Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-07-13
DRENEus ACQuITTED.


Dreyius was yesterday completely ac-
Quilted of the charges on which ne wss
condemned as traitor, dismissed from
the French army and imprisoned on
DEVILS Island, and regarding which
France has been torn for years by the
most bitter political aud racisl agitation.
His yiudicaiioU is lwolold, the Supreme
Court first announcing its decision estab-
fishing the entire innocence OF the ac-
cused man. and the ministry later decid-
ed 10 present an urgent bill in PaElia-
ment restoring Dreylus to the army with
advanced rank aud otherwise the gov
ernment's most ample reparation.
The decision for the court was fore
gone conclusion, as exhaustive inquiries
had completely demolished the fabric OF
the accusation against Dreyius, showing
that the Culprit was Major Count Ester
hazy. The decision, therefore, annulled
the condemnation of the Rennes court
martial and ordered that the aCquiltsl be
posted and published throughout France.
The msin features OF the Supreme
Courts decision are;
That three new facts have been estab-
lished.
/. That the document from General
Mercier's secret papers presented at the
Renues court-martial, in which the
initial "D" WAS substituted for "P,"
vas Justification, establishing the
strong presumption of Dreyius's inno-
cence.
2 That document from the secret
papers, in which Dreyius was alleged to
have been shown to have delivered to
Germans the plans for the railway mob
ilization, never reached the war depart
ment authorities, and, therefore, Dreyils
could not have secured possession of 1t.
9. That the Rennes cOurt-martial
failed to hear essential testimony cal
culated 10 establish the fact that Drey-
us was innocent.
"These facts" the decision of the
court SAYS, without seeking for any
further grounds, are of nature to estab-
lish the innocence OF the accused, and
it is only necessary to examine whether
the verdict of the Rcnnes cOurtimartisl
| shall be aunuled without a retrial or be
followed by another trial by 4 court
martial"
After a lengthy review of the docu-
ment in the case known as the "bor-
dereau" the decision says it WAS
written by Major Count E|erhazy, and
that the accusations connecting Dreytus
with the b, rdereau rest only on hy-
| pothesis and conjecture.
"The accusation against Dreyfus, "
continues the decision, "whether based
on the handwriting or text of the bor-
dereau, was completely unjuslified and
without motive. Moreover, Dreyfus
having n large fortune, one seeks in vain
for any reason for his committing such
great crime.
"The court, therefore, holds that as
oil the accusations against the accused
fell to the ground, there is no necessity
for new trial, and consequently, the
| Judgment in condemnation is aunulled
as unwarrauted by the evidence. .
In conclusion the court noted Drey-
lus' waving OF pecuniary indemnity,
and ordered its decision to be transcribed
on the record of the Rennes court
martial, and to be inserted in the official
journal, and also in five newspapers, to
be designated by the Procurator General,
and, at the cost of the government, in
% papers Of Paris and the provinces,
to be designated by Dreyius.