New-York tribune., 1901-05-01
DREYFUS'S OWN STORY
PAGES FROM THE DIARY KEPT Nv TIE
FRENCH CAPTAIN on DEy-
Ills ISLAND.

With the ute, Leaves from The Autobiograpbv
OF Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Including PASSAGES
from His Devils Island Diary" 'sMcClure's nr.oa
zine" for May contains an article arra,so5 g.,
the manuscript OF the autobiographfcal rarrati,o
describing his experiences from the time ~ bts
first arrest IN 1884 until his pardon in 1899 which
Captain Dreyfus has been preparing since tho cor
clusion Of the trial n Rennes The foIIo,ri -
tracts from this article printed in The Tribune
by permission Of A. F. Jaccacf who holds the
copyright OF Captain Dreyfus's book in the United
States.
The narrative begins with a brief stater,er. .,
the birth. schooling and ea.Iy career Of the writer
tells OF his arrest his Imprisonment and his hound
ing al the hands of Commandant du Patty de Clam.
and reviews the first court martial. the degrade
ton ana the trip 10 Devils Island
THE PRISON ON DEVILS ISLAND
OF his prison there Captain Drevfus says:
The :sfI.s stone hut destined for my use measured
grated The door was OF lattice work with simple
feet square entrance to Witch S,e Wa fassS haway ~ six
sold wooden door In this anteroom a guard was
BY night the door was closed inside and
was an an internal elatter of keys and bolts
bs u@F s naG h me right to go about in treeless
left my hut was accompanied by the guard. Who
enn not The 0 lose saTs sshJ @ Of single one of my
later On there were added TO this a rife and a
to any but the chief guard i0'Oooen 10 speak
Then follow several pages from the diary he kent
from April 1895, until the autumn Of 1896. At the
beginning OF II he wrote: My Diary. To be hand
ed 10 my wife" This diary was seized with all
papers. in 1896. and was never given TO his wife
He regained possession OF it only at the time of
the Rennes trial. in 1929. It simple. unaffected
recital Of supreme suffering and endurance
THE DIARY.
Today begin h diary sqnaSy of m9 sad d ahG ARi as
life Indeed only from to-day have had paper
so that cannot use it without its being known /
must ACCOUNT . for every BIT Of il; But what could
whom would give i? What secret have to con-
1 Tntil now have Worshipped reason: have be-
leved there was logic in things and events; have
tonal and extrava CANT found dficut entrance into
my brain. Oh. what a breaking down Of all my
since. landed a month ago have remained
! all but went crazy; had congestion of the
And then have never any news Of my wife and
children Yet know that since the 29th OF March,
n al caye9ne have ad them Telegraph sS to Cav
enne and 10 France TO have news OF my dear ones.
Saturday. 20 April. 1895 Il o'clock in the morning
morning cut my meat in two: one piece is to boil
the other is for steak. To cook the latter have
Which picked up in the island For drink have
water NV food is prepared in old Tin cans I have
nothing with which TO clean these properly and
Ny days are intermnabIe, every minute Of every
hour long drawn out weariness. am incapable
Of any considerable physical exerton; moreover,
heat makes it impossible for me to out, cannot
stand it; and have ave-, nothing to, TO read i,-,,o
These sleepless nights are fearful. manage to
get through the days because am occupied with
the thousand and one "details Of material life; I
must clean my hut. do my cooking. find and cut
down no matter how exhausted I may, be my
nerves get the upper hand and my brain begins
working. And think Of home. :.
AT last have received letters from my wife and
ar1fiV ber me ha
The letters arri1ed here at the end Of March and
must certainly have been sent back 10 France. So
ST takes than three months for letters reach
2s October. 1885
no longer know how live. My brain IS crushed.
But each time that / fan. in my long nights in
rerng from so many shocks. asks ar last how after
here tRen when would close my eyes to hear and
think and suffer more with violent effort OF
ing aloud: You not alone; you are father;
you must stand up i2r the good & name OF yogE wife
strength, TO fall. alas! little farther on. and then
This is my daily life.
Terrific heat-over forty-fve degrees centigrade
Nothing is 50 depressing, nothing 50 wears on
never hearing human speech seeing no friendly
faces nor even one that shows ttle sympatfhSga fSe
Yesterday evening put in irons.
since am here. have always scrupulousIy OBJ
Tuesday. September. 1896.
physical suffering: but what moral ignominy, and
without any explanation without knowing why or
this in which have lived for nearly two years.
am so utterly weary. so broken down in body
and soul that to-day stop my diary not being able
what day my brain shall burst under the weight OF
so great burden