El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-08-19

SeSllS lloh ana entrusted the task to
Col Du Patty Du Clam to find the writer
of the bordereau. That official A
noted anti-semit by the way. first COM
pared the handwriting on the burde-
reau with the handwriting OF Capt.
Dreyfus. The similarity Of certain
letters and of certain words convinced
Col. Du Patty that Dreyfus was the
writer of the discriminating document.
Consequently. on the evening of Oct
13. he ordered Dreyfus TO come to the
ministry OF war in civilian clothes.
He at once handed the captain q pen
and sheet of paper and dictated few
words taken from the bordereau- Drey-
fus was bewildered. He was not told
nor could ne understand the purpose
of this handwriting test The colonel
watched him closely and said:
Dreyfus Accused.
Captain, why are you trembling so7"
Dreyfus answered:
Colonel, 1 don't know whether / am
dreaming or not"
You will soon wake up" retorted the
colonel
stances he was summoned. this trem-
bling OF his hand was the first step
toward Dreyfus's conviction.
After the test Dreyfus was arrested
and taken handcuffed to thea military
prison where he was locked up Spe-
cial guards were assigned 10 him for
fear that Jewish gold might help him
to escape" as colonel Du Patty later
testified before the court martial. II
Is interesting to note in order to show
that the entire affair was an anti
Jewish plot that only anti-Jewish
newspapers were informed of the ar
rest The Libre Parole and the Intran-
slgeanI above referred 20, published
couple of lines stating that a Jew
officer was detained at the military
prison on charges Of treason.
Little by little the news spread, and
as the fact was gradually known. pub
became inf1
Jews and eliminated in anti-Jewish
demonstra tions in the streets of Paris
and corresponding sympathetic mani
festations in front OF the offices of
the anti-Jewish press
The Trials.
Dreyfus was tried in December 1894,
by a court martial composed OF seven
superior officers. the highest in grade
being the presiding general, and the
lowest in grade a captain. The pro-
ceedings were secret. No civilian was
admitted save the handwriting experts
and Dreyfuss counsel. Mr.. Domange,
the noted Partisan criminal lawyer.
The entire case rested on the Dor
accused or nOt2 Mr.. Colbert, the ex-
pert in the employ Of the Bank of
France, the greatest financial institu-
ton of the republic. testifies after
samples of the handwriting. that il was l
not the writing Of Dreyfus.
Mr. Bertillon. on the contrary, who
IS an authority on the matter. and
originator of the famous Bertilon sys-
-em of measurements for criminals
adopted by the police department of |
New York, concluded that IL was Drey-
fus who had written the bordoreau.
The judges felt somewhat troubled at I
The conflicting opinion of two such /
eminent experts and retired in their 4
'hambers to deliberate. 1t is then that I
/ monstrous crime was committed.
The Damning Telegram.
Contrary 10 all criminal procedure.
n envoy Of the ministry Of war was
Omitted by the judges while they = err
CELEBRATING. who submitted TO them
Ocument which sealed the fate Of
)reyfus. The document was a tele-
ram sent by the German military at
ache. Col. Won SchwarZkOppen to Col.
the Italian military attache
nd was read 10 the court as follows;
THAT animal Of Dreyfus is becoming
90 exacting."
After hearing that. the judges did
OF waste any time weighing the testi-
lony of the handwriting experts and
OOk a vote on the guilt or innocence
Dreyfus. In French court martials.
he judges vote separately by yes or
o. as their names are called by the (
clerk It is the inferior Of
Ger who votes first. then the second |
J grade and so on up 10 the presiding /
fficer who votes last This is done 50 I
s TO avoid any undue influence being /
rought upon an inferior officer by
1perior officer
The verdict was unanimous against
reyfus and the accused was then and
lere. according to French law, sen
enced to perpetual Punishment IN a
)rtfied place, and to public degra-
alton
Publicly Dfsgraced.
The latter punishment is by far the
lost cruel On the 9Th OF January.
s95, Dreyfus was taken in front or the !
oops on the drilling grounds OF the
hamp de Mars, and there q general
a stentorian voice. exclaimed: !
"Dreyfus. you are unworthy of wear I
lg the uniform of a French soldier"
Then turning to a subordinate.
eutenant. he said DO YOUR dutvr
hat officer took Dreyfus's sabre and S
roke 1t over his knee The pieces fell
n the ground; he then cut off the but a
ms OF his uniform and the insignia Y
his grade His work was done But c
ne torture was not yet over for Drew a
Is Taken handcuffed between four p
fmed soldiers, he was marched in :
-ont OF all the troops An Immense 7 v
rowd standing behind the soldiers. s
'r Down with the Jewi" xiii the h
lTJy spy To hell with him. was z
elled at Dreyfus, who was lool-i1f, Q
.ralght at the soldiers as he passed t
swear on my children's heads that
m innocent am not a traitor .
m not spy-Vive Ia France
Justice Not Quite Blind.
Dreyfus was then taken TO the nort =
81 Nazalre and from there nut on =
)nVicts transport. his destination !.
evlI Island in French Guinea. 10 :
erve his life sentence. Here. whenever >
ny agitation in his favor was stated Z,
france ne was more cruelty treated Il
ne neat was intense He was man J.
,led TO his iron bed by his feet and -
mos y and he could not even brush y
u me swarm OF insects Of that well -
alhed Island which pestered him. His :,
leihles hoped never to hear from him :;
gam Dut his family and their friends ~
'htIhued TO believe implicitly thai a ~
eat judicial error had been COMMITTEE. =,
pa mat the captain was innocent. / :.
ney worked silently and investigated q
re lie and the past 90 the other Of =
GERS, the colleagues of Dreyfus. bu. %
lIhout any success One day. however >
"a enterprising Paris newspaper-Le :.
dtin-published a fac-simile of the D.
nous bordereau. Thousands Of 5cpies -
that paper were sold by the news 2
Us on the boulevards. calling ort !,
e sensational document y
certain Mr.. Castro. a stock broker =
'uent a copy and recognized in the n
c-slmilie the handwriting of one Of :.