The Jewish South. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1893-1899, 1899-01-27
THE JEWISH SOUTH.


1t was known moreover that at the War Office, from
the Minister, General MERCER down, everybody was
convinced of Dreyfus's guilt and confidence in the
motives and ability of the members of the War Office
was then universal in France. Here and there only
of the co-religonists of the degraded captain
refused to believe in the guilt of one their race and
it was soon known, in addition that two other men,
at least were firm believers in his innocence One
was his counsel Matre Demange, who declared pub
cly that he would have appeared for him ifhe
had not believed him innocent The other was the
officer in charge of the military prison of Cherche-
Midi Major Forzinetti But, in spite Of these scat
tered expressions of dissent with the finding of the
court there really no discussion of the merits of
the case, of which, moreover, very little known;
and what interested the public was to learn how the
sentence that had just been passed would be carrie
out. 1t was universally regretted that the military
code had not allowed the passing OF a death
tence, and any alienation of the penalty would have
been universally condemned. twas soon announced
that the spot selected for the enforcement
of the judgment of the court a small
island near the coast of French Guiana known by
the name of DEVILS Island There the Captain was
to remain alone with his keepers and every precau-
ton was to be taken against his possible escape
The program carried out to the letter and soon
Alfred Dreyfus on his way to his terrible abode
of confinement
HER FAITH NEVER WAvERED.
Chief among those who considered him victim
either of mysterious fate of a base conspiracy
were, of course, the members of his family What
ever opinion be held about the man. no words of
praise can do more than simple justice to the admir-
able wife whose faith IN him wavered for
ment and whose efforts in his behalf have known
neither rest encouragement. She first asked to
be allowed to share her husbands captivity but this
OF course, had to be denied. At the same time sur
rounded by her relatives and a few friends and
guided by the experience and devotion Of Maitre De
mango, she went to work trying to discover some
flaw in the procedure Which had resulted in her hus-
bands convction, and whichrhad upon appeal been
upheld by the highest in the land the Court of
Cessation. Her hope was that the discovery ofsome
new fact might enable her appeal to the Minister
OF Justice for revision. Of the trial She and her
friends tried to influence public opinion, and their
warm advocacy of the ex-Captain found ready ear
among the Hebrews in and outside of France and
also to certain extent in the intellectual part
of the Paris population. Protestants and freethink-
especially impressed by the fact that nearly
every of the officers of the War Department who
had been most hostile to Dreyfus were graduates of
celebrated Jesuit school in Paris, which made a
speciality of fitting young for admission to the
great military schools, the Ecole de Saint Cvr and
the Ecoe Polytechnique, Ground, therefore had
been well prepared for pamphlet which was pub
lished in Belgium in the fall of S95 under the title of
"Une erreur Judiciaire,' and the author of which,
though at first not named the title page was
soon known to be talented literary critic of Hebrew
parentage NJ Bernard Lazare.
A PUBLIC QUESTION.
From that moment the question of Drevfus' S guilt
innocence was before the public Outside Of
France opinion seemed to be almost unanimous that
the military court had sentenced gutless man
The Governments of Germany and Italy, the two
countries which were believed to have been benef
Charles of Deytuss treason took pains assert that
they never had had the slightest dealings with him
and it was even reported that the German Emperor