfuS'
relations with married women. The re-
port said the first suspicious OF Dreyfus
emenated from Col Fabre who was
struck with the similarity OF the word
artillery in the bOrdereau and in a
document written by Dreyfus.
Col. Henry's Testimony.
Continuing, the report dealt with Lieut.
Col. Henrys account of his conversation
with Dreyfus when the latter was trans
ferred TO the Cherche Midi prison. Drey-
fus said: ut is terrible; am accused of
a frightful thing" Henry asked of what
he was accused, and Dreyfus replied:
Il am accused Of the crime of high trea-
son." THE devil"' answered Henry. but
on what grounds?" II don't know" said
Dreyfus. 81 am nearly mad 1 would
prefer to receive a bullet in the head.
am not guilty. This accusation is the
death of my life"
To this Henry said: 'If you are NOT
guilty you must not lose your head. An
innocent man is always strong. Have Won
a family? Yes" replied the prisoner
"A wife and children. I am we'll of. and
| must have justice done me-" THAT
does not come within my competence"
was Henry'S next remark; but Justice
will certainly be done you Do YOU now
what you are accused of?' YES. | am
accused of giving documents to 4 foreign
power. What dOcuments?" Il don't
know. Du Patty de Clam only smoke of
secret and confidential dOcumen,s. with
out further explanation. | replied that
during my probation at the general STAFF
office many documents passed through nv
hands, but that L communicated them to
nobody
The Ormes- -Chevilles report concluded
with saying that Dreyfus, havin, a sun
pie and very obsequious character, was
adapted for espionage.
Reasons for Revision.
NJ. Ballot de BeaUpre then reviewed the
judicial history of the case and said il
now rested with the court to pronounce
judgment. He upheld the statement mat
there was sufficient presumption that
most serious errors and doubts existed
and that they justified a revision of the
case. He had examined the different
cases in which the court could aunuI
without retrial, and said that il
his opinion the court ought noe ID con-
slider the idea OF annulling the sentence.
but should only consider a revision of il.
A revision, he cOntended, was impe-a i've.
and in support of hts statement he re-
aedrsed the facts on which the apolica-
tion for a revision was bassi, among
which he included the culpable machina-
tiOns OF Henry and du Patty de Clam
against Dreyfus, their ''outr4 zeolIs
schemes" 10 force the hand Of tae MinIs-
ter OF War and obliSe him 70 prosecute
DFeyfus and the convincing effac-s" Of
their dispositions on the COurt-lnartiaI
NJ. Ballot de Beaupse then reviewed
Nal Count EsterhaZys come eIIon ,Itn
the case, as already known.
Esterhszy the Real CuIprit.
After reading ". Mornard's defense.
which concluded by maintaining that the
material evidence Of the bordereau ana
the moral evidence cropping out during
the inquiry pointed not 70 Dreyfus. but 70
Esterhazy as the culprit, NJ Ballot de
Beaupre dealt with the question Of mo-
tive. He read the police report furnished
by NJ GueBee, the detective, al unfayor-
able TO Dreyfus, and reports Of the pre-
lecture Of police, pointing out that there
had been = confusion Of Dreyfus with
others OF the same name. who had been
mixed up with gambling and disreputabIe |
female associations. The latter reports |
were net produced az the trial In 1894
VI. Ballot de Beaupre then pointed out |
that Dreyfus could not have acted a. = /
traitor from anger or disappointment, : /
fe had the finest prospects Of an excellent 1
military career. On the other hand. Eater /
hazy, the reporter alleged. vas = soldier /
of fortune always begging frona the /
money lenders
Continuing, the reporter read letter
written BY Esterhszy abusing France s.af
the French Army, these producing = d., 1
upon the audience
Plain DntV Of the Court.
At this point, with the evident approval
1f all who listened, u. Ballot de Besua-e
quoted from NJ Mornard's statement -
fellows:
Although justice has been rendered
more or less impotent with regard 10 Fs-
erhazy by the latters acquitt2i OF he
,harge Of being the acthor OF the bordA-
eau. IL Is none the less the duty OF the
supreme court TO restore 70 liberty an |
innocent man unJustly condemned"
Prior 10 the adjournment - Ballot de 4