Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-17
vINpIcATIoN OF pREYFUs.
Res alt of Painstaking Labor of an Old
Schooimate.

AS fitting epilogue to the acquittal
of Alfred Dreyfus. NJ. Philip Bunau-
Varilla, former Panama minister at
Washington, on Saturday gave the
Paris correspondent of the Associated
Press remarkable story of how he
first discovered positive proof OF Drey-
fus' innocence and the guilt or MAJOR
Count Esterhazy, a story heretofore
known only to a few intimates, includ-
ing Dreyfus, who said during recent
dinner here that while the establish
ment of his innocence was attributed 10
many causes, M. -Varilla's
chance detection of the counterfeit bor-
derau, or the main document on which
the prosecution relied, was the real
cause of the triumph of justice.
Yes" said NJ. Bunau-Varilla, "a
document among those old records was
the basis of the whole Dreyfus agita-
ton and was instrumental in his final
acuuittal. DreyfuS and l entered the
polytechnic school together in 1878. l
recall his very characteristic jewish
look, which was rather unprepossess-
ing. But he was a good fellow and a
companionable student.
Our ways parted on our gradua-
ton, he going into the army and l be-
coming a government engineer. 1t was
some years later that Dreyfus was ar
rested and convicted before secret
courtmartial. 1 first thought he was a
victim of the prevailing anti-Semiuc
sentiment, but the conviction appeared
to establish his guilt. Happening to
dine afterwards with my brother, Maui
rice, proprietor of The Matin, he spoke
of having a Photographic reproduc-
ton of the bordereau, constituting the
only proof upon which Dreyfus was
convicted. All the official photographs
of the bordereau had been scrupulously
traced and returned to the court, but
some one had ingenuously photograph
ed one of the photographs, and this
was delivered to my brother with the
idea that it's publication would pre-
vent further assertions that Dreyfus
was innocent. However, Maurice de-
cided not to publish it as he did not
wish to again call public attention to
Dreyfus. who was then considered to
be n vile traitor.
when my brother spoke of the bor-
dereau the idea flashed across my mind
that might compare the document
with something written by Dreyfus
during our school days at the poly
technic school. l finally fou Id an old
unanswered letter in which Dreyfus
asked for information relative to the
Congo.
II began a careful comparison of the
burdereau and Dreyfus' Congo letter.
he continued. "The first glance gave
me the impression that they were IN
the same handwriting. But suddenly
I observed something which caused me
profound astonishment. In Dreyfus'
letter to me the words having double
s. were written with a long s. first
and a short s. second, whereas in the
b0rdereau it was just the reverse. The
short s. was first and the long s.
second My brother made an inde-
pendent comparison of the bordereau
and the letter and reached the same
namely that the handwrit-
ing of the letter about the Congo was
not that of the bordereau. AS to-
gether, we realized this discovery we
felt as though an earthquake had
shaken us.
Maurice Immediately announced his
determination to publish the photo
graph of the bordereau, so that every
one possessing letters written by Drey-
fl1s would be able to make comparison,
and the following day the people gen.
orally, and the Dreyfus family in par
ticular, saw for the first time. what
has since been known as the bor-
dereau. From the appearance ol thdl
photograph of the bordereau dates al
most everything known as the Dreyfus
affair. Everything of Importance which
followed was in consequence OF that
discovery, and the publication of the
photograph of the bordereau. But the
three capital consequences were:
First, the Dreyfus family were en-
abled to see the mysterious and only
proof on which Dreyfus was convicted
and they were thus enabled to make
comparisons establishing the innocence
of Dreyfus.
Second, the appearance of the pho
tograph of the bordereau led M. c.
tro, stock broker, to recognize 1t as
being in the handwriting of one OF his
clients, Count Esterhazy, thus precipi-
tating Esterhazy's trial and the publi-
cation of Zola's famous L Accuse let
ter.
Third, the appearance of the photo
graph of the bordereau permitted Col.
Picquart. head of the intelligence de-
partment, to break his silence and be-
come the most powerful witness in es-
tablishing the innocence of Dreyfus."