Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-09-23
WRITES A LONG LETTER TO THE
WIFE OF CAPTAIN DREYFUs.
DECLARES THE END is NOT YET
BATTLE FOR HONOR OF DREYFUs
AND OF FRANCE TO GO on.
Says France "WOuld AssurcdIy Be
Killed by Such an Excess of In
famy''-PrOmiscs That Full
Justice Shall BE
Done at Inst.

NEW YORK. Sept. 22.-The Journal
prints dispatch from Paris giving the
fun text of Emil Zola's letter to Mime.
Drcyfus. as follows:
Dear Madame:-Your husband and
those who defended him have been exposed
to the vilest insults and even to bodily
injury. For my part, there are organs
belonging to the gutter press and men
so tainted with moral dirt that / have
struck them from my life, from my mem
ory For me they are no more. | have
driven them completely from my thoughts,
as II l never had already swallowed them.
1T is such forgctfulness of atrocious in
suits that / recommend to the innocent
man who has suffered the greatest wrongs.
lie Is so much apart from, so far above
them all, that they shall not be able to
reach him. May he come to life again
under your care and under the clear sum
shine of universal sympathy shown for
him. Peace be to the martyr who has
such need of repose, and around him now,
In retreat, may there be nothing but love
and caresses.
"As for u.s. madame, we shall continue
the fight. We shall Tomorrow go on with
the struggle for justice just as sterny
as we pursued 1t yesterday. We shall ex-
act rehabilitation of the innocent man less
for the sake of him who has already SO
much glory. than for France, which would
| assuredly be killed by this excess of in
fanny.
Our task will be the regeneration of
France in the eyes of the universe. which
will take place when the infamous judg-
ment has been quashed. A great country
| cannot live without justice, and ours will
remain in mourning just as long as the
stain OF insult is leveled at the highest
.i,1., nff fEn ,nct
primitive rights shall remain.
1.-THE social fabric crumbles when the
guarantee of law no longer exists. and
there is in violation of this right such an
element of insolence, and bravado so impu-
dent that We cannot ignore it. We cannot
| bury q body secretly without showing our
| shame to our neighbors. The whole world
| has seen and heard, and it Is before the
whole world that reparation should take
place To desire France without honor Is
criminal.
without doubt foreigners will come tc
| our exhibition. They will overflow Paris
| just as numbers are attracted to fair by
the sound of music and flare of lamps
but should that satisfy our pride? Should
we not value esteem as highly as the
money of the outside world? We shall ex-
| hibit our science, our art and our industry
Should we dare to exhibit our justice:
| One can imagine Devils island reconstruct
ed and exhibited. For me the shame OF 4
Is intolerable.. France takes her ranE
again among the nations. When honor ha;;
been restored formally 10 the condemned
man. honor will be restored to france-no'
before.
| that you may depend on those who have
restored to your husband his freedom tt
restore to him his honor. Not one OF Us
| will give up the fight We know well tha'
| We fol and
splendid brother of the condemned mar
will again set the example OF courage WIS
I'VE have not been able all at once to re-
| store your husband to you freed from ly
Ing accusations we ask ya yet little t,.lS, pa pa
tience trusting that your children VII, VII no, bl
| legally purged of all blemish Poor chill.
dren, l see them again in the arms OF
care, by what miracle of delicacy, you
have kept them in complete ignorance
| They believed their father away on q
| Journey and when they became inquisitive
at long absence, what could you tell them
when his innocence was as yet only be.
| lieved in by one or two-your heart must
| have broken.
But in these last few weeks, when his
innocence was papable to all, I could have
wished that you had taken your two chill
dren by the hand and conducted them to
| had forever In their minds the picture OF
their fathers herosm. You could have
! told them al that he had unJustiy suHered
| what moral grandeur was his, with what
tenderness they should love him. in or
| dor to make him forget iniquitous men
| with their little souls.
They would have been benefited by this
demonstration Of manly virtue. 1t is not
| now too late. Some evening, under the
| lamp and in the peace of family their IA
ther can take them upon his knees and
| tell them the tragic history. 1t is neces-
| sary that they should know, In order that
they may respect and adore him as he
| deserves. When he has spoken they will
| know that there Is not in the world a
greater hero martyr. whose suffering has
so profoundly, touched mems hearts. They
will be proud of him, and will bear his
| name with glory as the name of very
brave man, who has borne himself sub
timely under the most frightful suffering
| which fraud and cowardice could infiict.
THE day will come when the sons and
| daughters not of the condemned man, but
of his prosecutors. will have cause to blush.
Accept, madame, my profoundest respect.
| "EMILE ZOLA.'