The Grit-advocate., 1906-07-20
THE VINDlCATION OF CAPT. DREYFUS

Vi Sipt- AUrtl IltEil5 Oh lle cndfst
of treason has been practically as-
sured. and it is said he will be given
the ribbon OF the Legion OF Honor
Prosecutor General Baudouin. in
concluding his address to the SUI
preme court formally asked the
court 10 quash the verdict OF the
Rennes court.martial without re
trial
The peace of the country" the
prosecutor said demands it, and the
whole world awaits the courts sum
mary disposition OF the subject, which
will be triumph for justice and
truth"
With the government prosecutor
asking the court to Guash the Rennes
verdict without retriai. the supreme
courts decision goes without say
ing.
Quashing the Rennes verdict leaves
Dreyfus an officer in the French army,
cleared of all dishonor. 1t entities
him to a command. He will be in the
line of promotion.
The French people years ago ceased
Instead he long has been regarded as
martyr, and the judgment of the
court restoring him to the army will
be acclaimed as an act of national
restitution to a greatly wronged man.
Story of the Dreyfus Tragedy.
Alfred Dreyfus, Jew, was cap
tain in the French army in 1893. He
was modest unassuming man, liv
ing happily with his wife and chill.
dren. Fate made him the victim of
one of the greatest conspiracies de.
veloped in the history of modern Eu-
rope.
For some months before 1894 it was
known to the French government that
some French officer was traitorouSly
the German staff. 1t was known that
Germany had bought the secret Of the
French method Of charging melirite
shells and also the secret that bat
teres of the new No. l20 guns had
been assigned TO the Ninth army
corps.
1t may be stated right here that
the real traitor was one Commandant
EsterhaZy, blaclsuard a gambler,
and a degenerate. who for some mys-
terious reason was shielded by every.
one in the conspiracy. When he
could no longer be used Esterhazy
was driven from France. He went to
London, where he lived and died in
secret of his treachrry to newspa
per for few shillings.
No one outside of the conspirators
knew that Esterhazy was the officer
who was selling French military
secrets to the German staff. The task
of discovering the traitor was placed
In the hands Of the intelligence bu-
1885 the chief of the intelligence bu-
reau was Col Sandhurst He set his
spies to work.
Discovery of the Treason.
II was not until September. 1894.
he spies of the secret intelli-
department discovered In the
per basket Of Lieut.. Col. Won
rren. the Gerpan mill
d, fragments OF a paper,
n pieced together. formed
indum, of which this is the
t.. ion:
in the absence Of any news indicat-
Ing your desire to see me. neverthe
less send you. sir. certain informa-
tion of interest: % A note on the
huJro,lfo hroko ~ 100 fratbod of
operating this piece); note on the
outpost troops Ia few notifications
will be made in the new plam; (3)
note on modification in artillery for
nation; (4) note relating to NADIA
gascar; (5) the scheme relative to
the manual Of field firing Of March
IA, 1894. am just leaving for
the maneuyers.'
The foregoing memorandum after
wards became known as the famous
"bordereau' which figured through
out the entire Dreyfus case.
Choose Dreyfus for Victim.
Col. Sandherr. chief of the secret
Intelligence bureau, was the first man
to directly accuse Dreyfus OF writing
the bordereau. He it was who first
suggested that the writing resembled
that of Dreyfus. He pointed out that
Dreyfus was a native of Alsace. and
that he spoke and wrote German as
auently as he did French. (The bor-
dereau was written in Germany
On October Is. 1894. Capt. Dreyfus
was called to the war Office. He was
ushered into room where he found
Maj. Du Patty de Clam seated at
table. He was asked by the major to
seat himself and to write at dictation
Before witnesses Dreyfus began to
write a pretended letter. dictated by
Du Patty dc Clam. beginning with in
significant words. but little by little
introducing phrases from the border
eau. The witnesses afterwards swore
that when Dreyfus wrote the words
dictated from the bordereau his hand
trembled and that he complained that
the room was so cold that he could
hardly write. Yet the temperature of
the room was moderately warm.
Is Arrested and Convicted.
After he had finished writing Drey-
fus was informed by Du Patty de Clam
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FORM ANTI-STORk PARTY.