The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-10-31

came here incognito also. Her con-
nection with the incident that followed
was unsupported for a considerable
time. This is what occurred:
Early last spring a woman of con-
siderable beauty called at Tiffany's, on
Union Square, New York, and left a
beautiful string of pearls to be ap-
praised and possibly, purchased. The
next day two men, obviously French
men, made minute inquiries about the
very same jewels. The following morn
ing the woman called and in some ex-
citement demanded the pearls. saying
she had changed her mind about dis
posing of them and would leaV" town
Immediately for London.
The whole affair was so puzzling
that detectives were set to work to
ascertain who the queer trio were.
Then it was whispered that the jewels
were some that had been presented
to Madame de Pals, the intimate OF
Esterha2y, then living in exile in
London. This was incorrect, for Ma
dame de Pals was always addicted to
diamonds, not pearls, while Comtesse
de Martel,, La Dame Blanche" nat
urally claims pearls as her especial
adornment.
The comtesse was no stranger in the
American metropolis, as she had been
in this country in 1897, and she had
patronized the leading New York jew
eiers lavishly. 1t was at this time that
the jailer on DEVILS Island put DFey-
fus to extraordinary suffering, encas-
ing his ankles in irons, as we'll as
keeping him confined strictly to his
iron cage.
The reason was, he said recently,
that he had heard stories of bold
plot to aid Dreyfus to escape. An
American yacht, it was reported to the
jailer, was expected off DEVILS island,
and night attack on the small gar
rison was apprehended.
Who was behind the daring scheme?
Comtesse de Martel had not been seen
in Paris for some time. A strange
Frenchwoman had offered her jewels
for sale to an American firm. The
conclusions are obvious.
A little while prior to this 1t was
stated in the Frankfort Zeitung that
the family Of Capt. Dreyfus had en-
gagged Sir George Lewis, the distin
guished London lawyer, to discover If
possible the author of the memoran-
dunn upon which Dreyfus was convict
ed Sir George Lewis was at the time
said to have got on the track Of Es-
terhaZy through the agency OF an
American lady. This was an obvious
mistake. No American by birth has
thus far been involved in the great
Gallo scandal. But the piQuante Com
Jesse Martel was in America when this
information was made public. 1t was
then said that the informant of Sir
George Lewis had learned through a
porter at the German embassy in Paris
that the German officials talked OF the
infamy of the conviction of Dreyfus
and of the necessity Of informing En-
peror William.
Obviously 1t was a Parisienne, and
clever and daring one, who man
aged to get this knowledge; not an
American unused to the devious ways
of the Partisan concierge. The woman
who has managed to get conspicuous
seat at all the Zola, Esterhazy and
Dreyfus trials was the woman who
conjured the secrets out of the Ger
man embassy. who went alone to Ber-
lin and saw the emperor, who engaged
the great English criminal lawyer to
unravel the Esterhazy Implications,
who schemed to rescue Capt. Dreyfus
from his guards at DEVILS island.
To what lengths the woman in
white might not go in behalf of Drey-
fus none can say. Happily the neces-
sity for active Intervention is now
thought to be removed. The present
trial can end but one way. La Dame
Blanche has played her part. There is
nothing left to her now but to remain
a spectator at the trial.