Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-07-15
PresIdent Revieyrs Troop..
PROOF OF DREYFUs' INNOCENCE
How II Was Discovered He Did Not
Write the nordereau.

How II Was Discovered He Did Not
Write the BOrdereRu.
PARIS, July l4-As a fitting epilogue to
the acquittal Of Alfred Dreyfus, NJ. Philip
Bunau-Varilla today gave the Associated
Press remarkable story of how he first
discovered positive proof OF Dreyfus' limo
cence and the guilt Of Major Count Ester
hazy, a story heretofore known only to
few intlmates, including Dreyfus who said
during a recent dinner here that while the
establishment OF his innocence was attrib-
uted to many causes, M. Bunau-Varilla's
chance detection OF the counterfeit bor-
dereau, or the main document on which the
prosecution relied, was the real cause of
the triumph of justice
NJ. Bunau-Varilla saidl
Dreyfus and l entered the polytechnic
school together in 1873. Our ways parted
on our graduation, he going into the army
ana becoming as,n eng engne b
once, CHANGING to meet him, we chatted
about a project which was directing for
the development of the French Congo Later
Dreyfus wrote to me asking for lnforma-
ton about the project, for the purpose of
writing a geographical study on the French
sight the letter remained unanswered. It
was some years later that Dreyfus was
arrested and convicted before secret
court-martial. l first thought he was a
victim of the prevailing anti-semitic senti-
ment but the conviction appeared to estab-
s9 his guilt bHaPPen ms to dine after
of the Matin, he spoke OF having a photo
graphic reproduction of the bordereau con-
shutting the only proof on which Dreyfus
was convicted. All the officlal photographs
of the bordereau had been traced and re-
turned to the COURT but some one had
ingenousy photographed one OF the photo
graphs. and this was delivered to my
brother with the idea that Its publication
would prevent further assertions that
wa Ian iRn
decided not to publish 1t, as he did not
wish again to call public attention to Drey-
fus; who was then considered to be a vile
traitor.
When my brother spoke Of the bordereau
the Idea flashed across my mind that ]
might compare the document with some
thing written DreYfus during our school
days at the polytechnic school. I finally
found the old, unanswered letter In which
Dreyfus asked for information relative to
! the Congo.
| In Dreyfus letter to me the words having
double were written sano With long e.,
| the bordereau It was just the reverse My
| brother made an independent comparison OF
me ,h ooP1ereau ana me letter ana reached
handwriting 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 de-
termination to publish the photograph OF
letters written by Dreyfus would be able
| to make comparison, and the following day
| family in particular. saw for the first time
what has been known as the bordereau The
! appearance of the autograph of the Dor.
| dereau led NJ. Castro, a stock broker. Ia
| recognize IL as being in the handwriting
| OF one of his clients, Count Esterhazy, thus
Brecipitating Esterhazy's trial and the pub.
| hcatlon of Zola's famous "I accuse" letter
II had not forgotten TO answer the letter
| Dreyfus wrote to me about the Congo
would have torn IT to pieces. the photo.
| graph OF the bordereau would not have
| appeared In the Matin and Dreyfus would
be dead In shame or still confined on Devils
| island.