Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-05
PARIS AROUSED
BY ATTEMPT TO
SLAY DREYFUS
CHAMPION OF ZOLA BARELY
ESCAPES DEATH
wouLp-BE ASSASSIN DRAGGED,
BLEEDING, FROM MOB
Ceremonies Attending Canonization OF
Great Author End Tragically--As-
sallant Well Known Mill
tary Writer

BY Associated Press.
PARIS, June 4.-Just at the close of the
ceremonies attending the canonization OF
Emile Zola In the Pantheon today, when the
president OF France, the premier and "a host
of ministers of state were taking their de-
parture Louis Anthene Gregori, military
writer of note. drew n revolver and hred
two shots point blank at Major Alfred Drey-
fus. for whose liberty lola fought and won.
Men distinguished In all walks OF life
Allied the Pantheon and when the shots rang
out there was great excitement in fear that
the president had been assassinated. the
attempt on the life of Major Dreyfus created
a profound impression.
Soldiers speedily surrounded Gregori ana
he was taken to jail. bruised and bleeding.
with his clothes almost torn from his back.
The attempted assassination of Drey-
fus has created a tremendous sensa-
tion In Paris. and the motive of the
would-be assassin is the cause of much
mystification, for Gregori, instead OF
being an ordinary fanatic such as is
carried away by the political passions
of the moment, is man of mature
age, having been born i'm 1914, and was
highly esteemed in the circles where
he was known.
Although born of Italian parents. he
has been an ardent Frenchman for
years and has written authoritiatively
on military subjects. enjoying close re-
lations with many high French officers
Gregori was one of the correspond
ents who followed the big French and
German maneuvers obtaining data Tor
technical papers His friends are at
loss to know what caused him to COM
nit such a foolhardy act and many
question his statement that he simply
shot as an individual protest against
the participation of the army In the
services in the Pantheon.
May Have Been Tool
Some do not hesitate to express the
opinion that he may have been the
tool of a little clan of Royalists who.
under the name of 'TAction Fran
caise." have never ceased to insist that
the court of cessation Illegally prevent
ed an appeal of the Dreyfus case. nor
abandoned hope of seeing revision
favorable to the contentious of the Ma
tionaists.
Some color is lent to this theory by
a series of remarkable articles that
appeared III lnlS IllOIHlilB AStiOh
Franchise" from the pens of Charles
Maurras and Leon Daudet, son of the
poet, who are the leading spirits among
the Royalists' supporters of the res
toration of Philippe of Orleans.
The articles apparently anticipated
todays event, that of Maurras declar-
ing that there may be a rumbling be-
fore the revolution"
Daudet wrote: THE real hero will
be Dreyfus. and Dreyfus may ask HIM
self whether this nocturnal glorifica-
tion Of modern crime will not con1ure
I'D a terrible dawn. He has already
heard the stroke of midnight"
Duke Is Eulogized
Furthermore the Soleil, a Royalist
organ, this morning printed an entire
page eulogizing the duke of Orleans.
accompanied by his picture.
Other stories are afioat to the erect
that there was an actual plot of Royal
list Catholic students to dump the
hearse containing Zola's body into the
Seine last night. but that it was dis
covered and frustrated.
Such rumors, however, receive no Of
flcial confirmation and the general
public rejects them as far fetched and
absurd, in view of the strength of the
Republican sentiment among the
masses.
Major Dreyfus was not seriously in
jured. A bullet entered his forearm,
but did not injure the bone. At a late
hour tonight the official statement was
made that his condition was very ia
yorable and that no complications were
feared.
With regard to the reasons for Gre
gori's act, the opinion prevails In Paris
that there is much truth in his avowal
that he was driven to the deed by the
H.. xtrlaf fah hn Infi
Semitic papers have been filled. The
state of this feeling can be gauged
bv an interview with Henri Rochefort,
editor of the Patrie, which is pub
lished tonight, in which he says:
"First Time Under Fire"
"It would have been glorious death
for Dreyfus it would have been his
first and only time under fire."
Matthew Dreyfus, brother of Major
Drevfus. who sprang forward to save
him, chivalrously saved Gregorio from
the crowd, which was raining blows
with canes and umbrellas on the man,
shouting: "It is not for you to pun
ish: let the law take its course"
Gregorios made 1. statement to the
police directly after his arrest, and
during q second Interrogation tonight
he said: "I did not wish to Kill Drey-
fus. 1t Is true l aimed at him, but
only wanted to Craze him. MY only op-
ject was to protest against the partici-
patton of the army in the glorincation
of Zola and the rehabilitation of Drey-
fus. MY blow was aimed less at Drey-
fus than at Dreyfusism."
During the day the police made sew
eral hundred arrests. but no signifi-
canee Is attached to this, as the pris-
oners are mostly students and rowdies
who took part in numerous street
brawls.