The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-17

that many Of the spectators who ha6
/ come to execrate shed tears.
| Captain Dreyfus was banished to the
Isle du Diable, off the coast of French
Guiana, South America. 1t was former.
ly a leper island 1t Is so unhealthfu
that some of his guards have died there
and 30 lonely that one became insane
| He sleeps in chains and is kept in an
iron cage. He has grown gray and de-
crepit in three years.
Despite all this, Nine. Dreyfus plead
ed to be allowed to share his exile. This
poor boon was denied her. Meanwhile
her husband wrote her from his place
OF exile: II rely upon you to solve this
horrible mystery"
Then Nine. Dreyfus set to work.
Every waking moment was given to
plans for the vindcation of her much
ments were tortured by dreams of her
husband dying in the far-off Isle du
| Diable. And while she worked she
prayed.
She journeyed to Berlin and threw
herself at the feet of the Emperor Will
liam of Germany
"a word from you. sire-only word.
Say to the French ministry that you
| never received Information from my
husband"
The German emperor spoke the word
she craved. He directed that it be Off
liz, mo- ;rfn iny ha
ever come to the German embassy
| from Captain Dreyfus. Prominent Ger
man officials followed the statement OF
| their sovereign in interviews for the
press. in conversation, and even in af-
ter-dinrer speeches. This was a pow
erful beginning in the gigantic work of
changing French popular sentiment.
Nine. Dreyfus journeyed next to the
capital Of the Russias. and appealed to
the car. She so impressed his majesty
that she induced him to give a semi |
official expression of his wish that the
cause might be reopened, and justice
shown to the prisoner for life on the
Isle of the Devil.
She begged the intercession Of the |
pope.
She petitioned the friendly offices Of
King Humbert of Italy.
Not one OF these potentates but ex-
pressed friendly concern and a desire
to see the Dreyfus case probed to the
bottom.
Opinions from these high sources pro-
duced vast number Of reflected opin-
ions OF the same nature The pebbles |
dropped by Nine. Dreyfus were send
ing out some far-reaching ripples.
The Steele, the most powerful Of the
pro-Dreyfus papers, published all the |
between the exiled hus-
band and waiting wife. The letters
made many converts to the Dreyfus |
side Of what has come to be called the
Panama Militaire."
Mime. Dreyfus next called on Minister
Of War Billot. and later on his success
Eor. Minister Cavaignac. She laid be-
fore them what she considered indis-
putable proofs Of her husbands inno-
cence. She saw, too. the foreign min
lister. N. Hanotaux, and brought some
evidence to his attention.
Her incessant. sleuthlike upturning Of |
evidence secured the trial of Colonel
Esterhazy. fellow officer Of Captain
Dreyfus through furnishing information
Of the war department to the German
government. The evidence against Els.
terhazy was not SUFFICIENT to convict |
He escaped with Scotch verdict. but
the doubt in the minds of the French
people was growing. Esterhazy was
not exonerated. Was he the culprit? If
not. who had written the memoran-
dunn found In the waste basket at the
German embassy? Was 1t Dreyfus, or
g The French army and civilians
were thinking about the Dreyfus case
with more interest, II less fury. than
at the time Of the officers trial and de-
The leaven Of Mime. Drey-
fus' placing was working.
She secured the keen personal inter-
est Of N. Zoia, the greatest living nov
e1ist. Aroused by the case brought to
his door, as It were. by the beautiful,
saddened wife Of the exiled officer, lola
wrote some infiammatory pleas for Jus
t1ce for Captain Dreyfus They were
published in the Aurore. and by their
attacks upon the integrity Of officers OF
the court martial that had condemned
Dreyfus aroused the popuface to
frenzy Of debate that resulted In num-
berless street fights, filled the prisons
and all but precipitated general riot.
lola and the publishers Of the Aurore
were sued for libel. They were tried
and received sentences Of imprisonment
for one year. They declared themselves.
like Dreyfus, martyrs OF an anti-Jewish
conspiracy. The Parisians were infam-
ed almost to the mob pitch. The work
Of Captain Dreyfus' faithful young wife
was telling. 81
Max Nordau, pessimist philosopher,
dipped his pen in concentrated gan and
wrote Of the wrongs Of Captain Alfred
Dreyfus ana the corruption Of the
French army. Mime. Dreyfus smiled
upon this latest evidence Of her success
example was infectious. Writ
ers on both sides Of the continent con-.
tributed the labor Of their pens to the
cause Of Captain Alfred Dreyfus. pris-