The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-07-17
DREYFUS TRAGEDY
Emil ZOla Writes Interestingly
AbOut the Famous Case.

Emile Zola may be somewhat preju-
diced when Il comes to criticisng the let
ters Of Alfred Dreyfus. but IL Is certain
thar the letters in many respects bear
witness to the truth Of his statement
This is how zola describes them; They
ere admirable ! do not know OF any
pages of higher conception or more ell
oauent They have attained the sublime
in sorrow. ana afterwards all endure hke
an imperishable moument when our own
writings, perhaps shah have passed INTO
oblivion For they are the sob itself OF all
human suffering The man who wrote
these letters cannot be guilty Read them,
read them some evening with your ram
lily gathered around your hearthstone. You
will be dissolved in tears.
The Dreyfus affair hitherto has been like
= novel without hero-that is, the hero
disappeared in the opening chapter, ana
II has taken ever since TO develop the plot
and work u2 aclimax which ls almost
without parallel for its dramatic quality
Enter the hero, mete out justice TO the
william, and the world Is satisfied. These
little plays with Destiny, the greatest ana
most artistic stage manager the world nas
ever seen, never fail Of their effect ans
their = more JOY in the world over the
happy ending TO this great historic play,
the DreyfHs affair than could be derived
from the best novel or short story in the
world. because the degradation OF this in
nocent man was a thing which came
home with startling power TO an peo-
pies The hero Of the tragic story was
lost sight Of after In the first chapter. II
was known where he was and thai was
almost all. The scene ot the story os told
hitherto by the newspapers was laid al
most entirely in France. or the scenes
laid IN Ple du Diable. and Of the feelings
which ruled IN the heart Of tho man. tori
from his family and his honor. the news
papers have not been IN a positioa tS
speak II had been LEFT entirely % oul
imagination TO piece out that part OF th'
story until the publication OF CAPITA %
Dreyfus letters to his wife closed the gaI
and completed the sad history OF gan
aire Dreyfus.
The translation OF these letters, whici
Harper and Brothers ore about 10 pub
hsh under the title OF The Letters O
Dreyfus 20 his wife. gives US for the frs
time the story IN the prisoners Owl
words; and It is a story that for pathos
tragedy. despair. and true Spartan hero
ism Is unsurpassed IN tn annals Of eithe
history or fiction. The arrest which too
place on the 18th OF October. 1854. came M
ON Dreyfus Ire bolt from a cleas SIX,
For almost two months the liberty q
writing TO his wife was even prohibite,
but on December the longed for permli
sion was obtained, and thereafter letter
passed between husband and wife dali
ana sometimes almost hourly. until ne va
removed 20 Devlls Island. The letters pul
hshed Ia this volume cover the peric
fTono December S. 1884. 10 March s. lsss
Il goes without saying that ne enti
correspondence should be read 70 appr
c.ate their pathos aud their liopele
tragedy OF the writer's lot. The eXt1ae
which this article contains will give foi
conception OF ther general ciaaraet'
They also give for the hrst time an iu
mate insight into the heroc soul OF th'
author Il win be, perhaps. best 70
gin with IA second letter or the seri'
dated December s. 1854 when DT@ynas
yet hardly E-ahzed the danger that me
aced him
THE LETTERS.
Il am waiting with lmpatienne Tor =
tar frorn vcu You are my hope. you :