The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-14

may be somewhat preIudieed when
In IL comes to cr:tlcising the letters
Of Alfred Dreyfus. bat IL il Ger
tain that the letters In many respects
bear witness TO the truth of his state
mens. This is how lola described them:
They are admirable. / do not know OF
any pages OF higher conception or more
eloquent They have attained the sublime
in sorrow. and afterwards viii endure like
an imperishabfe monument when our own
writings. perhaps. shall have passed into
oblivion. Fer 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 family
gathered around your hearthstone. You
viii be dissolved IN tears.
The translation of these letters. which
Harper q Brothers are about TO publish
under the title Of 'sThe Letters OF Drey-
fus to His Wife, gives us for the first
time the story in the prisoners own words,
and Ii Ia story that for pathos, tragedy,
despair and true Spartan herossm Is UNI
surpassed in the annals Of either history
or fiction. The arrest. which took place
October Is, 1884 came upon Dreyfus like
= bolt out Of ciear sky. Fer almost two
months the liberty of writing even to his
wife was forbidden, but on December
the tonged for permission was obtained.
and thereafter letters passed between hus-
band and wife daily. and sometimes al
most hourly. until he was removed TO
Devils island. The letters published In
this volume cover the period from Decen-
Der s. 1894. to March 5. 1895.
II goes without saying that the entire,
correspondence should be read to appre-
ciate their pathos and the hopeless trag-
edy OF the writer's lot. The extracts
which this article contains will give some
conception OF their general character They
also give for the first time an intimate
insight into the heroic soul of their au-
thor 1t will be. perhaps, best to begin
with the second letter OF the series. dated
December s. 1894 when Dreyfus as yet
had hardly realized the danger that men,
aced him.
Il am waiting with impotence for
letter from you. You are my hope. you
are ar, my oa s Burden no, the bape
thought that they could accuse me OF a
crime SO frightful. so monstrous, my whole
being trembles. my body revolts against
thing alone. to avenge my country. to
struggle for her against the Infamous
ravisher who has snatched from US our
dear Alsace. and then to be accused OF
treason against that counfry-oh, my loved
one. my mind refuses TO comprehend Ii.
DO you remember my telling you how,
when was In Mulhouse. ten years ago. IN
September. heard n German band under
our windows celebrating the anniversary
OF Sedan? My grief was such that |
wept. bit the sheets of my bed with
rage and / swore an oath to consecrafe
all my strength. all my intelligence, to
the service of my country against those
who thus offered insult to the grief or
Alsaee. :.
shall go mad and must preserve all my
reason Moreover. my life has henceforth
but one aim: to find the wretch who has
betrayed his country. TO md the traitor
.t<t-.~ n-&sntd ~
severe Oh dear France. thou that love
with all my soul, with all my heart: tnou
to whom ] have consecrated ali my
strength. al, my Intelligence how couid
one accuse me OF crime so horrible. l
will not wri,e upon this subject. my dar-
ling. for spasms take me by the throat
No man has ever borne the martyrdom
that endure No physical. sunerinS can
he compared to the mental agony that
feel when my thoughts turn 10 this accu-
sat.on. II had not my honor TO defend.
| assure you that should prefer death;
at least. death would he forgetfulness
ALFRED"
From the letter written on the day pre-
ced.ng his trial IL is seen that he was still.
after two months Imprisonment. sanguine
and hopeful. with never a doubt about his
ultimate acauitsai. II Is in striking con-
.rast TO the letter written after the trial.
when the wers, had happened. and the
follow:
at last I am coming 10 the end of my
sufYe,ings to the end of my agony. To-
morrow | shall appear before my judges.
my brow high, my soul Tranquil The trai
| have undergone. terrible as I; has been
has pur fed my soul shall return TO you
better than | was before. l wan. 10 con-
secrase To you. TO my children. to CUR dear
families. all the time l have left yet to
live.
las | have told you, have passed.
through awful crisses, l have had moments
Of furious, actual madness al the thought
OF being accused OF a crime SO monstrous.
Il am ready To appear before the SOL
d.ers AS soldier who has nothing for
which 10 reproaeh himself. They will see
II in my face: they viii read my soul. they
I'll he convinced that | ann innocent as
ali will who know me-
The letter written after his trial reads as
follows:
II suffer much. bar pity you stsli more
than myself. | knew how much YOU love
me. Your heart must bleed. On ny side.
my adored one, my thought has always
been OF you night and day.
To he innocent. 20 have lived life with
cut stain, and 20 see ones self condemn
ed for the mast monstrous crime that a sol
or can commit What could he more ter
ribseF II seems ia me AZ times tAat | am
the victim Of an awful nightmare.
III i~ for yoa alone that | have resisted
until today. II for you aiene. my adore.
one. that have borne my long agony. Will
my strength helt. ont to the eaig | cannot
tell. Ne one hQt yen san give me coHir-
age. II Is ealy from your love that can
draw IL
Above al else, 10 matter what may re-
ccue OF me. search for the truth. move
heaven and earth 10 discover il: sink in
tie effort IL neci he. ali oar fortune, to re-
habiifiata my name. which now Is dragged
through the mud. No matter whAt NAV -
the eeSt. we mus wash our the unaerited
stain"
The following is taken from a letter In
sAc same strain written a few days Iase-:
4 so not sleep. and II Is 10 you ia,
sets4Fsa. Am / sGVn marked b "a fatal Seal
;ast I risss drink this cup q h9,fevnesse
NJ this moment ] am cain Ny s3u4 is
strong. ana u FISTS Ia ire silence az The
n&g at How nagpy ~ were nay daring.
I-ife smiled eu rs: fsrrunc love, adorable
children. united fana4sy-everyt h ngi
Their CAME this sAssns.srtsst fearful terri
hle Hay. pray Of yau. piaytainss for he
g .trea Cor EasEs NeS Years iay. tel hem
tNSt tasiF father sends them II must not
es iasl their peer s0SsiS just entering ap.sn
bse s1cni& suffer threugh Our pain
"-tla. my darling. hal not | yau. hug
g.8.iy wsa}3 die: yo&r love holds me
bach 2 Is s1ar love that makes me rs,YYg
eroGsh - bear the aatrcd of A atom
And tbs people are right 40 hate ne:
they have been tea sisas | am traitor
no Ass~~4ssfs -