The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-08-26
The 1oEYFUS CASE.
Full V%inoication cf Officer Shot by
Writcr Due ChieTiy to Zcia.


Full Vinaieation Ct Officer Shot by
Writer Due Chie.'y to zcla.
Largely through Ernie lola came the
complete indication 81 Major Alfred
Dreyfus. who for twelve Years lay un-
der the charge of treason and for five
years suffered imprisonment on Devils
island.
Born in .Alsace, son Of a rich manu-
%facturer, Dreyfus, whom a French mil
itary writer tried to kill at the renter
ment of Zola's body in the Pantheon at
Paris, decided after the war of 1870 to
remain u subject of France, and in 1874
he removed to Paris. He entered the
French artillery and Oct. ii, 1894, held
rank as captain, and was attached to
the general staff when he was arrested
on a charge of treason. A month be-
fore the now famous ~"bordereau'' con
tanning secret information of French
military matters and addressed to Colo
mel Schwartzkoppen, military attache
to the German embassy, had been inter-
cepted by the war department, and
Commandant Patty de Clam pronounced
the handwriting to be Dreyfus'. Though
protesting his innocence and while
nothing compromising was found in
his house, he was put in prison, tried
by court martial, presided owe by Colo
mel Maurel, and IN Dec. % was SEN
fenced to life Imprisonment and public
dismissal from the army. At the Ecole
Militaire, in the presence of many
| troops, he was degraded Jan. 5, 1895,
his insignia Of rank being stripped
| from his coat and hat. In the midst Of
| this humiliation Captain Dreyfus raised
| his hand and declared: II am innocent.
l swear I am innocent. Vive Ia
France!"
He was 0 deported to Devils is
land, off the coast Of French Guiana,
but his case continued to attract at
| tention, and in 1896 Lieutenant Colonel
Picquart, then at the head Of the in
formation department, created a fresh
awakening by announcing that Com
mandant Count Esterhazy, not Drey-
fus, wrote the "bordereau." 1t was
| then that lola wrote his letter Of ac-
cusation against the army chiefs, de-
| claring that they knew Esterhazy was
the author of the document, but feared
to proceed against him, as it would
mean a revision of the Dreyfus case.
The heads Of the army had sent
Picquart to Africa because of his ac-
tivity in behalf Of the prisoner on
Devils island, it was said, and a court
martial had whitewashed EsterhaZy.
lola was arrested, sentenced to a years
Imprisonment and fined 5000. He ap-
pealed, had the verdict annulled, was
tried again, convicted and fed the coun-
try to escape prison. Colonel Picquart,
too, had been arrested.
On Aug. 80, 1898, Captain Henry was
arrested, confessed to having forged
documents that aided in Dreyfus' con.
viction and next day committed suicide.
Thereupon the court Of cessation re-
opened the Dreyfus case. The soldier
prisoner was brought from Devils is.
land, and N Aug. Z, 1899, a new trial
was begun at Rennes. Here Maitre
Labori, his counsel, was shot and
wounded, but recovered.
Dreyfus was convicted a second time
but the court martial found "extenuat.
ing'' circumstances and sentenced him
only to ten years Imprisonment. Drey.
fus, who from the start had made a
valiant fight in his own behalf, refused
to let the matter rest there, but de-
manded still further hearing, declaring
that ultimately his innocence would be
established. In Paris the supreme
court Of the republic on July IL, 1906,
annulled his conviction at Rennes, de-
clared him innocent, restored him to
the army with full and complete honor
and pronounced Esterhazy the writer
of the '%'bordereau" on which Dreyfus
had been convicted.
Dreyfus, who all this while had been
living in retirement, devoting his time
and his large fortune to clearing him.
self of the charge now pronounced
false, re-entered the army with the
rank Of major and the assurance of a
speedy promotion to a lieutenant colo
nelcy.
When lola died Major Dreyfus
watched beside the body with the rela-
tives, he walked in the procession the
day Of the funeral and was at the
grave when many of the addresses
touched upon the authors zeal In be-
half Of the prosecuted artillery officer
whom he had done much to free.