Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-07-14


rmue zola may be somewhat preiu-
~ when 1t comes TO criucising the
-, NJ Alfred Drcyfus. but It Is cer-
IN, that the letters In many respects
,ituess TO the truth Of his state
II, fhIs ~ how Zola described themi
-. nro admirable. do not know OF
psres NJ higher conception or
.ieancnt. Thcy have attained
~. sutllme iu sorrow. and Afterwards
I'm endure like an impeiinhinle tlol-
mont when our own writlngs, pethsta,
uG b4ye paasDd into oblivion. For
.ta the cob itself " nll human
limo The man who wrote these
a,i.rs cannot be guilty. Read them
.d them some evening. with your
t.wIff gathered around your hcarth.
.r. You viii be dissolved In trara,
s-t. Dreyfia affair hitherto has been
me = novel Without a horo-that f.. the
H., dtsappcared In the opening
r.Dt.r and IL has taken eyer since
/. develop the plot and work up q cl-
mas which ls almost without parallel
~ o. dramatic quality. Enter INC
barl mote out Justice TO the william ana
tbr world IL satisfied. Theaf utile
ri,ys with DcAuny. the greatest and
,.t artistic etngc-muuager the world
10 ever seen. never fail of their euect'
md fhHre ls more Joy IN the world over
~ happy ending 10 this great historic
NAV. the nreyfus affair than could be
t.rIg.I from the best novel W. short
si5ry In the world. because The dcgrnd-
afI.r 10 this innocent man was thinR
y.b..h came home with startling power
{, 1I peopirI. The hero of the tragic
,tor, was lost sight NJ after IN the FIRST
rhBrtsr II was known whore he was
ana that was almost all. The scene "
%. N.U . a 80 la NHaH ID 4
r4uars WAS laid almost altogether IN
France. OF an the scenes laid 10 llle
du uInhlr. and tho feelings which ruled
in One heart Of man, torn from ne
family and his honor the newspapers
hiy, not boch In position To- speak.
n had been left entirely 20 our imnE-
iratIon 90 piece out that part oi the
story until tho publication Of Captain
DfnyfuFs letters To his wife closed tho
gan and completed the sad history OF
Iaitire Drcyfua.
Tbe TRANSLATION N those letters which
UHrpaf HrothcrH are about 20 publish
under the title " The Letters Of Dtcy.
fur t1 hls WIFE gives us for tho hrHt
time the story IN the priFpncrH own
words. and It ls story that Tor p1thoH
tragedy despair. aud true spartan
hHulFm IL unsurpassed In the annals
o.. either history or fiction. The arrest,
which took place on the nftoeuth ot
october 1885, came upon preyfus IKE
% bolt out u a clear nky For almost
two m0nths the liberty % writing oven
tp his wife was forbidden. but ON Dec
Umber 9TH the longcd-for permission
was obtained. and thereafter letters
passed between husband and WHO
daily, and sometimes almost hourly.
until he was removed to DevirH Island
The letters published In this volume
cover the period from December o, 1885,.
10 March % ifNs
II goes without saying that the entire
correspondence should be- rcnd 60 APP
preclato their pnthOH and tho hopeless
Tragedy % the writer's lot, The cX-
tracts which this article contains VIII
give some conception u their general
character. They also givo Tor the FIRST
time an intimate Insight Into the heroic
soul Of their author. II viii be. per-
haps best 10 begin with the second let
Ter ~ the series. dated December ..
1894. when DrcyfuB NJ yet had hardly
realized the danger that mcnnccd him,
~ am waiting with Impotence for a
letter from you. You are my liope you
are my consolation; were IL not FOR you
NE would be- q burden. Al the bare
thought that they could accuse me uf
a crime 20 frlghtful, 80 monstrous, my
whole being tremhles: my body rcvolts
against it. 10 have worked all my lie
Tor one thing alone, To avengc my coun-
Try, 90 struggle for her against the In
famous rnvishcr who has snatched from
us our dear Aisacc ana then 10 be nc-
cusel OF treason against that coun-
try-uo. my loved one, my mind refuses
90 comprehend ~ DO you remember
my telling you how, when | was In
Mllhouac. ten years ago. IN September,
] heard German band under our win
dIWH celebrating tho anniversary Of
s01lu2 My grief was such that / wept.
] Die the sheets OF my bed with rage,
and ! swore an oath 20 Cunsocrate all
uiy strength. all my intelligence, 20 the
service of my country against those
who thus offered insult to the grief OF
AlHlcc
mo. no. I will not speak Of n. for
shall go mad. and I must preserve all
my reason, Moreover my ne has hence
forth but one aim; 10 ind the wretch
who has betrayed his country. 20 Ind
ths traitor for whom no punishment
could be- too severe. Oh, dear France,
thou that / love with all my soul, with
OH my heart thou TO whom have con-
teCmtod an my strength. all my intel
llEUuCO, how could one accuse, me Of a
crime go horrible, ! WIN not write upon
this subject, my darling; for spasms
take mo by the throat No man has
ever borne the martyrdnm that | en-
durn. No physical suffering can be
compared 90 the mental agony that !
feel when my thoughts turn TO this nc
cuslilun n | had not my honor to ks-
foul. I assure you that ] should prefer
DEATH nj least. dehth would be forget
iulneas. Write me soon. My love 10
ALFRED"
From the letter written on the day
preceding his trial II N seen that he
was stlll, after two months lmprlHon-
ment sanguine and hopeful, with never