Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-07-13
Captain DlIeyfus Is Fully
Vindi !l;ll BY Court.
Conviction After \ Two Trials Is
Annu|Ied Without Rs-tTlaL.
Eager Crowd Throlgs Palace Of Justice 10
Hear Decision Anaenaced.

Paris, July 12.-The supreme court
today announced it's decision annul!inS
the condemnation of Dreyfus without
a re-trial.
The effect of the decision is a COM
plete vindication of Dreyfus, emitting
him to restoration to his rank in the
army as though he had never been ac-
cused.
The decision of the court was read
by the presiding judge. NJ. Ballot-Beau-
pre-. president of the court of cassa-
ton. Immediately on the re-assemblinS
of the court today. The palace of JUS
tice was thronged by an eager crowd.
Among those present We're Mathew
Dreyfus. brother of Alfred Dreyfus.
Maitre Mornard. counsel for Captain
Dreyfus. Colonel PicQuart. Madame
ZCla and many others who have figur-
ed in the celebrated case.
Capt. Alfred Dreyfus Of the artillery.
a member of a wealthy Hebrew family
of Alsace, where he was born in 1899,
was on October IA, 1894. arrested on
the charge of communicating French
military secrets to foreign power.
Two months later Dreyfus was tried by
courtmartial and found guilty. and.
Jan. 5, he was publicly degraded and
deported to Devils Island near Cay
enne, French Guiana. there apparently
to spend the remainder of his life. The
friends and relatives of Dreyfus. meta
bly his wife, always believed in his IN
nocence and devoted all their energies
to the work Of proving that he had been
unjustly condemned.
Colonel Picquart. when he became
chief OF the intelligence department, 2ff
the French army in .1S9aedfngs against
d0cumentSid" formed the opinion that
the evidence pointed to Major Count
Esterhazy as being the guilty man. Pic
quart determined to see that justice
was done to Dreyfus. A fac smile of
the most discriminating document alleg-
ed to have been written by Dreyfus
found it's way into the columns of 4
Paris newspaper and caused senSa-
ton. 1t was ompared with the hand
writing of EsterhaZy and alleged to be
the work of the latter. Soon after
wards Col. PioQuart was superseded as
chief OF the intelligence department by
Col. Henry and then began fight to
preserve the honor of the French army.
Dreyfus on Nov. Is. 1897. charged Es-
trehazy with writing the discriminating
document but the latter was acquitted
of the charge by the courtmartial In
the following January. The late Emil
lola warmly esposed the cause or
Dreyfus and made serious charges
against the French general staff and
government. lola was condemned to
pay q heavy fine and suffer imprlson-
ment. but the sentence was quashed.
When NJ. Cavignac became head OF
the French war office he found in the
chamber of deputies several documents
whi1h he said proved the guilt of Drey-
fus Col. Picquart afterwards charged
that these documents We're forgerles,
fer which he was arrested and degrad-
ed. The friends Of Dreyfus brought
about the arrest of Colonel Henry, chief
of the intelligence department, who
confessed that he had forged one OF
the discriminating documents and COM
mitted suicide in prison.
BY this time all France was arrayed
for or against Dreyfus. On June 3.
1899. a fresh courtmartial of Dreyfus
was ordered and the prisoner was
brought back from Devils island to be
retired.
The second cOurtmartial of DreyfuS
opened at Rennes, France. Aug. Z. 1899,
under the presidency Of Colonel Joua-
asst. Dreyfus was represented by Mai
tres Labor and Demange. Col. Pic
quart and Captain Freystetter were the
principal witnesses for Dreyfus. OPP
posed to the prisoner was almost the
whole Of the French army and the ma
chinery of the government. The case
of the prosecution was shown TO DC
very weak, in fact to be resting almost
entirely on one document, stating that
"D' was furnishing to the Germans
valuable Information, whereas 1t has
since been disclosed that the initial was
Up" forged into a 3D."
But after 4 long and sensational trial |
Dreyfus was again convicted and was |
to 10 years imprisonment in
a fortress. Later he obtained full |
pardon from President Loubct and was J
set at liberty.
The friends Of this unfortunate cap
tain finally got the case before the SUI
prcme court.
Maitrc Mornard, counsel for Dreyfus,
in presenting his clients case before
the supreme court argued against a
further trial, saying many of the wit
nesscs We're dead or had disappeared.
Dreyfus, he added, did not ask for
damages. He desired only the virdi-
cation of his honor and the restoration
Of his name to the list of officers of the
French army.
Maitre MOrnard in summing up for
Dreyfus cut loose from historical de-
tails and asserted that anti-Semitic
hatred had been the primary cause of
The miscarriage Of justice. He argued
that Dreyfus had been convicted not as
an individual officer, but because he |.
was a Jew. !,
Finally Maitre Mornard said:
"Dreyfus is ready to bear alone all
he misery and torture of Devils is IL
ard if his country will give him back
,nly one thing-his honor. We re-
lounce, then, all damages, asking you
simply to quash the conviction without
e-trial and ask YOU to grant this on
,ehalf of the honor of the French army
md the public conscience of France" =
Capt. Dreyfus was not present. con-
inuing his habitual secrecy by remain