Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-10-04

passion. ScnemerS curry fayOr by IT
IN the estimation of the baser elements,
and France has superabundance of
the former. Then Dreyfus wns brill
liant and studious. These qualities gen
erated,enyy, and so, in 1894, when GER
tain hlgh-born and accomplished ras-
Gals wanted n victim upon whom to
cast the odium of their malodorous
lives, what more natural than to select
the despised and envied Jew-Dreyfus?
Cling tate ccrets.
In that year-1S94-spies of the
French secret service department re-
covered a letter from the office of the
German embassy in Paris which seem
ed to indicate that some Frenchman
was carrying secret information to that
Office. The letter contained the SEN
tence: 'This dog of D. is really
getting too greedy" In September,
1904, the spies brought to light another
document known as the bordereau. 1t
was in the nature Of a memorandum
naming five military secrets which the
writer offered to convey to the un-
named person he was addressing. 1t
was turned over to the miserable Mer-
cier. French Minister of War, and he
summoned experts who pronounced 1t
to be the work of Dreyfus. Major
du Patty de Clam, one of the most exc
cradle scoundrels who have figured in
the whole national drama, was given
the bordereau for further investigation.
BE summoned Dreyfus before him. The
investigation was secret, and the infa-
nous Patty de Clam pronounced Drey-
fus guilty, and added that the latter
had made full confession. Dreyfus
was arrested and incarcerated in the
Cherche Midi military prison.
. he First Conviction.
In December, 1894, Dreyfus was put
on trial before court-martial. The
trial was farce. 1t Is now known
that not particle of credible proof was
adduced against him. Casimir- Perier,
then President Of France, left 1t on rec
ord that only one discriminating docu-
ment was laid before the judges, and
that document was forgery. The prin-
cipal witnesses against the prisoner
were Colonies Henry, Esterhazy and
Patty de Clam. Dreyfus was convicted.
His conviction was necessary to shield
others just us his second conviction
was decreed upon for reasons of state.
Jan. 5, 1895, Dreyfus was publicly de-
graded, his sword being broken and his
uniform defaced. The. Partisan mob
shouted Down with the Jews" and
Live the army" and a little later the
prisoner was taken to Devils Island,
off the coast of French Guiana, to suf-
fer imprisonment for life.
Working for the Prisoner.
The case of Dreyfus apparently was
closed. The conspirators who had con-
denmned him were strong and power
full. 1t was unpopular and unsafe to
speak a word In favor of the prisoner
or of the prescribed race to which he
belonged.
But the case was not closed. The
heroic wife of the prisoner, Nine.
Lucille Dreyfus, remained, to fight for
the honor of her husband, In whom she
believed, and well and Loyalty did she
wage her battle against entrenched
wrong and injustice and hate. Friends
rallied around her, and in the press and
Legislative halls the case of Dreyfus
was kept ever to the front.
InJune, 1895, Col. George Picquart be-
came head of the secret intelligence Of
the war office. Documents came into
his hands that convinced him that
Esterhazy had written the bordereau
and that Dreyfus was innocent. He
communicated this belief to Generals
Boisdeffre and Gonse. But Esterhazy
stood high in their regard, and Plcquart
was sent on perilous mIsslon to Afrl-
ca in the hope that he would never re-
turn. This was in the fall of 1896.
5 Others, however, followed along the